Background Removal Standards for Firefighters

Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for any of the following reasons:

1. At any stage of the background investigation process, the applicant provides substantially inconsistent responses regarding illegal drug(s) or alcohol used or purchased by the applicant, as an adult.
2. At any stage of the background investigation process, the applicant fails to disclose or acknowledge any disqualifying behavior or activity on the part of the applicant, as an adult, relative to, and governed by, any of the Background Removal Standards or provides false information on documentation or to background personnel.
3. Failure or refusal to answer or respond to oral or written questions during any phase of the selection process.
4. Any attempt to distort the polygraph examination results.  
   
    

Note: For purposes of this standard, and Background Removal Standard G., the "use" of drugs occurs when an applicant smokes, puffs, ingests, tastes, injects, inhales, or otherwise tries, any illegal drug, including but not limited to cocaine, anabolic steroids, or chemical inhalants.

Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for any of the following reasons:

1. A conviction of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence involving use of force or threatened use of a deadly weapon.
2. Non-compliance with a court order or legal contract to provide child support, alimony, or other financial responsibility as determined by the appropriate support enforcement bureau or a court of law within the preceding three (3) years.
3. Intentional violation of any protective or temporary restraining order as determined by a court of law within seven (7) years.
4. Verified or admitted sexual abuse as an adult of one's spouse, ex-spouse, child, stepchild, parent, or other relative or person with whom one lived or has an intimate relationship.
5. Verified or admitted physical abuse as an adult within the last seven (7) years of one's spouse, ex-spouse, child, stepchild, parent, or other relative or person with whom one lived or has an intimate relationship.

Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for any of the following reasons:

1. Five (5) or more terminations and/or discharges within the last five (5) years. This shall not include terminations resulting from a business ceasing operations or resulting from being laid off from a position of employment.
2. Post-probationary termination or resignation in lieu of discipline from any of the following positions:
   1. Law enforcement or corrections officer,
   2. Salaried employee with a Fire/EMS agency, or
   3. Health care professional.

Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for any of the following reasons:

1. Dishonorable discharge from military service.
2. Conviction of any article of the Uniform Code of Military Justice that would be equivalent to a felony under the Ohio Revised Code (ORC).

Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for any of the following reasons:

1. Any conviction of vehicular homicide shall permanently eliminate an applicant from consideration.
2. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs:
   1. Conviction within the past five (5) years, or
   2. More than one (1) OVI conviction as an adult, or
   3. More than two (2) OVI convictions, if one (1) of the convictions was as a juvenile.
   4. Four (4) moving violations in the past four (4) years as an adult

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Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for any of the following reasons:   

1. Any pattern of theft offenses, within the last five (5) years, which cumulatively exceeds $1,000.00.
2. Any theft offense within the last five (5) years, which singularly is equal to a felony.
3. Any fraudulent insurance claims or fraudulent applications for welfare, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation or other public assistance programs in excess of $1,000.
4. Any admission or conviction of an offense as an adult defined as a felony by the federal, state, or local law in the jurisdiction where the felony occurred. An admission of a felony offense would be disqualifying unless otherwise addressed by these standards.
5. Any admission or conviction of an offense, as a juvenile of one (1) violent felony as defined by the federal, state, or local law in the jurisdiction where the offense occurred.
6. Any conviction of a misdemeanor offense of violence as defined by O.R.C. 2901.01(A)(9), or equivalent federal, state, or local law in the jurisdiction where the offense occurred, as an adult in the last five (5) years. More than one conviction of a misdemeanor offense of violence as an adult is permanently disqualifying.
7. Any conviction of more than one (1) misdemeanor offense of violence as a juvenile, as defined by O.R.C. 2901.01(A)(9), or equivalent federal, state, local law in the jurisdiction where the offense occurred.
8. Any admission of an offense for carrying a concealed weapon within the last five (5) years if it is defined as a felony by any federal, state or local law in the jurisdiction where the offense occurred.
9. Any pattern of theft offenses from an employer or during the course of employment as an adult.
10. Any Medicare or Medicaid fraud or appearance on Medicare or Medicaid exclusion lists.

Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for any of the following reasons:

1. Any use or purchase of drugs of abuse (except marijuana) within three (3) years. Drugs of abuse include chemical agents/solvent-based substances and prescription drugs taken for reasons other than intended use, in more than one incident and without a prescription, especially Schedule I, II, and III drugs (excluding marijuana).
2. Any illegal manufacture or sale of drugs of abuse, marijuana, or prescriptive drugs. However, if the substance was sold without profit to the applicant, the amount sold was de minimus, the sale(s) occurred when the applicant was a juvenile, or the action occurred more than five (5) years ago, then the above Rule shall be negated.

Note: For the purposes of this standard, the "purchase" of illegal drugs (other than marijuana) include those purchases made by pooling of resources or money by the applicant and others for substances for their own use.

Applicants will be removed from the eligibility list for the following reason:

1. Affiliation, as defined in Columbus City Code Chapter 1943.01, with any group that advocates for violence or the commission of crimes against a group of persons based on their race, ethnicity, nation, religion, disability, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.