Schererville board debates pension-board hiring rules, approves one new firefighter hire

Schererville Town officials debated proposed changes to how the town’s firefighter hiring list is handled and unanimously approved moving forward to fill one open firefighter position.

The discussion centered on recommendations from the town’s pension board, circulated Feb. 13, that would change how candidates who cannot meet certification or pension-fund requirements are treated on the certified hiring list. A staff member reviewing the statute said the law currently produces a rank-ordered list and that pension-board medical and psychological clearances typically occur only after a department selects a candidate for hire. "The statute clearly states that, once the candidates are on the certified list...the chief has requested to fill a spot, that the next step is, they still be of good moral character, and they...pass the pension board requirements for both physical and the psychological examination," the staff member said, adding, "that's how the system works already."

Fire Chief Robert Patterson explained the practical sequence: online evaluations and interviews create the ranked list; when a department selects a candidate it then sends that person for a psychological test and a physical (blood, hearing and other exams). If a candidate fails those later checks, the department must address the situation with the pension board and state reviewers. Patterson said one candidate, "Donald," is expected to begin work March 9 with a swearing-in planned for April 7.

Pension-board proposals under consideration would allow the department to move a candidate to the bottom of the list for a first certification failure and remove a candidate after a second failure; a separate provision would remove candidates who fail a requirement of the 1977 Police Officers and Firefighters Retirement Fund. Several board members and the staff member warned that explicitly reordering the rank-ordered list could conflict with statutory language. The staff member recommended caution about writing a blanket rule to move candidates down the list because doing so might "violate the entire rank ordering aspect" of the statute.

Board members discussed middle-ground options. One suggestion was to allow short, case-by-case delays — two weeks to a few months were mentioned — to give candidates time to get certifications up to date while preserving rank order where possible. The group also agreed that informal outreach once a list is certified (valid for two years) could reduce surprises and help the department determine whether a candidate remains eligible before a formal offer is made.

The pension board also proposed changes to the hiring scoring process: raising the written-exam passing score from 70% to 75%; creating preference points for candidates already holding a paramedic license at the time of interviews, honorably discharged veterans, and lateral transfers from other departments; and capping preference points at 10 out of a 15-point preference category. The staff member said those preference items would be most appropriate in the oral-interview phase, where rating on mental alertness, character and reputation gives the department more leeway. Some members cautioned that raising the written passing score could significantly reduce the finalist pool and that higher minimums might unintentionally exclude otherwise qualified candidates who struggle with written tests.

Separately, Chief Patterson reported personnel items: the pension board held a disability hearing on Feb. 24 for firefighter Pulido and recommended moving forward with disability enrollment; town counsel (Attorney Koos) is preparing the paperwork to send to the state. Chief Patterson also confirmed receipt of a resignation from an individual named Enrique, which created the vacancy the board approved filling.

On the formal action, a board member moved and another seconded to approve the fire department’s request to move ahead with hiring to replace the recent resignation. The chair called the vote and announced, "Motion carries, unanimous." The transcript does not record individual roll-call votes; the board approved the department’s request unanimously.

The meeting also heard a training report: Chief Patterson said the department logged 8,055.26 hours of training in 2025 and credited Assistant Chief John Gedemans for the work.

Next steps: staff said it will review statutory language and return with proposed rule language and scoring adjustments for the board’s consideration at a future meeting. The department expects the new hire’s first day to be March 9 and will schedule the swearing-in on April 7.