Candidates for the Boston Fire Department are taking the written and physical exams given every two years for candidates. Now the department has one man specifically designated to bring in more candidates of color.

BFD Diversity Officer Juan Sanchez has been on the job for about three months, and says he’s here to help.

“Everybody is aware of the lack of diversity in the department," he said. "And I think the first step is identifying the issue, and I think hiring me is that first step.”

Sanchez is the first diversity officer in a department in which 73 percent of firefighters are white, he says, serving a population that is 53 percent minority. 

“My target is to basically diversify the fire department with a focus on hiring minority veterans, because of the federal laws that are in place that give preference to veterans,”

Sanchez believes it starts with education, so part of his plan is to get into communities of color

“I feel like knowledge is power at this point and if we can lead them into taking the next steps like moving to join the military if that’s the way they can get onto the fire department we want to give them all the information they need to do that.”

But for some candidates, like one man did not want to give his name, being a man of color and a veteran doesn’t seem to be working. He’s been trying to become a Boston firefighter for four years. The Army veteran says he has taken the written tests three times.  

“It hasn’t been that easy, it seems like," the man told WGBH News. "First time [I took the written exam] was a 97, second time was a 98. It’s just frustrating when you have to keep taking it over and over again.”

He’s waiting for scores from the exam he just took in April and says has passed the physical exam three times.

Boston Fire Department Commissioner Joseph Finn explained why the process can be frustrating. There is a candidate list that’s generated each exam period, which takes place every two years.

“The list is sent from the state and is stacked, if you will, in order of preference, and then on score," Finn said. “Each preference category, you’re stacked according to score, and then it works its way down from surviving children, disabled veterans, you get into 100 percent disabled and then you get into sons and daughters of 100 percent disabled, and then you get into the veterans group.”  

So even someone with a high score may not top the list.

“It’s certainly a challenge and that’s why we have a new diversity officer,” Finn said.

It’s estimated that half of the U.S. military are people of color so it should be easy to find candidates, but Finn says it hasn’t been. Why is that?

“That’s a very good question and I really don’t have the answer for it,” Finn said.

But Finn says he pushed for the diversity officer position to make the connections and increase the number of qualified candidates of color who apply to be firefighters.

He says of the 1,477 Boston firefighters, 306 are black, 109 are Hispanic, four are Asian and 16 are women. He says there is a long way to go.

“I certainly want to see them going the other direction," he said. "I want to see we're looking to make the strides.”

The candidate wants to make strides too, with a chance to serve the community where he grew up. He’s not giving up.

“I will keep confident and keep praying that I do get on,” he said.

He’s just waiting for an opportunity. Sanchez says if it’s up to him, he will get the chance.