Human Resources
Welcome to the City of Bluefield’s Human Resources Department. We are a professional team of two individuals who work together to make a difference in the lives and careers of City staff, while seeking and maintaining high-quality employees to effectively perform City services for the betterment of the City of Bluefield and its citizens.
The City of Bluefield strives to be an employer of choice for Southern West Virginia. We are a very diverse place to work, whether you want a career to last a lifetime or a temporary position that may be necessary for special projects. The City offers a magnitude of different occupations from police officer and firefighter, to accountant, engineer, economic development, administrative, public transit, recreation and basic labor positions. We value teamwork, integrity, and motivated employees to serve the City of Bluefield and its residents.
Our goal in Human Resources is to provide job applicants, managers, administrators, and all employees with services consistent with sound human resources principles that contribute to an effective and efficient workforce supportive of the City of Bluefield’s Municipal Government operations and strategic plan goals.
The City of Bluefield is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Public Safety Careers
Becoming a Firefighter
Becoming a firefighter is a very rewarding career. Being a firefighter means you want to help people and be a big part of your community. It's not just putting out fires or saving lives, it is the constant caring about people and their health, and making the community a better and safer place to live. Being a firefighter means that you become part of a huge and caring family. This job is a very long-term commitment and usually ends up being a life-long career.
Periodically, the city will take applications for certified firefighters and conduct entry level testing for probationary firefighters. Applicants must be between 18 and 35 years of age, must be or become a resident of Mercer County, have a High School Diploma or GED, and have a valid West Virginia Driver’s License. Applications can only be taken when NOTICE is given. This NOTICE will be listed in our job postings and in our local newspaper.
After applying for the fire department, a physical agility test is given. Upon completion of the physical test a fire civil service exam must be completed. Upon completion of the written exam in addition to an oral interview with the fire board, a list of applicants will be provided to the City of Bluefield. Once on the civil service list, as vacancies are presented, an extensive background check, as well as a doctor's exam and drug testing must be completed. Upon being hired the applicant must complete one year of probation, where the candidate must complete Firefighter 1, Haz-Mat Operations, and become CPR Certified and First Aid Certified. The second-year candidate must complete Firefighter 2, Pump Operations, and become EMT Certified and EVOC Certified. At the end of the third year, the candidate has three tries to pass the Journeyman Firefighter test. Upon completion, candidate moves from probationary status to journeyman status for the State of West Virginia. Failure after three times means candidate is dismissed from the Fire Department.
Becoming a Police Officer
Police officers play an important role in maintaining law and order in communities all across the United States. They are often regarded as the front line of defense against crime and have a wide range of tasks and responsibilities. These include protecting the public, apprehending criminals, preventing crime, and responding to traffic accidents, just to name a few. Police officers themselves have to be upstanding citizens and must undergo intensive training to ensure that they can meet the demands of the job. Law enforcement can be a rewarding profession.
Periodically, the city will take applications for certified police officers and conduct entry level tests for probationary police officers. Applicants must be between 18 and 35 years of age, must be or become a resident of Mercer County, have a high school diploma or GED, and have a valid West Virginia Driver’s License. Applications can only be taken when NOTICE is given. This NOTICE will be listed in our job postings and in our local newspaper.
After applying for the police department a physical test is given. Upon completion of the physical test a police civil service exam must be completed. Upon completion of the written exam and an oral interview with our police commissioners, a list of applicants will be provided to the Chief of Police. Once on the civil service list, as vacancies are presented, an extensive background check as well as a doctor's exam must be completed. Then upon being hired the applicant must complete 16 weeks of training at the WV State Police Academy.
Employee Benefits
Health: The City contributes 85% toward the monthly premiums for single or family coverage. Employee contributions to health premiums are taken as pre-tax deductions. The West Virginia's Public Employee Insurance Agency (PEIA) is The Health Plan's largest fully insured account, with over 14,000 members, since 1981. This also includes basic life insurance of $10,000 paid by the City and additional life insurance options for the employee and dependents.
Flexible Benefit Options: Mountaineer Flexible Benefits provides optional insurance coverage including dental benefits, vision benefits, hearing benefits, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and group legal.
Retirement/Pension: The City offers an outstanding defined benefit pension plan – the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) under the Consolidated Public Retirement Board. Specific information regarding PERS retirement benefits is available on the West Virginia Consolidated Public Retirement Board site.
Basic Leave: Vacation accrual of 10 - 20 days for basic administrative or civilian positions based on years of service, 20 days of sick leave accrued each year with 120 day accrual cap, and 13 - 15 paid holidays per year depending on elections.
Other Benefits: The City offers free employee and discounted family gym memberships to the Bluefield Fitness and Recreation Center. In addition, supplemental retirement and health insurance products are also available.