Cleveland Fire Dept., Fire exam, July 31st, 2010

[fromCLE]

More hurry up and wait. Interviews are being done clearing up background info more than anything else. Psych evals and medical exams still to come, no time table yet.

[workingman216]

does anyone know if everyone who was certified will go through drug tests and evalutions or will they just pull down the list from 1 and stop when they get the number they want?

[mdd2121]

.............

[maverick80]

For those people who interviewed this past weekend, do you know if there were any no-shows (i.e., candidates who were scheduled to interview but did not show up)? Just curious.

I heard they only interviewed the top 50 names on the list. Just wondering if they will need to go down further into the list for interviews at some point.

[fromCLE]

For those people who interviewed this past weekend, do you know if there were any no-shows (i.e., candidates who were scheduled to interview but did not show up)? Just curious.

I heard they only interviewed the top 50 names on the list. Just wondering if they will need to go down further into the list for interviews at some point.

I have to believe that some people who ranked on the list are no longer in the process with Cleveland. It's been over two years, and some high ranking people may have found jobs in other departments and withdrawn, others may have not responded to the letters or have had bad addresses, and others may have had something negative in their background come up. So the top 50 today likely do not have numbers of 1-50.

[johnsmith1989]

correct, talked to a guy today who spoke with one of the background investigators, ten ppl have withdrawn interest.

[laddernhook]

the following information is coming second hand from someone in the department, so take it for what it's worth...
but i was told that the city plans to hire two classes in 2013 to prepare for the first significant wave of DROP retirements. the first class is targeted for late winter or early spring in order to make sure that there is enough time left for the second class to start late summer or early fall. not sure how many in each class, but the rumor is that maybe close to 100 guys are expected to retire over the next 1.5 years. even more guys leaving the following year, with CFD losing upwards of 1/3 of its force to retirement by late 2014 or 2015. this would suggest that they will try to hire as many as they can afford to hire off this current list. we won't know exactly how many until conditional offers go out, which they have to send out before the list expires in january. even after the list expires, the city will probably give another exam in the near future.
i was also told that the city is still tied up with the affirmative action decree, and that the court is currently considering whether or not to continue or do away with the quota policy. was told that the this might have a direct impact on the hiring process for the upcoming class.

[maverick80]

I've been wondering how graduates of the fire training academy are assigned to companies. Do you get to request a preference for engine co or ladder co? Beyond that, some firehouses are busier than others. How does CFD decide who goes where? Are assignments random and based on need? Is there some kind of rotation?

[johnsmith1989]

@laddernhook- i heard that they are doing 2 classes of 30, i dont know if thats all they are going to pull off this list or not, also did hear that the list went in front of a federal judge about the decree, heard they were told to pull right down the list in order.
@maverick80- from what i understand they do 3, 6 month rotations and people get to pick a wish list of top 3 stations for each rotation, something like that.

[fromCLE]

@laddernhook- i heard that they are doing 2 classes of 30, i dont know if thats all they are going to pull off this list or not, also did hear that the list went in front of a federal judge about the decree, heard they were told to pull right down the list in order.
@maverick80- from what i understand they do 3, 6 month rotations and people get to pick a wish list of top 3 stations for each rotation, something like that.

I've heard a class of 35 myself. Same ballpark.

Similar with the assignments, I've been told previously they would rotate you to 3 different stations, and the 3rd would become your semi-perm workplace, barring a request from you to transfer (so 2 houses during probation before a final assignment)

[zarack808]

A couple of random questions here simply for my own curiosity. I know that CFD has used black turnout gear for years now, but I was checking out some pics of recent incidents and noticed some FFs wearing yellow/tan gear. What's that all about? Again, just curious.

Also, I saw some FFs wearing black helmets, others wearing red helmets, and still others wearing yellow helmets. There were too many of them to be rank or officer designations. Anybody have info about the different colored helmets?

[mdd2121]

Probably just using their old or backup gear. Black helmet = engine co, red is truck and yellow is rescue

[zarack808]

Probably just using their old or backup gear. Black helmet = engine co, red is truck and yellow is rescue

I see. Thanks!

