# Los Angeles FD 2013



## djarmpit (Feb 20, 2013)

Just wanted to know how many EMTs/Paramedics applied for the LAFD and if you guys got a letter. I'll be testing March 2nd!


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 20, 2013)

Everyone and their mothers applied haha. I however was one of the few that did not.


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## DrankTheKoolaid (Feb 20, 2013)

2 of our employees have interviews coming up.


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## Handsome Robb (Feb 20, 2013)

Good luck on your test!


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## jgmedic (Feb 20, 2013)

Corky said:


> 2 of our employees have interviews coming up.



Weird, they haven't had their written test yet.


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## slewy (Feb 20, 2013)

I missed it


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## DrankTheKoolaid (Feb 20, 2013)

*re*



jgmedic said:


> Weird, they haven't had their written test yet.



They may have mispoken by saying interview when they really meant testing date, not sure


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## Thricenotrice (Feb 20, 2013)

Nobody has interviews. Tell your friends they should re-read the letter 

Test on the second


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## Rykielz (Feb 20, 2013)

I'd just assume you're getting an interview. From what I remember their test is a JOKE.


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## Tigger (Feb 20, 2013)

Rykielz said:


> I'd just assume you're getting an interview. From what I remember their test is a JOKE.



Doing well on an entrance exam certainly does not mean you are going to even come close to getting an interview. I've got two score to prove it. :angry:


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## Rykielz (Feb 20, 2013)

Tigger said:


> Doing well on an entrance exam certainly does not mean you are going to even come close to getting an interview. I've got two score to prove it. :angry:



On this particular exam it does. It's pass/fail and it's not a lottery. Their interview is where you get dropped. Expect to see a few clowns and ZZ top lookalikes; no seriously.


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## Tigger (Feb 20, 2013)

Rykielz said:


> On this particular exam it does. It's pass/fail and it's not a lottery. Their interview is where you get dropped. Expect to see a few clowns and ZZ top lookalikes; no seriously.



What's the point of an exam if it leaves you with thousands of interviews? Sheesh LAFD.


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## DesertMedic66 (Feb 20, 2013)

Tigger said:


> What's the point of an exam if it leaves you with thousands of interviews? Sheesh LAFD.



To weed out the complete idiots from the lesser idiots haha


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## Thricenotrice (Feb 20, 2013)

Just because its a pass/fail doesn't mean they won't take only the top scores to interviews.


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## STXmedic (Feb 20, 2013)

A pass/fail implies no score. 

I can't see them interviewing everyone with a "Pass". If they are stupid enough to try that, it will likely only last for a year. Fire departments are about as resistant to change as it comes, so I'd bet it's still a rank system with lotto.


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## sweetpete (Feb 20, 2013)

The FD I work for does the "pass/fail" method. But then, the applicant goes straight to a CBI. That's where we weed out about 90% of the applicants. 

Then comes the interview. Then a PAT. Then a CJO.

Actually, it's a pretty stout system.


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## Rykielz (Feb 20, 2013)

Don't believe me? LAFD sent out e-mails to come to their written test workshops prior to going to the exam. This is the first department I've ever seen do that. They claim it's so they can hire a "diverse" group. They also required everyone to fill out a Preliminary Background Check (PBA) to weed put some applicants.


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## STXmedic (Feb 20, 2013)

Rykielz said:


> Don't believe me? LAFD sent out e-mails to come to their written test workshops prior to going to the exam. This is the first department I've ever seen do that. They claim it's so they can hire a "diverse" group. They also required everyone to fill out a Preliminary Background Check (PBA) to weed put some applicants.



Our department has been doing all of that or years. It's not terribly uncommon. And these major departments have plenty of methods of getting the diversity they're looking for, some methods much shadier than others.


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## dhump4free (Feb 21, 2013)

Sorry guys I have a hard time believing they're taking everyone who passes the test for an interview. I heard the number of applicants was somewhere around 17,000 and if they interviewed everyone who got an 80% or above we would go through the academy in 2014.


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## Chris07 (Feb 21, 2013)

..17,000 and about how many open positions?

Regardless...the applicant to position ratio for fire department positions is just absurd.


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## Thricenotrice (Feb 21, 2013)

Rykielz said:


> Don't believe me? LAFD sent out e-mails to come to their written test workshops prior to going to the exam. This is the first department I've ever seen do that. They claim it's so they can hire a "diverse" group. They also required everyone to fill out a Preliminary Background Check (PBA) to weed put some applicants.



Countless large departments do this.... Example, Houston has just emailed me with the same sort of Info. 
Welcome to the system.

Pass fail does not mean that every one who passes will move on to the next step. If you pass the test, it does not mean you will move to the next step. You can pass, but not pass high enough to move forward.


