Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Hiring Testing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fire commission reports new testing procedures, says changes saved city about $1,000 per testing event
Summary
The Fire Department Civil Service Commission reported it implemented new bylaws and testing processes that moved portions of new-hire testing online and produced an estimated cost savings of about $1,000 per test cycle; promotional testing was revised with a three-part rubric and assessment center elements.
Mark Papenheim, chair of the Fire Department Civil Service Commission, presented the commission’s annual update to the Rawlins City Council on Oct. 21, outlining new bylaws, revised civil service rules and changes to hiring and promotional testing procedures.
The commission and the fire chief moved parts of the new-hire written testing to the National Testing Network. Under the revised workflow, candidates complete the online written test as an initial filter and pay the vendor’s test fee; the city then invites only written-pass candidates to a local physical fitness test. Staff estimated the change saves roughly $1,000 per testing cycle compared with prior vendor arrangements.
Promotional testing was revised after commission members and the fire chief reviewed assessment practices at other departments. The commission adopted a three-part promotional evaluation including a written test, a practical portion and an interview/assessment component; scores from all three segments are combined on a common rubric, staff said. The commission reported one candidate from an earlier promotional round remains in process pending completion of a required state certification.
Pap enheim and commission members thanked the fire chief and staff for their work implementing the changes and noted multiple meetings were required to develop and test the new procedures. No formal council action was required on the report.
