HB1576enr 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1576 Enrolled LRB097 07146 RLJ 47248 b

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Municipal Code is amended by changing Sections 10-1-7 and 10-2.1-4 and by adding Sections 10-1-7.1, 10-1-7.2, 10-2.1-6.3, and 10-2.1-6.4 as follows:

(65 ILCS 5/10-1-7) (from Ch. 24, par. 10-1-7)

Sec. 10-1-7. Examination of applicants; disqualifications.

(a) All applicants for offices or places in the classified service, except those mentioned in Section 10-1-17, are subject to examination. The examination shall be public, competitive, and open to all citizens of the United States, with specified limitations as to residence, age, health, habits and moral character.

(b) Residency requirements in effect at the time an individual enters the fire or police service of a municipality (other than a municipality that has more than 1,000,000 inhabitants) cannot be made more restrictive for that individual during his or her period of service for that municipality, or be made a condition of promotion, except for the rank or position of Fire or Police Chief.

(c) No person with a record of misdemeanor convictions except those under Sections 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, 32-8, and subsections (1), (6) and (8) of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or arrested for any cause but not convicted on that cause shall be disqualified from taking the examination on grounds of habits or moral character, unless the person is attempting to qualify for a position on the police department, in which case the conviction or arrest may be considered as a factor in determining the person's habits or moral character.

(d) Persons entitled to military preference under Section 10-1-16 shall not be subject to limitations specifying age unless they are applicants for a position as a fireman or a policeman having no previous employment status as a fireman or policeman in the regularly constituted fire or police department of the municipality, in which case they must not have attained their 35th birthday, except any person who has served as an auxiliary police officer under Section 3.1-30-20 for at least 5 years and is under 40 years of age.

(e) All employees of a municipality of less than 500,000 population (except those who would be excluded from the classified service as provided in this Division 1) who are holding that employment as of the date a municipality adopts this Division 1, or as of July 17, 1959, whichever date is the later, and who have held that employment for at least 2 years immediately before that later date, and all firemen and policemen regardless of length of service who were either appointed to their respective positions by the board of fire and police commissioners under the provisions of Division 2 of this Article or who are serving in a position (except as a temporary employee) in the fire or police department in the municipality on the date a municipality adopts this Division 1, or as of July 17, 1959, whichever date is the later, shall become members of the classified civil service of the municipality without examination.

(f) The examinations shall be practical in their character, and shall relate to those matters that will fairly test the relative capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties of the positions to which they seek to be appointed. The examinations shall include tests of physical qualifications, health, and (when appropriate) manual skill. If an applicant is unable to pass the physical examination solely as the result of an injury received by the applicant as the result of the performance of an act of duty while working as a temporary employee in the position for which he or she is being examined, however, the physical examination shall be waived and the applicant shall be considered to have passed the examination. No questions in any examination shall relate to political or religious opinions or affiliations. Results of examinations and the eligible registers prepared from the results shall be published by the commission within 60 days after any examinations are held.

(g) The commission shall control all examinations, and may, whenever an examination is to take place, designate a suitable number of persons, either in or not in the official service of the municipality, to be examiners. The examiners shall conduct the examinations as directed by the commission and shall make a return or report of the examinations to the commission. If the appointed examiners are in the official service of the municipality, the examiners shall not receive extra compensation for conducting the examinations. The commission may at any time substitute any other person, whether or not in the service of the municipality, in the place of any one selected as an examiner. The commission members may themselves at any time act as examiners without appointing examiners. The examiners at any examination shall not all be members of the same political party.

(h) In municipalities of 500,000 or more population, no person who has attained his or her 35th birthday shall be eligible to take an examination for a position as a fireman or a policeman unless the person has had previous employment status as a policeman or fireman in the regularly constituted police or fire department of the municipality, except as provided in this Section.

(i) In municipalities of more than 5,000 but not more than 200,000 inhabitants, no person who has attained his or her 35th birthday shall be eligible to take an examination for a position as a fireman or a policeman unless the person has had previous employment status as a policeman or fireman in the regularly constituted police or fire department of the municipality, except as provided in this Section.

(j) In all municipalities, applicants who are 20 years of age and who have successfully completed 2 years of law enforcement studies at an accredited college or university may be considered for appointment to active duty with the police department. An applicant described in this subsection (j) who is appointed to active duty shall not have power of arrest, nor shall the applicant be permitted to carry firearms, until he or she reaches 21 years of age.

(k) In municipalities of more than 500,000 population, applications for examination for and appointment to positions as firefighters or police shall be made available at various branches of the public library of the municipality.

(l) No municipality having a population less than 1,000,000 shall require that any fireman appointed to the lowest rank serve a probationary employment period of longer than one year. The limitation on periods of probationary employment provided in this amendatory Act of 1989 is an exclusive power and function of the State. Pursuant to subsection (h) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution, a home rule municipality having a population less than 1,000,000 must comply with this limitation on periods of probationary employment, which is a denial and limitation of home rule powers. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section, the probationary employment period limitation may be extended for a firefighter who is required, as a condition of employment, to be a certified paramedic, during which time the sole reason that a firefighter may be discharged without a hearing is for failing to meet the requirements for paramedic certification.

(m) To the extent that this Section or any other Section in this Division conflicts with Section 10-1-7.1 or 10-1-7.2, then Section 10-1-7.1 or 10-1-7.2 shall control.

(Source: P.A. 94-135, eff. 7-7-05; 94-984, eff. 6-30-06.)

(65 ILCS 5/10-1-7.1 new)

Sec. 10-1-7.1. Original appointments; full-time fire department.

(a) Applicability. Unless a commission elects to follow the provisions of Section 10-1-7.2, this Section shall apply to all original appointments to an affected full-time fire department. Existing registers of eligibles shall continue to be valid until their expiration dates, or up to a maximum of 2 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.

Notwithstanding any statute, ordinance, rule, or other law to the contrary, all original appointments to an affected department to which this Section applies shall be administered in the manner provided for in this Section. Provisions of the Illinois Municipal Code, municipal ordinances, and rules adopted pursuant to such authority and other laws relating to initial hiring of firefighters in affected departments shall continue to apply to the extent they are compatible with this Section, but in the event of a conflict between this Section and any other law, this Section shall control.

A home rule or non-home rule municipality may not administer its fire department process for original appointments in a manner that is less stringent than this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule units of the powers and functions exercised by the State.

A municipality that is operating under a court order or consent decree regarding original appointments to a full-time fire department before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly is exempt from the requirements of this Section for the duration of the court order or consent decree.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection (a), this Section does not apply to a municipality with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants.

(b) Original appointments. All original appointments made to an affected fire department shall be made from a register of eligibles established in accordance with the processes established by this Section. Only persons who meet or exceed the performance standards required by this Section shall be placed on a register of eligibles for original appointment to an affected fire department.

Whenever an appointing authority authorizes action to hire a person to perform the duties of a firefighter or to hire a firefighter-paramedic to fill a position that is a new position or vacancy due to resignation, discharge, promotion, death, the granting of a disability or retirement pension, or any other cause, the appointing authority shall appoint to that position the person with the highest ranking on the final eligibility list. If the appointing authority has reason to conclude that the highest ranked person fails to meet the minimum standards for the position or if the appointing authority believes an alternate candidate would better serve the needs of the department, then the appointing authority has the right to pass over the highest ranked person and appoint either: (i) any person who has a ranking in the top 5% of the register of eligibles or (ii) any person who is among the top 5 highest ranked persons on the list of eligibles if the number of people who have a ranking in the top 5% of the register of eligibles is less than 5 people.

Any candidate may pass on an appointment once without losing his or her position on the register of eligibles. Any candidate who passes a second time may be removed from the list by the appointing authority provided that such action shall not prejudice a person's opportunities to participate in future examinations, including an examination held during the time a candidate is already on the municipality's register of eligibles.

The sole authority to issue certificates of appointment shall be vested in the Civil Service Commission. All certificates of appointment issued to any officer or member of an affected department shall be signed by the chairperson and secretary, respectively, of the commission upon appointment of such officer or member to the affected department by the commission. Each person who accepts a certificate of appointment and successfully completes his or her probationary period shall be enrolled as a firefighter and as a regular member of the fire department.

For the purposes of this Section, "firefighter" means any person who has been prior to, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a State university and sworn or commissioned to perform firefighter duties or paramedic duties, or both, except that the following persons are not included: part-time firefighters; auxiliary, reserve, or voluntary firefighters, including paid-on-call firefighters; clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire department or fire protection district who are not routinely expected to perform firefighter duties; and elected officials.

(c) Qualification for placement on register of eligibles. The purpose of establishing a register of eligibles is to identify applicants who possess and demonstrate the mental aptitude and physical ability to perform the duties required of members of the fire department in order to provide the highest quality of service to the public. To this end, all applicants for original appointment to an affected fire department shall be subject to examination and testing which shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants unless the municipality shall by ordinance limit applicants to residents of the municipality, county or counties in which the municipality is located, State, or nation. Municipalities may establish educational, emergency medical service licensure, and other pre-requisites for participation in an examination or for hire as a firefighter. Any municipality may charge a fee to cover the costs of the application process.

Residency requirements in effect at the time an individual enters the fire service of a municipality cannot be made more restrictive for that individual during his or her period of service for that municipality, or be made a condition of promotion, except for the rank or position of fire chief and for no more than 2 positions that rank immediately below that of the chief rank which are appointed positions pursuant to the Fire Department Promotion Act.

No person who is 35 years of age or older shall be eligible to take an examination for a position as a firefighter unless the person has had previous employment status as a firefighter in the regularly constituted fire department of the municipality, except as provided in this Section. The age limitation does not apply to:

(1) any person previously employed as a full-time firefighter in a regularly constituted fire department of (i) any municipality or fire protection district located in Illinois, (ii) a fire protection district whose obligations were assumed by a municipality under Section 21 of the Fire Protection District Act, or (iii) a municipality whose obligations were taken over by a fire protection district, or

(2) any person who has served a municipality as a regularly enrolled volunteer, paid-on-call, or part-time firefighter for the 5 years immediately preceding the time that the municipality begins to use full-time firefighters to provide all or part of its fire protection service.

No person who is under 21 years of age shall be eligible for employment as a firefighter.

No applicant shall be examined concerning his or her political or religious opinions or affiliations. The examinations shall be conducted by the commissioners of the municipality or their designees and agents.

No municipality shall require that any firefighter appointed to the lowest rank serve a probationary employment period of longer than one year of actual active employment, which may exclude periods of training, or injury or illness leaves, including duty related leave, in excess of 30 calendar days. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section, the probationary employment period limitation may be extended for a firefighter who is required, as a condition of employment, to be a certified paramedic, during which time the sole reason that a firefighter may be discharged without a hearing is for failing to meet the requirements for paramedic certification.

In the event that any applicant who has been found eligible for appointment and whose name has been placed upon the final eligibility register provided for in this Division 1 has not been appointed to a firefighter position within one year after the date of his or her physical ability examination, the commission may cause a second examination to be made of that applicant's physical ability prior to his or her appointment. If, after the second examination, the physical ability of the applicant shall be found to be less than the minimum standard fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant shall not be appointed. The applicant's name may be retained upon the register of candidates eligible for appointment and when next reached for certification and appointment that applicant may be again examined as provided in this Section, and if the physical ability of that applicant is found to be less than the minimum standard fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant shall not be appointed, and the name of the applicant shall be removed from the register.

