DELAWARE — Becoming a first responder is not for the faint of heart, and the city of Delaware’s Civil Service Commission took steps Wednesday to clarify how candidates move through that process.
The commission approved the March 2026 police officer certified list, placing six candidates on the eligibility list.
It also approved changes to the Delaware Fire Department’s hiring process aimed at ensuring more applicants complete the department’s agility test.
Additionally, the commission discussed current staffing levels for both departments, how many firefighters and officers are moving through the hiring process and what staffing could look like in the future.
Fire department prepares for growth
Delaware Fire Chief Tim Pyle said the department will need additional firefighters in the coming years as the city prepares to open its fifth fire station, expected sometime between April and July 2027.
Pyle reported the department’s staff was at capacity in 2025, but has 10 new openings for 2026 mainly because of the new station.
“We need to get them early, especially if they’re not medics, getting them through medic school,” he said.
“I’m [also] looking at doing three additional promotions to lieutenant towards the end of 2026, so that they’ll be ready to go in 2027.”
Changes to firefighter hiring process
To improve recruitment, the commission approved several changes to the fire department’s hiring process.
The Delaware Fire Department previously accepted applicants’ National Testing Network (NTN) scores before allowing them to formally apply for a position.
City of Delaware HR Specialist Whitney Faust said that often led to candidates submitting scores but never completing the application. Now, the commission is flipping these steps.
“What we’re finding out is people will blast their scores to different places, but not necessarily apply,” Faust said. “So when we pull the top 30, they’re not necessarily interested in us anymore.”
Under the new process, applicants must apply first and then submit their NTN scores.
Additionally, Faust and Pyle clarified the order of two other steps in the hiring process: background self-reporting and the physical agility test.
Previously, the written hiring process listed completing the agility test first.
“We’ve never done it that way. We’ve always done it background self-report, then physical agility test,” Faust said.
Reviewing background information earlier allows the department to disqualify candidates before putting them through the agility test.
The main idea for these subtle changes is to allow the Delaware Fire Department to have a full class of 30 applicants when conducting its agility test.
Because of the previous process, only 20 applicants are currently scheduled to take the test after several candidates dropped out.
“When we pull that 30, then we don’t pull anymore,” Pyle said. “So that’s why we want to have the application first so we can actually say they’re interested in Delaware.”
When hiring starts again next month, this new process will allow Pyle to have 30 interested applicants at the agility test.
Police department updates hiring list
The commission also approved the March 2026 police officer certified list, which adds six candidates eligible to join the Delaware Police Department.
Moore reported the Delaware Police Department conducted its agility test on Feb. 14 and interviewed those who passed on Feb. 19.
The six candidates approved Wednesday replace six names removed from the list.
“You’ll also notice that there were six candidates that have been hired, removed, disqualified, various reasons, that are now coming off the list,” Moore said.
“So, it’s a one-for-one swap, which means [the list] will remain with 18 viable candidates, and we will begin to move some of those candidates through parts of the process.”
Police staffing outlook
Moore is happy with his staffing levels and future outlook, despite a nationwide need for police officers.
The police department currently has six openings, with four officers currently in the police academy.
Three of those positions were added as part of the city’s 2026 operating budget, bringing the department’s authorized staffing level to 63 officers.
“So in reality, if you were to pull that away and just go back to what our authorized staffing was at the end of 2025, which would be 60, we’re only three away from that mark,” Moore said. “So we are doing very well.”
Moore credited the commission’s previous work for allowing the police department to hire monthly instead of yearly.
“You either were on the list or you weren’t. If you missed it, you had to wait until the next go around,” he said.
“So the fact that we’re able to refresh this list and keep it fresh every month, I think that has really benefited us.”
