Reference no: EM131706066

Question: The City of Rochester will not accept applications for positions with the city's fire department and police department from persons over the age of thirty. The city also has a mandatory retirement age for police officers and firefighters of age fifty-five. The city maintains that the strenuous nature of the work of the firefighters and police officers requires that employees be in good physical shape, and that experience on the job can help offset the effects of aging on the employees up until about the age of fifty-five. However, after age fifty-five, the effects of aging on the cardiovascular system are more likely to cause potential problems for the employees. Has the city established that the age limit for applicants and the mandatory retirement age are BFOQ's under the ADEA? Explain.