(d) Notice, examination, and testing components. Notice of the time, place, general scope, merit criteria for any subjective component, and fee of every examination shall be given by the commission, by a publication at least 2 weeks preceding the examination: (i) in one or more newspapers published in the municipality, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the municipality, or (ii) on the municipality's Internet website. Additional notice of the examination may be given as the commission shall prescribe.

The examination and qualifying standards for employment of firefighters shall be based on: mental aptitude, physical ability, preferences, moral character, and health. The mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components shall determine an applicant's qualification for and placement on the final register of eligibles. The examination may also include a subjective component based on merit criteria as determined by the commission. Scores from the examination must be made available to the public.

(e) Mental aptitude. No person who does not possess at least a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education shall be placed on a register of eligibles. Examination of an applicant's mental aptitude shall be based upon a written examination. The examination shall be practical in character and relate to those matters that fairly test the capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties performed by members of a fire department. Written examinations shall be administered in a manner that ensures the security and accuracy of the scores achieved.

(f) Physical ability. All candidates shall be required to undergo an examination of their physical ability to perform the essential functions included in the duties they may be called upon to perform as a member of a fire department. For the purposes of this Section, essential functions of the job are functions associated with duties that a firefighter may be called upon to perform in response to emergency calls. The frequency of the occurrence of those duties as part of the fire department's regular routine shall not be a controlling factor in the design of examination criteria or evolutions selected for testing. These physical examinations shall be open, competitive, and based on industry standards designed to test each applicant's physical abilities in the following dimensions (or a similar test designed to ensure that the successful candidates are able to perform the essential functions of the firefighter's job description):

(1) Muscular strength to perform tasks and evolutions that may be required in the performance of duties including grip strength, leg strength, and arm strength. Tests shall be conducted under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions to test both the candidate's speed and endurance in performing tasks and evolutions. Tasks tested may be based on standards developed, or approved, by the local appointing authority.

(2) The ability to climb ladders, operate from heights, walk or crawl in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces, and operate in proximity to hazardous environments.

(3) The ability to carry out critical, time-sensitive, and complex problem solving during physical exertion in stressful and hazardous environments. The testing environment may be hot and dark with tightly enclosed spaces, flashing lights, sirens, and other distractions.

Physical ability examinations administered under this Section shall be conducted with a reasonable number of proctors and monitors, open to the public, and subject to reasonable regulations of the commission.

(g) Scoring of examination components. Appointing authorities may create a preliminary eligibility register. A person shall be placed on the list based upon his or her passage of the written examination or the passage of the written examination and the physical ability component. Passage of the written examination means a score that is at or above the mean score for all applicants participating in the written test. The appointing authority may conduct the physical ability component and any subjective components subsequent to the posting of the preliminary eligibility register.

The examination components for an initial eligibility register shall be graded on a 100-point scale. A person's position on the list shall be determined by the following: (i) the person's score on the written examination, (ii) the person successfully passing the physical ability component, and (iii) the person's results on any subjective component as described in subsection (d).

In order to qualify for placement on the final eligibility register, an applicant's total score, before any applicable preference points are applied, shall be at or above the mean score plus 10%. The local appointing authority may prescribe the score to qualify for placement on the final eligibility register, but the score shall not be less than the mean score plus 10%.

The commission shall prepare and keep a register of persons whose total score is not less than the minimum fixed by this Section and who have passed the physical ability examination. These persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates in the order of their relative excellence based on the highest to the lowest total points scored on the mental aptitude, subjective component, and preference components of the test administered in accordance with this Section. No more than 60 days after each examination, an initial eligibility list shall be posted by the commission. The list shall include the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of the time of examination and subject to claim for preference credit.

Commissions may conduct additional examinations, including without limitation a polygraph test, after a final eligibility register is established and before it expires with the candidates ranked by total score without regard to date of examination. No more than 60 days after each examination, an initial eligibility list shall be posted by the commission showing the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of time of examination and subject to claim for preference credit.

(h) Preferences. The following are preferences:

(1) Veteran preference. Persons who were engaged in the military service of the United States for a period of at least one year of active duty and who were honorably discharged therefrom, or who are now or have been members on inactive or reserve duty in such military or naval service, shall be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department of an affected department.

(2) Fire cadet preference. Persons who have successfully completed 2 years of study in fire techniques or cadet training within a cadet program established under the rules of the Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC), as defined in Section 50 of the Fire Department Promotion Act, may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

(3) Educational preference. Persons who have successfully obtained an associate's degree in the field of fire service or emergency medical services, or a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

(4) Paramedic preference. Persons who have obtained certification as an Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P) may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department of an affected department providing emergency medical services.

(5) Experience preference. All persons employed by a municipality who have been paid-on-call or part-time certified Firefighter II, certified Firefighter III, State of Illinois or nationally licensed EMT-B or EMT-I, licensed paramedic, or any combination of those capacities may be awarded up to a maximum of 5 points. However, the applicant may not be awarded more than 0.5 points for each complete year of paid-on-call or part-time service. Applicants from outside the municipality who were employed as full-time firefighters or firefighter-paramedics by a fire protection district or another municipality may be awarded up to 5 experience preference points. However, the applicant may not be awarded more than one point for each complete year of full-time service.

(6) Residency preference. Applicants whose principal residence is located within the fire department's jurisdiction may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

Upon request by the commission, the governing body of the municipality or in the case of applicants from outside the municipality the governing body of any fire protection district or any other municipality shall certify to the commission, within 10 days after the request, the number of years of successful paid-on-call, part-time, or full-time service of any person. A candidate may not receive the full amount of preference points under this subsection if the amount of points awarded would place the candidate before a veteran on the eligibility list. If more than one candidate receiving experience preference points is prevented from receiving all of their points due to not being allowed to pass a veteran, the candidates shall be placed on the list below the veteran in rank order based on the totals received if all points under this subsection were to be awarded. Any remaining ties on the list shall be determined by lot.

(7) Additional preferences. Up to 5 additional preference points may be awarded for unique categories based on an applicant's experience or background as identified by the commission.

(8) Scoring of preferences. The commission shall give preference for original appointment to persons designated in item (1) by adding to the final grade that they receive 5 points for the recognized preference achieved. The commission shall determine the number of preference points for each category except (1). The number of preference points for each category shall range from 0 to 5. In determining the number of preference points, the commission shall prescribe that if a candidate earns the maximum number of preference points in all categories, that number may not be less than 10 nor more than 30. The commission shall give preference for original appointment to persons designated in items (2) through (7) by adding the requisite number of points to the final grade for each recognized preference achieved. The numerical result thus attained shall be applied by the commission in determining the final eligibility list and appointment from the eligibility list. The local appointing authority may prescribe the total number of preference points awarded under this Section, but the total number of preference points shall not be less than 10 points or more than 30 points.

No person entitled to any preference shall be required to claim the credit before any examination held under the provisions of this Section, but the preference shall be given after the posting or publication of the initial eligibility list or register at the request of a person entitled to a credit before any certification or appointments are made from the eligibility register, upon the furnishing of verifiable evidence and proof of qualifying preference credit. Candidates who are eligible for preference credit shall make a claim in writing within 10 days after the posting of the initial eligibility list, or the claim shall be deemed waived. Final eligibility registers shall be established after the awarding of verified preference points. All employment shall be subject to the commission's initial hire background review including, but not limited to, criminal history, employment history, moral character, oral examination, and medical and psychological examinations, all on a pass-fail basis. The medical and psychological examinations must be conducted last, and may only be performed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

Any person placed on an eligibility list who exceeds the age requirement before being appointed to a fire department shall remain eligible for appointment until the list is abolished, or his or her name has been on the list for a period of 2 years. No person who has attained the age of 35 years shall be inducted into a fire department, except as otherwise provided in this Section.

The commission shall strike off the names of candidates for original appointment after the names have been on the list for more than 2 years.

(i) Moral character. No person shall be appointed to a fire department unless he or she is a person of good character; not a habitual drunkard, a gambler, or a person who has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. However, no person shall be disqualified from appointment to the fire department because of the person's record of misdemeanor convictions except those under Sections 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, 32-8, and subsections 1, 6, and 8 of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or arrest for any cause without conviction thereon. Any such person who is in the department may be removed on charges brought for violating this subsection and after a trial as hereinafter provided.

A classifiable set of the fingerprints of every person who is offered employment as a certificated member of an affected fire department whether with or without compensation, shall be furnished to the Illinois Department of State Police and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the commission.

Whenever a commission is authorized or required by law to consider some aspect of criminal history record information for the purpose of carrying out its statutory powers and responsibilities, then, upon request and payment of fees in conformance with the requirements of Section 2605-400 of the State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Department of State Police is authorized to furnish, pursuant to positive identification, the information contained in State files as is necessary to fulfill the request.

(j) Temporary appointments. In order to prevent a stoppage of public business, to meet extraordinary exigencies, or to prevent material impairment of the fire department, the commission may make temporary appointments, to remain in force only until regular appointments are made under the provisions of this Division, but never to exceed 60 days. No temporary appointment of any one person shall be made more than twice in any calendar year.

(k) A person who knowingly divulges or receives test questions or answers before a written examination, or otherwise knowingly violates or subverts any requirement of this Section, commits a violation of this Section and may be subject to charges for official misconduct.

A person who is the knowing recipient of test information in advance of the examination shall be disqualified from the examination or discharged from the position to which he or she was appointed, as applicable, and otherwise subjected to disciplinary actions.

(65 ILCS 5/10-1-7.2 new)

Sec. 10-1-7.2. Alternative procedure; original appointment; full-time firefighter.

(a) Authority. The Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC), as defined in Section 50 of the Fire Department Promotion Act, may establish a community outreach program to market the profession of firefighter and firefighter-paramedic so as to ensure the pool of applicants recruited is of broad diversity and the highest quality.

For the purposes of this Section, "firefighter" means any person who has been prior to, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a State university and sworn or commissioned to perform firefighter duties or paramedic duties, or both, except that the following persons are not included: part-time firefighters; auxiliary, reserve, or voluntary firefighters, including paid-on-call firefighters; clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire department or fire protection district who are not routinely expected to perform firefighter duties; and elected officials.

(b) Eligibility. Persons eligible for placement on the master register of eligibles shall consist of the following:

Persons who have participated in and received a passing total score on the mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components of a regionally administered test based on the standards described in this Section. The standards for administering these tests and the minimum passing score required for placement on this list shall be as is set forth in this Section.

Qualified candidates shall be listed on the master register of eligibles in highest to lowest rank order based upon their test scores without regard to their date of examination. Candidates listed on the master register of eligibles shall be eligible for appointment for 2 years after the date of the certification of their final score on the register without regard to the date of their examination. After 2 years, the candidate's name shall be struck from the list.

