Article 23 Promotion/ Position Requirements

In the event that an off duty detail is unable to be filled after following the above process, the on-duty Battalion Chief may use one member, (Other than the Lieutenant), from any rescue with a staffing of three reducing the minimum staffing of those units, only for the duration of the detail or may use an on-duty unit to fill the detail.

Any detail swaps will be handled using a procedure similar for shift swaps. Both involved parties must email the EMS Chief or designee requesting approval for the swap. Any last-minute detail swaps will be approved by the on-duty Battalion Chief.

For members of the Community Risk Reduction Division, the following process will be followed: details for Inspectors are selected based upon a rotating list. The same list is used regardless of type of detail or by pay type (detail pay vs. OT) and regardless of the hours associated with the detail.

ARTICLE 23 PROMOTION/ POSITION REQUIREMENTS

The City and the Union agree that the establishment of the qualifications and standards for initial hiring is being solely reserved as a right of management.

Promotional increases will be made according to the following:

FROM TO

FF/PM FF/Paramedic

Driver Engineer Lieutenant Driver Engineer Lieutenant

Lieutenant Captain

Captain

Battalion Fire Inspector II Fire Inspection Lieutenant Driver Engineer Fire Inspection

Lieutenant Captain Inspection Captain

Fire Inspector II Inspection Captain

PERCENT OR TOP OF PAYBAND

5% 10% 5% 10% 10% 5% 10% 10%

10%

Members promoted pursuant to this Article shall receive the promotion pay increase effective with the payroll following the promotion.

The City and the Union agree that all newly promoted employees covered by this agreement shall be subject to a probationary period. The probationary period following promotion shall be one year of continuous uninterrupted employment as a position probation, unless otherwise extended in accordance with this Article. For the positions of Driver Engineer, Lieutenant and Captain and Battalion Chief, each member successfully passing all components of the testing process will attend a professional development program specific to the tested-for position. The program will take place

within three (3) pay periods of the establishment of the promotional list; the date and times of the program will be listed on the promotional test posting. Each member attending the program will move to a forty (40) hour shift for the duration of the program. The program shall be scheduled at such time which allows members to return to shift only at the beginning of the new pay period following completion of the program. The size of the professional development class will be dependent upon operational needs. Multiple classes will be listed on the posting; the list will not become effective until the completion of the last class offered. Each member will be required to attend and successfully complete the professional development program in order to be placed on the promotional list. the Driver Engineer, Lieutenant, Captain and Battalion Chief professional development program will be eighty (80) hours,

Upon completion of the Professional Development Program any promoted member or any member who is eligible for promotion shall have the ability to request mentoring rides on the same truck with a member of that rank. The process for the mentoring rides will be agreed upon by the Fire Chief and the Union.

Special assignments made pursuant to Article 8 shall not be subject to a probationary period. The Fire Chief shall have the authority to extend all probationary periods on an individual basis for an additional ninety (90) days when performance is not satisfactory. Notification of the extension of probation shall be in writing made no less than fourteen (14) days prior to the date that the employee’s probationary period would otherwise expired. The Fire Chief shall take appropriate action to ensure that an employee whose probationary period is extended receives remedial counseling and instruction regarding areas of performance which need improvement.

The City agrees to maintain a promotional eligibility list for Driver Engineer, Lieutenant, Captain and Battalion Chief. No list shall be maintained for the Position of Fire Inspection Captain or Fire Inspection Lieutenant, with each promotional process being conducted as openings arise. Maintaining a list shall, mean that at least 45 days prior to the expiration date of a list, or within 45 days after the depletion of a list, a new test date shall be announced electronically to all members.

The resulting new promotional list shall take effect upon expiration of the preceding list and shall have a duration of not more than two (2) years. In the event the preceding list has been depleted, the new list shall take effect immediately upon posting and have a duration of two (2) years.

A promotional exam for the position Battalion Chief will take place no later than June 1st , 2020. A promotional list will be created and maintained in the same manner as all other promotional list contained within this agreement.

Upon contract ratification, members who are on the current Battalion Chief step-up list may remain on the step-up list for a duration of not more than six (6) years beyond the establishment of the Battalion Chief promotional list. Members who wish to be promoted to Battalion Chief must take and pass the Battalion Chief promotional exam, subsequently members who pass the exam and are placed on the promotional list may

remain on the Battalion Chief step-up list for a duration of not more than six (6) years however in order to be eligible for promotion to Battalion Chief must take the exam upon expiration or depletion of each promotional list.

Sources of information for all promotional examinations and possible subjects of assessment centers shall be publicized upon posting of said examinations no less than 120 days prior to the testing date (with the exception of Training Battalions) (Training Battalions will be posted for no less than 14 days prior to promotional process). All sources must be available for purchase at the time of the posting through an outside vendor.

In order for a candidate to be eligible for a promotional examination, the following criteria shall be met at a minimum: as a note, all Coral Springs Fire Department members must maintain a valid Florida Driver’s license.

