The nine ex-felons, who were all minorities, were part of 295 probies that graduated from New York’s Fire Academy on Nov. 2. Since then, critics have charged that the FDNY has slackened up on its hiring standards, in an effort to diversify its squads.

One of the new  guys that has been hired, is a black 32-year-old who first worked for the city as an EMT back in 2012. He did more than a year in the Nassau County Correctional Center after two convictions in 2005  for having loaded guns.

In 2009, a probation report said that the cops described the ex-felon as “not a bad kid, but one who associated with known gang members.” He admitted he knew gang bangers, but said he was never a member himself.

However, 2007 and 2010, a Nassau County judge refused to grant him a “certificate of relief from disabilities.” This lifts an automatic bar against employment of people with one felony. The reason why: “He had failed to cooperate in an investigation and to keep probation appointments.”

Last year however, he received a “certificate of good conduct” from the state Corrections Department. This certificate is granted to people who are convicted of two or more felonies,who have stayed clean for three to five years, or those with any criminal records seeking “public office,” which includes firefighter jobs, experts said.

Not all of the veteran firefighters are thrilled about this though. “I agree that people deserve a second chance, but how far are we going to go?” one FDNY veteran asked.

Sebastian Solomon is the director of the Legal Action Center. This organization helps ex-cons seek good-conduct certificates. Solomon felt these guys are potential heroes.

“This is an inherently risky profession with a challenging application process. Anyone willing to go through that process must be motivated to help others,” Solomon argued. “We just believe that they need to be judged on their merits as individuals, and not eliminated from contention solely on the basis of their record.”

This new batch of ex-felons comes in the wake of a federal lawsuit by the Vulcan Society of black firefighters. In 2014, the city agreed to pay $98 million to candidates passed over because of alleged racial bias.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the latest firefighter class, with 22.3 percent identified as Hispanic and 15.5 percent as black, “reflects the growing diversity of our department.”