COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE RATING SHEET INSTRUCTIONS 

FIRE CHIEF		DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF	DISTRICT FIRE CHIEF

Promotional Examination Date:  March 20, 2010

SUMMARY OF EXAMINATION PROCESS:

You will rate yourself:  In this examination component you will rate your own education, training, and work experience against a standard schedule.  You do so by filling out the Rating Sheet.  A standard schedule is a list of all types and levels of education, training, work experience, licensure, and other credentials which demonstrate your qualifications for the examination title and for which you may receive credit toward your examination score.

Everything that will receive credit is listed in these instructions:  The standard schedule is included in these instructions that explain how to fill out the Rating Sheet.  The circles on the Rating Sheet correspond to the items on the standard schedule.  The amount of credit which each circle on the Rating Sheet will receive has been decided in advance and entered into a computer program.  Your Rating Sheet will be machine scored using this program.  

PLEASE NOTE:  For the 2010 exam series, HRD will grant Education and Experience credit in the category of Continuing Education (Section IVC under “EDUCATION AND TRAINING”) for any Massachusetts Fire Training Council approved, certification areas which you have passed, as well as for non-degree Fire Science courses completed at a recognized college or university.    

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FILL OUT THE RATING SHEET WITHOUT READING ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS.  OTHERWISE, YOU COULD RECEIVE A LOWER SCORE THAN YOU DESERVE.  KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

Complete your Rating Sheet on your own to the best of your ability.  Accurate completion of the education and experience Rating Sheet is considered part of the examination.  In order to guarantee that no one receives any type of unfair advantage in the rating process, be advised that we are unable to provide individualized assistance to any applicant in filling out the Rating Sheet.  Positions in the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief and District Fire Chief classifications require the ability to read and understand instructions and take necessary steps to remember and implement them.  Failure to follow any instructions connected with this examination component is cause for disqualification.  PLEASE, NO PHONE CALLS.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:  Please carefully read and follow these instructions.  They may differ from the instructions for other examinations that you may have taken.

Fill out the worksheet in advance:  Fill out the worksheet version of the rating sheet before you go to the examination.  You may download and print a copy of the worksheet, the E & E Rating Sheet Instructions, and the Employment Verification Form from HRD’s internet website at http://www.mass.gov/hrd/.  At the examination you will copy the information from the worksheet onto the actual rating sheet that is printed in red.  At that time, if you applied for more than one examination announcement, you will complete a separate rating sheet for each promotional examination announcement for which you applied.  Please make sure you tell the examination proctor that you need more than one rating sheet.

How the worksheet will be used:  Remember to bring your completed worksheet to the examination.  Once you have transferred the information from the worksheet onto the rating sheet, which will be used for scoring purposes, the examination proctor will collect the rating sheets.  Keep your worksheet for your own records.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS (Continued):

The Human Resources Division (HRD) requires the submission of supporting documentation for all claims presented on your Rating Sheet.  Please bring copies of this documentation such as official college transcripts, copies of licenses, etc. with you to the examination site, or mail the copies to HRD within seven calendar days after the date of the examination (copies of documentation must be postmarked no later than March 27, 2010.)  Work experience claims must be supported by an Employment Verification Form or letter with original signature of your appointing authority or his/her designee.  The appointing authority must provide starting and ending dates at each grade level and indicate whether this was full-time or part-time employment (including any “provisional”/working out of grade time), dates and reasons for any breaks in service, as well as any other related data.  ALL experience applying to EACH category on the Employment Verification Form or letter from the appointing authority must be TOTALLED by number of hours or shifts in each category or it will not be credited.  ANY education claim that is not accompanied by supporting documentation, and/or any experience claim that is not accompanied by supporting documentation and totaled within each category on the Employment Verification Form or letter from the appointing authority, will be removed from your original score.  No new type of credit can be claimed once you submit your education and experience Rating Sheet.  The education and experience Rating Sheet must be submitted at the examination.  If you need to revise your claims after the examination, you must submit the revisions to HRD in writing, within seven calendar days after the date of the examination (postmarked no later than 
March 27, 2010.) Please be thorough.  

