List of fire candidates includes woman for first time

08/04/2008
By: James Tinley , Register Staff

MILFORD — The Fire Department may soon hire its first female firefighter.

The list of eligible candidates approved by the Board of Fire Commissioners this week contains a woman for the first time.

Jennifer Long, 34, is the first woman to pass the entire battery of tests to become eligible for the 120-member department, said Fire Chief Louis A. LaVecchia.

But with five open positions now and only a few more becoming available through the course of the year, Long is a long shot to actually become a city firefighter.

Long is ranked 34th out of 72 people who applied and passed all the tests. Each candidate is ranked based on their performance on tests administered by an outside company. Candidates will be offered a job in order from first to last.

“We’ll go right down the list in order, regardless of who they are,” LaVecchia said. “In most cases I call them in for the job before even meeting them.”

Acting Fire Captain Christopher Zak said, “It’s real hard to say” if Long will be offered a job based on her position on the list. He added there is a possibility she will be offered a job because there are several firefighters who are reaching the age of retirement and may leave openings within the next two years.

The list of eligible candidates is active for two years. The last list, set two years ago, went as far as the 27th ranked firefighter, LaVecchia said.

If Long’s number is called, Zak said the Fire Department is ready to welcome her to their ranks.

“One big thing that’s positive about our test is we get the best candidates,” Zak said. “We go by best at the top and it filters down from there.”

This means there will be no question that she will be the most qualified candidate available if she is hired, Zak said.

All of the eligible candidates passed physical agility and strength tests as well as written and oral exams.

Women are subject to the same standards except for minor alterations in the physical exams based on “female body mechanics,” Zak said.

This amounted to altered push up and chin up positions, Zak said.

“Women are still held to the same types of standards,” Zak said.

Zak said separate bathroom and shower facilities have already been added, among other changes to the city’s fire stations, to prepare for female fire fighters.

James Tinley can be reached at jtinley@nhregister.com or 401-3530.