Applicants for firefighter positions who are hired after January 20, 2015 shall be eligible for lateral entry pay if they have at least three (3) years continuous service as a full-time, paid certified firefighter/EMT. A lateral entry applicant shall not have more than a two (2)-year break in service from the time the applicant left a comparable fire suppression agency and the time the applicant applied with Waxahachie Fire-Rescue.
The starting pay for lateral entry firefighters with prior experience will be determined based on the number of years employed by their previous agency or agencies on the date of their Civil Service Entrance Examination with Waxahachie Fire-Rescue. For purposes of hiring, all lateral entry firefighter candidates must successfully complete each step in the Civil Service hiring process in the same manner as any other candidate.
Lateral entry firefighters who have at least three (3) years of qualified service at a fire agency shall be credited with their total number of whole years of service. These firefighters shall be initially placed at the step below the pay structure step commensurate with their qualified years of experience up to, but not exceeding, the second highest rate of pay specified for the firefighter rank.
The Lateral Entry Program is for lateral entry pay purposes only to determine placement into the existing pay structure. Actual work experience in another agency will not be considered for promotional eligibility requirements, vacation or holiday leave requests, departmental seniority or transfers.