New Fire, Police Hiring Policies OKd

A set of changes to and hiring policies approved by the town council on Oct. 11 could save the town tens of thousands of dollars, Mayor Joseph M. Polisena said.

During the Tuesday night session held at the — moved from the normal Monday night schedule because of Columbus Day — Polisena and Fire Chief Timothy McLaughlin explained how the changes will affect the two public safety departments.

Two of the measures allow the fire department to eliminate the mental evaluation that was required for new applicants; and to consider hiring firefighters from other departments.

"We don't get anything from [the psychological tests]," McLaughlin told the council. "That's about $1,200 a person that we can use for other purposes."

Using an estimate of eight possible hires, that could translate into nearly $10,000 in savings, Polisena said — not counting potential reductions in overtime costs.

"One of the major issues we're facing is overtime," Polisena said. "The Chief can plug these holes now and get a handle on overtime."

Councilors agreed to the two measures, which are changes to existing town ordinances, and added the requirement that applicants from other fire departments must have at least three years of full-time experience.

McLaughlin also said that the ability to hire applicants from other departments would save Johnston the cost of paying for training at the state fire academy, which he estimated to be $50,000 to $60,000 for 15 applicants in an interview prior to the meeting.

In response to a question from resident Donald Bertrand during the council meeting, Polisena said new hires from other departments would not retain their rank, and would "start off at the bottom, just like everyone else" in Johnston.

By approving two similar measures for the police department, the council could save as much as $3,000 per applicant, since officers from other departments have already completed the training academy — meaning Johnston wouldn't need to pay for it, Polisena explained.

Councilors also approved fifth measure that allows current police officers and firefighters to secure spots on the departments' respective hiring lists, and requires the town to hire from those lists.

The votes formally completed the process for changing town ordinances, as set by the Town Charter, following the introduction of the measures at the September council meeting.