Any person currently employed as a full-time member of a fire department or any person who has experienced a non–voluntary (and non-disciplinary) separation from the active workforce due to a reduction in the number of departmental officers, who was appointed pursuant to this Division, Division 2.1 of Article 10 of the Illinois Municipal Code, or the Fire Protection District Act, and who during the previous 24 months participated in and received a passing score on the physical ability and mental aptitude components of the test may request that his or her name be added to the master register. Any eligible person may be offered employment by a local commission under the same procedures as provided by this Section except that the apprenticeship period may be waived and the applicant may be immediately issued a certificate of original appointment by the local commission.

(c) Qualifications for placement on register of eligibles. The purpose for establishing a master register of eligibles shall be to identify applicants who possess and demonstrate the mental aptitude and physical ability to perform the duties required of members of the fire department in order to provide the highest quality of service to the public. To this end, all applicants for original appointment to an affected fire department through examination conducted by the Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC) shall be subject to examination and testing which shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants. Any subjective component of the testing must be administered by certified assessors. All qualifying and disqualifying factors applicable to examination processes for local commissions in this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly shall be applicable to persons participating in Joint Labor and Management Committee examinations unless specifically provided otherwise in this Section.

Notice of the time, place, general scope, and fee of every JLMC examination shall be given by the JLMC or designated testing agency, as applicable, by publication at least 30 days preceding the examination, in one or more newspapers published in the region, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the region. The JLMC may publish the notice on the JLMC's Internet website. Additional notice of the examination may be given as the JLMC shall prescribe.

(d) Examination and testing components for placement on register of eligibles. The examination and qualifying standards for placement on the master register of eligibles and employment shall be based on the following components: mental aptitude, physical ability, preferences, moral character, and health. The mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components shall determine an applicant's qualification for and placement on the master register of eligibles. The consideration of an applicant's general moral character and health shall be administered on a pass-fail basis after a conditional offer of employment is made by a local commission.

(e) Mental aptitude. Examination of an applicant's mental aptitude shall be based upon written examination and an applicant's prior experience demonstrating an aptitude for and commitment to service as a member of a fire department. Written examinations shall be practical in character and relate to those matters that fairly test the capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties performed by members of a fire department. Written examinations shall be administered in a manner that ensures the security and accuracy of the scores achieved. Any subjective component of the testing must be administered by certified assessors. No person who does not possess a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education shall be placed on a register of eligibles. Local commissions may establish educational, emergency medical service licensure, and other pre-requisites for hire within their jurisdiction.

(f) Physical ability. All candidates shall be required to undergo an examination of their physical ability to perform the essential functions included in the duties they may be called upon to perform as a member of a fire department. For the purposes of this Section, essential functions of the job are functions associated with duties that a firefighter may be called upon to perform in response to emergency calls. The frequency of the occurrence of those duties as part of the fire department's regular routine shall not be a controlling factor in the design of examination criteria or evolutions selected for testing. These physical examinations shall be open, competitive, and based on industry standards designed to test each applicant's physical abilities in each of the following dimensions (or a similar test designed to ensure that the successful candidates are able to perform the essential functions of a firefighter's job description):

(1) Muscular strength to perform tasks and evolutions that may be required in the performance of duties including grip strength, leg strength, and arm strength. Tests shall be conducted under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions to test both the candidate's speed and endurance in performing tasks and evolutions. Tasks tested are to be based on industry standards developed by the JLMC by rule.

(2) The ability to climb ladders, operate from heights, walk or crawl in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces, and operate in proximity to hazardous environments.

(3) The ability to carry out critical, time-sensitive, and complex problem solving during physical exertion in stressful and hazardous environments. The testing environment may be hot and dark with tightly enclosed spaces, flashing lights, sirens, and other distractions.

(g) Scoring of examination components. The examination components shall be graded on a 100-point scale. A person's position on the master register of eligibles shall be determined by the person's score on the written examination, the person successfully passing the physical ability component, and the addition of any applicable preference points.

Applicants who have achieved at least the mean score of all applicants participating in the written examination at the same time, and who successfully pass the physical ability examination shall be placed on the initial eligibility register. For placement on the final eligibility register, the passing score shall be determined by (i) calculating the mean score for all applicants participating in the written test; and (ii) adding 20% to the mean score. Applicants whose total scores, including any applicable preference points, are above the mean score plus 20%, shall be placed on the master register of eligibles by the JLMC.

These persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates in the order of their relative excellence based on the highest to the lowest total points scored on the mental aptitude and physical ability components, plus any applicable preference points requested and verified by the JLMC, or approved testing agency.

No more than 60 days after each examination, a revised master register of eligibles shall be posted by the JLMC showing the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of time of examination.

(h) Preferences. The board shall give military, education, and experience preference points to those who qualify for placement on the master register of eligibles, on the same basis as provided for examinations administered by a local commission.

No person entitled to preference or credit shall be required to claim the credit before any examination held under the provisions of this Section. The preference shall be given after the posting or publication of the applicant's initial score at the request of the person before finalizing the scores from all applicants taking part in a JLMC examination. Candidates who are eligible for preference credit shall make a claim in writing within 10 days after the posting of the initial scores from any JLMC test or the claim shall be deemed waived. Once preference points are awarded, the candidates shall be certified to the master register in accordance with their final score including preference points.

(i) Firefighter apprentice and firefighter-paramedic apprentice. The employment of an applicant to an apprentice position (including a currently employed full-time member of a fire department whose apprenticeship may be reduced or waived) shall be subject to the applicant passing the moral character standards and health examinations of the local commission. In addition, a local commission may require as a condition of employment that the applicant demonstrate current physical ability by either passing the local commission's approved physical ability examination, or by presenting proof of participating in and receiving a passing score on the physical ability component of a JLMC test within a period of up to 12 months before the date of the conditional offer of employment. Applicants shall be subject to the local commission's initial hire background review including criminal history, employment history, moral character, oral examination, and medical examinations which may include polygraph, psychological, and drug screening components, all on a pass-fail basis. The medical examinations must be conducted last, and may only be performed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

(j) Selection from list. Any municipality or fire protection district that is a party to an intergovernmental agreement under the terms of which persons have been tested for placement on the master register of eligibles shall be entitled to offer employment to any person on the list irrespective of their ranking on the list. The offer of employment shall be to the position of firefighter apprentice or firefighter-paramedic apprentice.

Applicants passing these tests may be employed as a firefighter apprentice or a firefighter-paramedic apprentice who shall serve an apprenticeship period of 12 months or less according to the terms and conditions of employment as the employing municipality or district offers, or as provided for under the terms of any collective bargaining agreement then in effect. The apprenticeship period is separate from the probationary period.

Service during the apprenticeship period shall be on a probationary basis. During the apprenticeship period, the apprentice's training and performance shall be monitored and evaluated by a Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

The Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall consist of 4 members who shall be regular members of the fire department with at least 10 years of full-time work experience as a firefighter or firefighter-paramedic. The fire chief and the president of the exclusive bargaining representative recognized by the employer shall each appoint 2 members to the Joint Apprenticeship Committee. In the absence of an exclusive collective bargaining representative, the chief shall appoint the remaining 2 members who shall be from the ranks of company officer and firefighter with at least 10 years of work experience as a firefighter or firefighter-paramedic. In the absence of a sufficient number of qualified firefighters, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee members shall have the amount of experience and the type of qualifications as is reasonable given the circumstances of the fire department. In the absence of a full-time member in a rank between chief and the highest rank in a bargaining unit, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall be reduced to 2 members, one to be appointed by the chief and one by the union president, if any. If there is no exclusive bargaining representative, the chief shall appoint the second member of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee from among qualified members in the ranks of company officer and below. Before the conclusion of the apprenticeship period, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall meet to consider the apprentice's progress and performance and vote to retain the apprentice as a member of the fire department or to terminate the apprenticeship. If 3 of the 4 members of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee affirmatively vote to retain the apprentice (if a 2 member Joint Apprenticeship Committee exists, then both members must affirmatively vote to retain the apprentice), the local commission shall issue the apprentice a certificate of original appointment to the fire department.

(k) A person who knowingly divulges or receives test questions or answers before a written examination, or otherwise knowingly violates or subverts any requirement of this Section, commits a violation of this Section and may be subject to charges for official misconduct.

A person who is the knowing recipient of test information in advance of the examination shall be disqualified from the examination or discharged from the position to which he or she was appointed, as applicable, and otherwise subjected to disciplinary actions.

(l) Applicability. This Section does not apply to a municipality with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants.

(65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-4) (from Ch. 24, par. 10-2.1-4)

Sec. 10-2.1-4. Fire and police departments; Appointment of members; Certificates of appointments.

The board of fire and police commissioners shall appoint all officers and members of the fire and police departments of the municipality, including the chief of police and the chief of the fire department, unless the council or board of trustees shall by ordinance as to them otherwise provide; except as otherwise provided in this Section, and except that in any municipality which adopts or has adopted this Division 2.1 and also adopts or has adopted Article 5 of this Code, the chief of police and the chief of the fire department shall be appointed by the municipal manager, if it is provided by ordinance in such municipality that such chiefs, or either of them, shall not be appointed by the board of fire and police commissioners.

If the chief of the fire department or the chief of the police department or both of them are appointed in the manner provided by ordinance, they may be removed or discharged by the appointing authority. In such case the appointing authority shall file with the corporate authorities the reasons for such removal or discharge, which removal or discharge shall not become effective unless confirmed by a majority vote of the corporate authorities.

If a member of the department is appointed chief of police or chief of the fire department prior to being eligible to retire on pension, he shall be considered as on furlough from the rank he held immediately prior to his appointment as chief. If he resigns as chief or is discharged as chief prior to attaining eligibility to retire on pension, he shall revert to and be established in whatever rank he currently holds, except for previously appointed positions, and thereafter be entitled to all the benefits and emoluments of that rank, without regard as to whether a vacancy then exists in that rank.

All appointments to each department other than that of the lowest rank, however, shall be from the rank next below that to which the appointment is made except as otherwise provided in this Section, and except that the chief of police and the chief of the fire department may be appointed from among members of the police and fire departments, respectively, regardless of rank, unless the council or board of trustees shall have by ordinance as to them otherwise provided. A chief of police or the chief of the fire department, having been appointed from among members of the police or fire department, respectively, shall be permitted, regardless of rank, to take promotional exams and be promoted to a higher classified rank than he currently holds, without having to resign as chief of police or chief of the fire department.

The sole authority to issue certificates of appointment shall be vested in the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners and all certificates of appointments issued to any officer or member of the fire or police department of a municipality shall be signed by the chairman and secretary respectively of the board of fire and police commissioners of such municipality, upon appointment of such officer or member of the fire and police department of such municipality by action of the board of fire and police commissioners. In any municipal fire department that employs full-time firefighters and is subject to a collective bargaining agreement, a person who has not qualified for regular appointment under the provisions of this Division 2.1 shall not be used as a temporary or permanent substitute for classified members of a municipality's fire department or for regular appointment as a classified member of a municipality's fire department unless mutually agreed to by the employee's certified bargaining agent. Such agreement shall be considered a permissive subject of bargaining. Municipal fire departments covered by the changes made by this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly that are using non-certificated employees as substitutes immediately prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly may, by mutual agreement with the certified bargaining agent, continue the existing practice or a modified practice and that agreement shall be considered a permissive subject of bargaining. A home rule unit may not regulate the hiring of temporary or substitute members of the municipality's fire department in a manner that is inconsistent with this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and functions exercised by the State.

