REPORT TO CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Request to Extend Eligible List for Firefighter I (Job Code 487) to November 17, 2027
Report
ACTION AND AUTHORITY
The Fire Department is requesting to extend the eligible list for Firefighter I (Job Code 487) pursuant to Civil Service Rule 4.3 (Duration of Lists) which provides that, “Eligible lists shall remain in force for a period of one (1) year. Eligible lists for sworn promotional positions in the police department shall remain in force for a period of two (2) years. The eligible list may be extended to two (2) years with the approval of the Commission. The eligible list for entry level Police Officers shall remain in force for six (6) months. The Director of Human Resources may abolish an eligible list if that list contains less than five (5) names.”
BACKGROUND
The eligible list for Firefighter I (Job Code 487) is scheduled to expire on November 17, 2026. The Fire Department is requesting approval for the Commission to extend the Firefighter I (Job Code 487) eligible list for one (1) year with a new expiration date of November 17, 2027.
DISCUSSION
The Fire Department is requesting an extension of the Firefighter I (Job Code 487) eligible list, with a new expiration date of November 17, 2027.
The Firefighter I examination process is the City’s largest recruitment process and involves multiple steps that can take months to complete. The current eligible list is competitive and given the time required to complete the recruitment, cost, and coordination with multiple stakeholders the City is requesting approval to extend the eligible list so it can continue to hire candidates for a spring academy.
The Firefighter I recruitment was launched in August 2025 and received one thousand seventy-one (1,071) applicants. In coordination with an external testing agency and the Santa Clara Convention Center, nine hundred and fifty (950) candidates were advanced to a written exam in September 2025, resulting in four hundred and thirty-eight (438) candidates advancing to an oral exam.
The Firefighter I classification works directly with the community in response to calls and emergencies for protection of life and property. Oral examinations were coordinated to include members of community and city staff to act as panelists alongside existing Fire Captains, Battalion Chiefs, and other Fire Department staff. Overseen by the Human Resources Department, oral examinations occurred over three (3) weeks between October and November 2025 and resulted in an eligible list of two hundred and twelve (212) candidates established on November 17, 2025.
Over one hundred (100) candidates were invited to department interviews with the Fire Chief in February 2026. After completion of an extensive background investigation and screening process, thirteen (13) Firefighter I’s started with the department in August 2026.
Upon hire, new Firefighter I employees must attend an accredited Fire academy approved by the Office of the State Fire Marshall (OSFM). Fire Academy requires extensive coordination with other Fire agencies and must be scheduled several months in advance. Three (3) of the newly hired employees were unable to complete the current Fire Academy, and the positions are presently vacant. In addition, the Department anticipates four (4) or more additional vacancies due to retirements of existing Firefighters.
A Fire Academy is currently scheduled for February 2027. Due to the large applicant pool and extensive staff time and costs dedicated to conduct this recruitment, the City would like the flexibility to utilize the recent Firefighter I (Job Code 487) eligible list in the event the City determines to proceed with filling the present and upcoming vacant positions. The eligible list has 208 active and qualified candidates remaining on the list. Extending the eligibility list will expedite the recruitment process in the future and allow the City to fill vacant positions in a timely manner.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no additional cost to the City other than administrative staff time.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Civil Service Commission agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the request to extend the eligible list for Firefighter I (Job Code 487) by one (1) year with a new expiration date of November 17, 2027
Staff
Reviewed by: Marco Mercado, Assistant Director of Human Resources
Approved by: Ashley Lancaster, Acting Director of Human Resources