By Rita Savard
The Lowell Sun
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — Town officials approved spending $6,850 to outsource a panel of experts for hiring Chelmsford’s next fire chief.
The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved using MMA Consulting of Brookline to put the finalists for the job through a process that goes beyond a traditional interview and written exam.
“It tests skills, communication and other abilities you just can’t get from a standard interview,” said Town Manager Paul Cohen.
The assessment-center hiring method drops candidates in a mock workplace scenario where they must deal with a series of on-the-job situations, from disciplining employees to emergency-response tactics.
Candidates are closely watched by the assessment center team and judged on how quick they think on their feet.
Cohen said an assessment center, which was used to hire current Fire Chief Jack Parow in 1994, gives a much clearer picture of a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.
Selectman Chairman George Dixon has said hiring a group of outside experts who are trained in emergency management to critique the finalists will help take politics out of the process.
Out of the four companies the town looked at to run an assessment center, the Brookline company was the least expensive, Cohen said.
Town officials are eyeing September to name a new chief. The hiring process is already on track with a posted classified advertisement. Cohen said he hopes to whittle down the applicants to about five qualified candidates for the assessment process, which will most likely take place in June.
Cohen said he’s likely to announce Parow’s replacement after Labor Day. Parow is scheduled to leave his post in October.
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