Newark relaxes requirements for firefighter candidates to fill spots
NEWARK − The Newark Fire Department modified its hiring process in an effort to fill vacancies quicker and decrease the overtime costs of calling in a firefighter to work an unscheduled shift.
Overtime costs soared to $790,967 last year and are on pace to almost double this year. The overtime budget for 2023 is $750,000, or $62,500 per month. So far, the department has already spent $272,910 on overtime, which Deputy Chief Doug Vermaaten said is on pace to hit $1.4 million this year.
When the department has no active list of candidates, it now considers applicants without a paramedic license. If hired, they can pursue a paramedic’s license after joining the Newark Fire Department. The process will not be used if there are current candidates.
Vermaaten outlined the lateral entry process to Newark City Council at its Feb. 21 meeting. He said the changes, and outreach on its Facebook page, helped attract interest from 101 individuals, of which 36 candidates successfully completed the process, and nine were given conditional offers of employment.
“It’s pretty exciting, because of the nine, one is already a paramedic and six are in various stages of being in medic school,” Vermaaten said. “I’d like to see them hired by April 1. It’s kind of a lofty goal.”
The department can have up to 84 firefighters but has just 70 today. The staffing issues force off-duty firefighters to be called in and paid overtime to fill vacancies on a shift. The department tries to keep 19 firefighters per shift, although it is no longer mandated.
“We’re now in a market, we have to think outside the box,” Vermaaten said. “We are simply trying to get our numbers back up so we’re not having the overtime. A lot of times, it’s who can get to them the fastest. We’ve tried to streamline the process on our end.”
The worker shortage has affected the fire service like many other industries. Newark often loses its firefighters to Columbus-area departments who pay much higher salaries. Last year, the department had just five candidates.
Kevin Garwick, president of International Association of Firefighters Local 109, told council in December that Newark ranks 40th out of 43 central Ohio departments in wages. He said six firefighters left last year for higher-paying jobs and 23 have moved on in five years.
“We are exhausted, overworked, spread too thin and underpaid,” Garwick said in his December speech to council. “This trajectory is not sustainable. Someone is going to get hurt or killed, and the only way to fix it is paying competitive wages for firefighters.”
The union members of the Newark Fire Department agreed to a three-year contract with 4% annual wage increases, but the union president said the raises are not enough to change Newark’s low-paid status compared to other central Ohio fire departments.
Dustin Breece, vice president of IAAF Local 109, said the union does not support or reject the new hiring strategy. He said it has some merit, but he has some concerns.
“We understand the city’s having a hard time getting qualified candidates, and we’re sympathetic to that,” Breece said. “We have 14 (open) positions and we can’t find anybody to take a test. If anything highlights a larger issue here, that’s it.”
The pay disparity with Franklin County departments is part of the larger issue. A dwindling supply of candidates drives up demand, which leads to higher salaries.
Also, the COVID-19 pandemic put firefighters’ safety even more at risk, and Breece said firefighters decided they should make more money when they are putting their lives on the line.
He said the forced overtime wears on firefighters and contributes to the departures, which leads to even more overtime.
“When I started (in 2009), nobody left,” Breece said. “Anything we can do to get more people through the door is good, but there’s questions on safety in not mandating people be paramedics. There’s a lot of uncertainty how this is going to help in the short-term.
“We’re understaffed and overworked, and I don’t know if we’re setting candidates up for success. Nobody has the answer.”
The hiring process changes also include an in-house ability evaluation instead of the Certified Physical Agility Test previously required. And, instead of a written test, there is a structured interview.
Although the requirements are not as strict, Vermaaten said all candidates hired will be capable and may stay longer.
“If you invest in people, they are, nine out of 10 times, more apt to stay because we gave them a chance,” Vermaaten said.
Candidates must have at least a basic emergency medical technician certification and a firefighter 2 certification to be on the active list of candidates. They could obtain both certifications at Career and Technical Education Centers of Licking County. Each certification would take about four months, although probably not taken simultaneously.
According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s EMS scope of practices, an EMT can do 12 of 29 airway management procedures, seven of 15 cardiac management procedures and 11 of 30 medical management procedures that a paramedic has been trained to perform.
City Councilman Jonathan Lang, R-5th Ward, responded to Vermaaten’s update to council.
“Seeing some of those overtime numbers was definitely a little scary in terms of our budget, so I’m glad to see we’re making some progress, and hopefully that will continue,” Lang said.
The city department has traditionally been one of the busiest in central Ohio and last year was no different, responding to 12,535 incidents.
Vermaaten said in 1997 only a high school diploma and a driver’s license were required to be hired.