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

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Originally Posted by kzavodny

Good to know bud. I have a question. Say John is a decorated combat veteran an is paired with Salley or another minority. Is that Vet still SOL bc if the others being minorities? If anything the Vets are the minorities taking the test. Bet there are a lot less vets then there are sex/racial minorities. Wasnt the Headen Decree revoked in 2009?

A lot of departments say up front what background check DQ's are. Anybody know what Clevelands are? I assume any felony or DUI would take you out of the runnings.

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So I guess 5 preference points for military service isn't enough? 5 points could be the difference between 50th and 250th. In other words, your military points will keep you in the game for consideration. Last I checked, women and minorities didn't get any preference points added to their score. Don't whine man...you're getting worked up over the whole quota thing already and they haven't released the eligibility list yet. Relax.

For those of you who are military and/or residents...
If you score high enough on the written exam, pass the PAT, and if you're not a felon, drunk driver, drug user, or crazy, then you will likely be hired - regardless of your race or gender. Lets hold off on the quota conspiracies for now.

I do not think there is a quota the city has to make. There used to be I know that for a fact because I was on the old list. You can look at the 1 and 3 rule however you want but they pretty much hire right down the list. The last test there were not that many people going down the list that got passed up. I work for the city now and they way I understand it is the city puts 3 people through the process for every one job. I dont think that a DUI will disqualify you but hopefully it was some time ago. And I know a felony will certainly DQ you.

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Originally Posted by toddrat1

I do not think there is a quota the city has to make. There used to be I know that for a fact because I was on the old list. You can look at the 1 and 3 rule however you want but they pretty much hire right down the list. The last test there were not that many people going down the list that got passed up. I work for the city now and they way I understand it is the city puts 3 people through the process for every one job. I dont think that a DUI will disqualify you but hopefully it was some time ago. And I know a felony will certainly DQ you.

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Oh, I dont have a DUI or anything. Was just wondering. Spent most of my time for age 19-25 overseas. No time to get in trouble lol. I am aware of the rule of three. I just think they should hire the right people for the position no matter what race, religion, gender.

I agree with you too. All we can do is kick *** on the test and see what happens. I was waiting to take this test again for a long time. Thanks for serving the US and hopefully you'll get on

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Originally Posted by toddrat1

I agree with you too. All we can do is kick *** on the test and see what happens. I was waiting to take this test again for a long time. Thanks for serving the US and hopefully you'll get on

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Thankyou, I wish you good luck aswell.

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Originally Posted by Army Boy

I know if I got past up for a minority that MAY be less qualified I would run to the Veteran's Affairs office and lawyer up. Reverse discrimination againts a decorated combat vet would look pretty bad.

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If you need an attorney to get you hired, then chances are, you're not going to enjoy working there very long. The city will make sure of that.

It's a screwed up system. That's why civil service doesn't always work. A city should be free to hire who they want, regardless of what they look like.

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Originally Posted by sweetpete

If you need an attorney to get you hired, then chances are, you're not going to enjoy working there very long. The city will make sure of that.

It's a screwed up system. That's why civil service doesn't always work. A city should be free to hire who they want, regardless of what they look like.

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My felllow veterans wouldnt do it to get the job. It would be done to send a message. Getting the VA involved would be bad for cleveland civil service. The media does not like seeing military getting the cold shoulder after what they have done.

You are right, they should be able to hire whoever they see fit for the job.

I know I ramble alot because I have seen quite a few of my military friends past over for different civil service jobs. Something has gotta give.

If I dont get a chance to get hired it's my own fault for not trying hard enough.

:D I love the fire!! I could not agree more! It is only a matter of time before reverse discrimination finds its way into a highly covered Supreme Court case that alters some current legislation.

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Originally Posted by Army Boy

I know if I got past up for a minority that MAY be less qualified I would run to the Veteran's Affairs office and lawyer up. Reverse discrimination againts a decorated combat vet would look pretty bad.

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Anybody know what happend with the MLK class and them getting extra points? If that does go through everybody with a 240 card should get the points.

I took my PAT on thursday. I thought it was pretty easy but I am pretty sure some people will have a difficult time with it.

I also took the Cleveland test and just passed the PAT. This is my first time going through the firefighter exam process, so I'm hoping you guys can answer some questions for me. I've tried calling civil service for answers, but as someone else already mentioned, those people are rude and uncooperative.

I think the next step is the background check. What is involved in the background portion? A friend of mine works for Cleveland Police and he told me that his background check for the police dept took several months and that they visited his neighbors, family members, and former teachers. Is this the case for the fire department too? If I recall correctly, our employment application did not ask for any character references or employment history. How are they going to do the background check if we didn't provide them with any specific information about our background?

