Allan Appel Photo
Matthew Watkins and Samod Rankins after making the cut.
More women, and more New Haveners, will fight fires in New Haven as a result of a new round of fire academy cadets chosen Tuesday.
The commissioners voted to offer seats to 41 people in the new class to begin 16-week training Feb 28. The vote was unanimous.
The 41, to fill already budgeted jobs, include a 56-year old phenom who passed all the tests, and five women.
That’s notable, Chief John Alston Jr. said, because the department has only 11 women currently serving out of 322.
And 34 of the 41 cadets — or 83 percent — live in New Haven. That’s a record, according to Alston.
City residents receive an automatic ten point boost on their applications. “They know the area, the streets, and on the economic side” they also contribute, Alston said.
Come summer, when the training ends, the department will see significant overtime savings, Alston said. The department has been short 55 firefighters, requiring some 20 overtime shifts a day. The new firefighters, starting at $41,488, early as much as $37,000 less a year than experienced firefighters. So even factoring the extra cost of paying benefits to new firefighters benefits, the department will save money having them work shifts that more experienced firefighters would otherwise work overtime, Alston said.
Applicants Skolnik, Bell, Watkins, Rankins await the news
Also among those selected Tuesday was Samod Rankins who, like Watkins, is a graduate of Eli Whitney Technical High School.
The paths that led Rankins and Watkins to this moment in their lives were different,both characterized by the impulse for public service.
Watkins, who placed first on the written and oral tests for the job, joined the army right out of high school. He served for six years, including a deployment to Kuwait. He used the time there effectively, earning an online bachelor’s degree.
“There’s not much to do while you’re in the desert,” he said.
After his discharge, he went to work in retail. That didn’t fulfill his desire to help people, a desire he inherited from a firefighter uncle and from his mom, a nurse.
Watkins began applying to become a firefighter while training and subsequently working as an LPN at an assisted living facility and also as a school nurse at Long Hill Elementary in Shelton.
Commissioner Vincent Mauro Jr. and Asst. Chief Orlando Marcano.
Rankins’ success Tuesday morning was a story of persistence.
He failed the oral exam back in 2013, he said, but kept at it. “I retook the oral and passed everything successfully. I never gave up.”
A New Haven native like Watkins, Rankins prepared during the intervening years by earning state certifications in “hazmat awareness,” and as an EMT.
The arduous application process began back in May with a formal application. In June came the written and oral tests, with results in July. In August, the department administered the physical exam. Background checks then ensued, organized by the police department. In November there was a health assessment and then last month the in-person interviews.
At those interviews, which can run from 20 minutes to more than an hour, the chief ran scenarios of different firefighting situations.
Chief Alston and Fire Commission Chief William Celentano
The department created the pool of about 60 candidates, from which Alston and the commissioners chose 41.
Aspiring firefighters sat in the room as names were called out Tuesday morning, hoping to hear theirs.
Not all the young men ended up smiling.
New Jersey-raised Tyler Skolnik lives in West Haven and is completing a degree at the University of New Haven in fire science. He said that during his time here, which includes being in the Marine Corps Reserve, he has fallen in love with New Haven and ultimately wants to serve as a firefighter here. It runs in the family, as is the case with many firefighters; Skolnik said his uncle has put in 40 years with the NYFD.
Tyler Skolnik congratulates Watkins.
Skolnik, however, will have to wait a bit. His name wasn’t selected from the eligibility list this time, but it will remain on the list for potential future selection. He said he will continue to pursue his goal: “I’m not going to let this stop me.”
Aspiring firefighter Cordell Bell waited with straight posture that belied a certain nervousness as names were read off by the chief. Bell’s came up as one to remove from the list.
Afterwards, in the hallway, his disappointment was palpable. He said many of the mentors in his life have been firefighters; that’s why he’d applied. Commissioner Vincent Mauro acknowledged the disappointment and told him to keep his head up.
Bell said he will continue to pursue his goal, but likely in other cities. He lingered after the meeting in hopes of meeting with the chief. He got the chance.
Flynn To Firefighters’ Hall of Fame
In other fire department news, Chief Alston announced that Retire Battalion Chief — and department historian — Edward Flynn was recently been elected to the Connecticut State Firefighters Association Hall of Fame.
“We’re excited about him getting this. It’s a high honor,” said Alston. Retired Chief Michael Grant, among other members of the fire department, have previously been elected.
The induction takes place at a ceremony in Southington on April 5.
New Haven does it again. The list is massaged, manipulated and politicized until the correct politically hooked up candidates can be reached. The fire department does not wan the best, the brightest or the most qualified candidate to be appointed, Regardless of where you live, even in the city with an extra 10 points, you can be manipulated off the list and down the list to reach the "right" people. It has nothing to do with you color or ethnic background and everything to do with how politically connected you are. Cordell Bell scored 12 places higher than Mr. Rankins and was not appointed. Both African American and city residents, but one was politically connected and one was not. Cronyism up and down the list. A former deployed Marine about to graduate college with a four year degree in fire science who scored 46th on the list because he had no resident points is not picked. I would like to see the first 50 candidates placed on a spread sheet with the selection rational spelled out and raw scores next to each name. It will never happen. I would like to throw the oral scores out the window, list the candidates by the written test score, add in the resident bonus score and the look at the ranking. Never happen because the politicians have no favors to pass out. We need the best, the brightest, and the most dedicated on the job. We do not need people with low scores but political connections. The New Haven fire department places zero value on education and does not consider degrees in the fire field or even give extra points when testing for jobs or promotions, but they will give 10 points for living in the city. If the city looked at education, proven ability demonstrated by attending and passing state and local fire service classes tests, it would be a differing story and list. Take politics out and appoint the best people to entry level jobs and officer positions. Nice thought, but it will never happen.