The Official Website of the City of Indianapolis and Marion County

EXECUTIVE SERVICES

Executive Services:
Deputy Chief Paul McCrary

Human Resources:
HR Manager Kris Harrison

     The IFD Executive Services Division is responsible for all of the human resource needs of the department, including the maintenance of personnel records, firefighter promotion systems, fitness evaluations, and firefighter selection processes.

• Firefighter Selection – IFD hires an average of 30 new firefighters each year.  The competition for firefighter positions is rigorous and the desirability of being an Indianapolis firefighter is evident by the fact that more than 2500 applicants will compete for the 30 positions offered.  The IFD firefighter selection process is a full merit system that screens firefighter applicants using written tests, agility tests, structured oral interviews, and fitness testing.  Each candidate must also undergo a comprehensive medical examination and background investigation.
  
  
• Fitness Evaluations – Each Indianapolis firefighter is expected to meet minimum fitness standards, a mandatory program that has been in place since 1986.  Each firefighter hired by IFD is asked to sign a pre-employment agreement to meet the fitness standards for the duration of his or her employment with the department.  The annual personal fitness evaluations ask that each firefighter meet standards in three fitness areas: aerobic capacity, flexibility, and body composition.  One of the outstanding benefits offered to IFD firefighters is membership at a minimal fee in the National Institute for Fitness and Sport (NIFS), a prestigious fitness center and research facility built in 1989 to accommodate athletes training for the Olympics and other world class events.
  
  
• Promotions – The IFD firefighter system for promotion to the officer ranks is unlike any in the U.S. In the multi-component system, promotion candidates are awarded promotion points on a merit and objective basis for performance on written tests, oral interviews and assessment center exercises.  The promotion system also awards points to candidates for education and certifications, college credits achieved, seniority, attendance and military service.  The weightings of the various components are determined by a department-wide vote whereby all firefighters – and not just those involved in the promotion process – are given an opportunity to vote how much they think each of the promotion components should count toward promotion scores.