I'm also unsure about how the residency points will be applied. I have lived in Cleveland for the past 6 years and my application was stamped with residency status (e.g., I turned in my mail from the past year as required). However, I just purchased a home in a west side suburb 3 weeks ago. Although I just bought the house, I kept my apartment in Cleveland. Will this impact my residency credit?

The Cleveland Division of Fire website provides the residency guidelines, which state:

In accordance with the Charter of the City of Cleveland: A person who has had as his/her primary residence in the City of Cleveland for at least one year at the time of filing a Civil Service application, and desires to take an entry-level Civil Service examination, shall, if a passing grade on the written examination is attained, have ten (10) points added to his/her passing score.

In order to receive residency credit, applicants must present the originals or legible copies of 4 different proofs of residency from one year ago* and 4 different proofs of residency that are current** (a total of 8 documents) for verification.

I understand this to mean that as long as you could prove residency at the time of filing the application, you will be awarded the residency points. I don't think they can revoke your residency points if you moved to a suburb after the fact. Any comments or helpful information?

I've heard that career firefighters have excellent benefits - less expensive and better coverage than what's available at the typical full time job. Is this true for Cleveland? Does anyone know what kind of benefits package CFD firefighters receive?

Like many of us here with families, medical benefits are an IMPORTANT factor in my employment decisions. Just want to get an idea of what CFD offers.

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Originally Posted by zarack808

I've heard that career firefighters have excellent benefits - less expensive and better coverage than what's available at the typical full time job. Is this true for Cleveland? Does anyone know what kind of benefits package CFD firefighters receive?

Like many of us here with families, medical benefits are an IMPORTANT factor in my employment decisions. Just want to get an idea of what CFD offers.

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you can check out the city of cleveland website and navigate to the Fire section and will show you the benefits..

Army Boy_ Did you hear anything about the MLK class receiving extra points?

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Originally Posted by Army Boy

you can check out the city of cleveland website and navigate to the Fire section and will show you the benefits..

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I checked out the website and it states that benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance. I knew that already. My question was geared more to the cost/affordability and quality of benefits.

I know the benefits/mainly health insurance are good. They still have a co-pay like most people (I know for sure) and more than likely have to pay a little out of pocket. The benefits with most fire/police are a little better than other employers, not much though. Everyone through out the country has been taking concessions. I'm also sure they will provide beenfits when your in the academy too. However, you'll only be making $10.50 per hour. Thats the one thing I'm concerned with, being covered or not covered when your in the FTA. I can survive the major paycut, but the health insurance...NO! Think about the DROP program when you retire, if its still around. Major pay out when you retire and the benefits.

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Originally Posted by cnash0317

Army Boy_ Did you hear anything about the MLK class receiving extra points?

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No,, haven't heard a thing. I know a couple and have talked to a couple Cle Fire guys, and they are not real happy about it. I think the city knows it would be a big class action law suit if they didn't give everybody who has a 240 card the extra points.

I took the PAT yesterday. I heard that 1,702 were invited to take the Physical Potion & That all testing was to be completed on 12-09-10. I overheard this from a Civil Service Employee talking to a Firefighter who was timing.

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Originally Posted by Mike331

I took the PAT yesterday. I heard that 1,702 were invited to take the Physical Potion & That all testing was to be completed on 12-09-10. I overheard this from a Civil Service Employee talking to a Firefighter who was timing.

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They're still conducting the PAT through 12/09/10? I thought they were done testing already.

Army Boy...did any of your friends from CFD mention whether they expect a legal challenge on the MLK credit? Man, this could really delay things. I've been keeping an eye on EO lawsuits throughout the country (e.g., FDNY, Chicago, New Haven), and these lawsuits have held up the hiring process for years in some cases. From what I've been told, there were less than a dozen applicants who received the MLK credit - and my guess is that a number of them probably didn't score terribly high on the exam. We'll have to see though.

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Originally Posted by maverick80

They're still conducting the PAT through 12/09/10? I thought they were done testing already.

Army Boy...did any of your friends from CFD mention whether they expect a legal challenge on the MLK credit? Man, this could really delay things. I've been keeping an eye on EO lawsuits throughout the country (e.g., FDNY, Chicago, New Haven), and these lawsuits have held up the hiring process for years in some cases. From what I've been told, there were less than a dozen applicants who received the MLK credit - and my guess is that a number of them probably didn't score terribly high on the exam. We'll have to see though.

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Mav- to the best of my knowledge is was in court quite awhile ago. I dont know what happend with it, and my cousin doesn't have a clue either. I think he's tired of my buggin him about it. lol. I had my PAT today and was the last of the A-Z, however the rest of the days are for the re-tester that couldnt make pulse and BP. I just kinda wonder how long it will take now to get our rankings. My only problem is civil service loves minorities and even if I out score with my Veterans points, a minority off the streets with no experience will get hired over me.