Starting Jan. 1 Chicago firefighters careers fair and free of bias thanks to Preston’s new law

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Willie Preston’s measure to overhaul archaic testing and promotion procedures for Chicago firefighters will go into effect Jan. 1.

“Previous legislation contributed to a divide between the Chicago Firefighters and the state resulting in a weakened Chicago Fire Service,” said Preston (D-Chicago). “I take pride in the men and women of the Chicago Fire Department trusting me to lead this measure and overhaul an archaic testing and promotional process that hindered the career of so many of our bravest residents.”

The law changes the current promotion process for Chicago firefighters enacting that Chicago firefighters will no longer be exempt from the Fire Department Promotion Act. The purpose of the law is to create a more standardized process of promotions to align with every other fire department in the state where the Fire Department Promotion Act works.

The Fire Department Promotion Act oversees the promotion process for firefighters and requires fire departments to prepare a promotion list, which determines an employee's position in line for a promotion. A number of factors including the score on a written test, a person’s seniority, and a person’s score on a subjective evaluation will determine a person’s position on the list. This measure will particularly help minorities in the department who have long proposed changes to the old system.

“Our first responders put our communities first and risk their lives each time the sirens go off,” said Preston. “This law puts them first by listening to their concerns and providing them with long overdue changes to their promotion process.”

Senate Bill 1707 takes effect on Jan. 1, 2024.