Public safety job fair part of quest to hire locally
Tim Kuhns, an internet technology troubleshooter who is between jobs, listened intently early Saturday afternoon while Angie Schulz, a training manager with the city’s emergency communications center, told him the place is easily the busiest 911 center in Wake County and one of the busiest in the state.
“You’re certainly welcome to leave your contact information,” Schulz told Kuhns, who lives near Apex. “And you’re welcome to take a handout,” she added before going into another spiel about the city of Raleigh’s employee benefits, “which are really good; we have medical, dental and we’re part of the state’s retirement system. I’ve been working here 22 years and I still enjoy it.”
As Kuhns made ready to leave, Schulz offered a parting shot. “We’re sure glad you came by!” she brightly told him.
Schulz echoed what recruiters with the city’s police and fire departments had been saying to the nearly 50 people who visited the city’s first job fair for emergency responders Saturday in a first-floor conference room at the McKimmon Center on the N.C. State University campus.
Derrick Haynes, 52, of Clayton, already works with the city’s planning and development services. He brought his son, Ramezees Haynes, 24, who said he was most interested in working for the fire department.
“I’m not much of a phone person. The call center just doesn’t appeal to me,” he said. “I talked to a police officer and that’s a good option too, but at the same time it’s too much conflict. I’m not saying I have issues with the police, but I don’t think I’m aggressive enough.”
The younger Haynes said he intends to apply to the fire department.
“They are first responders and they have the similar training as the police without the conflict,” he said. “The fire department is more helpful and less confrontational.”
Robert Jones, the city’s newly hired talent acquisition manager, was hoping at least 200 residents would show up for the job fair.
The police department was looking to fill 40 to 50 vacancies, the fire department more than 30 and the 911 center 15.
Jones said the event is part of community outreach to hire more residents as city employees while searching for qualified, diverse applicants who reflect the demographic makeup of the city.
The police department has struggled to reach diversity goals within its ranks by hiring more women and officers of color. As of August, whites made up more than 83 percent of the police department’s 761 sworn officers, while African-American men and women made up less than 11 percent, Latino officers just more than 4 percent and Asians about 1 percent.
By contrast, whites make up about 61 percent of Raleigh’s population, according to 2014 U.S. census estimates. African-Americans account for a little more than 27 percent, Hispanics 12 percent and Asians 3.7 percent.
John Hauser, a recruiter with the fire department, described the agency as “a very diverse workplace in every aspect, except gender.”
“The fire department is a male-dominated workplace,” he said.
It’s the best job in the world. You can’t get an idea of what it’s actually like until you do it.
John Hauser
recruiter with the fire departmentStill, it was easy to see how Ramezees Haynes left the building convinced that a job as a firefighter was the right career choice.
“It’s the best job in the world. You can’t get an idea of what it’s actually like until you do it,” Hauser said. “It’s awesome. You won’t get rich doing it, but you’ll never work a day of your life. It’s like hanging out with your second family.”
Jones said city agencies in North Carolina’s capital have to compete for employees with private businesses, along with county, state and federal government. The task is particularly challenging because “we live in a competitive environment for workers with the economy recovering.”
In addition to hosting more events where multiple departments participate, public safety recruiters are looking for potential hires with technical skills. So they are spending more time at community colleges, high schools and downtown cultural events such as the African American Cultural Celebration several weeks ago and at a Hispanic cultural celebration this month.
That unorthodox approach is starting to bear fruit, especially with the police department.
The 50 candidates who will start police academy next month will include 12 African-Americans and eight Hispanics.
“So it’s a beautiful thing,” said Sgt. E.M. Garcia, who was recruiting Saturday at the fair, “a lot of diversity.”
Kuhns, 55, walked out of the McKimmon Center shortly after 1 p.m. He had been working as a contract employee doing internet technology troubleshooting for employees with a call service in Cary that mainly served insurance companies and medical providers. He also worked “years ago” as a volunteer firefighter in Nash County and was familiar with some of the emergency jargon used by employees at the 911 center.
“It is a high-stress job, so that’s something I would have to consider,” he said.
He left before he found out about the 911 center’s quiet room.
“We have rooms for people to take a break and ‘de-stress,’ ” Schulz said. “In a 911 center there’s so much stimulus. You have phone calls. You have radio traffic and so we have a place for our employees to go have time to themselves after hearing about a baby not breathing, or a suicidal caller. It’s good to have a place to go.”
Thomasi McDonald: 919-829-4533, @tmcdona75589225
This story was originally published September 18, 2016 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Public safety job fair part of quest to hire locally."