SWAMPSCOTT — After receiving about 120 applications, the Fire Department is proceeding with its first hiring process after leaving the civil service system, hoping to welcome new recruits by April.
“What we are looking for is multi-talented people who bring passion and compassion to the job to serve the community in a lot of different ways,” said Swampscott Fire Chief Graham Archer.
Archer posted hiring announcements on public job boards and the department’s page on the town website on Dec. 1, 2021. After the application period closed at the end of December, he said, he had received about 120 applications for the three vacant positions in the department.
Next, the applicants will take an entrance exam on Feb. 5, which will be provided by a reputable private vendor that has developed and administered the test in many fire departments around the country, Archer said. Unlike a civil service exam, the new test does not rank candidates by score, but rather results in a pass or fail outcome.
“If they pass, they are in the pool,” said Archer.
The test assesses cognitive abilities, mechanical abilities, social skills and other competences that individuals would be bringing to the job. Although the examination is hard to compare to the civil service exam, Archer said, it does not require any specific preparation.
“We are interested in people from a very broad variety of experiences,” said Archer. “There are so many different ways that people can be just a first-class contributor to our job.”
Other characteristics the department is interested in, besides the outcome of the exam, are civic-mindedness and interest in serving the community, Archer said. The potential hires must be interested in community engagement on a variety of levels, including providing fire-safety education for youth and seniors.
“We do so many other things that just fighting fires,” Archer said. “We are kind of a go-to department for a myriad of things that people might need help with.”
Traditionally, fire departments gave priority to the veterans in the hiring process. Archer said that the new process provides additional consideration for veterans as well. The new written exam is scored in a way that advantages veterans.
“We have a commitment to work with the veteran community and try to identify qualified veterans to fill the jobs whenever possible,” Archer said.
The candidates will also have to go through oral interviews, a physical-abilities test and a background check. The interviewers will include someone from the town’s Human Resources department, a representative of the firefighters union and Archer himself.
The top three candidates will be presented to the Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald for approval.
The candidates did not have to have any specific firefighting experience or knowledge to apply. There was no age limit, but people had to be at least 19 years old to take the entrance exam and 21 at the time of appointment. They also have to live within a 25-mile radius of the town of Swampscott.
After being hired, the new department members will undergo training at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy for 10 weeks. New hires will also have to get an EMT certification if they didn’t have one already.
Archer expects that new hires will start working for the department by April.
The Swampscott Police Department (SPD) has started the process of hiring new officers as well, said Sgt. Jay Locke, the department’s spokesperson. The department recently conducted a written exam on Dec. 18 along with a physical-agility test, after which several applicants were offered to participate in an oral board interview this week.
The board will consist of three SPD officers of various ranks and assignments and two civilian community stakeholders, Locke said. The department is looking to hire three to four new people as soon as possible.
“We have been running shorthanded on personnel for quite some time now,” said Locke. “Not having the proper staffing has been very taxing on the department’s personnel.”
Recruits will be sent to a police academy, where they will complete six months of physical and classroom training.
“The open slots in the schedules will still be open until these new officers successfully graduate their academy training as well as their field training once they join the department’s Uniform Division,” said Locke.
“We are very happy with the process,” said Officer Kevin Reen, president of Swampscott Police Union Local 417. “Chief Kurz [interim Police Chief David Kurz] has been a great asset and leader and a pleasure to work with.”
