New London — The city swore in one new certified firefighter and welcomed three new recruits on Friday — a group that Mayor Michael Passero said shows the efforts to attract a local and more diverse applicant pool are paying off.

Two of the three new recruits are from New London and two of the four introduced on Friday are Hispanic.

The city saw a marked increase in total number of recruits including twice the number of minority candidates from last year, according to statistics compiled by Personnel Administrator Tina Collins.

Passero, who retired as a city firefighter before taking office, had drawn criticism in January after he rescinded offers made to three noncertified firefighter recruits by former Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio.

Two of those three were minorities and city residents; the offers originally were hailed as an achievement because of the department's lack of diversity.

Passero had said the previous process had been rushed and the move was regrettable but necessary.

Two of the three recruits whose job offers were rescinded were back on Friday, including resident Evan Giesing, who ranked at the top of the eligibility pool. He is a former volunteer firefighter from both the Goshen Fire Department in Waterford and City of Groton Fire Department.

Diego Barboza, 31, a native of Lima, Peru, also returned — this time as a certified firefighter.

Once his job offer was rescinded, Barboza decided to pay his own way through the state fire academy. He received glowing reviews from academy instructors and was selected by his peers to serve as a squad leader.

New London Fire Chief Henry Kydd said Barboza’s move to put himself through the academy was testament to his dedication to the profession.

“I don’t know who smiled down on us, but he decided to come back to us,” Kydd said.

Barboza, who is bilingual, was joined at the ceremony by his wife, Meghan, and 4-month-old daughter, Mia. His wife was five months pregnant when he decided to go to the fire academy and prepare himself for a career in the fire service.

His plans to graduate prior to his daughter’s birth were altered when his wife gave birth early. He wasn’t able to return home until two months after his daughter was born.

He was all smiles at Friday’s ceremony and thanked Kydd for the opportunity.

“I hope to serve the city well,” Barboza said.

He served as a volunteer firefighter in Hamden and earned an associate’s degree in history from Santa Fe College in Florida and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida.

In addition to firefighter I and II certifications, he is an emergency medical technician who was working at American Medical Response in New Haven when he started at the fire academy.

“Not too many people go out and do it on their own,” said Battalion Chief Tom Curcio of Barboza’s graduation from the fire academy.

As a side note, Curcio said Barboza also “grows a pretty impressive mustache, too.”

Barboza said the mustache was for luck while his wife was pregnant. He has since shaved it at his wife’s urging.

The two other recruits introduced on Friday were Andres J. Gonzalez of Centereach, N.Y., and Michael T. Gentile, an East Lyme High School graduate and New London resident.

The three recruits start at the academy on Monday and are expected to graduate in December.

Passero and Chief Administrative Officer Steven Fields said while there is room for improvement, recruitment has improved in part because of focused outreach efforts and community partnerships.

“We found a strong interest in the community. We were impressed with the people that came out,” Fields said.

Those that did apply included a number of people who had never been in the volunteer fire service, which is unusual but one of the goals of the open hiring process, Fields said.

The city received 213 applications for the noncertified position, up from the 141 applicants last year.

Twenty five of the applicants came from the city and 49 — or 23 percent — identified as a minority, according to numbers provided by the city.

There was an 8 percent increase in New London residents who applied, from 14 to 25, though just six passed the test.

The number of minority candidates increased from 23 to 49, a 110 percent increase, with a slight decrease in the failure rate from 87 to 82 percent, according to statistics provided by the city.

g.smith@theday.com