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Court approves hiring list after record applicant pool for fire department openings
Summary
The court approved hiring from a ranked list after the fire department reported a record number of applicants and a multi-step selection process; commissioners highlighted pay and culture changes as factors in recruitment.
Jeff (county staff) reported the fire-department hiring process attracted 97 applicants, a record number, with 57 taking the written exam and 35 interviews held over three days. The department presented a ranked list and asked the court to approve hiring from that list.
Jeff told the court the list is a culmination of written tests, interviews, reference checks, background checks, CPAT certifications and pre-employment physicals; final offers will follow those steps. "We have to still now once the testing's over, so we have our ranking list... we still need to do the reference checks, the background checks," he said.
Court members praised recruitment improvements and credited pay adjustments, benefit changes and cultural efforts for increasing candidate quality. Judge Majestrichs noted the 10 hires would represent roughly one-fifth of the department in time.
Magistrate Rick Hostetler moved to approve the hiring list; Rob Jones seconded. A voice vote carried the motion.
