Memphis Fire Department Looking to Hire Again

The Memphis Fire Department wanted to shed some employees through attrition, but not quite this fast.

Based on projections, the three-year attrition target of 100 employees will be exceeded within the next 10 months, city spokesman Mary Cashiola said, possibly leaving the department undermanned.

So, the fire department is again looking for men and women to fill its ranks, announcing that it is seeking new recruits. The job posting remains open through Aug. 30.

"We want to avoid (being undermanned)," fire department director Alvin Benson said Wednesday. "It takes six months to train a fire recruit. You have to start the class ahead of schedule. Otherwise, you're not going to have a person to replace that (departing firefighter)."

The attrition plan began about two years ago after city officials expressed concern that the department was somewhat bloated. A 2007 efficiency study said the department had significantly more employees than cities of similar size.

As part of that slimming-down process, the city planned to lose about 100 fire employees over three years through attrition, meaning they wouldn't fill slots when firefighters retire or leave the department.

However, a little more than two years into that program, 80 people have already left, Benson said. Projections indicate at least another 40 will leave between now and next June 30, the end of the city's fiscal year.

That could leave the department undermanned, Benson said, even with this October's recruit class -- the first one in three years -- joining the ranks in April.

"The attrition plan is still in effect. That has not changed," Benson said. "Even with that, there comes a point where you reach your attrition target number. We are there right now."

Benson concedes that adding and subtracting employees to reach a certain number is a moving target, but believes the new hires will help the department reach a proper balance.

"That's it in a nutshell. We don't hit the numbers perfectly, obviously. Someone could walk in my office today and say they're leaving because they hit the lottery," he said.

Fire officials hope that enough people will apply to fill out a candidate list that the department will draw from over the next few years. The first recruiting class to be pulled from that new list will begin in April. Another one could follow next fall.

"You have to get the list together way ahead of time. This application process will create a hiring roster for sometime after April next year," Benson said. "The idea is to get a fresh roster with quality candidates on it, (to) stay ahead of attrition and not get behind."

Copyright 2012 - The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service