New London — Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio announced Friday he intends to hire six new firefighters and has extended job offers to a mix of certified and noncertified applicants that include three minorities and three New London residents.

Finizio said the hires are not only a step forward for a fire department short on manpower but also show a commitment to diversity and to New London residents.

The names of the firefighters have not yet been released.

The applicants must first undergo screenings at the fire department and undergo background checks before a final offer is extended.

Four of the six have verbally accepted the offers, Finizio said, and two have not yet responded.

The announcement comes amid some criticism of Finizio's decision to set aside the traditional practice of picking the top three applicants, "the rule of three," in favor of diversifying the group — a move Finizio has said is allowed by existing personnel rules and was recently approved by the city's personnel board.

Of the hiring of minorities at the fire department, Finizio said, "this is something the city has been talking about for decades."

Three of the six were chosen from the top three in the certified and/or noncertified lists.

The news comes one month before Mayor-elect Michael Passero, a 31-year veteran of the city fire department, takes office.

Three of the hires were chosen from a group of 18 certified firefighters and three from a group of 21 noncertified applicants who applied during an open hiring process.

The open hiring process was aimed at attracting a more diverse group, minorities and New Londoners alike, Finizio said. 

Noncertified hires will be sent to the state fire academy for training and certification.

All the applicants were qualified based on a series of tests from the city. Two of the certified firefighters achieved scores that put them within the top three, including one New London resident. The third, who is African American, was within the top 10.

From the open hiring process for noncertified applicants Finizio has chosen applicants who are Latino, African-American and white, two of whom are New London residents.

Finizio said the Latino candidate scored within the top three and the two others were chosen from the eligibility list, where he said all applicants were within a “hair’s breadth” from one another as far as scores.

The last time the city hired a black firefighter was in 2013, the first since 1978.

Finizio said Chief Henry Kydd was consulted on the hires but that the ultimate hiring decision was his.

He said there was money in the budget for four vacant positions and he believes more money is available with the recent retirement of Battalion Chief Marc Melanson.

Passero, who takes office on Dec. 7, will also leave a vacancy.

Chief Kydd could not be reached for comment.

Finizio said he anticipates the hires will help lower overtime costs caused by short staffing levels

“This is a significant step forward for the department in that we are renewing hiring — something the department has needed for a long time,” Finizio said.

Of the criticism aimed at setting aside the "rule of three," Finizio said in a press statement that "relying on the 'Rule of Three' has been criticized by some hiring managers as forcing them to overlook qualified candidates that are more suited to a particular position by forcing them to rely solely on scoring over objective measures and categories."

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay