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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Civil Services Commission - 08/31/1990 (3) i CITY OF RENT CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES August 31, 1990 Members present: Ron Forest Callius Zaratkiewicz Absent: Robert Jarvis Others present: Chief Angelo, Fire Department Catherine Dixon, Secretary/Chief Examiner John Willits, Fire Department Lt. George Burke, Police Department Chief Aldridge, Fire Department The meeting was called to order at 6: 35 a.m. by Acting Chairman Ron Forest. Acting Chairman Forest introduced the new Commissioner, Mr. Zaratkiewicz. • NEW BUSINESS Acting Chairman Forest opened for Discussion the request from Chief Fronsdahl on the memo dated July 30th, 1990 requesting permission to begin the testing process for Probationary Firefighter. Chief Angelo explained the Probationary Fireman testing procedure which the Fire Department requests each year. He then asked for permission to initiate the procedure. Acting Chairman Ron Forest then asked for a Motion to grant the Fire Department their request. Commissioner Zaratkiewicz motioned same. Seconded by Acting Chairman Forest and carried. Acting Chairman Forest opened up for discussion the request on the same memo to adopt a new Medical Standard entitled "Minimum Medical Standards for Firefighters in Washington Cities and Fire districts - Large Cities and Fire Districts" to be used during the hiring process for future Firefighter candidates. • Special Meeting - Minutes August 31, 1990 Page 2 Chief Angelo stated that this had been going on for the past year and a half to two years. The way that they hire their firefighters is based on medical standards that the Civil Service Commission adopts. A lot of them follow the LEOFF 1 Retirement Standards. There are items on that old State standard that have been adopted that are probably not as appropriate as they could be for measuring qualified candidates. For example: if a certain part of a digit is missing it can be reason for disqualification. In reality the Fire Department has firefighters now that have portions missing but can still do the job, it is just a matter of degree. The Fire Department feels that it is more appropriate that a Doctor have a broader perspective to translate to "can he do the job" . Another case has to do with genitals. If a person does not have two testicles they can not be a firefighter. Obviously in todays society and for ladies who qualify that is contradictory and unacceptable standard. There are a series of these throughout the present medical standards. During the last seven or eight years the new Standards have been developed with a lot of input from the Cities, Chiefs Association and Unions as a hiring standard and several cities have adopted the standards. This has gone through the City Attorneys office. The Fire Department feels • that because of the appropriateness of the Standards they should be adopted at this time. Mr. John Willits of the Firefighters Union asked if the Standard was to be used purely as a hiring standard or will it be used as a standard that will be used with regard to Disability ie: for continuous employment of a firefighter. Chief Angelo stated that one of the things they have to do when they hire a Doctors Office for is to give the Doctor a certain criteria of which they test the Fire Departments people. The Fire Department tests their people annually. Chief Angelo felt that Mr. Willetts question is aimed at is " will this standard be used in such a way as a Physical Fitness Standard" or something like that to disqualify firefighters. The intent from the Chiefs standpoint, is that it is a Hiring Standard. Chief Angelo stated that he had explained to Mr. Willett that at that point it is the Medical Professions responsibility to determine the fitness of a Firefighter in any duty. Unless a Doctor comes in and states that "this man cannot do the job without injuring himself or somebody else". At that point the Chief would have to go with the Doctors opinion. • Special Meeting - Minutes August 31, 1990 Page 3 Most appropriately in the LEOFF I situation there are still the LEOFF I State Standards for rehiring. Those are the ones that are used when a person qualifies for retirement or disability. Under L & I they determine what will happen for a LEOFF II Firefighter. In the Chiefs opinion those would apply to a persons ability to have continued employment. L&I can come back and say $twelve looked at the medical opinions and in our opinion this person can do the job" . The way the Chief envisions it is that it is subject to the opinions of the Medical Professions to determine whether or not a person can continue to be employed. It is not the Fire Departments intent to take these Minimum Standards for Hiring and turn around and say "unless you satisfy every detail" that we would want to use them as a technicality to remove firefighters. Quite the opposite. The Chief feels that that would have to be within a Doctors discretion, the Department will go on record, would be looking for something that was so significant that it would not want the individual possibly brought back at that time. In the Chiefs opinion the bringing back of a Firefighter if he went off on Disability would more relate to the LEOFF I Standard for LEOFF I people and the LEOFF II Standard through L&I for a LEOFF II person. In a round about way, Doctors will use those same standards on an annual • evaluation with the intent of continued employment. Acting Chairman Forest asked if the Fire Department has physical and competency standards testing once a year. Chief Angelo stated that there was a Physical Fitness set of goals set down, they are not mandatory, they cannot be used to remove somebody, they are rather a type of goal setting type items. The Department does, per Union Agreement, provide Annual Physicals on a Rotation Basis. It depends on a Firefighters age, number of years since last physical, those types of things. The Department does provide that physical and it is a very general physical with the exception of HAZMAT will be a more intense physical because of working with hazardous materials. No, it is not like a Physical Agility, you are not