Youngstown fire Chief O’Neill getting creative in recruitment

Ohio cities are constantly fac- ing challenges in recruiting new members for their safety forces who not only have the intelligence, stamina and desire necessary for the job, but also reflect the diversity of the community they serve.

One recruitment tool the cities had — residency requirements — was abruptly taken from them by the Ohio General Assembly in 2006 when it passed a law barring municipalities from requiring government employees to live in the sub- division in which they work. In so doing, legislators in Columbus substituted their judgment for that of voters in communities such as Youngstown which had approved charter provisions requiring residency.

We said then and continue to believe that the legislators overstepped their bounds, but in 2009 the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that a broad provision of the Ohio Constitution allowed the legislators to trump home rule in the interest of uniformity.

That leaves cities on their own in finding ways to hire men and women who are members of the community and who might remain so long afterward.

We have suggested in the past that parents, teachers, ministers and present city employees be on the lookout for young men and women who might someday be able and willing to fill the job and to encourage them to pursue careers in civil service.

Youngstown Fire Chief John O’Neill, who will continue in his position in the new administration of Mayor John McNally, has suggested a variation on that theme. He wants to establish a Junior Firefighter Program in the city. Some suburban departments have such programs, but this would be something new in the city.

The program would target boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 to see if they are interested in careers on the fire department and to encourage them to do what is necessary to reach that goal.

The fire department remains a place where a willing worker can make a decent living and provide for a family. The starting salary is about $24,000. It increases by about $2,000 each year during the first five years and to more than $50,000 by the 10th year. It also has excellent fringe benefits, including pension and health coverage.

But it is not for everyone. Aside from being willing to face the inherent dangers of the job, applicants must pass written and physical tests, which include the ability to carry a 150-pound mannequin.

Civil service test

Whenever there is a call for a new civil service test for the fire department or police department, hundreds of people take out applications. If O’Neill’s Junior Firefighter Program encouraged just a few more young residents of the city to pursue a career on the fire department, it would do its job.

One of the other tools the city has for recruiting city residents may come under attack in the courts.

In reaction to the Legislature’s outlawing residency requirements, Youngstown voters overwhelmingly approved a November 2011 charter amendment giving city residents a 15 percent bonus to their overall civil-service scores. Recently the 8th District Court of Appeals upheld a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court ruling that prohibited Cleveland from awarding bonus points to city residents on civil-service promotional exams.

While that ruling has no immediate effect on Youngstown, if the Ohio Supreme Court upholds it, the bonus approved by Youngstown voters would also become unenforceable.

That would make it even more difficult for Youngstown to maintain a municipal work force that reflects the residential diversity of the city and would make efforts such as the Junior Firefighter Program even more important.