News

August 27, 2010

W-B city to hire 7 firefighters

By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – The city has made conditional offers of employment to seven candidates for firefighter positions at a starting salary of $40,928.

Mayor Tom Leighton said the candidates must now undergo pre-employment physical and psychological testing before the offers will be confirmed.

Once the offers have been confirmed, the new firefighters will be sent to a 12-week class to start Sept. 27 at Luzerne County Community College to obtain firefighter and emergency medical technician certification.

With the seven additions, the city will have a total of 73 firefighters, said Christine Jensen, director of human resources. She said four of the positions fill vacancies that occurred this year and the remaining three are in anticipation of vacancies that will occur in the next six months.

Tom Makar, president of Local 104 of the Firefighter Union, was unavailable for comment.

Earlier this year, Leighton reduced the minimum number of firefighters on duty from 14 per shift to 12 to cut down on overtime costs. The mayor said the overtime would bankrupt the city if it was allowed to continue at the current rate.

Makar has said in the past that overtime costs could be reduced by hiring more firefighters.

The city is in talks with its firefighters for a new contract. The current pact expires at the end of the year. The city had a high of 88 firefighters in 2001.

Jensen said 130 people took the most recent firefighters test.

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