March 26--STAMFORD -- The more than 600 aspiring firefighters who sat for a civil service exam nearly two years ago may be reimbursed for administrative fees if city officials decide to throw out the test because of upcoming contract negotiations and a proposed merger of volunteer fire departments.
Human Resources Director Emmet Hibson said officials have not yet decided to certify the civil service list from the test, which the Stamford Fire & Rescue Department uses to hire firefighter recruits. Hibson said the decision to certify the list depends on upcoming contract negotiations with the city's professional firefighters' union and whether the Board of Representatives approves a proposed merger between several of the city's volunteer fire departments.
A total of 1,310 applicants paid a $35 fee for a seat during the exam, Hibson said. Of that number, 670 applicants took the exam on June 5, 2010. The city's professional department can only hire entry-level firefighters off a certified civil service list that ranks applicants based on their scores from the exam. Once certified, the list remains active for two years, and an optional third year.
Hibson said there is no deadline by which city officials need to certify the list, adding that he is in favor of reimbursing test-takers the fee if the city throws out the list. A controversial proposal to restructure the city's volunteer fire service will play a role in the city's decision, Hibson said.
If approved by the Board of Representatives, Mayor Michael Pavia's plan to merge four of five volunteer fire departments into a joint venture organization calls for moving 50 firefighters from the Springdale and Turn of River districts into the downtown district. The mayor has told elected officials the excess personnel at the city fire department will be reduced through attrition.
In contrast, the proposed joint venture, called the Stamford Volunteer Fire Department, would hire 47 firefighter recruits to provide the department with round-the-clock staffing in addition to volunteers. Former Turn of River Chief Ray Whitbread, a spokesperson for the joint venture, said the department would not hire off the list from the 2010 exam because it was meant for the Stamford Fire & Rescue Department.
"Assuming the plan is approved we would have to do a test of our own," Whitbread said. "It's a different entity from Stamford Fire & Rescue. The requirements might be different. We might have to take people who are already trained."
Greg Bivona, a carpenter and volunteer firefighter at the Glenbrook Fire Department, said he and other applicants studied for the test and trained for the state's physical ability test, a demanding obstacle course-type test that candidates must complete under a certain time as part of the application process. The Candidate Physical Ability Test, or CPAT, costs $150 to take and is administered by the Connecticut Fire Academy.
Bivona said he spent more than a month hitting the gym before work and studying for the exam at night.
"I'm definitely upset about it," Bivona said. "Are they going to reimburse me for my time? Are they going to reimburse me for the CPAT?"
Sean Hartnett, an electrician with 14 years of experience as a volunteer firefighter, said the new fire department merger, if approved, should hire off a list from the 2010 test. Hartnett said he was disgruntled that the city wasted his time with the firefighter exam.
"It was time, money and effort for that test," Hartnett said.
The city conducted the last firefighting exam in 2005, fire officials have said. The city department hired its most recent entry-level firefighter three years ago, Stamford Fire & Rescue Chief Antonio Conte said. The mayor's proposed 2012-13 budget does not contain funds for new firefighters, Conte said. The department has about 34 vacancies, leaving it at 265 members, Conte said.
"It's always nice to have a list, but we have no control over it," Conte said.
City Rep. John Mallozzi, D-12, wants elected officials to take up the matter at the March 28 Board of Representatives' Personnel Committee meeting. He said he received several complaints from test takers who are waiting to hear whether they would be considered for a job at Stamford Fire & Rescue.
"Either put together a list or give the money back," Mallozzi said. "Two years is a long time."
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Copyright 2012 - The Stamford Advocate, Conn.