HRD accepts electronic documents via email attachments for experience and education verification.  The electronic version of a completed Employment Verification Form or an official employment verification letter should be submitted directly by the appointing authority or his/her designee.  Similarly, letters that verify an applicant’s teaching experience should be submitted directly by the teaching institutions.  Applicants may submit electronically copies of their transcripts, licenses, and DD214’s.  Please submit documents to Stephen.P.White@hrd.state.ma.us.  Should the issue of authenticity ever arise with the electronic documents at any point during the review process or during the life of this promotional list, applicants must submit original supporting documentation to HRD.

Once you receive your examination score, you will have seventeen calendar days from the mailing of your score to file an appeal of the scoring of your Education and Experience points.

Be prepared to provide copies of supporting documentation such as college transcripts, copies of licenses, etc. to the appointing authority upon request.

When you fill out the actual Rating Sheet at the examination site:
•	Use only a No. 2 pencil to fill out the Rating Sheet.
•	Fill in the circles corresponding to your responses completely.
•	Erase errors and stray pencil marks completely and cleanly.
•	Do not staple or fold the Rating Sheet.

I.	IDENTIFICATION:

Name, date of birth, date:  Print your name, date of birth, and today's date in the spaces provided.  Sign your name in the space marked signature.  

Signature:  Your signature indicates that you know false information may result in disqualification and possible penalties of perjury.  

Announcement number:  Find the number on the examination announcement.  Enter that number in the ann. no. block of the Rating Sheet.  Fill in the circles corresponding to that number.  If you applied for more than one examination announcement, put the correct announcement number on each Rating Sheet.  Do not enter announcement numbers other than those for which you applied.

Social Security Number:  Enter your social security number in the social security no. block of the Rating Sheet.  Fill in the circles corresponding to that number.

II.	ELIGIBILITY:  INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATIONS

IIA.	(1)	As a public safety applicant, your eligibility has been determined in advance.  Please answer 
yes to this question.

	(2)	As a public safety applicant, your eligibility has been determined in advance.  Please answer 
yes to this question.

IIB., IIC.	Do not answer.  Not applicable to this examination.

III.	WORK EXPERIENCE: 

CREDITING WORK EXPERIENCE:  In this section you rate your work experience as of the date of the examination based on type, amount, and recency.  After you have read the instructions on this and the following page, read the description of work in each category on pages 5 and 6 of these instructions, beginning with the first category and working down the page.  Do not rate any category in which you have less than one month of experience and do not indicate the same work experience in more than one category.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR CATEGORY 7:  Category 7 allows you to receive credit for experience within the specified department as a Permanent Full-Time Firefighter, Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, District Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief or Fire Chief or higher which occurred prior to March 20, 1998.  If you have experience in more than one title which applies to this category, add the time spent in each title together and record the total time in the appropriate response area.  Experience in the specified department as a Firefighter, Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, District Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief or Fire Chief or higher occurring on or after March 20, 1998 should be recorded in the applicable previous category (Categories 1-6).  Record experience which occurred from March 20, 1993 to March 20, 1998 in column (1) of Category 7. Record experience prior to March 20, 1993 in colum n (2) of Category 7.

RECENT VS. OLDER EXPERIENCE:  There are separate places to put recent and older experience in each category:  If you have experience in a category (except Category 7), fill in the circle to the right of that category in column (1) corresponding to the amount of experience you have had within 5 years of the examination date and fill in a circle to the right of that category in column (2) corresponding to the amount of experience you had more than five years before the examination date.  

CREDITING “ACTING” OR “PROVISIONAL” SERVICE:  You may choose to include any "acting" or "provisional" experience, i.e., experience in titles higher than your permanent title(s), in either the higher, “acting” title(s), or in the lower permanent title(s), whichever gives you the most credit.  If you can claim maximum credit in any category or column without the use of some or all of your “acting” or “provisional” time in the higher title, it may benefit you to mark some or all of the “acting” or “provisional” time in the lower permanent title.  Let’s say, for example, you have served 11 years as a permanent Lieutenant, 6 months as an “acting” Lieutenant and 30 months as a permanent Firefighter in addition to the time (6 months) you served as an “acting” Lieutenant.  Your “acting” Lieutenant time may be applied to either the Lieutenant or Firefighter category.  In this example, because you can already claim the maximum amount of credit in both columns of the Lieutenant category without the use of the “acting” time, you should count the time served as an “acting” Lieutenant in the Firefighter category.  Applying the “acting” time to the Firefighter category would result in a credit of 36-47 months in column 2.  However, if you decided to count the “acting” time in the Lieutenant category, you could only claim 24-35 months in column 2 of the Firefighter category.  The “acting” Lieutenant time would not get you any additional credit in the Lieutenant category because you can already claim the maximum credit in columns 1 and 2 of the Lieutenant category based on permanent service as a Lieutenant.

