Community Corner
PG Fire/EMS Receives 3,000 Firefighter Applications
The department looks to hire 50 new firefighters, and waded through 3,000 applications to determine 2,300 of them met minimum requirements.
Hiring a new employee can be a daunting task.
Think about how overwhelming it is to receive so many applications that it's 600 times the number of open positions.
The Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department faces this very task. While its fiscal year 2013 budget includes 50 new positions for firefighters, the department received 3,000 applications for the jobs. Out of that pool, 2,300 applicants meet the minimum qualifications and were invited to participate in the written examination.
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In comparison, in 2011, nearly 2,100 applications were received and 1,675 were eligible to take the written test.
A press release from the department suggests several theories for the number of applications: difficulty in finding work, the prestige and honor of the position, or the compensation and benefits: the starting salary is $40,848 with a 20-year-retirement and opportunity for shift work.
Hiring for the 50 open positions will occur in early 2013.
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This information was gathered from a press release from the Prince George’s County Maryland Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department.
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