CIFA Minutes

Overview

MEMORANDUM

To: C.I.F.A. Members and Attendees

From: Laura Hausman, Assistant Executive Director

Date: March 23, 2026

Subject: CIFA Meeting Minutes

The following is a summary of the items discussed during the joint CIFA committee meeting on Monday, March 23, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Per the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Columbus and the Columbus Fire Fighters Union Local #67 (IAFF) (the Contract), Section 23.2, the development of certain administration policies and procedures will be discussed by a joint committee comprised of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Public Safety Department, and the IAFF. This CIFA meeting was set to meet this contractual requirement for the 2027 fire promotional exams to be administered in late 2026 and in 2027. The CIFA meeting was designed to discuss test administration plans, with a goal of identifying and resolving issues regarding these plans. The following individuals were in attendance.

Attendees:

• Cayla Burke, Personnel Analyst II, CSC
• Laura Hausman, Assistant Executive Director, CSC
• Christopher Jones, Personnel Analyst II, CSC
• Mark Maddox, IAFF Representative
• James Sancin, Fire Assistant Chief, Division of Fire
• Douglas Sarff, Deputy Director, Public Safety
• Michael Secrist, Fire Assistant Chief, Division of Fire
• Steve Stein, IAFF President

Topics of Discussion

I. Welcome

CIFA member introductions were made and a brief overview of CIFA and its purpose was stated. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss preliminary plans for the upcoming fire promotional exams being administered in late 2026 and early 2027.

II. Exam Contacts

The exam contacts are as follows:

• a. Department contact – Doug Sarff
• b. Division contact – Mike Secrist
• c. IAFF contact – Steve Stein and Jake Jones
• d. IAFF Consultant – The Aldridge Group (TAG)
• e. CSC contact – Laura Hausman, 614-645-6893, lahausman@columbus.gov

III. Security Agreements

CSC collected security agreements from all non-CSC staff before the meeting started. The security agreement is necessary due to the confidential nature of the information discussed during the meeting. Information discussed during this meeting is confidential until the CIFA meeting minutes are published on the CSC website.

IAFF expressed concerns about a perceived test security breach in the previous test administration, which they believed originated within CSC and was not adequately investigated. They believe test scores were released to some candidates before the official results notices were sent. The IAFF states that this breach has undermined the trust of the testing process among candidates. CSC stated that no violations were found after an internal investigation, but the IAFF feels that the security breach was not properly investigated. CSC reiterated that the investigation found no basis for the security breach allegation.

Subject Matter Experts

Subject matter experts (SMEs) remain a vital role in the development of the fire promotional exams. CSC recommends the exam development SMEs be internal to maintain the relevance of the exams to the City of Columbus. The other CIFA members in attendance maintain the stance that external SMEs be used during test development due to exam security concerns. The CSC has agreed to use external test development SMEs for all fire promotional exams during this cycle but maintains that internal SMEs are preferred. CSC will use a division liaison, Assistant Chief Michael Secrist, to provide technical expertise for questions, as needed, throughout the exam process.

CSC has been conducting job observations so that CSC analysts can gain insight and greater familiarity with the duties performed within each job class.

Reading Lists

Once finalized, CSC will post all reading lists on the rank-specific CSC webpages. Copies of the internal sources for testing will not be posted on CSC webpages. Instead, they will be posted on the Division of Fire’s internal system, Vector Solutions. Efforts will be made to communicate clearly to candidates where to find the sources. The internal sources should have a note on the cover stating that they are for testing so that the candidates can be sure they are studying the correct source. CSC will not provide copies of external sources; candidates must obtain external sources independently.

CSC presented the following planned changes to the reading lists:

• Media sources (videos), such as TED Talks, have been removed from the reading lists for all ranks.
• Tactical Response to Natural Gas Emergencies by Jerry Knapp and Brian Focht has been added to the reading lists for all ranks.
• Out of Class manual has been added to the Fire Lieutenant reading list.
• The Practice of Adaptive Leadership has been removed from the Battalion Chief reading list.
• Fire Department Incident Safety Officer has been removed from the Deputy Chief reading list.

CSC will continue to work with the Division contact to ensure that the reading lists remain current and relevant.

2027 Fire Lieutenant Tentative Reading List

May be tested on the following phase(s):

*The internal sources have been edited, omitting limited sections. When preparing for the examination only use the version of the sources provided on the Civil Service Commission’s Website.

May be tested on the following phase(s):

2027 Fire Captain Tentative Reading List

May be tested on the following phase(s):

*The internal sources have been edited, omitting limited sections. When preparing for the examination only use the version of the sources provided on the Civil Service Commission’s Website.

May be tested on the following phase(s):

IMPORTANT:

1. When ordering books, be sure to utilize the ISBN number.
2. Any of the listed source materials may be referenced by candidates during the preparation period of the Oral Board phase. All other exam phases are closed book. Personal electronic sources will not be permitted for use during exams.

