Officials have expanded the recruitment of its City Fire Department by releasing applications for captains, engineers and firefighter/paramedics.
The move comes less than a month after the city announced the hiring of Greg Benson, a former fire chief in Illinois with more than 30 years of public safety experience, to lead the department.
Benson, who will officially assume the role next week, is overseeing hiring as the department ramps up to a 64-employee staff.
In February, the city launched the recruitment for a division chief and three battalion chiefs. The process is currently in the testing phase, according to city spokeswoman Sue Jones.
Recruiting occurs as the city pivots away from a 10-year relationship with the San Bernardino County Fire Department — a change-up that officials have attributed to cost savings and not performance.
Pension costs are a central element to those reported savings, with officials pointing to a County Fire retirement system that figures have shown is more than three times higher per employee than the city’s system.