You may include experience in the higher title that is officially recognized by your appointing authority even if your jurisdiction does not pay acting experience at the higher rate.  

Do not rate any category in which you have less than one month (16 or more full work days/shifts or 172 work hours) of experience and do not indicate the same work experience in more than one category.
III.	WORK EXPERIENCE (Continued):

CREDITING PART-TIME SERVICE:  Prorate part‑time experience on the basis of a 40‑hour work week (172 work hours per month).  Example: 20 hours per week for 30 months is prorated as 20/40 times 30 = 15 months.  Therefore, you should fill in the range for 12‑23 months.  Note:  This 40-hour work week crediting concept applies only to part-time (or acting) experience.  Full-time experience is credited based on your jurisdiction's normal work week.

BREAKS IN SERVICE: If a candidate has an absence due to a suspension that involves either 16 work days/shifts or more, or a calendar month or longer, HRD will not grant E & E points for that period of time.  HRD also does not credit any breaks in service due to layoffs.  Service performed in other departments prior to transferring to the current, specified department, may be claimed only in Category 8 and be credited only upon having met the criteria stated in that Category. 

MARK ONLY ONE CIRCLE PER COLUMN:  Do not fill in more than one circle in the same column.
Depending on the length of time spent in particular positions, it is possible to have responses in both column (1) and column (2) of the same category.  Use both columns as needed.  Count 16 or more full work days or shifts in a month as a full month.

EXAMPLE:  As of the examination date, you have been performing the work described in Category 2 since
January 20, 1997 fill in the circle to the right of the time range 48-59 months in Category 2, column (1) to reflect your Category 2 experience on or after March 20, 2005.  Also fill in the circle to the right of the time range 71-83 months (printed as over 71 months on the rating sheet) in Category 2, column (2) to reflect your remaining experience which occurred between March 20, 1998 and March 20, 2005.  INCLUDE YOUR CATEGORY 2 EXPERIENCE WHICH OCCURRED PRIOR TO March 20, 1998 IN CATEGORY 7.  Fill in the circle to the right of the time range 12-23 months in Category 7, column (1) to record your Category 2 experience which occurred from January 20, 1997 to March 20, 1998 (14 months).

					

Caution:  Note that the maximum score for any single category (or combined categories in column 1) is 48‑59 months for recent experience, plus over 71 months of experience which occurred more than five years prior to the date of the examination.  In the above example, if in Category 2 you just marked the circle for  "Over 71 months" in column (2) you would lose credit for your most recent five years of experience as well as your older Category 7 experience!  The specified department is the one stated on the poster for the announcement number for which you are filling out a Rating Sheet.

III. WORK EXPERIENCE (Continued):

CATEGORIES OF EXPERIENCE:  Please remember that all types of experience in each category must be totaled on your Employment Verification Form or letter from the appointing authority.  Experience that is not totalled cannot be credited.  

Categories 1-7 include experience in the specified department only.  No extra credit is given for specialized work assignments such as training officer.  For example, a Fire Lieutenant who specialized in hazardous materials should include that experience in Category 5 (Fire Lieutenant).

Category 1:  Experience in the specified department in Fire Chief or higher positions.  Experience from
March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2010 should be recorded in column (1).  Record experience which occurred on or after March 20, 1998 and prior to March 20, 2005 in column (2).  Experience prior to March 20, 1998 may be included in Category 7 below.

