Fire department plans new recruit screening

Thursday, March 14, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

The Clark County Fire Department will institute new screening of firefighter applicants after concern was raised that a some new cadets were the relatives of current high-ranking fire officials.

A fire official from outside Southern Nevada and a Clark County resident will join two county deputy or assistant fire chiefs in the interview process of applicants, Fire Chief Earl Greene said.

"We're bringing in people from the outside to show that there is nothing inappropriate, and in my mind there never was, in our hiring," Greene said.

County Manager Thom Reilly said because fire department hiring is so competitive, he wanted to eliminate any appearance that the process wasn't fair.

"I think the perception was that you have to know someone to get in the fire department, and I don't think that was accurate," Reilly said.

Last year three of the firefighters hired were children of current deputy fire chiefs.

Candidates must pass a human resources exam, an agility test and oral interviews to make a list of candidates for firefighter rookie school. Human resources pares down the number of applicants -- normally several thousand -- to a list of a few hundred that goes to the fire department for further review.