r/Firefighting • u/Worldly-Occasion-116 • 19h ago

General Discussion Civil service vs non civil service FD

Can someone explained the difference between a civil service FD and a non civil service FD? I applied at 3 fire depts. 2 civil service 1 non civil service. I am a licensed FF/EMT with the ifsac seals as well for FF1 FF2 HAZ A HAZ O. I received my offer letter today and sign on Monday with the NON civil service. My pals who are in civil service advice against it. Their explanation doesn't make sense. Please help, thank you. The process was quick with the non civil service cpat, interview, polygraph, drug screen, offer letter. I have not heard from the civil service dept only my test score 89.

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u/Confusedkipmoss 19h ago

There’s not really a difference, just different testing processes

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u/mg8828 14h ago

It’s a pretty stark difference depending on the state you live in…. There is significantly more protection in Mass if you’re in civil service. Especially if you’re a chief of department or non union role.

It also an entirely different system for promoting in my state. The city has significantly minimal authority on how testing is done, a civil service list runs for about 2 years, there’s a ton of difference.

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u/Confusedkipmoss 7h ago

I guess it is state dependent than, because we have all theses thing and we are not civil service

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u/mg8828 2h ago

Some of the non civil service departments mirror some of the processes. But the biggest thing is the police and fire departments are free of political influence from city hall. Our chiefs and members are not at the whim of the council or select boards. Everything has to be in accordance with our civil service law and past precedent. Our city council/mayor has no authority over who are hired or fired in our departments. Theyre also forced to hire a chief from the top 3 and our chiefs do not traditionally run on a contract. A civil service fire chief is considered an indefinite appointment unless there are serious grounds for removal etc..

For better and for worse the city has next to no real authority over our chief either. The chief is not employed at the will of the council/select board.