Civil service applicants expected to receive fire and police job offers

The El Dorado Civil Service Commission and the police and fire departments wrapped up civil service exams last week and the chiefs of both departments said they plan to offer jobs to qualified entry-level and promotional candidates.

Commissioners certified the test results on

April 6.

ECSC chairman Toddy Pitard said the testing cycle “went smoothly.”

Added Commissioner Scott Ellen, “We had some really good candidates this year.”

Police Chief Billy White and Fire Chief Chad Mosby said they are looking ahead to the next round of testing in October, with plans to ramp up and modify recruiting efforts during a time in which interest seems to be waning in public service jobs.

Civil service exams began on March 31 with physical fitness assessments for the fire department. The process continued on April 2 with written exams for entry-level and promotional candidates for both departments.

The police department conducted physical fitness assessments on April 3 and testing concluded on April 4 with oral interviews for both departments.

White said he planned to offer jobs to the two applicants — Andrew Halfacre and Carmen Howe — who successfully passed all phases of testing. If they accept the positions, White said the EPD will be fully staffed with 51 uniformed personnel.

Mosby said three lieutenants’ positions are open in the fire department and filling those position will open up three entry-level jobs.

“I plan to make offers today … I want to do it quickly to get them into the (Arkansas Fire Training Academy),” the fire chief said.

White requested another round of civil service testing for October, saying, “We don’t seem to be getting the numbers we want.”

Of eight applicants

who signed up for the EPD civil service exam, five completed the exam and two pulled the scores that were necessary to become eligible for hire.

White said the EPD’s eligibility list is depleted, unless a certified officer applies for a job with the EPD between now and October.

Commission chairman Toddy Pitard asked Mosby and White if their respective departments recruit at job fairs.

“We’ve gone to job fairs. We don’t have a whole lot of people getting into law enforcement nowadays and we’re competing against the private sector,” White said.

Timing is another issue, Mosby added, explaining that college job fairs are typically scheduled after the deadline to apply for the civil service exam.

“It’s usually based on the end of the semester,” Mosby said.

He said the EFD has received more responses from social media advertising and signs.

Pitard pointed to a yard sign the EFD placed in front of Central Fire Station for the latest round of testing and announcements about the exams that ran on the city’s digital marquees near the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium and at the El Dorado Conference Center.

He also said younger applicants are more likely to learn about the exams through the use of social media.

As part of the application process, Mosby said candidates are asked how they learned about the job and he said social media garners the most results.

White noted there was an older candidate — 45 — who signed up for exams last week and Commissioner Janis Van Hook said an older candidate was among the applicants who took civil service exams for the EFD.

Mosby said fire departments across the state and nation are experiencing lower recruiting numbers for firefighters and emergency medical workers, noting that trend is apparent in “all public sectors.”

He also said fewer college students are pursuing degrees in fire science, EMS and emergency management.

“The desire for public service jobs is not as strong as it used to be … Plus, we’ll always compete with local industries and their salaries and benefits,” Mosby said.

White said the EPD follows the “50 percent rule” during civil-service testing periods.

“Between the time they turn in applications and the time they take the test, we lose numbers,” the police explained. “If we have 50 applicants, half will show up to take the test and half of them will be eligible for hire.”

The commission also hosted a cookout for the police and fire departments to introduce themselves to police officers and firefighters and to become more familiar with the day-to-day operations of both departments.

• • • Halfacre and Howe ranked 1 and 2, respectively, in their test results entry-level positions with the EPD.

Candidates who took the sergeant’s promotional exam for the EPD were: Shellie Rowland, 1; Ryan Landers, 2; and Jonathon Snell, 3.

Promotional candidates for the EPD lieutenant’s position included: Trey Phillips, 1; Lisa Miller, 2; and Christopher Lutman, 3.

Taking the promotional exam for EPD captain were: Kenny Hickman, 1; Andrew Russell, 2; Jason Dumas, 3; and Darien Martin, 4.

Entry-level candidates who passed civil service exams for the fire department were: William Johnson, 1; Matthew Brooks, 2; Courtney Kellar, 3; and Jonathan Ford, 4.

Eight candidates took EFD promotional test for lieutenant. They were: Justin Tolin, 1; Rufus Bailey, 2; Marlee Thurlkill. 3; Morgan Jones, 4; Donald Higby, 5; Chris Eckhoff, 6; Josh Temple, 7; and Casey Sherman, 8.

Seeking a promotion to EFD captain were: Benji Dison, 1; Kyle Jones, 2; and Randy Gilmore, 3.

Seth Rainwater was the lone EFD candidate who the promotional exam for captain.