[zarack808]

next should be conditional letters of employment for those who are selected- conditional meaning pending passing medical exam and psych exams

Any timeline on when people can expect these conditional letters to go out?

[workingman216]

does anyone know if they are pulling more people in for interviews? I've been fingerprinted allready and was wondering if they have met their need or will be going furture down, i have heard nothing more to this point!

[Buffalo21]

Any timeline on when people can expect these conditional letters to go out?

What's it matter zarack? Why would you want to receive an offer from a fire department that would "malign your reputation a character?" Thats just what CFD needs, idiots trying to get the job, while helping to destroy it at the same time.



http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index...re_depart.html

"zarack
Only in Cleveland could firefighters, individuals who are among the most trusted, respected, and revered professionals, manage to completely turn the public against them due to greed and the inability to self-police rogue members.
I aspire to join the fire service one day, and I hope this opportunity comes to fruition (perhaps as a Cleveland firefighter). While I want to serve the public and be part of that brotherhood and camaraderie, I wouldn't want my reputation and character maligned just by being associated with a poorly run department.
Hopefully, things will soon change for the better. I think it will take new blood to turn things around though."

[zarack808]

I stand by my comments you highlighted from the article on cleveland.com (even though you mischaracterized my statement). I did not say that the fire department itself would malign my reputation and character. What I did say, if you were to read my comments in context, is that being a Cleveland firefighter could very well result in my character and reputation being maligned by the local public by virtue of guilt by association (in connection with the payroll abuse scandal that has been extensively covered in the news).
The fact is that public opinion of Cleveland firefighters is not very high right now, as there is a black cloud of suspicion hovering over the entire department as a result of what appears to be improper conduct by some firefighters and the apparent of lack of accountability. The fact is that lapses in judgment by a few firefighters and overly lax management gave rise to all this news coverage and public suspicion. I value my reputation and I believe that I have strong character (something that I learned to appreciate even more from my years in military service). That I dare to mention that I might have concerns about being villainized by the very public I am charged to serve and protect does not make me a bad person. It makes me human. That does not mean I don't still have a strong desire to join the fire department and do the job with all my might. To the contrary, I'd like be the best firefighter I can possibly be and also be part of the solution to improve the department in any capacity that I can. But wanting to be part of the department doesn't mean that I can't also be honest about some of the problems it faces. If you were to poll a number of firefighters off the record, I bet if they were being honest they would tell you that they find it hard sometimes to deal with all the negativity and distrust. Especially if they're following the rules and doing what's right. Are you going to say that they should quite the department? No, that's silly. They're human (as am I) and its natural to feel some frustration in light of the current climate in the department. Frankly, I don't think most of the issues that are constantly reported on will improve long term until there is some turnover with new firefighters taking leadership. Tradition is great, and I hope to be part of a great firefighting tradition and brotherhood. But, I should say, that part of being a brother involves holding my brothers accountable and making sure that they don't engage in conduct that would reflect poorly on the whole group.

Look, I know this was a long and drawn out post. But I felt the need to speak up for myself. I have nothing but respect for the guys on the job. I know all about the tradition. Hell, my family is from New Jersey and Chicago and we come from a deep tradition of public service there (mostly in the police force and military though).

[FireKracker]

Last week had a detective from CPD in my neighborhood doing a background/reference check. Showed a photo of me to my neighbors asking if they knew me and how long I lived at my residence. From what my neighbors tell me, he asked a lot of character based questions, and wanted to make sure I lived where I said I lived. I am fairly low on the list to 100 and was surprised the detective was doing a check on me. Who knows, maybe they are taking more people on then was previously thought.

[bw3]

Last week had a detective from CPD in my neighborhood doing a background/reference check. Showed a photo of me to my neighbors asking if they knew me and how long I lived at my residence. From what my neighbors tell me, he asked a lot of character based questions, and wanted to make sure I lived where I said I lived. I am fairly low on the list to 100 and was surprised the detective was doing a check on me. Who knows, maybe they are taking more people on then was previously thought.

Or maybe your'e wanted for murder...............haha

[FIREJAWZ]

This thread has cooled off a bit after things seemed to rev up a bit a month or so ago. Anyone know or hear anything about what's happening (or not happening) with hiring?