The term "policemen" as used in this Division does not include auxiliary police officers except as provided for in Section 10-2.1-6.

Any full time member of a regular fire or police department of any municipality which comes under the provisions of this Division or adopts this Division 2.1 or which has adopted any of the prior Acts pertaining to fire and police commissioners, is a city officer.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, the Chief of Police of a department in a non-homerule municipality of more than 130,000 inhabitants may, without the advice or consent of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, appoint up to 6 officers who shall be known as deputy chiefs or assistant deputy chiefs, and whose rank shall be immediately below that of Chief. The deputy or assistant deputy chiefs may be appointed from any rank of sworn officers of that municipality, but no person who is not such a sworn officer may be so appointed. Such deputy chief or assistant deputy chief shall have the authority to direct and issue orders to all employees of the Department holding the rank of captain or any lower rank. A deputy chief of police or assistant deputy chief of police, having been appointed from any rank of sworn officers of that municipality, shall be permitted, regardless of rank, to take promotional exams and be promoted to a higher classified rank than he currently holds, without having to resign as deputy chief of police or assistant deputy chief of police.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, a non-homerule municipality of 130,000 or fewer inhabitants, through its council or board of trustees, may, by ordinance, provide for a position of deputy chief to be appointed by the chief of the police department. The ordinance shall provide for no more than one deputy chief position if the police department has fewer than 25 full-time police officers and for no more than 2 deputy chief positions if the police department has 25 or more full-time police officers. The deputy chief position shall be an exempt rank immediately below that of Chief. The deputy chief may be appointed from any rank of sworn, full-time officers of the municipality's police department, but must have at least 5 years of full-time service as a police officer in that department. A deputy chief shall serve at the discretion of the Chief and, if removed from the position, shall revert to the rank currently held, without regard as to whether a vacancy exists in that rank. A deputy chief of police, having been appointed from any rank of sworn full-time officers of that municipality's police department, shall be permitted, regardless of rank, to take promotional exams and be promoted to a higher classified rank than he currently holds, without having to resign as deputy chief of police.

No municipality having a population less than 1,000,000 shall require that any firefighter appointed to the lowest rank serve a probationary employment period of longer than one year. The limitation on periods of probationary employment provided in this amendatory Act of 1989 is an exclusive power and function of the State. Pursuant to subsection (h) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution, a home rule municipality having a population less than 1,000,000 must comply with this limitation on periods of probationary employment, which is a denial and limitation of home rule powers. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section, the probationary employment period limitation may be extended for a firefighter who is required, as a condition of employment, to be a certified paramedic, during which time the sole reason that a firefighter may be discharged without a hearing is for failing to meet the requirements for paramedic certification.

To the extent that this Section or any other Section in this Division conflicts with Section 10-2.1-6.3 or 10-2.1-6.4, then Section 10-2.1-6.3 or 10-2.1-6.4 shall control.

(Source: P.A. 94-135, eff. 7-7-05; 94-984, eff. 6-30-06; 95-490, eff. 6-1-08.)

(65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6.3 new)

Sec. 10-2.1-6.3. Original appointments; full-time fire department.

(a) Applicability. Unless a commission elects to follow the provisions of Section 10-2.1-6.4, this Section shall apply to all original appointments to an affected full-time fire department. Existing registers of eligibles shall continue to be valid until their expiration dates, or up to a maximum of 2 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.

Notwithstanding any statute, ordinance, rule, or other law to the contrary, all original appointments to an affected department to which this Section applies shall be administered in the manner provided for in this Section. Provisions of the Illinois Municipal Code, municipal ordinances, and rules adopted pursuant to such authority and other laws relating to initial hiring of firefighters in affected departments shall continue to apply to the extent they are compatible with this Section, but in the event of a conflict between this Section and any other law, this Section shall control.

A home rule or non-home rule municipality may not administer its fire department process for original appointments in a manner that is less stringent than this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule units of the powers and functions exercised by the State.

A municipality that is operating under a court order or consent decree regarding original appointments to a full-time fire department before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly is exempt from the requirements of this Section for the duration of the court order or consent decree.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection (a), this Section does not apply to a municipality with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants.

(b) Original appointments. All original appointments made to an affected fire department shall be made from a register of eligibles established in accordance with the processes established by this Section. Only persons who meet or exceed the performance standards required by this Section shall be placed on a register of eligibles for original appointment to an affected fire department.

Whenever an appointing authority authorizes action to hire a person to perform the duties of a firefighter or to hire a firefighter-paramedic to fill a position that is a new position or vacancy due to resignation, discharge, promotion, death, the granting of a disability or retirement pension, or any other cause, the appointing authority shall appoint to that position the person with the highest ranking on the final eligibility list. If the appointing authority has reason to conclude that the highest ranked person fails to meet the minimum standards for the position or if the appointing authority believes an alternate candidate would better serve the needs of the department, then the appointing authority has the right to pass over the highest ranked person and appoint either: (i) any person who has a ranking in the top 5% of the register of eligibles or (ii) any person who is among the top 5 highest ranked persons on the list of eligibles if the number of people who have a ranking in the top 5% of the register of eligibles is less than 5 people.

Any candidate may pass on an appointment once without losing his or her position on the register of eligibles. Any candidate who passes a second time may be removed from the list by the appointing authority provided that such action shall not prejudice a person's opportunities to participate in future examinations, including an examination held during the time a candidate is already on the municipality's register of eligibles.

The sole authority to issue certificates of appointment shall be vested in the board of fire and police commissioners. All certificates of appointment issued to any officer or member of an affected department shall be signed by the chairperson and secretary, respectively, of the board upon appointment of such officer or member to the affected department by action of the board. Each person who accepts a certificate of appointment and successfully completes his or her probationary period shall be enrolled as a firefighter and as a regular member of the fire department.

For the purposes of this Section, "firefighter" means any person who has been prior to, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a State university and sworn or commissioned to perform firefighter duties or paramedic duties, or both, except that the following persons are not included: part-time firefighters; auxiliary, reserve, or voluntary firefighters, including paid-on-call firefighters; clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire department or fire protection district who are not routinely expected to perform firefighter duties; and elected officials.

(c) Qualification for placement on register of eligibles. The purpose of establishing a register of eligibles is to identify applicants who possess and demonstrate the mental aptitude and physical ability to perform the duties required of members of the fire department in order to provide the highest quality of service to the public. To this end, all applicants for original appointment to an affected fire department shall be subject to examination and testing which shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants unless the municipality shall by ordinance limit applicants to residents of the municipality, county or counties in which the municipality is located, State, or nation. Municipalities may establish educational, emergency medical service licensure, and other pre-requisites for participation in an examination or for hire as a firefighter. Any municipality may charge a fee to cover the costs of the application process.

Residency requirements in effect at the time an individual enters the fire service of a municipality cannot be made more restrictive for that individual during his or her period of service for that municipality, or be made a condition of promotion, except for the rank or position of fire chief and for no more than 2 positions that rank immediately below that of the chief rank which are appointed positions pursuant to the Fire Department Promotion Act.

No person who is 35 years of age or older shall be eligible to take an examination for a position as a firefighter unless the person has had previous employment status as a firefighter in the regularly constituted fire department of the municipality, except as provided in this Section. The age limitation does not apply to:

(1) any person previously employed as a full-time firefighter in a regularly constituted fire department of (i) any municipality or fire protection district located in Illinois, (ii) a fire protection district whose obligations were assumed by a municipality under Section 21 of the Fire Protection District Act, or (iii) a municipality whose obligations were taken over by a fire protection district, or

(2) any person who has served a municipality as a regularly enrolled volunteer, paid-on-call, or part-time firefighter for the 5 years immediately preceding the time that the municipality begins to use full-time firefighters to provide all or part of its fire protection service.

No person who is under 21 years of age shall be eligible for employment as a firefighter.

No applicant shall be examined concerning his or her political or religious opinions or affiliations. The examinations shall be conducted by the commissioners of the municipality or their designees and agents.

No municipality shall require that any firefighter appointed to the lowest rank serve a probationary employment period of longer than one year of actual active employment, which may exclude periods of training, or injury or illness leaves, including duty related leave, in excess of 30 calendar days. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section, the probationary employment period limitation may be extended for a firefighter who is required, as a condition of employment, to be a certified paramedic, during which time the sole reason that a firefighter may be discharged without a hearing is for failing to meet the requirements for paramedic certification.

In the event that any applicant who has been found eligible for appointment and whose name has been placed upon the final eligibility register provided for in this Section has not been appointed to a firefighter position within one year after the date of his or her physical ability examination, the commission may cause a second examination to be made of that applicant's physical ability prior to his or her appointment. If, after the second examination, the physical ability of the applicant shall be found to be less than the minimum standard fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant shall not be appointed. The applicant's name may be retained upon the register of candidates eligible for appointment and when next reached for certification and appointment that applicant may be again examined as provided in this Section, and if the physical ability of that applicant is found to be less than the minimum standard fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant shall not be appointed, and the name of the applicant shall be removed from the register.

(d) Notice, examination, and testing components. Notice of the time, place, general scope, merit criteria for any subjective component, and fee of every examination shall be given by the commission, by a publication at least 2 weeks preceding the examination: (i) in one or more newspapers published in the municipality, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the municipality, or (ii) on the municipality's Internet website. Additional notice of the examination may be given as the commission shall prescribe.

The examination and qualifying standards for employment of firefighters shall be based on: mental aptitude, physical ability, preferences, moral character, and health. The mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components shall determine an applicant's qualification for and placement on the final register of eligibles. The examination may also include a subjective component based on merit criteria as determined by the commission. Scores from the examination must be made available to the public.

(e) Mental aptitude. No person who does not possess at least a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education shall be placed on a register of eligibles. Examination of an applicant's mental aptitude shall be based upon a written examination. The examination shall be practical in character and relate to those matters that fairly test the capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties performed by members of a fire department. Written examinations shall be administered in a manner that ensures the security and accuracy of the scores achieved.

(f) Physical ability. All candidates shall be required to undergo an examination of their physical ability to perform the essential functions included in the duties they may be called upon to perform as a member of a fire department. For the purposes of this Section, essential functions of the job are functions associated with duties that a firefighter may be called upon to perform in response to emergency calls. The frequency of the occurrence of those duties as part of the fire department's regular routine shall not be a controlling factor in the design of examination criteria or evolutions selected for testing. These physical examinations shall be open, competitive, and based on industry standards designed to test each applicant's physical abilities in the following dimensions (or a similar test designed to ensure that the successful candidates are able to perform the essential functions of the firefighter's job description):

(1) Muscular strength to perform tasks and evolutions that may be required in the performance of duties including grip strength, leg strength, and arm strength. Tests shall be conducted under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions to test both the candidate's speed and endurance in performing tasks and evolutions. Tasks tested may be based on standards developed, or approved, by the local appointing authority.

(2) The ability to climb ladders, operate from heights, walk or crawl in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces, and operate in proximity to hazardous environments.

(3) The ability to carry out critical, time-sensitive, and complex problem solving during physical exertion in stressful and hazardous environments. The testing environment may be hot and dark with tightly enclosed spaces, flashing lights, sirens, and other distractions.

