The City of Norwich Fire Department is looking to hire a career firefighter, and is offering a civil service exam for the position on February 11. The deadline to apply is January 31. (Photo by Sarah Genter)

NORWICH ― The City of Norwich Fire Department (NFD) is looking to hire a career firefighter, and will be offering a civil service examination for the position on February 11.

According to the exam posting from the City of Norwich, candidates must hold a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma, a valid New York State driver's license, and live within 30 miles of the Norwich Fire Department, located at 31 East Main Street in Norwich.

Additionally, candidates must have an EMT Basic (EMT-B) certification. Those that don't currently have an EMT-B certification must complete it within 90 days of appointment to the position.

However, NFD Chief Jan Papelino said obtaining EMT-B certification can take several months, so it's a good idea to obtain the certification, or at least begin earning it, before completing the civil service exam.

"The trouble is, if you take the EMT class through the county, that’s probably about a four to five month class, because it’s usually two nights a week and one or two Saturdays a month," he explained. "So depending on their work schedule and stuff, it can be kind of tough. Most of the time, when the people come here they’ve already got it."

The deadline to apply for the civil service exam is January 31. Applications are available at NorwichNewYork.net/government/hr/civil-service-exams.php. Completed applications along with a resume can be submitted to the Department of Human Resources at One City Plaza in Norwich, and cost $20 for City of Norwich residents and $25 for non-residents to submit.

The exam will be held on February 11, and is a written exam that covers candidates' ability to learn and apply information, basic arithmetic, reading comprehension, and situational judgment. Test-takers are also encouraged to bring a quiet, handheld, solar- or battery-powered calculator for the exam. Cell phone calculators will not be permitted.

A test guide for the firefighter civil service exam can be found at cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

After the exam, Papelino said a list of eligible candidates will be compiled, and the department will begin interviews. After they select and hire a candidate, they will be required to complete a 229 certification at a fire academy, if they are not currently certified.

"They would have to agree to go, and that’s a 14-week, typically Sunday through Thursday commitment to go to the academy to get your 229 certification," said Papelino.

While it is possible to complete the 229 certification locally, Papelino said completing all the required classes can take years. Plus, the academy provides much more focused training with experienced professionals.

"You can do the 229 certification through the state’s outreach program, but it typically takes a number of years to get all the classes you have to have. I mean, it’s a pretty sizable amount of classes you have to have for that 229," Papelino explained. "I’ve had people that have come here and we’ve hired that have done it through the state’s outreach program, where they take a lot of those classes at a local level at night and on weekends, and they may travel to the fire academy for a week or two at a time to try to catch some down there."

"We do like the academy training because it’s much more focused, and it’s very targeted," he added. "You learn a lot of stuff, and you learn it from state fire instructors that have been doing it for a long time."

He said the training is paid for by the city, and firefighters are paid their regular salary while attending the fire academy. The open position is listed as a salary of $45,873.53 before certification of state-mandated fire training, and $48,873.53 after completing the training.

Although the NFD currently only has one available position, Papelino said the civil service exam provides the department with a list of eligible candidates to choose from throughout the year, should another position become available.

"We always try to keep a current civil service list, just so if somebody decides to go, if they take a lateral transfer somewhere or they decide to do something different, we’ve always got a pool of people to pull from," said Papelino.

"I thought I was in good shape for 2022, and then I had one leave to go out of state. I had two transfer to other fire departments because of personal reasons," he continued. "Those are all things we didn’t plan on, so we’re trying to catch up from that. So it’s nice to have a list of people that have taken the test and we’ve got a pool of people to pull from."

Ultimately, Papelino said being a firefighter with the NFD is a very fulfilling job. Their round-the-clock service to the community, and dual EMT and firefighter training, provides a high level of care and safety to area residents.

"For us, we do both: we do EMS and firefighting. So I think our public gets the best of both worlds, because whether it’s a loved one with a medical issue or you have some kind of problem where you need firefighters quickly, you’re going to get our people," he said. "They’re here 24/7, 365 so you’re going to get a response very quickly for whatever issue you or a family member has. So I think it can be a very fulfilling role."