The Watertown Fire Department has added a new strategy to fill openings for paramedics — hiring candidates who transfer from other departments.
Traditionally, Watertown hires people off the Civil Service Exam list, said Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson, but recently the WFD put out a call for lateral transfers from other departments. The Fire Department has several openings after the City Council approved funding to run a second Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance.
“We are looking for transfers now, because paramedics are becoming increasingly difficult to hire,” Nicholson said. “So we’re doing the standard route that we’ve used before, and calling for the list from Civil Service. But we’re also on top of that, seeking transfers too, but they have to come from a Civil Service department to be able to transfer into a Civil Service department.”
A social media post sent out by the Watertown Fire Department reads:
The department is currently recruiting personnel to staff a second full-time ALS ambulance. Now is the time to join a fast-paced, supportive, and forward thinking department. Join our professional team with a competitive salary and excellent benefits.
The post says that candidates can send a resume and cover letter to rnicholson@fire.watertown-ma.gov.
People who transfer in offer the benefit of coming in with experience, and they won’t have to go through the Fire Academy. Some applications have already come in, and Nicholson is following up on those who have reached out.
Nicholson hopes that adding the second Fire Department-operated ambulance will change the working environment. Currently, with just one, the paramedics have been busy. Watertown also contracts with Pro EMS to provide assistance when the Watertown ambulance is busy. A second WFD ambulance will take some of the workload off the Watertown paramedics.
“It’s just gonna take some time. Word had gotten out that we’re a very busy system and not a great place because of that,” he said. “So we got to kind of flip the script and get word out that second ambulance is going to change our system.”
The ambulance currently operates out of the Fire House on Orchard Street, and eventually the second one will run out of the East End Fire House, but the current building on Mt. Auburn Street is not big enough so it will be housed at the Central Fire Station on Main Street.
The Watertown Police recently removed patrol officers from the Civil Service System to enable transfers from departments in Civil Service as well as those that are not. The WPD has been able to fill several openings. Nicholson said he does not expect the Fire Department to follow suit.
“It’s a little bit different than police. There’s not much of an appetite on the fire side,” he said, adding that it provides Firefighters with certain protections.
“The promotional process works for us in the entry, for the most part, works for us. So I don’t see any need to get out of it at this point,” he said. “Paramedic is the only part that’s been a bit of a challenge. But civil service is also morphing, so there’s a new process that we’re hoping to take advantage of within civil service which I think will help us big time, too.”