Warren certifies list for new firefighters

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

A woman is still in the running to be among the 14 firefighters the city plans to hire this spring with money from a $5 million federal grant.

Jaci L. Stalnaker of Salem would be the first female in the history of the Warren Fire Department.

Also in the running are three men from Warren, one each from Liberty, Niles, Masury, McDonald, Austintown, Poland, Canfield and Salem.

Stalnaker was among the 47 people who passed the civil service test the city gave in December. Her test score was 95.5 percent, ranking her 30th.

Aside from the 12 Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana County candidates, the rest are from outside the Mahoning Valley, with most being from the Akron and Cleveland areas, plus Portage and Ashtabula counties.

Officials said two black men took the test, but they don’t know whether either is among the final 47. The department has black firefighters, but the last one hired was in 1992.

The Warren Civil Service Commission on Thursday certified the list, which is good for two years.

The next step is for Fire Chief Ken Nussle and his staff to conduct background checks such as credit history, driving record, criminal record, high school and/or college transcripts and certifications.

Each candidate is ranked according to his or her test result, with the highest score being 111 percent. The lowest score was a 76.5 percent.

Those scores are influenced by bonus points for being a military veteran, a certified firefighter and having an associate or bachelor’s degree, Nussle said. Bonus points count for a maximum of 20 percent.

There are no bonus points for being a minority or female.

Within the list, the fire department has latitude for selecting candidates, Nussle said, so individuals low on the list still could end up getting hired.

Others may be disqualified because of issues discovered in his or her background check, the chief said.

Pay and benefits for the 14 firefighters will come from a two-year, $5 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant.

Council members Helen Rucker and Cheryl Saffold attended the commission meeting to ask why requirements for the jobs were increased to include paramedic certification. Rucker said the additional requirement has made it harder for minorities and women to get hired.

Civil Service Commission member Atty. James Fredericka said the commission discussed those requirements at several meetings last year and received no input from council, and there was no disagreement among the commission’s members.

Ten laid-off firefighters already returned to work in October and November under the grant.

The department dropped from 75 firefighters in 2008 to 51 last summer because of the layoff of 11 firefighters Jan. 1, 2009, and attrition.