A. Driver Engineer- Base Requirements by closing date of the posting:

1. Served four (4) consecutive years in the Coral Springs Fire Department; 2. Possession of State of Florida Apparatus Operator and Hydraulics course; 3. Possession/Maintenance of State of Florida Paramedic certificate; 4. Possession of the State of Florida Aerial Apparatus; and 5. Successful completion of the annual CSFD in-service training.

B. Lieutenant-Base Requirements by closing date of the posting:

1. Served four (4) consecutive years in the Coral Springs Fire Department as of the closing date of posting; 2. Possession/Maintenance of State of Florida Paramedic certificate; 3. Possession and Maintenance of BLS, PALS, PEPP, or Handtevy Pediatric Emergency Course, and ACLS provider certificates; 4. State of Florida Fire Officer 1 Certificate of Competency; and 4. State of Florida Live Fire Adjunct Trainer, or live fire training instructor

C. Fire Inspection Lieutenant-Base Requirements by closing date of the posting:

1. Served four (4) consecutive years in the Coral Springs Fire Department with the last two (2) years in the Community Risk Reduction Division as of the closing date of posting; and

2. Possession/Maintenance of the following certifications/training

a. State of Florida certified Firefighter; b. State of Florida certified Fire Inspector; c. Broward County certified Fire Inspector; d. Broward County certification as Plans Examiner; e. City of Coral Springs Inspector II; and

f. State of Florida Fire Officer 1 certificate of competency.

D. Fire Inspection Captain-Base Requirements by closing date of the posting:

1. Served six (6) years in the Coral Springs Fire Department with the last two (2) years in the Community Risk Reduction Division as of the closing date of posting; and

2. Possession/maintenance of the following certifications/training:

a. State of Florida certified Firefighter; b. State of Florida certified Fire Inspector; c. Broward County certified Fire Inspector; d. Broward County certification as Plans Examiner; e. City of Coral Springs Inspector II; f. State of Florida Fire Safety Inspector II; g. Fire Officer 2 Certificate of Competency; h. State of Florida Fire Investigator I; and i. FEMA IS-300 Certificate.

E. Captain-Base Requirements by closing date of the posting: (Note: Posting for Logistics Captain will be handled as the need arises. The posting will include the same base requirements as Operations Captain. Additional requirements may be added to accommodate specific logistics job duties. Logistics Captain if interested in an Operations Captain position will have to test for the open spot);

1. Served 6 years in the Coral Springs Fire Department as of the closing date of posting and completed probation as either a Lieutenant or Driver Engineer; 2. Possession/maintenance of the following certifications/training:

a. State of Florida Paramedic certificate; b. State of Florida Fire Officers ll Certificate of Competency; c. State of Florida Live Fire Adjunct Trainer; or live fire training instructor; and d. FEMA IS-300 Certificate

3. Possession and Maintenance of State of Florida Apparatus Operator and

Hydraulics course; and

4. Florida incident Safety Officer course.

F. Battalion Chief-Base Requirements by closing date of the posting (Note: Posting for training Battalions will be handled as the need arises. The posting will include the same base requirements as Operations Battalion. Additional requirements may be added to accommodate specific training job duties Training Battalions if interested in a shift battalion position will have to test for the open spot);

1. Served 8 years in the Coral Springs Fire Department and completed probation as a

Captain; 2. Possession/maintenance of the following certifications/training: a. State of Florida Paramedic certificate; b. State of Florida Municipal Fire Officers’ II Certification; c. Fire Service Instructor II; d. Associates Degree qualifying for State supplemental compensation; e. Successful completion of State of Florida Fire Incident Safety Officer; f. Possession and Maintenance of State of Florida Live Fire Training Instructor certification; g. Battalion Chief Professional Development Program; and h. FEMA IS-300 and IS-400 Certificates.

A member who has been involuntarily demoted will not be considered eligible for promotion within 2 years of the date of their demotion.

For the following promotional processes all testing shall be administered by the Coral Springs Regional Institute of Public Safety. All testing shall be administered through instructors employed through the Coral Springs Regional Institute of Public Safety.

The Fire Department will make every effort to cover members shifts for the time duration needed to complete all portions of the promotional process if it falls on their shift. Coverage will be provided, only for the time needed to complete the testing. If a member wants the entire shift off it is the members responsibility to secure coverage. The department will not mandate members to work overtime to assist with testing coverage. In the event of limited overtime coverage, members will be granted coverage based on Department seniority.

The promotional appointment to the position of Driver Engineer shall be made on the basis of the following:

A. A Written Exam 30% B. A Practical Exam 70%

Candidates shall pass the written exam in order to move on to the practical component. In the event that the candidate fails the written exam, they will have the option to continue in the process for the experience. Individuals electing this option shall be placed at the bottom of the list for testing order purposes.

The promotional appointment to the positions of Lieutenant, Inspection Lieutenant, Inspection Captain, and Captain shall be made on the basis of the following:

A. A Written Exam 30% B. A Practical Exam 70%

If more than one written test is part of an exam or more than one practical test is part of an exam during the promotional process, the scores will be averaged to produce one written score and/or one practical score, however if an exam has more than one test, each test must be passed with a minimum score of 70%. Practical exams and assessment centers may be recorded.

The Written Exam will be no more than 100 questions and consist of position relevant questions. i.e. Policies, Protocols, etc. Questions must come from every piece of posted study material.

