NEW YORK (1010 WINS)  -- White male firefighters dominate New York City's firehouses, accounting for about 90 percent of the department, and officials on Monday announced changes in eligibility and an aggressive recruiting drive intended to boost diversity.

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and Mayor Michael Bloomberg said applicants who wish to take the exam no longer need college credits, and can apply if they graduated from high school and have held a full-time job for at least six months or served in the military with honorable discharge.

Those without work or military experience can apply if they have 15 college credits, or about one semester. Previously, the requirement was 30 college credits.

``Simply stated, it's the department's goal to have a workforce that mirrors the citizens that we serve,'' Scoppetta said.

Of the FDNY's 11,600 uniformed members, there are about 620 Hispanics, or 5 percent, and about 330 blacks, fewer than 3 percent. The department has just 30 women members and about 70 Asians.

The federal government is investigating the FDNY for possible discrimination in its hiring practices. The Justice Department said Monday that the matter is still under review.

Fire Capt. Paul Washington, president of the Vulcan Society, a fraternal organization of black firefighters, praised the city's new effort as an encouraging move, but said the next goal should be to address the hiring gap that comes after the test.

``By itself, it's not enough, but it's a step in the right direction,'' he said.

The exam is given every four years, and a list of candidates is then compiled and ranked by scores that reflect test performance and several other factors, like whether they are city residents or have family members who died in the line of duty.

Over the next few years, firefighters are then called up for hire according to that order. Washington said black candidates often end up with lower scores at the bottom of the list, and therefore aren't hired in the same percentages as they apply.

The mayor and fire commissioner said they hope widening the entire pool of applicants will naturally increase the number of diverse hires.

``What we think is that if you have more people taking the test, there will be more diversity because you just have a bigger group to choose from,'' Bloomberg said.

The city also announced an advertising blitz aimed at informing New Yorkers about the upcoming exam in January 2007 and the two-month test registration period that began Monday.

The campaign includes ads in English, Spanish, Korean and Chinese, and is part of the department's largest ever diversity drive. The FDNY is spending millions to expand recruitment into a yearlong effort that involves sending uniformed members into communities and churches to draw more minority applicants.