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

[dmfireschool]

The 2010 Cleveland Firefighter Examination Written Test will be held at 9:00 a.m., on Saturday, July 31, 2010, at the Cleveland Convention Center Complex, 500 Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland OH 44114.

Filing of Application

Application must be made on an official Civil Service Application form obtainable at the Cleveland Convention Center, 500 Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland OH 44114.

Applications may be obtained and filed during the period of Monday, April 19, 2010, through Friday, April 30, 2010. Weekday hours are 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Saturday, April 24, 2010, hours are 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Applications will also be accepted at the following recreation centers from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on the date listed:


Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Place: Gunning Recreation Center
16700 Puritas Avenue

Date: Wedensday, April 21, 2010
Place: Kenneth L. Johnson Recreation Center
9206 Woodland Avenue

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010
Place: Estabrook Recreation Center
4125 Fulton Road

Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Place: Sterling Recreation Center
1380 E. 32nd Street

Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Place: Cudell Recreation Center
1910 West Boulevard

Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010
Place: Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center
8611 Hough Avenue

Applications will not be accepted after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 30, 2010. It is the policy of the Civil Service Commission that no late filing will be permitted.

Filing Fee

Applications are required to pay a non-refundable filing fee of $10.00 (cash, money order, or bank check only. No personal checks will be accepted.). Bank check or money order must be made payable to the City of Cleveland. Those individuals presenting proof of unemployment or public assistance at the time of filing will be exempt from the fee. A coy of such proof must be included with the application.

All applications must be notarized prior to filing. As a courtesy, a Notary Public MAY be available to notarize the appropriate documents for a standard fee of $2.00.

Minimum Qualifications

Age: Applicant must be a minimum of 18 years of age and no older than 35 years of age at the time of appointment to the City of Cleveland Fire Training Academy.

Education: Applicants must indicate in their application, and present proof at the time of filing, that they have received a high school diploma* from an accredited educational institution or have satisfactorily completed the General Education Development (GED) test. One of the following must be presented at the time of filing:

A. High school diploma
B. GED
C. Letter on official stationery from high school or board of education stating that the applicant did graduate.
D. DD-214 (Separation from Active Duty) which indicates the individual graduated from high school or passed the General Education Development test.
E. For those students about to graduate, a letter on official stationery from their high school stating that they will graduate at the end of this school year. Such applicant must submit a copy of one of the above items or a copy of an official transport indicating graduation date to the Civil Service office no later than July 1, 2010.

*If the applicant graduated from, for example, a charter school, was home schooled, or graduated from a school outside of Ohio, applicant must be able to document that the requirements of the state in which the diploma/GED was issued were met.

Applicants who cannot present proof of identity, age, and education will not be permitted to file an application. The Civil Service Commission reserves the right to verify the aforementioned documents and to withhold the acceptance or rejection of application until such verification can be obtained.

Driver’s License: Applicant must have a valid State of Ohio Driver’s License prior to appointment to Fire Academy.

Citizenship: Applicant must be a citizen of the United States prior to appointment to the Fire Academy.

Residency Credit

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. Such proofs include but are not limited to:

• Driver’s license
• Bank statements
• Utility bills
• Mortgage or lease agreement
• Bills from creditors not listed above
• Other postmarked mail such as magazines with name and mailing label attached, organization newsletters, medical/dental bills, voter registration card, or motor vehicle registration
• Insurance statement (home insurance, rental insurance, car insurance or other insurance documents)

*“One year ago” shall be one year previous to date of filing. For example, if you are filing for the examination in April of 2010, you must present 4 different documents dated February, March or April of 2009.

**“Current” shall be within the last three months. For example, if you are filing for the examination in April of 2010, you must present 4 different documents dated February, March or April of 2010.

NOTE: If creditors are paid online, a copy of bill is to be printed showing the address of the applicant. The bill must have the date visible.


More exam information can be found at 1-800-989-FIRE

Assistant Chief Brent Collins, Cleveland Fire Dept.
Firehouse.com Entry Level Contributor Author since 2002

[sweetpete]

Best of wishes to everyone who tests!! If things were different, I'd be right there in line with everyone!! GO TRIBE!!

[thanojon]

10 extra credit points to residents? Can any cleveland area guys enlighten me on my a question. Is it basically futile to test without being a resident? What are the chances of someone being called if they are a non-resident but score a 100 on the exam? Also, anyword on what the exam will be like? I.E. a normal SAT type test or that bs pyscological personality test that some departments are switching to..

[sweetpete]

I've HEARD that the city is very pro-resident, but I don't think it's impossible to get hired if you're an "out of towner", imho.

Pete

[thanojon]

I've HEARD that the city is very pro-resident, but I don't think it's impossible to get hired if you're an "out of towner", imho.