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## Thricenotrice (Feb 21, 2013)

Chris07 said:


> ..17,000 and about how many open positions?
> 
> Regardless...the applicant to position ratio for fire department positions is just absurd.



That ratio is pretty good for the area. That's roughly 50 applicants per position. This is SoCal, that is normal (borderline good). Time to face reality......


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## dhump4free (Feb 21, 2013)

Chris07 said:


> ..17,000 and about how many open positions?
> 
> Regardless...the applicant to position ratio for fire department positions is just absurd.



I've never been told an exact number by LA City guys but the interwebs and current LA FF's are all around the 400 mark.


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## mike1390 (Feb 22, 2013)

dhump4free said:


> Sorry guys I have a hard time believing they're taking everyone who passes the test for an interview. I heard the number of applicants was somewhere around 17,000 and if they interviewed everyone who got an 80% or above we would go through the academy in 2014.



well considering thats when they are planning on having the academy....<_<

LAFD has tested the same way for years there is a min score and if you get that you are guaranteed an interview. Thats why the interview in weighted 100% because thats all it really comes down to. You have to realize if you aren't scoring between 95%-105% (veterans points) on the interview you will never get a job there.

The weeding out process started with the PBA questions, so drug users and criminals were out. Next will come the written, cant get a 70%? see yeah! of those who do get a passing score they will have to pass the CPAT (which is a joke and am surprised when I hear people say they actually train for it).  So before you even get to the interview you have weeded out the people who are not intelligent enough and who are not physically fit to do the job.
I tested with LAFD in there last written never got my results due to the hiring freeze. But I remember sitting in the room at the training center and thinking you could eliminate half of these people if you made everyone do 20 push ups just to take the written.


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## Rykielz (Feb 22, 2013)

mike1390 said:


> well considering thats when they are planning on having the academy....<_<
> 
> LAFD has tested the same way for years there is a min score and if you get that you are guaranteed an interview. Thats why the interview in weighted 100% because thats all it really comes down to. You have to realize if you aren't scoring between 95%-105% (veterans points) on the interview you will never get a job there.
> 
> ...



And their interview is no walk in the park. Definitely one of the harder interviews I've taken, right behind OCFA (where you are forced to give a 5 minute presentation on a random topic with 30 min to prepare).

Side note: The news was doing a broadcast on the CPAT a few months back and how several people had been training so they could pass it for "years". I remember thinking I don't want those people being responsible for my life or putting out a fire if they can't even pass a joke of a physical ability test like the CPAT. Go pass the biddle with a good time and then we'll talk.


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## jgmedic (Feb 22, 2013)

in the orientation, they said 140 off the bat and then 100 per year for the next 4 years. Rumor has they're taking 800 to interviews. Again, it's LA City, so I wouldn't believe anything until it happens.


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## Chris07 (Feb 22, 2013)

jgmedic said:


> Again, it's LA City, so I wouldn't believe anything until it happens.


That, my friends, is the key phrase.


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## Thricenotrice (Jun 3, 2013)

Have an interview on Wednesday, anybody else have theirs recently or coming up soon?


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## Jim37F (Jun 3, 2013)

Some numbers straight from the joinlafd.org recruitment website:

"The LAFD Firefighter exam is extremely competitive! Over 13,000 applicants were scheduled for the written test and over 9,500 candidates took it! Then, about 6,500 passed, and all who passed were instructed to submit proof of a valid CPAT on April 22, beginning at 8:00 am.

Because this exam is so competitive and there are so many candidates, the majority of CPAT proofs were received within the first hour! In order to be as fair and objective as possible, we process the CPAT proofs in order, based on the time that they were received in Personnel (not the time they were sent).

As a result, between candidates lined up around the Personnel Building, emails, and faxes, by 8:01 a.m. we had more than enough candidates to process for the first round of interviews!"


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## Jim37F (Jun 3, 2013)

I didn't get my CPAT in until ~12:30ish (d'oh, teach me to sleep in after getting off the ambulance at 2:00am!), so I'm still waiting for my interview, fingers crossed it'll get scheduled by Sept. 

No clue how many of the 6500 have actually passed and submitted their CPATs. Although a lot of people here call it a joke, like someone else said making everyone do 20 push-ups to take the written test would have cut a lot of people. I just don't think a lot of the joe schmoes off the street who never work out who thought the FD would be a cool gig and signed up for the test will pass the CPAT. 

But assuming all 6500 have already submitted a CPAT, the department has already said they'll interview them all, even if it takes a year or two to do so. But it's the interview and the background investigations where the numbers will really start to be slashed. A 95% on the interview is the minimum needed to advance (which reminds me, I need to get my DD214 into personnel for those 5 extra points!)


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