Category 2:  Experience in the specified department in Deputy Fire Chief or higher positions below the rank of Fire Chief.  Do not include experience for which you have given yourself credit in a previous category.  Experience from March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2010 should be recorded in column (1).  Record experience which occurred on or after March 20, 1998 and prior to March 20, 2005 in column (2).  Experience prior to March 20, 1998 may be included in Category 7 below.

Category 3:  Experience in the specified department in District Fire Chief or higher positions below the rank of Deputy Fire Chief.  Do not include experience for which you have given yourself credit in a previous category.  Experience from March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2010 should be recorded in column (1).  Record experience which occurred on or after March 20, 1998 and prior to March 20, 2005 in column (2).  Experience prior to March 20, 1998 may be included in Category 7 below.

Category 4:  Experience in the specified department in Fire Captain or higher positions below the rank of
District Fire Chief.  Do not include experience for which you have given yourself credit in a previous category.  Experience from March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2010 should be recorded in column (1).  Record experience which occurred on or after March 20, 1998 and prior to March 20, 2005 in column (2).  Experience prior to March 20, 1998 may be included in Category 7 below.

Category 5:  Experience in the specified department in Fire Lieutenant or higher positions below the rank of Fire Captain.  Do not include experience for which you have given yourself credit in a previous category.  Experience from March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2010 should be recorded in column (1).  Record experience which occurred on or after March 20, 1998 and prior to March 20, 2005 in column (2).  Experience prior to March 20, 1998 may be included in Category 7 below.

Category 6:  Experience in the specified department in Firefighter or higher positions below the rank of Fire Lieutenant.  Do not include experience for which you have given yourself credit in a previous category.  Experience from March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2010 should be recorded in column (1).  Record experience which occurred on or after March 20, 1998 and prior to March 20, 2005 in column (2).  Experience prior to March 20, 1998 may be included in Category 7 below.

Category 7:  Experience in the specified department in a Permanent Full-Time Firefighter position or higher which occurred prior to March 20, 1998.  This is the category which allows you to receive credit for experience in the specified department as a Permanent Full-Time Firefighter, Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, District Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief or Fire Chief which occurred prior to March 20, 1998.  Do not include experience for which you have given yourself credit in a previous category.  Experience from March 20, 1993 to March 20, 1998 should be recorded in column (1).  Record experience which occurred prior to 
March 20, 1993 in column (2).

III.	WORK EXPERIENCE (Continued):

Category 8 includes experience outside the specified department only.  

Category 8:  Experience outside the specified department in a recognized fire fighting department as a Firefighter or in a position supervising Firefighters.  Do not record experience in the maritime services or in a private industrial company.  Military fire fighting service is creditable only if you can document service in a military occupational specialty, such as Fire Protection Specialist, in which fire fighting was the main purpose of your duty.  Experience from March 20, 2005 to March 20, 2010 should be recorded in column (1). Record experience which occurred on or after March 20, 1998 and prior to March 20, 2005 in column (2).

IV.	EDUCATION AND TRAINING:  

Indicate your education and training as of the date of the examination.  

IVA.	(1, 2, 3)	Do not answer.  Not applicable to this examination.

IVB.	STEP 1 - READ THE LIST OF DEGREES IN EACH CATEGORY:

	Category 1:  Fire science; fire administration; public administration; business 
	administration; management; engineering (civil, chemical, structural, electrical, building 
	construction, or fire prevention); chemical, physical, or biological sciences; or computer science.

	Category 2:  All other fields.

	STEP 2 - INDICATE COLLEGE DEGREES YOU HAVE EARNED AS FOLLOWS:

If you have a degree in a field listed in Category 1, indicate the highest degree you have received from a recognized college or university in the column for Category 1 and make no entries in Category 2.  Finish reading this page and then read Step 3 on the next page.

A recognized college or university shall mean an accredited higher education institution a) in the United States, or b) granting degrees (or degree program credits) that are recognized by an approved United States accrediting agency or that are transferable to an accredited higher education institution in the United States.

If you have a degree in a field listed in Category 2 but not in Category 1, indicate the highest degree you have received from a recognized college or university in the column for Category 2 and make no entries in Category 1.  If you do not have a degree, but have successfully earned credits toward a degree from a recognized college or university, make no entries in either degree category, and go to Step 3 on the next page.

