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Union, city officials press Lorain civil service to change repeated promotional test lists
Summary
Union representatives and city staff told the Civil Service Commission Sept. 9 that repeated use of the same study 'books' for firefighter promotional exams and early release of scores have created perceptions of unfair advantage; the commission agreed to delay upcoming exams and consider changes.
Brett Brown, vice president of Local 267, told the Lorain Civil Service Commission on Sept. 9 that repeated use of the same study 'books' for promotional exams has left firefighters and other candidates feeling the system is unfair and vulnerable to legal challenge. "When you have the same books every time we take the test, you get to know the test structure," Brown said, adding that some members were close to filing lawsuits over grading and score release procedures.
Brown urged the commission to require a published bibliography of study materials and to rotate or change books between testing cycles so candidates do not gain a recurring advantage. He said promotional steps can be worth "northwards of $750,000" across careers, underscoring why members contest perceived irregularities in book selection, grading and the protest period.
City administration echoed those concerns. Ray Veil, who identified himself as the safety service director, said the administration wants a fair, equitable testing process and recommended delaying two or three exams now scheduled for fall until the beginning of the year to allow conversations with the fire chief and the testing vendor. "Perhaps there are other books that we need to discuss," Veil said, urging consideration of a rotation or other changes to the 108-book list used by the testing service.
Commission members and commenters described the current process as: civil service provides a bibliography; the fire chief reviews or approves it; and the testing vendor selects from its test bank and performs scoring. Brown said scores were released to the department before test-takers received their test copies, denying them a meaningful protest period in one recent cycle.
The commission did not take formal action to change testing rules at the Sept. 9 meeting but acknowledged the concerns and accepted a suggestion to delay upcoming exams to allow meetings with the fire chief and the vendor. The commission advised staff and the administration to review the bibliography and how the vendor is engaged and to report back before the next testing period.
Next steps: commissioners agreed to follow up with the fire chief and the testing agency prior to the rescheduled exams and to consider procedural changes that would increase transparency about book selection, grading and score release.
