Recommendations for Improving the Recruiting and Hiring of Los Angeles Firefighters

Reviews the Los Angeles Fire Department's hiring practices as of June 2014 and outlines a recommended new firefighter hiring process that is intended to increase efficiency of the hiring process, bolster the evidence supporting the validity of it, and make it more transparent and inclusive. In 2014, the City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office sought assistance from the RAND Corporation to find ways to improve the process the city uses to hire firefighters into the Los Angeles Fire Department. RAND conducted a three-month review of Los Angeles's firefighter hiring policies and practices, paying particular attention to their effectiveness and fairness. This report presents the results of that three-month effort. It reviews the city's hiring practices used in the 2013 hiring cycle and in place at the time of the study and outlines a recommended new firefighter hiring process that is intended to increase efficiency of the hiring process, bolster the evidence supporting the validity of it, and make it more transparent and inclusive Exploratory Interviews to Understand Stakeholder PerspectivesReview of Existing Documentation and Informational Interviews on Recruiting and Selection Processes; Job Incumbent Focus Groups to Confirm and Identify New Key Duties, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics for Firefighter Service; Data Analyses to Examine Disparate Impact of the 2013 Selection Process; Organization of This Report; CHAPTER TWO: Firefighter Recruitment and Outreach Strategies; A Framework for Understanding Recruitment; Firefighter Recruiting Practices; Key Comments on Recruiting from the Interviews The Emphasis Should Be on Finding Highly Qualified Candidates, Not Merely on Increasing the Quantity of CandidatesCHAPTER THREE: The 2013 Firefighter Selection Process; Notification Cards; Step 1: Preliminary Background Application; Step 2: Describing the Minimum Requirements; Step 3: Written Test; Test of Reading Comprehension, Arithmetic, and Mechanical Aptitude; Test Development; Step 4: Candidate Physical Ability Test; Step 5: Oral Interview; Job Interview with a Firefighter and Interview Specialist; Step 6: Background Investigation and Preliminary Investigative Questionnaire Collection of Preliminary Background Information Using Applicant-Provided InformationStep 7: Initial Panel Review; Two Fire Captains Review the Candidate's Initial Background Application Package; Step 8: Field Investigation; In-Depth Background Check; Step 9: Final Panel Review; Repeat of Initial Panel Review with Corroborated Information; Step 10: Medical and Psychological Evaluations; Certification; CHAPTER FOUR: Statistical Analysis of the Selection Process; Data; Reduction of Applicants in the Selection Process; The Selection Process's Impact on Minorities Caution in Interpreting These Estimates Is WarrantedCHAPTER FIVE: Recommendations; Overview of Recommendations as They Relate to the Objectives; Objective 1: Identify Applicants Most Likely to Be Successful Firefighters; Objective 2: Ensure Equal Opportunity Throughout the Hiring Process; Objective 3: Increase the Demographic Diversity of New Firefighter Hires; Objective 4: Minimize Costs for the City of Los Angeles and Its Applicants; Overarching Recommendations Targeting the Four Objectives; Start a New Citywide Outreach and Recruiting Campaign for the LAFD Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Preface; Contents; Figures and Tables; Summary; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; CHAPTER ONE: Introduction; Scope and Limitations of This Report; Time Constraints; The City's Recent Changes; Objectives Guiding the Project; Identify Applicants Most Likely to Be Successful Firefighters; Ensure Equal Opportunity Throughout the Hiring Process; Increase the Demographic Diversity of New Firefighter Hires; Minimize Costs for the City of Los Angeles and Its Applicants; Study Approach; Drawing on Existing Expertise and Past Research Preface Figures and tables Summary Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Firefighter recruitment and outreach strategies The 2013 firefighter selection process Statistical analysis of the selection process Recommendations Appendixes. Validate Selection Criteria by Establishing Relationships to KSAOs Required to Be an Effective Firefighter