2027 Fire Battalion Chief Tentative Reading List

May be tested on the following phase(s):

*The internal sources have been edited, omitting limited sections. When preparing for the examination only use the version of the sources provided on the Civil Service Commission’s Website.

May be tested on the following phase(s):

IMPORTANT:

1. When ordering books, be sure to utilize the ISBN number.
2. Any of the listed source materials may be referenced by candidates during the Written Work Sample or the preparation period of the Oral Board phase. All other exam phases are closed book. Personal electronic sources will not be permitted for use during exams.

2027 Fire Deputy Chief Tentative Reading List

May be tested on the following phase(s):

*The internal sources have been edited, omitting limited sections. When preparing for the examination only use the version of the sources provided on the Civil Service Commission’s Website.

May be tested on the following phase(s):

IMPORTANT:

1. When ordering books, be sure to utilize the ISBN number.
2. Any of the listed source materials may be referenced by candidates during the Written Work Sample or the preparation period of the Oral Board phase. All other exam phases are closed book. Personal electronic sources will not be permitted for use during exams.

Information to Candidates

CSC will draft announcements for the Division public address system and/or emails, which will alert potential candidates of filing periods and other pertinent exam information. These announcements and emails will be communicated through the Division contact.

Information videos will be developed and posted to the CSC website. This format allows candidates to view the videos at their convenience and ensures that all candidates receive the same information. In addition to the information videos, test guides for the Lieutenant and Captain exams will be posted to the CSC website.

Questions and Answers (Q&A) documents will be posted on the CSC website. During the testing cycle, CSC receives emails and calls from candidates asking test related questions. When candidates ask questions that are already provided on CSC’s website, CSC will answer the question or refer the candidate to the website where the information can be found. When the answer is not available or won’t be posted soon, CSC will draft the question and response and post them in the appropriate Q&A document(s). Candidates will be responsible for checking the Q&As for updates throughout the exam process.

CSC will email the test plans to TAG and IAFF once they are finalized.

Accommodations

Military and ADA test accommodation requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis. These requests are considered when the accommodation can be administered on the same day as other candidates. Accommodation requests should be submitted as soon as possible. For post exam procedures, such as appeals and clerical reviews, accommodation requests for alternate dates will also be considered for mandatory work-related conflicts; however, these accommodations are only for reviewing the test material, not for submitting appeals or petitions. The conflict must occur for all dates that the appeals/reviews are offered; the timeliness of the request is also a factor.

Test Dates

The CSC shared an overview of the planned test dates. The dates are similar to past exam dates. However, there may be some variation due to availability of an outside venue for testing and adjustments due to weather conditions. Below is a summary of the planned months for various activities for the 2026/2027 fire promotional testing.

Activity – Month/Year

• Applications – September 2026
• BC/DC WWS – November 2026
• BC/DC Tactical & OB – December 2026
• BC/DC Eligible List – February 2027
• Lt./Capt. MC & Lt. Tactical – January 2027 (same day)
• Captain Tactical – March 2027
• Lt. OB – March 2027
• Captain OB – April 2027
• Lt./Capt. Eligible List – May 2027

Fire Lieutenant and Fire Captain Exams Important Dates ~ Tentative

NOTE: The scheduled dates are subject to revision. Any deviations from this schedule will be documented and applicable notifications, if any, will be made.

Fire Battalion Chief & Fire Deputy Chief Exams Important Dates ~ Tentative

Monday, February 15 — Civil Service Commission offices will be closed.

NOTES: The scheduled dates are subject to revision. Any deviations from this schedule will be documented and applicable notifications, if any, will be made.

Exam Details: Fire Lieutenant and Fire Captain

The exams for both ranks will be weighted as follows:

• Multiple Choice: 25%
• Tactical: 50%
• Oral Board: 25%

Multiple Choice

The Lieutenant and Captain exams take place on the same day.

Tactical

The Lieutenant tactical exam takes place in the afternoon on the same day as the multiple-choice exam. Candidates will watch the exam video and record their responses on a scan enabled answer sheet. For the Captain tactical exam, candidates will take the exam in separate rooms, watch the exam video and verbally respond to the exam exercises. The exam will be scored with only the audio of the candidate, and the exam will take place at a later date.

Oral Board

There is no change in format from the last administration. The Lieutenant oral board exam will be video based. The Captain oral board exam will be a live interaction.

Appeals

The appeals for Lieutenant and Captain multiple-choice exams and the Lieutenant tactical exam will be administered on the three days following the exams. CSC will accept appeals from all candidates. However, Fire Lieutenant tactical appeals will only be considered from candidates who pass the multiple-choice hurdle.

During appeals, Fire Lieutenant Exam candidates will be assigned an identifier to record on their appeal forms. This will allow CSC to identify appeals from candidates who failed the Fire Lieutenant Multiple-Choice Exam and remove their tactical appeals before the SME review. Identifiers will remain confidential to CSC staff. SMEs will not have access to the identifier system.