Physical ability examinations administered under this Section shall be conducted with a reasonable number of proctors and monitors, open to the public, and subject to reasonable regulations of the commission.

(g) Scoring of examination components. Appointing authorities may create a preliminary eligibility register. A person shall be placed on the list based upon his or her passage of the written examination or the passage of the written examination and the physical ability component. Passage of the written examination means a score that is at or above the mean score for all applicants participating in the written test. The appointing authority may conduct the physical ability component and any subjective components subsequent to the posting of the preliminary eligibility register.

The examination components for an initial eligibility register shall be graded on a 100-point scale. A person's position on the list shall be determined by the following: (i) the person's score on the written examination, (ii) the person successfully passing the physical ability component, and (iii) the person's results on any subjective component as described in subsection (d).

In order to qualify for placement on the final eligibility register, an applicant's total score, before any applicable preference points are applied, shall be at or above the mean score plus 10%. The local appointing authority may prescribe the score to qualify for placement on the final eligibility register, but the score shall not be less than the mean score plus 10%.

The commission shall prepare and keep a register of persons whose total score is not less than the minimum fixed by this Section and who have passed the physical ability examination. These persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates in the order of their relative excellence based on the highest to the lowest total points scored on the mental aptitude, subjective component, and preference components of the test administered in accordance with this Section. No more than 60 days after each examination, an initial eligibility list shall be posted by the commission. The list shall include the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of the time of examination and subject to claim for preference credit.

Commissions may conduct additional examinations, including without limitation a polygraph test, after a final eligibility register is established and before it expires with the candidates ranked by total score without regard to date of examination. No more than 60 days after each examination, an initial eligibility list shall be posted by the commission showing the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of time of examination and subject to claim for preference credit.

(h) Preferences. The following are preferences:

(1) Veteran preference. Persons who were engaged in the military service of the United States for a period of at least one year of active duty and who were honorably discharged therefrom, or who are now or have been members on inactive or reserve duty in such military or naval service, shall be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department of an affected department.

(2) Fire cadet preference. Persons who have successfully completed 2 years of study in fire techniques or cadet training within a cadet program established under the rules of the Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC), as defined in Section 50 of the Fire Department Promotion Act, may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

(3) Educational preference. Persons who have successfully obtained an associate's degree in the field of fire service or emergency medical services, or a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

(4) Paramedic preference. Persons who have obtained certification as an Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P) shall be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department of an affected department providing emergency medical services.

(5) Experience preference. All persons employed by a municipality who have been paid-on-call or part-time certified Firefighter II, State of Illinois or nationally licensed EMT-B or EMT-I, or any combination of those capacities shall be awarded 0.5 point for each year of successful service in one or more of those capacities, up to a maximum of 5 points. Certified Firefighter III and State of Illinois or nationally licensed paramedics shall be awarded one point per year up to a maximum of 5 points. Applicants from outside the municipality who were employed as full-time firefighters or firefighter-paramedics by a fire protection district or another municipality for at least 2 years shall be awarded 5 experience preference points. These additional points presuppose a rating scale totaling 100 points available for the eligibility list. If more or fewer points are used in the rating scale for the eligibility list, the points awarded under this subsection shall be increased or decreased by a factor equal to the total possible points available for the examination divided by 100.

(6) Residency preference. Applicants whose principal residence is located within the fire department's jurisdiction shall be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

Upon request by the commission, the governing body of the municipality or in the case of applicants from outside the municipality the governing body of any fire protection district or any other municipality shall certify to the commission, within 10 days after the request, the number of years of successful paid-on-call, part-time, or full-time service of any person. A candidate may not receive the full amount of preference points under this subsection if the amount of points awarded would place the candidate before a veteran on the eligibility list. If more than one candidate receiving experience preference points is prevented from receiving all of their points due to not being allowed to pass a veteran, the candidates shall be placed on the list below the veteran in rank order based on the totals received if all points under this subsection were to be awarded. Any remaining ties on the list shall be determined by lot.

(7) Additional preferences. Up to 5 additional preference points may be awarded for unique categories based on an applicant's experience or background as identified by the commission.

(8) Scoring of preferences. The commission shall give preference for original appointment to persons designated in item (1) by adding to the final grade that they receive 5 points for the recognized preference achieved. The commission shall determine the number of preference points for each category except (1). The number of preference points for each category shall range from 0 to 5. In determining the number of preference points, the commission shall prescribe that if a candidate earns the maximum number of preference points in all categories, that number may not be less than 10 nor more than 30. The commission shall give preference for original appointment to persons designated in items (2) through (7) by adding the requisite number of points to the final grade for each recognized preference achieved. The numerical result thus attained shall be applied by the commission in determining the final eligibility list and appointment from the eligibility list. The local appointing authority may prescribe the total number of preference points awarded under this Section, but the total number of preference points shall not be less than 10 points or more than 30 points.

No person entitled to any preference shall be required to claim the credit before any examination held under the provisions of this Section, but the preference shall be given after the posting or publication of the initial eligibility list or register at the request of a person entitled to a credit before any certification or appointments are made from the eligibility register, upon the furnishing of verifiable evidence and proof of qualifying preference credit. Candidates who are eligible for preference credit shall make a claim in writing within 10 days after the posting of the initial eligibility list, or the claim shall be deemed waived. Final eligibility registers shall be established after the awarding of verified preference points. All employment shall be subject to the commission's initial hire background review including, but not limited to, criminal history, employment history, moral character, oral examination, and medical and psychological examinations, all on a pass-fail basis. The medical and psychological examinations must be conducted last, and may only be performed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

Any person placed on an eligibility list who exceeds the age requirement before being appointed to a fire department shall remain eligible for appointment until the list is abolished, or his or her name has been on the list for a period of 2 years. No person who has attained the age of 35 years shall be inducted into a fire department, except as otherwise provided in this Section.

The commission shall strike off the names of candidates for original appointment after the names have been on the list for more than 2 years.

(i) Moral character. No person shall be appointed to a fire department unless he or she is a person of good character; not a habitual drunkard, a gambler, or a person who has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. However, no person shall be disqualified from appointment to the fire department because of the person's record of misdemeanor convictions except those under Sections 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, 32-8, and subsections 1, 6, and 8 of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or arrest for any cause without conviction thereon. Any such person who is in the department may be removed on charges brought for violating this subsection and after a trial as hereinafter provided.

A classifiable set of the fingerprints of every person who is offered employment as a certificated member of an affected fire department whether with or without compensation, shall be furnished to the Illinois Department of State Police and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the commission.

Whenever a commission is authorized or required by law to consider some aspect of criminal history record information for the purpose of carrying out its statutory powers and responsibilities, then, upon request and payment of fees in conformance with the requirements of Section 2605-400 of the State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Department of State Police is authorized to furnish, pursuant to positive identification, the information contained in State files as is necessary to fulfill the request.

(j) Temporary appointments. In order to prevent a stoppage of public business, to meet extraordinary exigencies, or to prevent material impairment of the fire department, the commission may make temporary appointments, to remain in force only until regular appointments are made under the provisions of this Division, but never to exceed 60 days. No temporary appointment of any one person shall be made more than twice in any calendar year.

(k) A person who knowingly divulges or receives test questions or answers before a written examination, or otherwise knowingly violates or subverts any requirement of this Section, commits a violation of this Section and may be subject to charges for official misconduct.

A person who is the knowing recipient of test information in advance of the examination shall be disqualified from the examination or discharged from the position to which he or she was appointed, as applicable, and otherwise subjected to disciplinary actions.

(65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6.4 new)

Sec. 10-2.1-6.4. Alternative procedure; original appointment; full-time firefighter.

(a) Authority. The Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC), as defined in Section 50 of the Fire Department Promotion Act, may establish a community outreach program to market the profession of firefighter and firefighter-paramedic so as to ensure the pool of applicants recruited is of broad diversity and the highest quality.

For the purposes of this Section, "firefighter" means any person who has been prior to, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a State university and sworn or commissioned to perform firefighter duties or paramedic duties, or both, except that the following persons are not included: part-time firefighters; auxiliary, reserve, or voluntary firefighters, including paid-on-call firefighters; clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire department or fire protection district who are not routinely expected to perform firefighter duties; and elected officials.

(b) Eligibility. Persons eligible for placement on the master register of eligibles shall consist of the following:

Persons who have participated in and received a passing total score on the mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components of a regionally administered test based on the standards described in this Section. The standards for administering these tests and the minimum passing score required for placement on this list shall be as is set forth in this Section.

Qualified candidates shall be listed on the master register of eligibles in highest to lowest rank order based upon their test scores without regard to their date of examination. Candidates listed on the master register of eligibles shall be eligible for appointment for 2 years after the date of the certification of their final score on the register without regard to the date of their examination. After 2 years, the candidate's name shall be struck from the list.

Any person currently employed as a full-time member of a fire department or any person who has experienced a non–voluntary (and non-disciplinary) separation from the active workforce due to a reduction in the number of departmental officers, who was appointed pursuant to Division 1 of Article 10 of the Illinois Municipal Code, Division 2.1 of Article 10 of the Illinois Municipal Code, or the Fire Protection District Act, and who during the previous 24 months participated in and received a passing score on the physical ability and mental aptitude components of the test may request that his or her name be added to the master register. Any eligible person may be offered employment by a local commission under the same procedures as provided by this Section except that the apprenticeship period may be waived and the applicant may be immediately issued a certificate of original appointment by the local commission.

(c) Qualifications for placement on register of eligibles. The purpose for establishing a master register of eligibles shall be to identify applicants who possess and demonstrate the mental aptitude and physical ability to perform the duties required of members of the fire department in order to provide the highest quality of service to the public. To this end, all applicants for original appointment to an affected fire department through examination conducted by the Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC) shall be subject to examination and testing which shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants. Any subjective component of the testing must be administered by certified assessors. All qualifying and disqualifying factors applicable to examination processes for local commissions in this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly shall be applicable to persons participating in Joint Labor and Management Committee examinations unless specifically provided otherwise in this Section.

Notice of the time, place, general scope, and fee of every JLMC examination shall be given by the JLMC or designated testing agency, as applicable, by a publication at least 30 days preceding the examination, in one or more newspapers published in the region, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the region. The JLMC may publish the notice on the JLMC's Internet website. Additional notice of the examination may be given as the JLMC shall prescribe.

(d) Examination and testing components for placement on register of eligibles. The examination and qualifying standards for placement on the master register of eligibles and employment shall be based on the following components: mental aptitude, physical ability, preferences, moral character, and health. The mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components shall determine an applicant's qualification for and placement on the master register of eligibles. The consideration of an applicant's general moral character and health shall be administered on a pass-fail basis after a conditional offer of employment is made by a local commission.

(e) Mental aptitude. Examination of an applicant's mental aptitude shall be based upon written examination and an applicant's prior experience demonstrating an aptitude for and commitment to service as a member of a fire department. Written examinations shall be practical in character and relate to those matters that fairly test the capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties performed by members of a fire department. Written examinations shall be administered in a manner that ensures the security and accuracy of the scores achieved. Any subjective component of the testing must be administered by certified assessors. No person who does not possess a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education shall be placed on a register of eligibles. Local commissions may establish educational, emergency medical service licensure, and other pre-requisites for hire within their jurisdiction.

