Mayor Halts ‘Fatally Flawed’ LAFD Hiring Process, Vows Reform

[Catch2.2]

Source: CBS

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday a halt to what he called a “fatally flawed” recruiting process for the Los Angeles Fire Department and pledged further reform efforts.
Garcetti made his determination after discovering that Fire Department staff organized special recruiting workshops for LAFD insiders, according to the mayor’s office.
KNX 1070′s Megan Goldsby reports the process resulted in the Fire Academy class containing a disproportionate amount of recruits related to LAFD staff, some of whom were related to senior managers with oversight over the recruitment and training process.

Read more: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/03/20/mayor-halts-fatally-flawed-lafd-hiring-process-vows-reform/

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I cannot begin to express my disgust for this decision made by L.A.'s Mayor Eric Garcetti. Being a volunteer firefighter for close to 10 years and pursuing this career for even longer, I am so disappointed with this announcement. I don't have any family in the Fire Service, nor did I receive special treatment. I just worked hard and sacrificed like many others who just had their dream squashed. This would've created 100s of jobs! The articles in the L.A. Times along with statements by Mayor Garcetti are very inaccurate. Anyone who needs further explanation on this misrepresentaion just let me know. I will be more than happy to explain. Again, I cannot express my disappointment with Mayor Garcetti and his actions.

Sincerely,

- Another person who had his dream of being a firefighter pulled out from under him.



** UFLAC (LA City Firefighter Union) response: http://www.uflac.org/index.cfm?section=1

[brett_jv]

1. Sorry to hear your dream has been quashed like this ...

But are the reports accurate at all? Was there corruption/nepotism going on in the process? If so, you'd think that the people who'd be made to pay the price would be the people actually involved in the corruption rather than innocent bystanders. This is very disappointing if the innocent are being made to pay as well as (or worse, instead of) the guilty parties!

[sendero]

2. Dear "Another Person"....

... you think a corrupt system designed to favor insiders should just be allowed to continue unchecked? Maybe you are one of the insiders who will now have to compete with all available talent rather than just other insiders.

Cry me a river.

[Catch2.2]

6. Sendero...

As much as the system can be better, it is not designed to favor insiders. I am not an "insider" nor do I have anyone in my family that is in the fire service. What they are referring to are two prep seminars that only cadets and insiders were emailed about. These seminars were also offered to the general public. I attended one myself. The other issue was a 60 second window to turn in a Physical Agility card. With close to 10,000 applicants and the fire department stating that they would process the cards in the order they were received, I knew I had to turn mine in at 8:00 on the dot (the time requested). Again, I am not an insider and have no family in the fire service. No one helped me out, I just used common sense and followed directions. I've spent a quarter of my life taking classes, getting firefighter certs, putting myself through a private fire academy, studying test and interview prep books, working in an ER, volunteering both in an ER and as a Firefighter, helping my community. There are many others like me that had no insider help that just followed directions and did the best we could to be prepared. The vast majority of people in the process are like me. It's a shame that the Mayor did this. A lot of great candidates who got this far "fairly" just got their dreams crushed. Sorry if I sound like I'm "Crying a river", but understand that I have put in years of blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point. All to have it taken away by a knee jerk reaction from the Mayor.

[sendero]

8. If you have the right stuff..

..nothing the mayor is doing should inhibit you from reaching your goal.

I hate to break the news to you but you have no universal right to be a paid firefighter. It is one of several jobs where the number of aspirants dwarfs any positions available.

The facts you seem to dismiss sound to me and I daresay would to most reasonable people to be processes designed to favor certain people. I side with the mayor, and your characterization of his actions as baseless I reject out of hand.

[Catch2.2]

9. Sendero

"nothing the mayor is doing should inhibit you from reaching your goal."

Except halt the hiring process and throw out the list. I do "Have the right stuff", which is partially my point. There are a lot of people in the process who "Have the right stuff". They are not insiders nor had special treatment, yet they just got their dream job pulled right out from under them. It seems that the mayor is throwing the baby out with the bath water. Its a shame for them and the city who has an extremely understaffed Fire Dept. Again, what is said by the media and repeated by the mayor is not completely accurate. I am not saying that their hiring process is perfect. As a matter of fact I agree that it needs to be improved, but to take the action the mayor did is the wrong move. You have your opinion and I have mine. I am no insider and have had no special treatment. I follow the fire service very closely (not just LAFD). I have first hand experience of the hiring process with many different Fire Departments. I would hardly say my characterization is "baseless". If you want to take the mayor's side, be my guest. Part of my goal was to state that what you read on in the paper or internet is not always 100% accurate. I am merely trying to tell another side of the story. I am not going to change your opinion nor is that my goal. Thank you for taking the time to read my thread even if you do not agree with my posts. I hope you have a good AND SAFE weekend.

[SwankyXomb]

10. If you think there's anything "fair"

about a one minute application window, maybe you should be complaining at a more "fair and balanced" site.

[Android3.14]

3. Sorry, Catch

It's wrong and it leads to a less effective fire department which could result in more property damage and loss of life.

[loudsue]

4. Found this on PolicyMic: Anti-labor Mayor

As the Associated Press explains, “The incoming mayor of Los Angeles was able to defeat a fellow Democrat by depicting her as a pawn of union bosses in a city long friendly to labor, an outcome expected to echo beyond California as unions nationwide face threats to their clout.”

We’ve already seen Midwestern states where public sector unions have long been highly organized, funded and influential – such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana – elect lawmakers that championed collective bargaining reform and right-to-work laws to make public sector unions pay more for their own benefits and give workers the rights and freedom to choose joining said unions or not. But now it’s even getting to a point where liberal Democrats in hardcore blue cities are finding themselves telling their traditional labor supporters, “No.”

Sounds like it's an anti-union thing.

[Catch2.2]

7. Loudsue

That thought did cross my mind. The union did back the Mayors opponent (another Democrat). I hope this is not retaliation for that. I don't think it is though.

[Historic NY]

5. Its not a club its a job....

Everyone should have the same chance at the position.

"The defective hiring process falls squarely on the shoulders of the Personnel Department who oversees this operation. We agree that there absolutely needs to be a top to bottom change so we can improve our diversity and recruit and hire the best and brightest, but we don't have any time to waste. We are tired of the excuses coming out of the Personnel Department. We want to increase recruiting efforts, and they say they don't have enough staff to complete paperwork and do the intake; meanwhile, our men & women in the field are putting themselves in harm's way being forced to work overtime with a lack of resources."

And I agree with the Union.