Pete

Well, i guess that's kinda good to hear... 10 points for residency is very huge. I'm just curious though. I guess I'm comparing this one to something like New Yorks. Its basically impossible to get hired on the FDNY without having the 5 pts residency because of the amount of ppl that test. I'm sure Cleveland's exam will be HUGE number wise. So, with that being said it would be a shame if someone got a 100 but is still in the deep 1,000's due to the numbers. Idk, just my .02

[thanojon]

So i read a bit more carefully this time. Do you have to have an OHIO drivers license PRIOR to the written exam? In other words can out of staters not even test? Can somebody from there clear this up?

[toddrat1]

I would think that you need an Ohio license by the time you are hired. Also the physical agility is competitive. The better your time the better your score.

[BrutusBuckeye]

I have been told numerous times from people in all different ranks of the department that if you don't have the residency points than you are wasting your time.

[zarack808]

dmfireschool, thanks for the information! Do you have any additional information on the projected timeline for when Cleveland plans to hire its first class from this exam?

[MontvilleFire39]

I am really torn on whether or not to take this exam or not. CFD has been my dream job since I was knee high. It is my hometown and all my family is there. On the other hand, I have a great spot on a good fire department. It would be a substantial paycut off the bat and a small one at top rate. On top of that I would hate to give up seniority and pension time only to get laid off.

So hopefully a few Cleveland brothers can answer some questions;

1. What is the staffing?
2. What other types of pay is offerd? (incentives, differentials, etc...)
3. Is there any hint of stability?

Thanks,

Ben

[sweetpete]

Ben,

I'm in a similar boat as you. I moved from C-town and got hired on a full-time department here in Texas. I love this dept, but it would be nice to work in my hometown.

However, based on the 1000's of applicants, the fact that residency is going to play a HUGE role, and the instability of the city, my wife and I decided it's best to stay put.

I'm not going to risk an already great job for another great job that might lay me off in a couple of years.

Take care,
Pete

[galice]

why 10? thats huge! i was very excited for this test and then i saw the number 10 is there anyone who thinks theres any chance i have a shot if i don't get a 100 on the test?

[thanojon]

why 10? thats huge! i was very excited for this test and then i saw the number 10 is there anyone who thinks theres any chance i have a shot if i don't get a 100 on the test?

Dmfireschool or can any other Cleveland area guy follow up on this? I know on FDNY's test even if you scored a 100 you were somewhere in the low 1,000's. I'd say its safe to say that at LEAST 6,000 test for Cleveland, if not more? Do you guys think getting a 100 would put you in the same boat with this 10 pt residency? Regardless i am going to test and give it my all but i'm curious as to what you guys think. I also saw some other guy post on here that he has talked with CFD guys and they said it was pointless to test without residency... And lastly what about the physical test. Are they going to still do their own type and rank you or are they just gonna have a standard pass/fail cpat? Any information is greatly appreciated.

[BrutusBuckeye]

I have spoken to dmfireschool on the phone personally and they have told me that without the residency points you will not make the cut. This was about a year ago and he told me to establish residency ASAP back then to try and qualify for the points. Take it for what it's worth. As for the physical they have what the previous test was like on local 93's website. I don't know what this current round of testing will consist of this time.

[galice]

the more i look in to getting on with big departments the more frustrated i get... the most qualified person should get the job the firefighting position should not be based on someone getting the job over another because one lives 10 mins from the department and the other lives 5..

[zarack808]

Any idea on how many the city is looking to hire from this eligibility list? Apparently, this is Cleveland's first test in 11 years. So, I'm guessing that they have a number of retirements on the horizon.

Also, I am considering signing up for the Don McNea firefighter exam prep course. Is anyone familiar with the course? And if so, can you tell me whether this would be a useful investment?

[BrutusBuckeye]

Zarack I have taken Don McNea prep courses for other fire exams and have found them to be very helpful. I have heard that his prep course for Cleveland is also very helpful. The person who owns the school is an Assistant Chief in Cleveland Fire so I'm sure the course can provide some useful information. The department does have alot of guys on the DROP program but whether or not the city fills every retirement, only time will tell. Unfortunately Cleveland is only getting worse with a shrinking population and shrinking finances. But I hope they do hire alot because I will be waiting on that list too.

[medic439]

Lots of empty seats on Saturday.. it will be interesting to see how many people tested. Anyone know if you will be ranked prior to the PAT?

[zarack808]

Yeah, you're right about the empty seats. Not too surprising though. I anticipated that a few hundred applicants would not show for the exam.

As for ranking scores, here's what I know: I called the city today to inquire about how residency/military points will be applied. I was told that applicants who passed the written exam will be invited to take the PAT. They will then combine the written and PAT scores and any extra points will be applied on top of your overall score. Candidates will then be ranked accordingly.

[Lucky2]

Are they still going to be hiring? You would think they would hold off for a little bit after all that's happened lately around there, just so they don't have to lay off....