144.15 ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT TO THE DIVISION OF FIRE.
   (a)   There shall be two methods for original appointment of firefighters to the Division of Fire: civil service examination with placement on the certified eligible list and lateral hire. In either case, candidates must conform to certain minimum qualifications of the City of Lakewood Civil Service Rules and Regulations.
      (1)   Civil Service Examination Process. Original appointments to the uniformed force in the Division of Fire shall be in the lowest grade in service as classified.
Prior to original appointment an applicant must pass psychological, background, physical and such other additional examinations as may be required.
      (2)   Lateral Hire Process. Applicants will submit an employment application as well as a current certificate of physical agility, State of Ohio Firefighter II Certification and State of Ohio EMT-Paramedic Certification to the Department of Human Resources.
In addition, candidates must conform to all the minimum requirements of the Civil Service Commission Rules and Regulations and all applicants for lateral hire shall meet the following pre-requisites:
         A.   An applicant must currently or have previously been employed as a full-time firefighter;
         B.   An applicant must possess State of Ohio Firefighter II Certification and State of Ohio EMT-Paramedic Certification and be current with all applicable continuing education requirements.
         C.   For applicants previously employed there shall be no more than a one year break in service from previous employment as a fire fighter;
         D.   An applicant’s current or previous firefighter employment must have been as a result of a civil service examination process.
The Fire Chief, in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources and the Public Safety Director, will review resumes and applications to determine which applicants meet the lateral entry criteria. Lateral entry candidates may be required to submit to the following, including, but not limited to, a thorough background investigation, polygraph examination, psychological and medical evaluation, oral interview and drug screening.
Positions filled through these procedures are therefore exempt from competitive examination.
Candidates appointed to Firefighter through these procedures will be hired at Firefighter Grade III first year and must successfully complete a 24- month probationary period.
Seniority for lateral entry firefighter will be based on the date of hire with the City.
Employees selected through these procedures shall obtain and retain all other rights attributed to the classified service, following successful completion of the probationary period.
      (3)   If any firefighter is hired under the lateral entry process, at least the next three hires must be made from the Civil Service Entry Level Certified Eligible List.
      (4)   If a layoff list exists then the appointment will be subject to the City of Lakewood Civil Service Rules and Regulations and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
      (5)   The Civil Service Commission is authorized to promulgate rules and procedures for the administration of the test and selection methodology of both methods of original appointment not inconsistent with this section.
   (b)   Subsection (a) hereof is specifically intended to supersede State Code for original appointments to firefighter positions in the Division of Fire.
(Ord. 70-10. Passed 10-18-10.)