Olympia confirms 31 candidates for firefighters, paramedics and entry-level police

During a meeting yesterday, August 23, the Olympia Civil Service Commission confirmed 31 candidates under the Entry Level Police and Firefighter/Paramedic Officer Registers.

For the Entry Level Police Officer Register, one candidate with a rating of 85.24, Cierra Pendleton, was confirmed.

“This candidate is working for the Olympia Police Department (OPD) currently as a lead worker for our Crisis Response Unit. Since that time, she's gotten more exposure to the police department,” Senior Human Resources Analyst Nicole Camus said.

Two candidates for the Entry Level Firefighter/Paramedic Register were also certified: Nate Rylaarsdam, with a 74.68 rating; and Gracen Hurst, with a 71.89 rating.

“This would be the external folks applying to Thurston County Medic One and then would be on a registered list to be picked up by Lacey, Olympia, or Tumwater. This list reflects the Thurston County Medic One and people we'd like to put on our list so that we can hire them because we have an additional need for paramedics,” Kevin Bossard, Olympia Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations, said.

Two candidates were also confirmed for the Promotional Firefighter/Paramedic Register, with names not available in the register document as of writing this article.

“Internally, we have members that are hired entry-level or lateral firefighter, and then once they work in the Olympia Fire Department and they're vetted, or off probation, and then when we have projected needs to fill a paramedic, we choose to and like to send our own to paramedic school. That's what we've done with these two candidates,” Bossard said. “Not really candidates but students, if you will.”

Bossard added that the two candidates went to and passed the ‘rigorous’ paramedic school for nine months, tested locally, and passed in the Thurston County Medic One.

Twenty-six names were also confirmed for the Entry Level Firefighter Register. Their corresponding ratings are shown below.