John Currivan and James Grace III, each with more than nine years doing the assistant chief's job, and Bruce Elander, with 5 years, were sworn in before a room full of family and peers at a meeting of the Board of Fire Commissioners at headquarters.

Fire board President Stuart Rosenberg read the oath to the three men, who all replied, "I do."

"Congratulations," Rosenberg said, and applause erupted. Fire Chief Brian Rooney also shook their hands.

The men wore dark blue uniform jackets and pants and white hats.

After the brief ceremony, Currivan said he felt "real good."

"I passed the test. I earned it," he said.

He added that he became a firefighter 30 years ago on Aug. 1. He even took the oath in the same room.

"It brings back a lot of memories," Currivan said, noting he has 12 years as assistant chief, two as acting assistant chief.

The chiefs' provisional status meant they were appointed to fill vacancies until a promotion exam could be held. No exams were held for many years because of lawsuits and other court challenges.

An exam was held earlier this year. Before that, the last assistant chief exam was held in the mid-1990s, said Rooney, who took that test.

The provisional title is supposed to be a 120-day assignment under the City Charter, but that standard has not been followed by the Civil Service Department for many years, for a variety of reasons.

The assistant chief coordinates and oversees firefighters at emergency scenes.

Aaron Leo, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6222.