(f) Physical ability. All candidates shall be required to undergo an examination of their physical ability to perform the essential functions included in the duties they may be called upon to perform as a member of a fire department. For the purposes of this Section, essential functions of the job are functions associated with duties that a firefighter may be called upon to perform in response to emergency calls. The frequency of the occurrence of those duties as part of the fire department's regular routine shall not be a controlling factor in the design of examination criteria or evolutions selected for testing. These physical examinations shall be open, competitive, and based on industry standards designed to test each applicant's physical abilities in each of the following dimensions (or a similar test designed to ensure that the successful candidates are able to perform the essential functions of a firefighter's job description):

(1) Muscular strength to perform tasks and evolutions that may be required in the performance of duties including grip strength, leg strength, and arm strength. Tests shall be conducted under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions to test both the candidate's speed and endurance in performing tasks and evolutions. Tasks tested are to be based on industry standards developed by the JLMC by rule.

(2) The ability to climb ladders, operate from heights, walk or crawl in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces, and operate in proximity to hazardous environments.

(3) The ability to carry out critical, time-sensitive, and complex problem solving during physical exertion in stressful and hazardous environments. The testing environment may be hot and dark with tightly enclosed spaces, flashing lights, sirens, and other distractions.

(g) Scoring of examination components. The examination components shall be graded on a 100-point scale. A person's position on the master register of eligibles shall be determined by the person's score on the written examination, the person successfully passing the physical ability component, and the addition of any applicable preference points.

Applicants who have achieved at least the mean score of all applicants participating in the written examination at the same time, and who successfully pass the physical ability examination shall be placed on the initial eligibility register. For placement on the final eligibility register, the passing score shall be determined by (i) calculating the mean score for all applicants participating in the written test; and (ii) adding 20% to the mean score. Applicants whose total scores, including any applicable preference points, are above the mean score plus 20%, shall be placed on the master register of eligibles by the JLMC.

These persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates in the order of their relative excellence based on the highest to the lowest total points scored on the mental aptitude and physical ability components, plus any applicable preference points requested and verified by the JLMC, or approved testing agency.

No more than 60 days after each examination, a revised master register of eligibles shall be posted by the JLMC showing the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of time of examination.

(h) Preferences. The board shall give military, education, and experience preference points to those who qualify for placement on the master register of eligibles, on the same basis as provided for examinations administered by a local commission.

No person entitled to preference or credit shall be required to claim the credit before any examination held under the provisions of this Section. The preference shall be given after the posting or publication of the applicant's initial score at the request of the person before finalizing the scores from all applicants taking part in a JLMC examination. Candidates who are eligible for preference credit shall make a claim in writing within 10 days after the posting of the initial scores from any JLMC test or the claim shall be deemed waived. Once preference points are awarded, the candidates shall be certified to the master register in accordance with their final score including preference points.

(i) Firefighter apprentice and firefighter-paramedic apprentice. The employment of an applicant to an apprentice position (including a currently employed full-time member of a fire department whose apprenticeship may be reduced or waived) shall be subject to the applicant passing the moral character standards and health examinations of the local commission. In addition, a local commission may require as a condition of employment that the applicant demonstrate current physical ability by either passing the local commission's approved physical ability examination, or by presenting proof of participating in and receiving a passing score on the physical ability component of a JLMC test within a period of up to 12 months before the date of the conditional offer of employment. Applicants shall be subject to the local commission's initial hire background review including criminal history, employment history, moral character, oral examination, and medical examinations which may include polygraph, psychological, and drug screening components, all on a pass-fail basis. The medical examinations must be conducted last, and may only be performed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

(j) Selection from list. Any municipality or fire protection district that is a party to an intergovernmental agreement under the terms of which persons have been tested for placement on the master register of eligibles shall be entitled to offer employment to any person on the list irrespective of their ranking on the list. The offer of employment shall be to the position of firefighter apprentice or firefighter-paramedic apprentice.

Applicants passing these tests may be employed as a firefighter apprentice or a firefighter-paramedic apprentice who shall serve an apprenticeship period of 12 months or less according to the terms and conditions of employment as the employing municipality or district offers, or as provided for under the terms of any collective bargaining agreement then in effect. The apprenticeship period is separate from the probationary period.

Service during the apprenticeship period shall be on a probationary basis. During the apprenticeship period, the apprentice's training and performance shall be monitored and evaluated by a Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

The Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall consist of 4 members who shall be regular members of the fire department with at least 10 years of full-time work experience as a firefighter or firefighter-paramedic. The fire chief and the president of the exclusive bargaining representative recognized by the employer shall each appoint 2 members to the Joint Apprenticeship Committee. In the absence of an exclusive collective bargaining representative, the chief shall appoint the remaining 2 members who shall be from the ranks of company officer and firefighter with at least 10 years of work experience as a firefighter or firefighter-paramedic. In the absence of a sufficient number of qualified firefighters, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee members shall have the amount of experience and the type of qualifications as is reasonable given the circumstances of the fire department. In the absence of a full-time member in a rank between chief and the highest rank in a bargaining unit, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall be reduced to 2 members, one to be appointed by the chief and one by the union president, if any. If there is no exclusive bargaining representative, the chief shall appoint the second member of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee from among qualified members in the ranks of company officer and below. Before the conclusion of the apprenticeship period, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall meet to consider the apprentice's progress and performance and vote to retain the apprentice as a member of the fire department or to terminate the apprenticeship. If 3 of the 4 members of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee affirmatively vote to retain the apprentice (if a 2 member Joint Apprenticeship Committee exists, then both members must affirmatively vote to retain the apprentice), the local commission shall issue the apprentice a certificate of original appointment to the fire department.

(k) A person who knowingly divulges or receives test questions or answers before a written examination, or otherwise knowingly violates or subverts any requirement of this Section, commits a violation of this Section and may be subject to charges for official misconduct.

A person who is the knowing recipient of test information in advance of the examination shall be disqualified from the examination or discharged from the position to which he or she was appointed, as applicable, and otherwise subjected to disciplinary actions.

(l) Applicability. This Section does not apply to a municipality with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants.

Section 10. The Fire Protection District Act is amended by changing Section 16.04a and by adding Sections 16.06b and 16.06c as follows:

(70 ILCS 705/16.04a) (from Ch. 127 1/2, par. 37.04a)

Sec. 16.04a. The board of fire commissioners shall appoint all officers and members of the fire departments of the district, except the Chief of the fire department. The board of trustees shall appoint the Chief of the fire department, who shall serve at the pleasure of the board, and may enter into a multi-year contract not exceeding 3 years with the Chief.

If a member of the department is appointed Chief of the fire department prior to being eligible to retire on pension he shall be considered as on furlough from the rank he held immediately prior to his appointment as Chief. If he resigns as Chief or is discharged as Chief prior to attaining eligibility to retire on pension, he shall revert to and be established in such prior rank, and thereafter be entitled to all the benefits and emoluments of such prior rank, without regard as to whether a vacancy then exists in such rank. In such instances, the Chief shall be deemed to have continued to accrue seniority in the department during his period of service as Chief, or time in grade in his former rank to which he shall revert during his period of service as Chief, except solely for purposes of any layoff as provided in Section 16.13b hereafter.

All appointments to each department other than that of the lowest rank, however, shall be from the rank next below that to which the appointment is made, except that the Chief of the fire department may be appointed from among members of the fire department, regardless of rank.

The sole authority to issue certificates of appointment shall be vested in the board of fire commissioners and all certificates of appointments issued to any officer or member of the fire department shall be signed by the chairman and secretary respectively of the board of fire commissioners upon appointment of such officer or member of the fire department by action of the board of fire commissioners.

To the extent that this Section or any other Section in this Act conflicts with Section 16.06b or 16.06c, then Section 16.06b or 16.06c shall control.

(Source: P.A. 91-948, eff. 1-1-02.)

(70 ILCS 705/16.06b new)

Sec. 16.06b. Original appointments; full-time fire department.

(a) Applicability. Unless a commission elects to follow the provisions of Section 16.06c, this Section shall apply to all original appointments to an affected full-time fire department. Existing registers of eligibles shall continue to be valid until their expiration dates, or up to a maximum of 2 years after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.

Notwithstanding any statute, ordinance, rule, or other law to the contrary, all original appointments to an affected department to which this Section applies shall be administered in a no less stringent manner than the manner provided for in this Section. Provisions of the Illinois Municipal Code, Fire Protection District Act, fire district ordinances, and rules adopted pursuant to such authority and other laws relating to initial hiring of firefighters in affected departments shall continue to apply to the extent they are compatible with this Section, but in the event of a conflict between this Section and any other law, this Section shall control.

A fire protection district that is operating under a court order or consent decree regarding original appointments to a full-time fire department before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly is exempt from the requirements of this Section for the duration of the court order or consent decree.

(b) Original appointments. All original appointments made to an affected fire department shall be made from a register of eligibles established in accordance with the processes required by this Section. Only persons who meet or exceed the performance standards required by the Section shall be placed on a register of eligibles for original appointment to an affected fire department.

Whenever an appointing authority authorizes action to hire a person to perform the duties of a firefighter or to hire a firefighter-paramedic to fill a position that is a new position or vacancy due to resignation, discharge, promotion, death, the granting of a disability or retirement pension, or any other cause, the appointing authority shall appoint to that position the person with the highest ranking on the final eligibility list. If the appointing authority has reason to conclude that the highest ranked person fails to meet the minimum standards for the position or if the appointing authority believes an alternate candidate would better serve the needs of the department, then the appointing authority has the right to pass over the highest ranked person and appoint either: (i) any person who has a ranking in the top 5% of the register of eligibles or (ii) any person who is among the top 5 highest ranked persons on the list of eligibles if the number of people who have a ranking in the top 5% of the register of eligibles is less than 5 people.

Any candidate may pass on an appointment once without losing his or her position on the register of eligibles. Any candidate who passes a second time may be removed from the list by the appointing authority provided that such action shall not prejudice a person's opportunities to participate in future examinations, including an examination held during the time a candidate is already on the fire district's register of eligibles.

The sole authority to issue certificates of appointment shall be vested in the board of fire commissioners, or board of trustees serving in the capacity of a board of fire commissioners. All certificates of appointment issued to any officer or member of an affected department shall be signed by the chairperson and secretary, respectively, of the commission upon appointment of such officer or member to the affected department by action of the commission. Each person who accepts a certificate of appointment and successfully completes his or her probationary period shall be enrolled as a firefighter and as a regular member of the fire department.

For the purposes of this Section, "firefighter" means any person who has been prior to, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a State university and sworn or commissioned to perform firefighter duties or paramedic duties, or both, except that the following persons are not included: part-time firefighters; auxiliary, reserve, or voluntary firefighters, including paid-on-call firefighters; clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire department or fire protection district who are not routinely expected to perform firefighter duties; and elected officials.

