400 Apply for 7 Openings at Montclair Fire Department
The Montclair Police Department will also be giving its first promotional test in seven years, costing the township $69,900.
When the Montclair Fire Department announced it had handful of openings to fill, it only took a day and a half for 400 people to apply.
The applicants will compete for seven probationary firefighters positions at the fire department. Director of Human Resources Katherine Dougher Berning said the department has been losing firefighters to retirement during the past few years, which has slimmed the force down to 82.
“We hadn’t had openings for a while,” said Berning.
The township began taking applications on Friday morning, March 1. By 11 a.m. Monday, Berning said the 400 limit was reached and applicants that came afterwords had to be turned away.
The entrance level test will be given April 13 and then the applicants will go through a physical test on May 4 and 5. A list of preferred applicants will be ready by May 15, which will then start the interview process.
Berning said Montclair residents who pass both entrance and physical examinations will be given preference for the positions.
The cost for the exam will be approximately $27,000. The township raised $20,000 through application fees for the exam.
Police Department Promotions
Officers in the Montclair Police Department can also apply soon for promotions.
The police department will be offering its members a promotional test on April 27. Berning said this will be the first test for promotions given in seven years at the department.
The test is open to police officers, sergeants, lieutenants and captains who have been on the force for at least five years and in rank at least a year.
A list of promotions will be prepared by the middle of May. The promotions will be given in rank order as they are available.
The test for police officers will cost $69,900. Officers do not pay to take the test.
The department held off on giving both entrance and promotion exams for nearly a decade due to budgetary constraints. It is customary for departments to give the test every four years.
The promotional test has been designed specifically for Montclair this time,said Berning. She noted the last time a promotional test was offered in town by the State Association of Chiefs of Police, the union complained the test unfair and that some officers were given the answers in advance.
Tom
10:11 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
This is a perfect example of offering too generous pay and benefit packages.
Offer less money and benefits.
Please be more frugal
tryintosurvive
8:50 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
That sounds right Tom. Montclairs pakages are so lucrative that many people want to work here. We could probably get nearly as many qualified applicants if they were less generous.
I'd-Rather-Be-at-63
9:38 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
Agree with tryintosurvive: Montclair does not have a frugal Mayor and Town Council. This is a spend and develop, then spend again and develop even more, Town Council with ties to developers, contractors and real estate agencies. They will end their term with a much increased town debt and higher property taxes. And they will personally be far from any worse off from their time in office.
ride164
8:18 am on Friday, March 8, 2013
Maybe people want to take the exam because being a firefighter is a noble profession that requires courage, integrity, honor and strength. Maybe, just maybe , somebody, or in this case a lot of body's, aspire to those qualities....maybe being part of something that means so much to so many is cool... I'm just saying....
Don't_Worry_About_it_37
1:13 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
@Ride164
I could not agree with you more, a lot of people like to assume that people's intentions are motivated by money and money alone. I can not confidently say that out of the 400 there is not a single person that applied for the exam because they want to bring in a nice yearly salary or the medical benefits. There will always be at least one person pursuing this kind of position for only those reasons, but truth be told, I am disappointed in the overall mindset of our society. To assume that applicant's interest lies entirely with money is absurd. I would genuinely like to see those that make such claims go one day in a cop/firefighter's position, to see if the pay that is "too generous" is enough motivation for them enter a building engulfed by flames or walk confront a hardened criminal. My prediction is with the absence of the courage, integrity, honor and strength, required to perform such duties, they would fail miserably. With that being said, the money certainly does not deter people from these jobs, but the money these men and women make is definitely earned.