A woman is set to join the New York City Fire Department despite failing a crucial physical fitness test, according to the New York Post.

Rebecca Wax, 33, is expected to graduate Tuesday from the Fire Academy and will become the first firefighter to have failed the Functional Skills Training (FST) test, the Post reported.

The grueling test requires potential recruits to climb six flights of stairs in full gear and drag dummies through tunnels with little visibility, among other tasks, and it’s to be completed in under 18 minutes, according to the Post.

Despite many attempts over the academy’s 18-week training course, Ms. Wax completed the test just once in more than 22 minutes, the Post reported.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has made the hiring of female firefighters a key issue in his administration — only 44 of the city’s 10,500 firefighters are women, the Post reported.

Last December, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro told a City Council hearing on the FDNY’s efforts to recruit women that he had changed the FST requirements to lower obstacles, the Post reported.

Since Ms. Wax had a high GPA on her academics, officials determined that made up for her FST deficiency, the report said.

Mr. Nigro refused to comment to the Post about Ms. Wax’s fitness failure.

“Every one of our 305 probies have passed and will be graduating Tuesday,” he said. “She has met the requirements.”

Upon graduation, Ms. Wax will be assigned to a firehouse and tasked with the full duties of a firefighter, the Post reported.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.