(c) Qualification for placement on register of eligibles. The purpose of establishing a register of eligibles is to identify applicants who possess and demonstrate the mental aptitude and physical ability to perform the duties required of members of the fire department in order to provide the highest quality of service to the public. To this end, all applicants for original appointment to an affected fire department shall be subject to examination and testing which shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants unless the district shall by ordinance limit applicants to residents of the district, county or counties in which the district is located, State, or nation. Districts may establish educational, emergency medical service licensure, and other pre-requisites for participation in an examination or for hire as a firefighter. Any fire protection district may charge a fee to cover the costs of the application process.

Residency requirements in effect at the time an individual enters the fire service of a district cannot be made more restrictive for that individual during his or her period of service for that district, or be made a condition of promotion, except for the rank or position of fire chief and for no more than 2 positions that rank immediately below that of the chief rank which are appointed positions pursuant to the Fire Department Promotion Act.

No person who is 35 years of age or older shall be eligible to take an examination for a position as a firefighter unless the person has had previous employment status as a firefighter in the regularly constituted fire department of the district, except as provided in this Section. The age limitation does not apply to:

(1) any person previously employed as a full-time firefighter in a regularly constituted fire department of (i) any municipality or fire protection district located in Illinois, (ii) a fire protection district whose obligations were assumed by a municipality under Section 21 of the Fire Protection District Act, or (iii) a municipality whose obligations were taken over by a fire protection district, or

(2) any person who has served a fire district as a regularly enrolled volunteer, paid-on-call, or part-time firefighter for the 5 years immediately preceding the time that the district begins to use full-time firefighters to provide all or part of its fire protection service.

No person who is under 21 years of age shall be eligible for employment as a firefighter.

No applicant shall be examined concerning his or her political or religious opinions or affiliations. The examinations shall be conducted by the commissioners of the district or their designees and agents.

No district shall require that any firefighter appointed to the lowest rank serve a probationary employment period of longer than one year of actual active employment, which may exclude periods of training, or injury or illness leaves, including duty related leave, in excess of 30 calendar days. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section, the probationary employment period limitation may be extended for a firefighter who is required, as a condition of employment, to be a certified paramedic, during which time the sole reason that a firefighter may be discharged without a hearing is for failing to meet the requirements for paramedic certification.

In the event that any applicant who has been found eligible for appointment and whose name has been placed upon the final eligibility register provided for in this Section has not been appointed to a firefighter position within one year after the date of his or her physical ability examination, the commission may cause a second examination to be made of that applicant's physical ability prior to his or her appointment. If, after the second examination, the physical ability of the applicant shall be found to be less than the minimum standard fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant shall not be appointed. The applicant's name may be retained upon the register of candidates eligible for appointment and when next reached for certification and appointment that applicant may be again examined as provided in this Section, and if the physical ability of that applicant is found to be less than the minimum standard fixed by the rules of the commission, the applicant shall not be appointed, and the name of the applicant shall be removed from the register.

(d) Notice, examination, and testing components. Notice of the time, place, general scope, merit criteria for any subjective component, and fee of every examination shall be given by the commission, by a publication at least 2 weeks preceding the examination: (i) in one or more newspapers published in the district, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the district, or (ii) on the fire protection district's Internet website. Additional notice of the examination may be given as the commission shall prescribe.

The examination and qualifying standards for employment of firefighters shall be based on: mental aptitude, physical ability, preferences, moral character, and health. The mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components shall determine an applicant's qualification for and placement on the final register of eligibles. The examination may also include a subjective component based on merit criteria as determined by the commission. Scores from the examination must be made available to the public.

(e) Mental aptitude. No person who does not possess at least a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education shall be placed on a register of eligibles. Examination of an applicant's mental aptitude shall be based upon a written examination. The examination shall be practical in character and relate to those matters that fairly test the capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties performed by members of a fire department. Written examinations shall be administered in a manner that ensures the security and accuracy of the scores achieved.

(f) Physical ability. All candidates shall be required to undergo an examination of their physical ability to perform the essential functions included in the duties they may be called upon to perform as a member of a fire department. For the purposes of this Section, essential functions of the job are functions associated with duties that a firefighter may be called upon to perform in response to emergency calls. The frequency of the occurrence of those duties as part of the fire department's regular routine shall not be a controlling factor in the design of examination criteria or evolutions selected for testing. These physical examinations shall be open, competitive, and based on industry standards designed to test each applicant's physical abilities in the following dimensions (or a similar test designed to ensure that the successful candidates are able to perform the essential functions of the firefighter's job description):

(1) Muscular strength to perform tasks and evolutions that may be required in the performance of duties including grip strength, leg strength, and arm strength. Tests shall be conducted under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions to test both the candidate's speed and endurance in performing tasks and evolutions. Tasks tested may be based on standards developed, or approved, by the local appointing authority.

(2) The ability to climb ladders, operate from heights, walk or crawl in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces, and operate in proximity to hazardous environments.

(3) The ability to carry out critical, time-sensitive, and complex problem solving during physical exertion in stressful and hazardous environments. The testing environment may be hot and dark with tightly enclosed spaces, flashing lights, sirens, and other distractions.

Physical ability examinations administered under this Section shall be conducted with a reasonable number of proctors and monitors, open to the public, and subject to reasonable regulations of the commission.

(g) Scoring of examination components. Appointing authorities may create a preliminary eligibility register. A person shall be placed on the list based upon his or her passage of the written examination or the passage of the written examination and the physical ability component. Passage of the written examination means a score that is at or above the mean score for all applicants participating in the written test. The appointing authority may conduct the physical ability component and any subjective components subsequent to the posting of the preliminary eligibility register.

The examination components for an initial eligibility register shall be graded on a 100-point scale. A person's position on the list shall be determined by the following: (i) the person's score on the written examination, (ii) the person successfully passing the physical ability component, and (iii) the person's results on any subjective component as described in subsection (d).

In order to qualify for placement on the final eligibility register, an applicant's total score, before any applicable preference points are applied, shall be at or above the mean score plus 10%. The local appointing authority may prescribe the score to qualify for placement on the final eligibility register, but the score shall not be less than the mean score plus 10%.

The commission shall prepare and keep a register of persons whose total score is not less than the minimum fixed by this Section and who have passed the physical ability examination. These persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates in the order of their relative excellence based on the highest to the lowest total points scored on the mental aptitude, subjective component, and preference components of the test administered in accordance with this Section. No more than 60 days after each examination, an initial eligibility list shall be posted by the commission. The list shall include the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of the time of examination and subject to claim for preference credit.

Commissions may conduct additional examinations, including without limitation a polygraph test, after a final eligibility register is established and before it expires with the candidates ranked by total score without regard to date of examination. No more than 60 days after each examination, an initial eligibility list shall be posted by the commission showing the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of time of examination and subject to claim for preference credit.

(h) Preferences. The following are preferences:

(1) Veteran preference. Persons who were engaged in the military service of the United States for a period of at least one year of active duty and who were honorably discharged therefrom, or who are now or have been members on inactive or reserve duty in such military or naval service, shall be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department of an affected department.

(2) Fire cadet preference. Persons who have successfully completed 2 years of study in fire techniques or cadet training within a cadet program established under the rules of the Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC), as defined in Section 50 of the Fire Department Promotion Act, may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

(3) Educational preference. Persons who have successfully obtained an associate's degree in the field of fire service or emergency medical services, or a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

(4) Paramedic preference. Persons who have obtained certification as an Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P) may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department of an affected department providing emergency medical services.

(5) Experience preference. All persons employed by a district who have been paid-on-call or part-time certified Firefighter II, certified Firefighter III, State of Illinois or nationally licensed EMT-B or EMT-I, licensed paramedic, or any combination of those capacities may be awarded up to a maximum of 5 points. However, the applicant may not be awarded more than 0.5 points for each complete year of paid-on-call or part-time service. Applicants from outside the district who were employed as full-time firefighters or firefighter-paramedics by a fire protection district or municipality for at least 2 years may be awarded up to 5 experience preference points. However, the applicant may not be awarded more than one point for each complete year of full-time service.

(6) Residency preference. Applicants whose principal residence is located within the fire department's jurisdiction may be preferred for appointment to and employment with the fire department.

Upon request by the commission, the governing body of the district or in the case of applicants from outside the district the governing body of any other fire protection district or any municipality shall certify to the commission, within 10 days after the request, the number of years of successful paid-on-call, part-time, or full-time service of any person. A candidate may not receive the full amount of preference points under this subsection if the amount of points awarded would place the candidate before a veteran on the eligibility list. If more than one candidate receiving experience preference points is prevented from receiving all of their points due to not being allowed to pass a veteran, the candidates shall be placed on the list below the veteran in rank order based on the totals received if all points under this subsection were to be awarded. Any remaining ties on the list shall be determined by lot.

(7) Additional preferences. Up to 5 additional preference points may be awarded for unique categories based on an applicant's experience or background as identified by the commission.

(8) Scoring of preferences. The commission shall give preference for original appointment to persons designated in item (1) by adding to the final grade that they receive 5 points for the recognized preference achieved. The commission shall determine the number of preference points for each category except (1). The number of preference points for each category shall range from 0 to 5. In determining the number of preference points, the commission shall prescribe that if a candidate earns the maximum number of preference points in all categories, that number may not be less than 10 nor more than 30. The commission shall give preference for original appointment to persons designated in items (2) through (7) by adding the requisite number of points to the final grade for each recognized preference achieved. The numerical result thus attained shall be applied by the commission in determining the final eligibility list and appointment from the eligibility list. The local appointing authority may prescribe the total number of preference points awarded under this Section, but the total number of preference points shall not be less than 10 points or more than 30 points.

No person entitled to any preference shall be required to claim the credit before any examination held under the provisions of this Section, but the preference shall be given after the posting or publication of the initial eligibility list or register at the request of a person entitled to a credit before any certification or appointments are made from the eligibility register, upon the furnishing of verifiable evidence and proof of qualifying preference credit. Candidates who are eligible for preference credit shall make a claim in writing within 10 days after the posting of the initial eligibility list, or the claim shall be deemed waived. Final eligibility registers shall be established after the awarding of verified preference points. All employment shall be subject to the commission's initial hire background review including, but not limited to, criminal history, employment history, moral character, oral examination, and medical and psychological examinations, all on a pass-fail basis. The medical and psychological examinations must be conducted last, and may only be performed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

Any person placed on an eligibility list who exceeds the age requirement before being appointed to a fire department shall remain eligible for appointment until the list is abolished, or his or her name has been on the list for a period of 2 years. No person who has attained the age of 35 years shall be inducted into a fire department, except as otherwise provided in this Section.

The commission shall strike off the names of candidates for original appointment after the names have been on the list for more than 2 years.

(i) Moral character. No person shall be appointed to a fire department unless he or she is a person of good character; not a habitual drunkard, a gambler, or a person who has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude. However, no person shall be disqualified from appointment to the fire department because of the person's record of misdemeanor convictions except those under Sections 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-14, 11-15, 11-17, 11-18, 11-19, 12-2, 12-6, 12-15, 14-4, 16-1, 21.1-3, 24-3.1, 24-5, 25-1, 28-3, 31-1, 31-4, 31-6, 31-7, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, 32-8, and subsections 1, 6, and 8 of Section 24-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or arrest for any cause without conviction thereon. Any such person who is in the department may be removed on charges brought for violating this subsection and after a trial as hereinafter provided.

