For those looking to enter public service, the Jamestown Fire Department would like to encourage city residents to apply for the upcoming civil service exam in Mayville.
According to Deputy Chief Chet Harvey, the department is trying to spur interest in the test, which helps them hire members of the community for job openings.
The test, which will be administered on March 3 has an application deadline of Wednesday. The exam is being held for future vacancies for all paid fire departments, including Dunkirk, Fredonia and Jamestown, as well as other exams which offer other county positions.
The application can be accessed by visiting www.co.chautauqua.ny.us and clicking on Human Services. There is a $25 fee associated with each exam to which the person is applying.
According to Harvey, to take the test, one must be 18 years old, have lived in the county for 30 days, have a valid New York state driver's license and have a high school diploma or equivalent diploma.
Once the firefighter test is completed, to be considered for the department, a valid Emergency Medical Technician course offered by Jamestown Community College must be completed, which certifies the person as a New York state EMT. This course also allows the person to gain seven college credits.
Battalion Chief Sam Salemme said there is an impression that those applying must have background in fire service, which is not true, he said.
"There is a misconception that you have to have some fire background. If hired, we send them to the New York State Fire Academy. Just because you are not affiliated with another fire department does not mean you are not eligible to get hired here," he said.
"We like to hire city residents and we try to encourage them to take the test," said Harvey. "We have a growing Hispanic population and it would be nice if we could have some people of interest who are bilingual, which would be an added asset to the job. It would be nice to have a department that reflects the community."
Harvey said hiring city residents also helps with off-shift calls, if additional manpower is needed.
"It also helps us with off-shift calls if somebody lives close by, as it certainly helps us if they can get here in five minutes than if they have to travel," he said.
Harvey said the exam includes general knowledge questions, mechanical aptitude, how the individual interacts with others, the use of logic and reason to draw conclusions and understanding and interpreting written material pertaining to fire.
"We do have a lot of calls saying 'Hey how do I get hired in the fire department?' and we tell them and a lot of times they are put off, 'Ok when in the next test being given?' well it's approximately given every 2 to 3 years," he said.
Harvey said the current test will be valid for at least two years, giving members of the community the ability to apply for vacancies within that time.
"Some of the kids in school thinking 'What can I do? I would like to stick around', this is a career, you could have a career as a firefighter," he said. "We would like to attract people to the fire department, but I know a lot of people especially in schools just don't know that there are opportunities out there. I didn't. I had no idea what a civil service test was and I was quite fortunate that I found out about this career, because I knew nothing about it, how it worked, didn't know how to utilize the opportunities."
The department is currently hiring two firefighters from the previous exam, on the heels of two retirements.
"Though it can be a dangerous job, most people here find it very rewarding," said Harvey. "You have to like to help other people."
"Everybody's worst day in the world ...," said Harvey, which Battalion Chief Bill Johnston finished with, "is just your day at work."
"It is one of the few jobs where you can go into something bad and make it better. This is the best job in the world," said Johnston.