No Mere Background Checks for Society's Finest

Police and fire departments have a reputation of employing society's finest men and women. These civil servants are held up to the highest standards taxpayers have come to expect, especially in emergency situations.

That is the reason behind the multiple vacancies that are common in these departments nationwide. At first, this discrepancy may strike one as a little strange: after all, at a time when so many unemployed people are looking for jobs, it shouldn't be that hard to fill these positions. Yet, it's not that simple, because in this case, the caliber of suitable people far exceeds common expectations for qualified applicants.

These job applicants must be dedicated and trustworthy to the extreme, without a blemish on their past history, physically fit, and have the right personality. After all, they are the ones to come into people's homes when disaster strikes. The candidates who get the job must be able to handle crisis and extreme stress while offering compassion to those in need. They must know it's a lifetime commitment and expect to deal with heart-wrenching tragedies, trauma and death, then go home and resume their personal lives.

The selection process includes many grueling steps. The hopefuls must first pass an extensive background check, a psychological evaluation, a physical agility test and a standardized written exam. Once they make it successfully through all these stages, the real selection process begins on a much more personal level, until finally only the best few get invited to a second interview. It's not uncommon for this process to take up to a year, and only the most committed few are willing to wait that long, which also helps with the process of elimination and final selection.

Knowing how carefully police and fire departments choose their personnel should really put our minds at ease; we are getting the best of the best to take care of us. Still, one can't help but feel a little sorry for them, what with all the grueling obstacles they must conquer to get the job. In comparison, almost everyone else has a much easier time getting hired. We ordinary mortals complain about the mere background checks we must pass to get a job. Coupled with the knowledge that these unsung heroes only make in the mid-30s after ten years on the job, the degree of commitment they invest in their careers really starts to sink in.