Senate Bill No. 558
(By Senator Kessler)
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[Introduced March 22, 2001; referred to the Committee on Government Organization.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact section twenty, article fifteen, chapter eight of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to providing that paramedics will be given a special examination which tests only their qualifications or abilities as paramedics prior to being hired by a paid fire department.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section twenty, article fifteen, chapter eight of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 15. FIRE FIGHTING; FIRE COMPANIES AND DEPARTMENTS; CIVIL SERVICE FOR PAID FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

§8-15-20. Appointments from list of eligibles; special examinations for electricians, mechanics or paramedics.

Every position, unless filled by promotion, reinstatement or reduction, shall be filled only in the manner specified in this section. The appointing officer shall notify the firemen's civil service commission of any vacancy in a position which he or she desires to fill, and shall request the certification of eligibles. The commission shall forthwith certify, from the eligible list, the names of the three individuals thereon who received the highest averages at preceding competitive examinations held under the civil service provisions of this article within a period of three years next preceding the date of the prospective appointment. The appointing officer shall, thereupon, with sole reference to the relative merit and fitness of the candidates, make an appointment from the three names so certified: Provided, That should he or she make objection, to the commission, to one or more of these individuals, for any of the reasons stated in section nineteen of this article, and should such the objection be sustained by the commission, after a public hearing along the lines of the hearing provided for in section nineteen, if any such hearing is requested, the commission shall thereupon strike the name of any such individual from the eligible list, and certify the next highest name for each individual so stricken. As each subsequent vacancy occurs, in the same or another position, precisely the same procedure shall be is followed: Provided, however, That after any name has been three times rejected for the same or another position in favor of a name or names below it on the same list, the said name shall be stricken from the list. When there are a number of positions of the same kind to be filled at the same time, each appointment shall, nevertheless, be made separately and in accordance with the foregoing provisions. When an appointment is made under the provisions of this section it shall be is, in the first instance, for the probationary period of six months, as provided in section sixteen of this article: Provided further, That in the event any position as an electrician, or mechanic or paramedic is to be filled in any paid fire department, then the examinations to be given to applicants for either position these positions shall be are so drawn as to test only the qualifications of such the applicants in regard to their ability as electricians, or mechanics or paramedics, such the examinations to be special examinations.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide that paramedics will be given a "special examination" which tests only their qualifications or abilities as paramedics

prior to being hired by a paid fire department.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.