Corey Johnson, CSC Docket No. 2023-2916

Appellant's argumentCorey Johnson requests a retest of the physical performance portion of the examination for Fire Fighter (M2248D), Mount Laurel Fire District #1.

BackgroundThe appellant took the physical performance portion of the subject examination (PPT) on June 22, 2023. The PPT consists of three parts: the obstacle course, the ladder climb, and the darkened maze, all of which must be passed for a candidate to be considered to have passed the examination. Each portion has a passing point. The ladder climb, the darkened maze crawl, and the obstacle course are pass/fail, i.e., candidates who performed the exercise faster than the passing time passed that portion of the exam and those who performed the exercise slower than the passing time failed. The passing point for the darkened maze crawl was 40 seconds. The appellant completed the darkened maze crawl in 49.47 seconds. As such, he failed the darkened maze crawl portion, and his name was removed from the eligible list.

Appellant's argumentOn appeal to the Civil Service Commission (Commission), the appellant claims that the side course gave way when he made the first right turn, and he had to back up a little to push the plastic back into place, effecting his time.

CONCLUSION

In the instant matter, a review of the Center Supervisor’s Report confirms that the appellant showed the Center Supervisor where his hand got caught up on the first turn. Further, the appellant did file an appeal at the test site on the examination date. Under these circumstances, the Commission finds a sufficient basis exists to restore the appellant’s name to the subject eligible list and grant the appellant a retest. Finally, if the appellant passes the PPT and is subsequently appointed to a Fire Fighter position from the subject eligible list, the appellant may petition the Commission for a retroactive appointment date.

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that this request be granted, that the appellant’s name be restored to the subject eligible list1 and that his name be added to the next certification to provide him with another opportunity to schedule and participate in the PPT. If the appellant passes the PPT and is subsequently appointed to a Fire Fighter position from the subject eligible list, he may petition the Commission for a retroactive appointment date.

ClosingThis is the final administrative determination in this matter. Any further review should be pursued in a judicial forum.