A classifiable set of the fingerprints of every person who is offered employment as a certificated member of an affected fire department whether with or without compensation, shall be furnished to the Illinois Department of State Police and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the commission.

Whenever a commission is authorized or required by law to consider some aspect of criminal history record information for the purpose of carrying out its statutory powers and responsibilities, then, upon request and payment of fees in conformance with the requirements of Section 2605-400 of the State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Department of State Police is authorized to furnish, pursuant to positive identification, the information contained in State files as is necessary to fulfill the request.

(j) Temporary appointments. In order to prevent a stoppage of public business, to meet extraordinary exigencies, or to prevent material impairment of the fire department, the commission may make temporary appointments, to remain in force only until regular appointments are made under the provisions of this Section, but never to exceed 60 days. No temporary appointment of any one person shall be made more than twice in any calendar year.

(k) A person who knowingly divulges or receives test questions or answers before a written examination, or otherwise knowingly violates or subverts any requirement of this Section, commits a violation of this Section and may be subject to charges for official misconduct.

A person who is the knowing recipient of test information in advance of the examination shall be disqualified from the examination or discharged from the position to which he or she was appointed, as applicable, and otherwise subjected to disciplinary actions.

(70 ILCS 705/16.06c new)

Sec. 16.06c. Alternative procedure; original appointment; full-time firefighter.

(a) Authority. The Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC), as defined in Section 50 of the Fire Department Promotion Act, may establish a community outreach program to market the profession of firefighter and firefighter-paramedic so as to ensure the pool of applicants recruited is of broad diversity and the highest quality.

For the purposes of this Section, "firefighter" means any person who has been prior to, on, or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly appointed to a fire department or fire protection district or employed by a State university and sworn or commissioned to perform firefighter duties or paramedic duties, or both, except that the following persons are not included: part-time firefighters; auxiliary, reserve, or voluntary firefighters, including paid-on-call firefighters; clerks and dispatchers or other civilian employees of a fire department or fire protection district who are not routinely expected to perform firefighter duties; and elected officials.

(b) Eligibility. Persons eligible for placement on the master register of eligibles shall consist of the following:

Persons who have participated in and received a passing total score on the mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components of a regionally administered test based on the standards described in this Section. The standards for administering these tests and the minimum passing score required for placement on this list shall be as is set forth in this Section.

Qualified candidates shall be listed on the master register of eligibles in highest to lowest rank order based upon their test scores without regard to their date of examination. Candidates listed on the master register of eligibles shall be eligible for appointment for 2 years after the date of the certification of their final score on the register without regard to the date of their examination. After 2 years, the candidate's name shall be struck from the list.

Any person currently employed as a full-time member of a fire department or any person who has experienced a non–voluntary (and non-disciplinary) separation from the active workforce due to a reduction in the number of departmental officers, who was appointed pursuant to Division 1 of Article 10 of the Illinois Municipal Code, Division 2.1 of Article 10 of the Illinois Municipal Code, or the Fire Protection District Act, and who during the previous 24 months participated in and received a passing score on the physical ability and mental aptitude components of the test may request that his or her name be added to the master register. Any eligible person may be offered employment by a local commission under the same procedures as provided by this Section except that the apprenticeship period may be waived and the applicant may be immediately issued a certificate of original appointment by the local commission.

(c) Qualifications for placement on register of eligibles. The purpose for establishing a master register of eligibles shall be to identify applicants who possess and demonstrate the mental aptitude and physical ability to perform the duties required of members of the fire department in order to provide the highest quality of service to the public. To this end, all applicants for original appointment to an affected fire department through examination conducted by the Joint Labor and Management Committee (JLMC) shall be subject to examination and testing which shall be public, competitive, and open to all applicants. Any subjective component of the testing must be administered by certified assessors. All qualifying and disqualifying factors applicable to examination processes for local commissions in this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly shall be applicable to persons participating in Joint Labor and Management Committee examinations unless specifically provided otherwise in this Section.

Notice of the time, place, general scope, and fee of every JLMC examination shall be given by the JLMC or designated testing agency, as applicable, by a publication at least 30 days preceding the examination, in one or more newspapers published in the region, or if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the region. The JLMC may publish the notice on the JLMC's Internet website. Additional notice of the examination may be given as the JLMC shall prescribe.

(d) Examination and testing components for placement on register of eligibles. The examination and qualifying standards for placement on the master register of eligibles and employment shall be based on the following components: mental aptitude, physical ability, preferences, moral character, and health. The mental aptitude, physical ability, and preference components shall determine an applicant's qualification for and placement on the master register of eligibles. The consideration of an applicant's general moral character and health shall be administered on a pass-fail basis after a conditional offer of employment is made by a local commission.

(e) Mental aptitude. Examination of an applicant's mental aptitude shall be based upon written examination and an applicant's prior experience demonstrating an aptitude for and commitment to service as a member of a fire department. Written examinations shall be practical in character and relate to those matters that fairly test the capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties performed by members of a fire department. Written examinations shall be administered in a manner that ensures the security and accuracy of the scores achieved. Any subjective component of the testing must be administered by certified assessors. No person who does not possess a high school diploma or an equivalent high school education shall be placed on a register of eligibles. Local commissions may establish educational, emergency medical service licensure, and other pre-requisites for hire within their jurisdiction.

(f) Physical ability. All candidates shall be required to undergo an examination of their physical ability to perform the essential functions included in the duties they may be called upon to perform as a member of a fire department. For the purposes of this Section, essential functions of the job are functions associated with duties that a firefighter may be called upon to perform in response to emergency calls. The frequency of the occurrence of those duties as part of the fire department's regular routine shall not be a controlling factor in the design of examination criteria or evolutions selected for testing. These physical examinations shall be open, competitive, and based on industry standards designed to test each applicant's physical abilities in each of the following dimensions (or a similar test designed to ensure that the successful candidates are able to perform the essential functions of a firefighter's job description):

(1) Muscular strength to perform tasks and evolutions that may be required in the performance of duties including grip strength, leg strength, and arm strength. Tests shall be conducted under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions to test both the candidate's speed and endurance in performing tasks and evolutions. Tasks tested are to be based on industry standards developed by the JLMC by rule.

(2) The ability to climb ladders, operate from heights, walk or crawl in the dark along narrow and uneven surfaces, and operate in proximity to hazardous environments.

(3) The ability to carry out critical, time-sensitive, and complex problem solving during physical exertion in stressful and hazardous environments. The testing environment may be hot and dark with tightly enclosed spaces, flashing lights, sirens, and other distractions.

(g) Scoring of examination components. The examination components shall be graded on a 100-point scale. A person's position on the master register of eligibles shall be determined by the person's score on the written examination, the person successfully passing the physical ability component, and the addition of any applicable preference points.

Applicants who have achieved at least the mean score of all applicants participating in the written examination at the same time, and who successfully pass the physical ability examination shall be placed on the initial eligibility register. For placement on the final eligibility register, the passing score shall be determined by (i) calculating the mean score for all applicants participating in the written test; and (ii) adding 20% to the mean score. Applicants whose total scores, including any applicable preference points, are above the mean score plus 20%, shall be placed on the master register of eligibles by the JLMC.

These persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates in the order of their relative excellence based on the highest to the lowest total points scored on the mental aptitude and physical ability components, plus any applicable preference points requested and verified by the JLMC, or approved testing agency.

No more than 60 days after each examination, a revised master register of eligibles shall be posted by the JLMC showing the final grades of the candidates without reference to priority of time of examination.

(h) Preferences. The board shall give military, education, and experience preference points to those who qualify for placement on the master register of eligibles, on the same basis as provided for examinations administered by a local commission.

No person entitled to preference or credit shall be required to claim the credit before any examination held under the provisions of this Section. The preference shall be given after the posting or publication of the applicant's initial score at the request of the person before finalizing the scores from all applicants taking part in a JLMC examination. Candidates who are eligible for preference credit shall make a claim in writing within 10 days after the posting of the initial scores from any JLMC test or the claim shall be deemed waived. Once preference points are awarded, the candidates shall be certified to the master register in accordance with their final score including preference points.

(i) Firefighter apprentice and firefighter-paramedic apprentice. The employment of an applicant to an apprentice position (including a currently employed full-time member of a fire department whose apprenticeship may be reduced or waived) shall be subject to the applicant passing the moral character standards and health examinations of the local commission. In addition, a local commission may require as a condition of employment that the applicant demonstrate current physical ability by either passing the local commission's approved physical ability examination, or by presenting proof of participating in and receiving a passing score on the physical ability component of a JLMC test within a period of up to 12 months before the date of the conditional offer of employment. Applicants shall be subject to the local commission's initial hire background review including criminal history, employment history, moral character, oral examination, and medical examinations which may include polygraph, psychological, and drug screening components, all on a pass-fail basis. The medical examinations must be conducted last, and may only be performed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

(j) Selection from list. Any municipality or fire protection district that is a party to an intergovernmental agreement under the terms of which persons have been tested for placement on the master register of eligibles shall be entitled to offer employment to any person on the list irrespective of their ranking on the list. The offer of employment shall be to the position of firefighter apprentice or firefighter-paramedic apprentice.

Applicants passing these tests may be employed as a firefighter apprentice or a firefighter-paramedic apprentice who shall serve an apprenticeship period of 12 months or less according to the terms and conditions of employment as the employing municipality or district offers, or as provided for under the terms of any collective bargaining agreement then in effect. The apprenticeship period is separate from the probationary period.

Service during the apprenticeship period shall be on a probationary basis. During the apprenticeship period, the apprentice's training and performance shall be monitored and evaluated by a Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

The Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall consist of 4 members who shall be regular members of the fire department with at least 10 years of full-time work experience as a firefighter or firefighter-paramedic. The fire chief and the president of the exclusive bargaining representative recognized by the employer shall each appoint 2 members to the Joint Apprenticeship Committee. In the absence of an exclusive collective bargaining representative, the chief shall appoint the remaining 2 members who shall be from the ranks of company officer and firefighter with at least 10 years of work experience as a firefighter or firefighter-paramedic. In the absence of a sufficient number of qualified firefighters, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee members shall have the amount of experience and the type of qualifications as is reasonable given the circumstances of the fire department. In the absence of a full-time member in a rank between chief and the highest rank in a bargaining unit, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall be reduced to 2 members, one to be appointed by the chief and one by the union president, if any. If there is no exclusive bargaining representative, the chief shall appoint the second member of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee from among qualified members in the ranks of company officer and below. Before the conclusion of the apprenticeship period, the Joint Apprenticeship Committee shall meet to consider the apprentice's progress and performance and vote to retain the apprentice as a member of the fire department or to terminate the apprenticeship. If 3 of the 4 members of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee affirmatively vote to retain the apprentice (if a 2 member Joint Apprenticeship Committee exists, then both members must affirmatively vote to retain the apprentice), the local commission shall issue the apprentice a certificate of original appointment to the fire department.

(k) A person who knowingly divulges or receives test questions or answers before a written examination, or otherwise knowingly violates or subverts any requirement of this Section, commits a violation of this Section and may be subject to charges for official misconduct.

A person who is the knowing recipient of test information in advance of the examination shall be disqualified from the examination or discharged from the position to which he or she was appointed, as applicable, and otherwise subjected to disciplinary actions.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.