More than 3,300 men and women showed up at the Austin Convention Center Wednesday for a chance to become an Austin firefighter.
They came from across the country to follow their dream; a dream only 108 will ultimately achieve.
Jamie Harlor flew in from Hawaii to chase her dream.
“I want to get in...that's what I want to do,” Harlor said.
She bought a one-way ticket using airline miles to help cover the $370 cost. While at the airport she received the bad news.
“I got an e-mail saying, 'You're no longer qualified,'” Harlor explained. “It said I had an improper application."
She still came to the convention center and planned to take Wednesday's exam. She was not allowed inside.
“They put me in the question line and when they realized who I was, they escorted me out,” Harlor said. They said, 'You've already been notified about why you're not qualified.'”
The same thing happened to Elizabeth Ruiz. She made the drive from Liverpool, a small town south of Houston. She says her name was on the confirmation list when she checked last Thursday. She said she was notified on Monday that she, too, had been disqualified.
“I didn't submit an application that had my last name, first name, accomplishments, everything it had already asked me and I had already filled out,” she said.
Austin's fire chief says 350 applicants have been disqualified for improperly filling out the application form.
Union president Bob Nicks is outraged, angry that qualified candidates are getting away.
“The issue is an attachment needs to be made to the application. The instruction set was very vague, and on how to do it and if it's necessary,” Nicks said. “It's not even going to be used in the process to select the candidates.”
Austin Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr disagrees. She argues the problem lies with the applicant who failed to follow directions.
“People's ability to follow directions is extremely critical in the fire service,” Chief Kerr said. “As you come through the organization it's just another test, another measure, that we're hiring the people we really need to hire.”
For Jamie Harlor, it is a temporary setback. She still wants to be an Austin firefighter, but that dream will not happen for a while.
The chief is not backing down. Those who failed to complete the application accurately will not be considered.
The fire union is considering whether to file a grievance.
