An amputee got his chance Wednesday to appeal a ruling that is keeping him from a spot in the Paterson Fire Department.

Isaac Feliciano?s left leg was amputated below the knee when he was a child as a result of spinal meningitis. Last summer, Feliciano passed the firefighters exam, finishing 103rd out of more than 600 hopefuls. However, his lifelong dream was squashed when the City of Paterson rejected him because of his disability. His attorney says the city hired lower-ranking applicants instead, a move he calls discrimination.

The City of Paterson did not attend the appeals hearing Wednesday. Last summer, the city?s fire chief blamed the decision to reject Feliciano on an outside medical consultant. The fire chief said if Feliciano is successful on appeal, the department would be happy to hire him. The state is expected to rule on Feliciano?s appeal in the next 30 days.

Amputee firefighters serve in several fire departments across the country, including in one volunteer department in New Jersey. Feliciano says the quest to become a firefighter is personal because he was saved from a burning building as a child.

Related Information:Amputee battles to get dream job with Paterson Fire Department