§ 252-202 — Merit selection and procedures

Sec. 252-202. - Merit selection and procedures.

(a) Any person, including persons seeking reappointment or reinstatement, shall be appointed to the Indianapolis Fire Department in accordance with the merit selection and appointment procedure created by this section and such rules and regulations as may be established by the merit board in accordance with the provisions of this section. Such rules and regulations may change the order of their procedure but not the substance of the requirements established by this section. Appointment and reappointment to the department shall be made without regard to an applicant's political party preference or activity. (b) A person may not submit an application, be appointed, or reappointed as a member of the department unless the person is at least twenty-one (21) years of age but not yet reached the age of thirty-six (36). The age thirty-six (36) limitation shall not apply if the person is a former member or a retired member not yet receiving retirement benefits of the 1937 or 1977 fund and can complete twenty (20) years of service before reaching sixty (60) years of age as in the case of a firefighter leaving another fire department to be employed as a firefighter (member) with the Indianapolis Fire Department. The applicant must have at least a high school education or equivalent to be eligible to make application to become a member of the department, and each applicant must meet minimum fitness/medical standards adopted by the department and continue to meet minimum fitness/medical standards, as a condition of employment, while serving as a member of the department. The department shall develop job-related minimum standards with the assistance of an independent consultant in order to meet applicable federal and state guidelines. Applicants appointed or reappointed to the department must establish residency in compliance with state statute. Applicants shall not have been convicted of an offense that is a felony under Indiana law. Applicants must obtain an application form from the personnel division and must comply with the following additional requirements: (1) Applicants must pass a complete physical examination and a psychological examination in accordance with state law. The psychological examination shall be given by an individual approved by the state board of examiners in psychology or the state board of medical registration. If a written psychological examination is administered, such examination shall be approved by the state board of examiners in mental health or the state board of medical registration, in accordance with psychological examinations approved by the PERF board in consultation with the commissioner of mental health. Applicants may be required to pay up to one-half (½) of the costs of the required physical and psychological examinations in accordance with applicable departmental rules. (2) Applicants must pass a written examination to evaluate both aptitude and intellectual capacity for fire work. (3) Applicants must pass a job-related agility test. (4) Applicants shall have a structured oral interview as established by the fire merit board. The rules and procedures for the above requirements shall be set by the chief with the approval of the merit board. (c) The chief, with the approval of the board, shall give a preference for employment for any the following, all of which must be validated by the department: (1) An applicant who has served in the military service and has received an honorable discharge from any branch of the service including the Coast Guard (as defined in IC 36-8-4-10); and any participant in the Army PaYS Program; (2) An applicant whose mother or father was a firefighter of a unit, municipal police officer, or county police officer, who died in the line of duty (as defined in IC 5-10-10-2); (3) An applicant who successfully graduated from a City of Indianapolis or Marion County High School; (4) An applicant who is a resident of Marion County as of the date the person submits an application for employment; (5) An applicant who has graduated from the department's Arsenal Tech High School, CTC Fire/Rescue program. (d) The personnel division shall prepare a list of those applicants eligible for appointment ranked in order of their total combined score. The written examination shall constitute no more than fifty (50) percent of the applicant's total eligibility score. Any combination of the preferences described in subsection (c) of this section shall constitute no more than five (5) percent of the applicant's total eligibility score. Prior to the creation of the eligibility list, the personnel branch, with approval of the merit board, shall establish the weight of each of the components of the applicant process. (e) Beginning with the applicant having the highest eligibility score on the eligibility list, the department shall conduct a background investigation into the personal history and character of the applicant. Any information indicating that the applicant has engaged in any conduct or activities that would warrant the disqualification of the applicant from appointment to the department shall be forwarded to the deputy chief supervising the personnel division and shall be made a part of the applicant's file. The file shall be presented by the deputy chief to the merit board, which shall determine whether such conduct or activities are such as to disqualify the applicant for appointment. (f) Final eligibility lists prepared as the result of an applicant screening process shall be in effect for two (2) years or until a new eligibility list for the next process is final, whichever occurs earlier. A new applicant screening process shall be initiated by the department no later than eighteen (18) months after a final eligibility list is certified by the merit board. The merit board shall establish procedures for the management of the final eligibility lists. Any applicant who, personally or through any other person, solicits any member of the merit board to favor the applicant's appointment or reinstatement to the department shall be thereby rendered ineligible for any such appointment.

(Code 1975, § 3-333; G.O. 2, 2000, § 3; G.O. 104, 2009, § 1; G.O. 46, 2015, § 1; G.O. 33, 2021, § 1)