Washington Enacts Civil Service Law
Defining the classified civil service and providing that the provisions of the law shall include: "all full paid employees of the Fire Department of each city, town or municipality. including the Chief of that department,” the Washington State Legislature enacted a state-wide civil service law at the session just completed.
The statute is mandatory and not permissive, providing that ninety days after the law is effective, the constituted authorities of each city shall appoint a Civil Service Commission in conformity with the law, under penalty of fine and imprisonment. The law is patterned after the standard civil service law, but is more liberal than that law in many provisions. In fact, it outmodels the model law and is the finest legislation for Fire Chiefs and firemen ever enacted. It removes their jobs from the whims of politicians and places them on a merit basis.
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