required to run stairs ie. if you don't run stairs in fifteen minutes you are not a firefighter. The Department does not have that standard. The department does have a Physical Fitness Program as a whole. Mr. Willits questioned whether or not some of the criteria from these standards are used for the Annual Physicals, is it the intent of the Fire Administration in the future to continue to work with those people who cannot meet those standards as has been done in the past to continue that relationship and get them back to work. • Special Meeting - Minutes August 31, 1990 . Page 4 Chief Angelo stated that that is exactly what the Departments intent is, for the record. The Chief strongly believes that the investment that they put in thier people can only add to this discipline. If some people legitamately go out on Disability we are not going to stop them or make it impossible. If somebody was doing something that was unacceptable in behavior, that has to be dealt with there. These Standards can't and should not be used for that. It is not the Fire Departments intent to use as a slightest excuse to remove a Firefighter. The Departments history has been such that they had one gentleman who was LEOFF II who was on Disability for 2 years on light duty. He went through a series of opeations and Dr. Morris was not able to predict for sure whether or not that individual would be able to come back to work eventually. That is, the kind of standard that the Department intends to keep up. The physical standard of reference points are the same that are used during the physical as a reference point. Because of that in recent Union negotiations, that individual has a right to be notified personally what those results are and they remain confidential. The main thrust, for the record, is to maintain and support the health of the employee and not to use it against them as a wedger tool . • Commissioner Zaratkiewicz questioned that "it says Minimum Medical Standards, is there an intent in the Minimum Medical Standards or is it only a criteria"? Chief Angelo stated that he does not think so, the reason the Union President is at the meeting asking those particular questions is because they are trying to put the intent on the record right now. Those Standards were set for the entire State of Washington and the Chief cannot speak for all the other departments nor would it be appropriate for them to speak for the Fire Department. Basically the Fire Department is attempting at this time to put the intent on the record. Acting Chairman Forest asked for a copy of the Standards for approval at the next Civil Service Commission Meeting. Chief Angelo stated that they had a copy with them for the Commission and they were hoping to have them approved at this Special Meeting as they had already been before the City Attorney. They would like to start advertising for the Doctors to get them on line for contract for physicals to begin in the month of October. The Fire Department believes that having gone through City Attorney and the Firefighters Union who reviewed them and having gone through several other cities. The Chief encouraged the Commission to look at the • old Standards for LEOFF I Retirement for discrepancies. Special Meeting - Minutes August 31, 1990 • Page 5 Acting Chairman Forest asked if the Union had looked at the Standards and saw no problems with them for hiring standards. Mr. Willits stated that they had and saw no problems as a hiring standard. Acting Chairman Forest then stated as long as all parties were in agreement and that he did not feel that anything that he could add or detract would make any difference to the objective. Chief Aldridge stated that the old LEOFF I Standards when they were adopted, their intent was not to be a Hiring Standard. These Standards have been created to be a Hiring Standard. So it gives the Department some criteria and appraises the Doctors of the criteria so that they can put in their bids. Acting Chairman Forest questioned whether the new Standards had been adopted by the State. Chief Angelo stated that the State did not adopt the Standards as they do not have any Entry Firefighters that they hire right now but several cities have adopted the Standards over the last 3 to 4 years. The reason the Kent Fire Departments have delayed the adoption of the Standards is that they have to go through "due process" . • Acting Chairman Forest questioned whether the Chief had heard of any major problems with these Standards. Chief Angelo stated no. Acting Chairman Forest asked for a motion to adopt the Minimum Standards. Commissioner Zaratkiewicz motioned to adopt them. Seconded and carried. Acting Chairman Forest opened for discussion the memo dated August 14, 1990 from Chief Fronsdahl requesting the retroactive extension of the Firefighters Eligibility List which had an expiry date of June 20, 1990. Chief Angelo stated that the Fire Departments intent was to extend the list and that they currently have three vacancies in the Fire Department. The next Academy date is coming up in the middle of September and two of the candidates on the Eligibility List appear to be qualified. In order to hire these persons the List needs to be officially extended. Acting Chairman Forest asked for a motion to extend retroactively the Eligibility List to December 31, 1990. Commissioner Zaratkiewicz motioned to extend same. Seconded and carried. Special Meeting - Minutes August 31, 1990 Page 6 Chief Angelo thanked the Commission for the special effort. Acting Chairman Forest asked Lt. Burke if he had a report, Lt. Burke stated no. Secretary, Chief Examiner stated that no reports were required at a Special Meeting. Acting Chairman Forest stated that there would be a Special Meeting on September 13, 1990 at 8:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers to hear the two Police Appeals. Acting Chairman Forest and Commissioner Zaratkiewicz concurred on changing the date of the next Regular Meeting to Wednesday, September 19, 1990 at 8:00 due to the fact that there would not be a quorum on the third Thursday, September 20th. Meeting was adjourned at 6:55 a.m. Respectfully submitted, • Catherine M. Dixon Secretary and Chief Examiner Approved: R n Forest Acting Chairman