He finally got the phone call he's dreamed of, to be hired by Las Vegas City Fire & Rescue, at the beginning of the month!! Academy starting October 1st.........forever away to him! But now we have only 5 days till he's shaved head and working his butt off getting into awesome shape & learning the ropes of a fireman. In fact, this Thursday is "Family Night" (a business casual dessert night) for all the new firemen and their families. They will meet & get to know each other (there are 12 total?) and meet their new training officers, captains & chief's and learn what to expect during the academy. There will also be someone there to talk to the wives and families and tell them what to expect.
I wish we had all the #'s to share. It really is amazing that Jonathan got hired. It is hard for anyone to get onto the Fire Department, you really have to be somebody special or know somebody special! He doesn't know anyone with any rank, so that leaves us with......HE IS SPECIAL! ;) he he he
Back in 2009 City Fire was taking applications. They only accepted 2500 even though many more wanted to apply. Of those, I don't know how many were invited to take the written test, but I am assuming most of them? (Honestly just a few weeks before they accepted the applications, he had been talking with a fireman friend & saying how he wished he'd tried when he was younger. His friend told him he isn't too old and should still try. That got Jonathan thinking, but knowing they rarely even hire and he wouldn't have much of a chance...he didn't think much of it. But right there after, they accepted apps so he took a chance & turned one in!)
He tested well, getting a 95% and was mailed a letter saying he will going on to the next "step" of hiring but right now they have a budget cut and so it is all being put on hold." Basically, we'll let you know when we can actually hire.
Meanwhile, in 2010 maybe? County Fire Department (also here in LV) accepted applications and he took their written test. Only getting a 89% but still asked to move onto the physical test. He passed that & was invited to an oral board interview. Intense interview that he studied hard for and did several practice "mock interviews" with fireman at a few fire houses that his friends work at. He walked away after the real deal feeling good.......but....nothing. No, "you didn't get in" no, "we'll call you if and when we hire" just nothing. So he moved on. Henderson Fire & NLV Fire have not accepted any applications since 2009 or sooner.
Fast forward to January 2012. I get an email from LV Fire stating they are ready to begin the hiring process (2 1/2 years later!!) and if you are still interested fill out this form & mail it back. (They were only taking EMT Intermediates- step above EMT, step below Paramedics, so that narrowed down who was still available & qualified 2 years later)
Sometime in February, they called with a date set in stone, the only date available, for an Oral Board Interview. (We think 80 were asked to interview) He MADE sure he was available for it! He practiced at home a lot but didn't even have a chance to do a "mock interview" again. He was so very very nervous, but did well. A few weeks later, THEY CALLED BACK! Yay! Here at home they called me to say he will be scheduled with a date for an interview with the captain! (not sure, like 40-50 got this far?) I tried to call him cell right away to tell him but they beat me to it! He was elated!! Very nervous again, he went for the interview and felt like it went well, but you never know. Again, they called back!!! Farthest he's made it thus far! They didn't want to spend $$ to put on a physical test and the county test couldn't count because it had been 2 years since he took it. They were told to go to UT, CA or AZ and take a Fire Dept Physical test (they are all the same) and they would be reimbursed for the cost of the test only, not the travel expenses. He and his friend, Kyle would have been in this whole process together since 2009 both drove to Phoenix to take the test, and PASSED it! ;)
Next up, the Psych evaluation. A test of 400 questions from "do you ever gamble", "do you look at animals in "that" way" LOL, "what color is the sky", "have you ever tried weed"...yadda yadda yadda. While waiting for an appointment with the psychologist, they run a state & federal? background check on you and you are fingerprinted. The psychologist was actual kind of brutal Jonathan said. He made you want to second guess yourself and question your own thoughts. LOL
Jonathan called me after that interview and told me its a no go. He knew it. He just felt like the guy questioned him on his past so much and seemed to think Jonathan was withholding information. He said, "I'm done, theres no way I'm getting in!" :( Turns out every guy that went in there had the same sick feeling when he left. Luckily everything added up between the interview & the test part & he is SANE & healthy ;) He was the most shocked when he got the email AFTER that last part!!
The email read: "this is a contingent job offer"! He was totally stoked! (missing the whole contingent part) They wanted the final 35 men to come down for uniform fittings/ measurements. They were going to be starting an academy soon (possibly July) but hadn't got permission on how many they could hire yet. (for financial/political reasons) Once they had permisson to hire X amount of guys there wouldn't be adequate time to get them all in for measurements and have everything made for them before starting. So there stood 35 guys trying on the "class A" type uniforms, the training attire, and the "turn-outs" or classic fireman clothes. Perma-grin's on all of them. Jonathan said it was very bitter sweet because it was no guarantee he would have the job and it sucked having to try on the stuff knowing you may never wear it again! :(
Weeks went by with no word. Rumors were spreading through the fire department community about only being able to hire 6 for now, more later. Putting off the academy for 6-12 months.....
Jonathan began to get restless and was tired of all the ups and downs of it all over the last 3 years. He loves his job at Cosco Fire and loves his boss. They also been waiting for him to hear back from Fire Department, because they wanted to keep him. They wanted to promote him and give him a $10 AN HOUR raise!! He decided rather than waiting another year to see if he would ever be hired by the Fire Department to let his boss know he's sticking around and will take the promotion. (starting him this fall) He told his boss that on Wed. Sept. 5th @ 4pm.
*Thursday September 6th, 2012 @ 10ish am: Hi, Jonathan....this is Bonett from City Fire Department, sorry you have waited for 3 whole years, wanted to call you personally to say you've been hired & Academy starts Oct. 1st!!!!!! :) :) :)
Needless to say, I could HEAR him smiling through the phone! He was screaming it at me and swearing so I would know he WAS serious and this WAS happening! ;) I was beyond excited myself and totally shocked, we both could not believe it was actually happening!
5 more days.... :)
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| Jonathan has always loved to work out and box, but had got out of habit. Until all this talk of FIRE Dept starting up again, he has been going to the gym @ 5 am, running at night, grunting & boxing in the garage ;), etc... |
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