Civil Service Commission

Docusign Envelope ID: 9524CF35-4981-4574-9179-3EF8F701B6D0 TUMWATER CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2024 Page 1 CONVENE: 5:30 p.m. PRESENT: Chair Simon Tee and Commissioners Blake Chard and Pat Schneider. Staff: Secretary/Chief Examiner Michelle Sutherland, Police Commander Jay Mason, and Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Crimmins. WELCOME NEW Chief Examiner Sutherland introduced and welcomed CIVIL SERVICE Commissioner Pat Schneider. COMMISSIONER PAT SCHNEIDER: Commissioner Schneider thanked Mayor Sullivan for her support. She has been a resident of Tumwater for 15 years and wants to continue supporting the small town atmosphere of the City. She is a strong supporter of the community’s first responders and is looking forward to working with Commissioners and staff. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION – OCTOBER 10, 2024: MOTION: Commissioner Chard moved, seconded by Chair Tee, to approve the minutes of October 10, 2024 as published. Motion carried unanimously. STATUS OF Chief Examiner Sutherland reviewed the status of the eligibility NOVEMBER lists. Active continuous lists for police and fire remain effective. ELIGIBILITY LISTS: There were no other changes to the lists. ENTRY LEVEL Chief Examiner Sutherland advised that 12 candidates are included POLICE OFFICER on the list each scoring above the minimum test score of 70%. Four ELIGIBILITY LIST: candidates are proposed for addition to the November 2024 list and one candidate is proposed for removal from the list for failure to pass the Chief’s interview. Commissioner Blake noted that the four new candidates excelled in their test scores and interviews. MOTION: Commissioner Schneider moved, seconded by Chair Tee, to approve the Entry Level Police Officer Eligibility List as presented. Motion carried unanimously. FIREFIGHTER TO Deputy Fire Chief Crimmins reported that one candidate was FIREFIGHTER originally hired as a Firefighter and worked several years in the PARAMEDIC position. The Department supported sending the candidate to Docusign Envelope ID: 9524CF35-4981-4574-9179-3EF8F701B6D0 TUMWATER CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2024 Page 2 PROMOTIONAL LIST: paramedic school to attain certification as a Paramedic. The second candidate was initially hired as a Firefighter. However, prior to joining the department, the candidate was able to obtain paramedic certification. Establishment of the promotional list is required to promote candidates from Firefighters to Firefighter Paramedic. Chief Examiner Sutherland requested the Commission’s approval to approve the proposed list as presented. MOTION: Commissioner Chard moved, seconded by Chair Tee, to approve the Firefighter to Firefighter Paramedic Promotional List as presented. Motion carried unanimously. FIRE PREVENTION Chief Examiner Sutherland advised that the eligibility list includes OFFICER three candidates. The list was conditionally approved prior to the ELIGIBILITY LIST: meeting by the Chief Examiner. An offer of employment has been extended to the candidate ranked first on the list. Staff is drafting the conditional offer letter. Deputy Fire Chief Crimmins reported the process was long and extensive. The City successfully recruited for the position with several candidates applying. The candidate ranked at the top of the list is currently employed by the department. Fire Lieutenant Scott Kennedy will move into the position of Fire Prevention Officer effective December 1, 2024. All three candidates participated in an oral board interview and a Chief interview. The exam score is reflective of all elements of the testing process to include the oral board. Commissioner Schneider questioned the reason for one candidate’s withdrawal from consideration. Deputy Fire Chief Crimmins advised that the candidate withdrew for personal reasons. MOTION: Commissioner Schneider moved, seconded by Chair Tee, to approve the Fire Prevention Officer Eligibility List as presented. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF FIRE Chief Examiner Sutherland reported the proposed Fire Lieutenant LIEUTENANT testing plan is a three-step process developed and administered by TESTING PLAN - 2025 Public Safety Testing for steps 2 and 3. A candidate screening is completed as the first step followed by a work performance rating by Public Safety Testing. The third step is an assessment center administered by Public Safety Testing. The minimum passing score for the entire testing plan is 70%. Commissioner Schneider inquired about the timeline for a candidate to complete the three-step testing process. Deputy Fire Chief Docusign Envelope ID: 9524CF35-4981-4574-9179-3EF8F701B6D0 TUMWATER CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2024 Page 3 Crimmins responded that the testing plan is posted by the fire department and is only open to current fire department employees. Applicants who apply will be confirmed as qualified by both the department and the City. The work performance rating is a one-day event sponsored by Public Safety Testing. The assessment center test follows the next day. Successful candidates passing all three steps of the test will be considered for addition to the eligibility list for Fire Lieutenant. Olympia Fire Department and Lacey Fire District 3 use the same testing plan. MOTION: Commissioner Schneider moved, seconded by Commissioner Chard, to approve the Fire Lieutenant Testing Plan - 2025 as presented. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF Chief Examiner Sutherland requested approval of the four-step PARAMEDIC testing plan for Paramedic Lieutenant. Public Safety Testing LIEUTENANT completes step 2 and 3 of the test. The initial candidate screening is TESTING PLAN – the first step followed by the work performance rating as the second 2025: step. The assessment center is step 3 and is administered by Public Safety Testing. The test plan includes an oral board and the Chief’s interview. The top seven candidates are eligible to participate in the Chief’s interview. Commissioner Schneider questioned the additional step in the testing plan from the previous action. Deputy Fire Chief Crimmins replied that although the positions are similar, the fire department added an oral board because the position is tasked with overseeing the department’s EMS programs on all shifts, which adds an additional component to the position. Chair Tee asked about the makeup of the oral board. Deputy Fire Chief Crimmins advised that a member of the City’s HR department is a member of the board along with a representative from Thurston County Medic One and Paramedic Lieutenants from Olympia Fire Department and Lacey Fire District 3. MOTION: Commissioner Chard moved, seconded by Commissioner Schneider, to approve the Paramedic Lieutenant Testing Plan – 2025 as presented. Motion carried unanimously. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled on Thursday, December 12, 2024. DATE: MOTION: Chair Tee moved, seconded by Commissioner Schneider, to add Updates to the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. UPDATES: Police Commander Mason updated the Commission on the status of Docusign Envelope ID: 9524CF35-4981-4574-9179-3EF8F701B6D0 TUMWATER CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2024 Page 4 hiring within the police department. One newly hired police officer is scheduled to attend the basic law enforcement academy next week. Another candidate is currently undergoing a background review. The department plans to offer conditional offers to two candidates to fill two open positions. Two other officers are currently undergoing field training within the department. Deputy Fire Chief Crimmins advised that based on the approval of the Fire Prevention Eligibility List, the department plans to move forward to offer an appointment letter with a start date of early December 2024. One Paramedic is completing probation on December 1, 2024. With the addition of the eighth medic unit that was ratified by the City of Tumwater and Thurston County Medic One, the department is processing the hiring of nine Paramedics. Offers have been extended to three candidates. The goal is fill all positions by January 1, 2025 to enable candidates to attend the fire academy. ADJOURNMENT: Chair Tee moved, seconded by Commissioner Chard, to adjourn the meeting at 5:55 p.m. A voice vote approved the motion. _________________________ ___________________________________ Simon Tee, Chair Michelle Sutherland, Secretary Chief Examiner Prepared by Valerie L. Gow, Recording Secretary/President Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net