Describing this job to others and encouraging them to take on the challenge serves as a reminder to us why we love our jobs. The infrequency of our H-2 tests, coupled with some changes in applicant requirements makes recruitment all that more important. The Dept has taken a passive role in recruitment and has therefore put a lot of the responsibility on the Union and its membership. The employee groups have also taken on a share of the responsibility. Together we can insure a qualified and diverse group of applicants to chose from.

On Sunday, May 6 nine firefighters organized and staffed a recruitment and information booth at Civic Center Plaza. The occasion was for the Cinco de Mayo festival. We had an Aerial truck on hand for public viewing and some aerial operations. The public was allowed to inspect the truck and watch firefighters climb and operate the aerial.

The information booth featured pictures taken from the Mainline and news footage from some of our more dramatic fires and rescues. We also had turnout equipment and Scots for potential applicants to try on. The recruitment effort was a huge success. We made contact with a couple of hundred applicants many of whom filled out interest cards. We feel that word of mouth will reach many more possible applicants.

Fernando Juarez was also on hand from our Community Relations Department. He handed out a lot of Fire Safety information and dozens of little red fire hats. Our public relations operation was just as big a success as our recruitment efforts.

I would like to thank the following firefighters who gave of their time to make this campaign a success: Natalie Hernandez, Moisa Cueto, Dustin Novo, Mariano Elias, Bob Lopez, Edward Londono, Fernando Juarez, Donny Bendo.

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