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3 <br /> 2 <br /> Background <br /> In 1992 transition away from a Public Safety System was underway <br /> in Chpel Hill and the Police and Fire Department had begun to <br /> recruit personnel separately for the first time in years. In an <br /> effort to save time and dollars, the Fire Department recruited <br /> candidates already certified as firefighters by the N.C. Fire <br /> Commission. Hiring uncertified but potential firefighters and <br /> then training them for 10 weeks (400 hours) in such small groups <br /> (2-3 at a time) was not cost effective. Hiring already trained <br /> personnel reduced the necessary training time to a 40 hour local <br /> orientation. The difficulty encountered using this approach was <br /> that the candidate field did not reflect a balanced and diverse <br /> candidate field that represented the cultural diversity of the <br /> community. Closer examination indicates that the two primary <br /> entry points for a fire service career in North Carolina are <br /> either through employment by communities large enough to sponsor <br /> a Fire Academy or through a volunteer fire department. This <br /> system produces few numbers of non-traditional candidates. <br /> Chapel Hill Fire Department is committed to a diverse workforce, <br /> therefore, another alternative was needed. <br /> Program Development <br /> In February of 1993 after talking with firefighter recruitment <br /> officers around the country, Fire Chief Dan Jones approached <br /> several local jobs and training agencies about forming a <br /> partnership to sponsor a Fire Academy whose purpose was to <br /> recruit, train, and prepare for employment, those non-traditional <br /> candidates previously difficult to find for fire service careers. <br /> A group consisting of representatives from Joint Orange Chatham <br /> Community Action (JOCCA) , Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public Schools, <br /> Durham Technical Community College, Durham City Education and <br /> Training Office (DCETO) and the chapel Hill Fire Department began <br /> regular meetings in May 1993 to explore the possibilities. The <br /> North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) and the Durham Fire <br /> Department joined the group during the summer. A coalition of <br /> these agencies was formed and work began to actually develop an <br /> Academy. A composite screening process was developed drawing <br /> from the preemployment criteria of a variety of North Carolina <br /> municipalities. Educational screening was added to ensure <br /> academic success of each candidate. The curriculum previously <br /> used by Chapel Hill Fire Academy was adopted to include topic <br /> such as cultural differences in the Fire Service, job interview <br /> skills and sexual harassment. A name for the Academy was adopted <br /> from a suggestion by Assistant Chief Bill Bibby of Durham Fire <br /> Department. The Triangle Fire Challenge Academy began to take <br />