In either category, each level beyond “None” receives credit for an additional 60 semester hours.  You will receive credit for all levels up to and including the one you checked.  Do not indicate the same degree more than once or in more than one category.  If you have not completed any degree, check “None”.

	Example:  If you have a Bachelor's degree in a field listed in Category 1 fill in the circle next to 	Bachelor's in Category 1.

IV.	EDUCATION AND TRAINING:  IVB.,  (Continued):

	STEP 3 - INDICATE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED COURSES AT A RECOGNIZED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY WHICH WERE NOT COUNTED TOWARD A FINISHED DEGREE CREDITED IN STEP 2, ABOVE AND ON THE PRECEDING PAGE, AS FOLLOWS: (Do not include continuing education units, workshops, in-service training or seminars.  Only successfully completed courses taken toward an unfinished degree are creditable in this step.  Do not “double-count” any transferred courses which were previously taken toward a completed degree claimed in STEP 2. Certificate programs are not degree programs and therefore, courses completed toward a certificate must first be transferred to a matriculated, degree program in order to be eligible for E & E credit.)

In the circles to the right, indicate any additional semester hours not included in any of the degrees which you indicated.  One year of education or training is equal to 30 semester hours or their equivalent.

If you have two degrees at the same level (for example, two Bachelor's degrees) include the semester hours for the second degree here in the appropriate category.  Also include semester hours for any degrees in Category 2 beyond your degree in Category 1.  An example is a Master's degree in Category 2 if, in STEP 2, you claimed a Bachelor's degree in Category 1.  Do not indicate the same college courses more than once or in more than one category.

Example:  If you claimed a Bachelor’s degree in Category 1 in STEP 2 and then earned an additional 15 semester hours towards your Master’s degree in a field listed in Category 1, fill in circles for 015 semester hours in Category 1.  If you then earned a Master’s degree in Category 2, fill in the circles for 060 in
Category 2.

IV.	EDUCATION AND TRAINING (Continued):

IVC.   Continuing Education Courses: For the 2010 exam series, HRD will grant Education and Experience credit in this category for any Massachusetts Fire Training Council approved, certification areas which you have passed, as well as for non-degree Fire Science courses completed at a recognized college or university. Indicate the number (up to 10) of certification areas and courses you have passed by the date of the exam, and verify your claim by submitting a copy of the proper certifications issued by the Massachusetts Fire Training Council (or the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications) and official transcripts issued by a recognized college or university.  The following certification areas are eligible for credit:  Firefighter I, Firefighter II, Firefighter I/II, Fire Instructor I, Fire Instructor II, Fire Officer I, Fire Officer II, Safety Officer, Public Fire Educator, Fire Inspector I, Fire Inspector II, Fire Investigator, Haz Mat Technician, Haz Mat Operational, Driver Operator/Pumper, Driver Operator/Aerial.

V.	COLLATERAL SKILLS:

VA.	For each category, indicate the number of courses you have taught in a recognized college, university, fire academy, or non-degree granting school above the high school level as of the date of the examination.  HRD does not credit teaching in-service workshops or classes. DO NOT INDICATE THE SAME COURSE IN MORE THAN ONE CATEGORY.  DO NOT COUNT THE SAME COURSE MORE THAN ONCE IF YOU HAVE INSTRUCTED IT ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. Any claim of course teaching must be verified in writing by the teaching institutions.  Instructor certificates alone are insufficient as proof of actual teaching.

	Category 1:  Fire science; fire administration; public administration; business 
	administration; management; engineering (civil, chemical, structural, electrical, building 
	construction, or fire prevention); chemical, physical, or biological sciences; or computer science.
	
	Category 2:  All other fields.

VB.	Category 1:  Answer yes if you are currently certified as an Emergency Medical 
	Technician by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

	Category 2:  Answer yes if you are currently certified as an Instructor in Basic Life Support 
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation by the American Heart Association, or if as an Instructor of the equivalent course and audience level (i.e. firefighters, first responders, or professional rescuers) by the American Red Cross. 

You must submit a copy of the current EMT or BLS Instructor license for any claim in Section VB.

VC., VD.   Do not answer.  Not applicable to this examination.