Captain tactical appeals will take place on the three days following the exam in March.

For the Fire Lieutenant and Fire Captain appeals review, SMEs will be assigned by the Division of Fire to ensure the SMEs are assigned to the Emergency Services Bureau.

Exam Details: Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief

Civil Service stated that for Deputy Chief it is planned that if three or fewer candidates appear for the written phase, only that phase will be administered and an eligible list created, as only three names are needed for certification in the Rule of Three process. The IAFF expressed concerns about not administering the tactical exercise, emphasizing its importance for assessing readiness for complex incidents.

The exams for both ranks will be weighted as follows:

• Written Work Sample: 25%
• Tactical: 50%
• Oral Board: 25%

Written Work Sample

For both ranks, the written work sample will consist of two exercises. CSC confirmed with the IAFF that they still want a staffing problem included on the exam. CSC has not received a manual from the Division; this, along with using external SMEs, makes it hard to develop an exercise that will look similar to the actual staffing process. Assistant Chief Secrist stated that he will provide CSC with a manual. IAFF stated that Assistant Chief Secrist should act as a liaison during the development of the staffing problem to make sure all the KSAOs are covered.

Tactical

For both ranks, the tactical exam will consist of live interactions. Tactical experts will be in the room while the candidates take their exam and respond to the candidates’ questions and commands. For Battalion Chief, there will be two exercises. For Deputy Chief, there will be one exercise.

Oral Board

For both ranks, the oral board exam will be a live interaction. For Battalion Chief, there will be two exercises. For Deputy Chief, there will be one exercise.

Video and Score-Sheet Review

No appeals process is provided for Battalion Chief and Deputy Chief exams, but candidates can review their oral board videos and copies of their score sheets after the tentative results are sent. The score sheet review allows candidates the opportunity to make sure the recorded scores match the assessors’ scores.

Test Results Procedures

The results release procedures were reviewed for each exam process. At the time of the tentative results: 1) all scores will be sent to the IAFF testing consultant; 2) the IAFF will be provided with candidate names and seniority points for verification; and 3) candidates will receive their raw scores for each phase, scores by dimension, the high, low and average for each phase, and seniority points. Candidates should call CSC if they have questions regarding their scores during the tentative results period.

At the time of the final results, candidates will receive their final score and rank. CSC confirmed who will receive a copy of the final eligible list for each exam. It was determined that the eligible lists will be sent to Public Safety, the Division CIFA representative, and the IAFF. The IAFF asks that final results be sent to Jake Jones, copying Steve Stein. The results release procedures have been edited to reflect the recipients designated during the CIFA meeting.

Test Results Release Procedure: 2027 Fire Lieutenant and Fire Captain Exams

1. On Tuesday, May 4, 2027, the Civil Service Commission will:
   • issue to the Union’s testing consultant the person identification numbers, raw scores, z-scores, subtotal scores, seniority points, final scores and resultant ranks for the 2027 Fire Lieutenant and Fire Captain Examinations.
   • issue to the Union a list of all candidates with seniority points.
   • send to the candidates the tentative results notice indicating their raw scores, raw oral exam scores by dimension, the high, low and mean scores for each phase and their seniority points.
2. On Friday, May 14, 2027 (represents two (2) business days prior to Sunday, May 16, 2027 effective date of the list):
   • a final results notice will be sent to candidates indicating their final score and ranking on the subject eligible list.
   • a copy of the final eligible list will be emailed to the Department of Public Safety, the Division’s CIFA representative, and the Union at approximately 11:00 a.m.
3. Should the Union not retain a testing expert for this exam, the Commission will proceed with this procedure as noted with the exception of issuing the information to the consultant as prescribed in Step 1, Bullet 1.

Test Results Release Procedure: 2027 Fire Battalion Chief and Fire Deputy Chief Exams

1. On Tuesday, February 9, 2027, the Civil Service Commission will:
   • issue to the Union’s testing consultant the person identification numbers, raw scores, z-scores, subtotal scores, seniority points, final scores and resultant ranks for the 2027 Fire Battalion Chief and Fire Deputy Chief Examinations.
   • issue to the Union a list of all candidates with seniority points.
   • send to the candidates the tentative results notice indicating their raw scores, raw Oral Exam and Tactical Exam scores by dimension, the high, low and mean scores for each phase, and their seniority points.
2. On Friday, February 19, 2027 (represents one (1) business day prior to the February 20, 2027 effective date of the list):
   • send final results notices to candidates indicating their final score and ranking on the subject eligible list.
   • email a copy of the final eligible list to the Department of Public Safety, the Division’s CIFA representative, and the Union at approximately 11:00 a.m.
3. Should the Union not retain a testing expert for this exam, the Commission will proceed with this procedure as noted with the exception of issuing the information to the consultant as prescribed in Step 1, Bullet 1.

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