The Practical Exam will consist of at least one Live Action scenario, one predetermined Oral Presentation (i.e. teach back, policy change, pub ed, etc.), and if needed classroom scenarios, skill stations, in box/out box, training division determined component.

The promotional appointment for the position of Battalion Chief shall be made on the basis of the following:

A. A Written Exam 30 % B. A Practical Exam 60% C. Oral Interview 10 %

If more than one written test is part of an exam or more than one practical test is part of an exam during the promotional process, the scores will be averaged to produce one written score and/or one practical score, however if an exam has more than one test, each test must be passed with a minimum score of 70%. Practical exams and assessment centers may be recorded.

There will be a minimum of six (6) calendar days between each exam. After completing the entire practical exam process, a consultation will take place where the candidate will be notified of all performance deficiencies during each exam and will be provided a challenge form and shall submit all challenges prior to leaving the exam consultation. Candidates shall also be provided a challenge form prior to the beginning of the written exam and will have the opportunity to challenge the process based on clarity of the questions, possibility of multiple answers, relevance of the question to the current job posting, accuracy of the scoring method, or other criteria agreed upon by the Union and Fire Administration. All challenges will be reviewed by the test administrator and a union representative following each exam. Scores for each exam will only be released after all challenges have been reviewed and finalized. Candidates will not be permitted to submit any challenges after they have left the exam site. Candidates must score a minimum of 70% for each test to continue the testing process (an exam may consist of multiple tests). Candidates wishing to continue with the process after receiving a score of less than 70% may do so, however, they will participate after all other passing candidates have completed their exam for the day. In the event that a question is challenged, the candidate shall present proof that the challenge shall be upheld. In the event that a challenge is upheld, all tests shall have that question

rescored and adjusted. If there is an improper question/criterion that is removed from the test, each candidate will receive credit for that question/criteria as correct.

If any test is determined to have given a candidate an unfair advantage or disadvantage as a result of a successful challenge, that test score will be eliminated from consideration for all candidates. If only one test was administered, a new test date will be posted, and a replacement test administered. In such instances, all candidates must participate in the second test or shall be considered to have withdrawn from promotional consideration.

Within 14 days of the completion of the promotional process all candidates shall have the opportunity, upon request to the training division to review all aspects of the promotional process with the Union and Fire Administration. Challenges are not permitted during this review process.

The ranking of all successful candidates of promotional examinations shall be by the candidates first initial and last name and shall be posted and certified by the City’s Director of Human Resources or their designee within ten (10) calendar days subsequent to Human Resources receiving the final scores from the final phase of testing. No failing scores shall be posted.

In the event that there are fewer than three (3) successful candidates (with the exception of CRR) completing the testing process, 1 additional promotional examination shall be held no later than 120 days from the previous test. Candidates who have passing test results will be considered to be on the promotional list for purposes of serving in a step-up capacity. Additionally, their scores and top ranking will be preserved on the next promotional list.

All promotions shall be made from the promotional list then in effect, if practicable, utilizing the rule of threes, i.e. selection may be made from the top three, on the promotional list.

Educational points shall be determined as follows: No points shall be awarded for any education that is required for the position.

State of Florida Municipal Fire Officer I – .5 point State of Florida Municipal Fire Officer II – .5 point State of Florida Municipal Fire Officer III – .5 point State of Florida Municipal Fire Officer IV – .5 point

College/University (points will only be given for the highest degree attained): BC All

Others A.A. / A.S. degree B.A./B.S. degree Master’s degree from accredited institution 0 1 1 2 2 3

Add accreditation for all degrees. Points will not be received for the degree used to qualify for the position a member tested for.

In the event that a member has a higher degree than required, then that member shall get credit for the difference between the degree required to qualify and the higher degree used to qualify.

In no event shall an employee have more than five (5) total points added to his/her final score. Additional points are only added to the final score following the successful completion of all components of the promotional process.

Non promotional position requirements

Public Education Officer – Requirements by closing date of the posting Served four (4) years in the Coral Springs Fire Department as of the closing date of posting, with two (2) of the four (4) years served in the CRR Division, (The Fire Chief may waive the two (2) years in the CRR Division); and Possession/maintenance of the following certifications/training: State of Florida certified Firefighter; State of Florida certified Fire Inspector; Broward County certified Fire Inspector; State of Florida Fire Officer 2 Certificate of Competency; Life Safety Educator I through State of Florida Life Safety Educator II through State of Florida Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) Community Paramedic- Requirements by closing date of the posting, (Also referenced in Article 35, Community Paramedic). Served three (3) years in the Coral Springs Fire Department as a Firefighter Paramedic or higher rank who has been State Certified as a Paramedic for three (3) or more years as of the closing date of the posting; and Completion of a nationally recognized Community Paramedic Program (Cost covered by the City). Possession/Maintenance of any/all Federal, State and Local requirements.

The following outlines the minimum requirements for filling an opening for the positions of Public Education Officer and Community Paramedic. 1. Posting the open position for fourteen (14) calendar days. 2. A letter of interest to the Fire Chief or Designee. 3. An Oral Interview.