DANVILLE — Five police officers and one firefighter from outside Danville have submitted applications for the city's new lateral transfer list that allows hiring veteran officers and firefighters from other departments statewide rather than relying solely on the city's probationary lists when filling vacancies.

Earlier this year, the Danville city council approved the creation of a lateral transfer list for the police and fire departments. In the past, police and firefighter positions have been filled by pulling candidates from the probationary list, an already-established roster of men and women who have satisfactorily completed physical, written and other tests required of both the police and fire departments. But that list does not include people working as police officers and firefighters in other departments.

City administrators said a lateral transfer list would broaden the citys options when filling vacancies, save training costs and get new hires on the streets more quickly.

Bill Westphal, the city's human resources administrator, said the city has not yet used the lateral transfer lists, because guidelines are still being worked out. He said city officials have already established that the lateral transfer will always remain in effect and candidates will remain on the list until they turn 41 years old. The probationary lists are re-established on a regular basis, meaning anyone still interested in being on the list or anyone newly interested must re-test to win a spot on the roster.

Today, two new firefighters, Brock Dieu and Kyle Zarate, are being sworn in at city hall, replacing two who resigned earlier this year. Westphal said Dieu and Zarate were hired from the probationary list. The board of police and fire commissioners has been going through the process of establishing a new probationary list that will go into effect in December.

The city is also planning to hire two police officers to fill vacancies created when two veteran police officers were chosen to fill the new school resource officer positions at North Ridge and South View middle schools in Danville.

Westphal said the new lateral transfer list for police, which has five applicants so far from departments outside Danville, may come into play in the hiring for those two positions. Westphal said he's received a lot of phone calls from people inquiring about the lateral transfer lists.

City officials said hiring a lateral transfer candidate for the police department could get that new officer on the street more quickly.

Public Safety Director Larry Thomason said when a police officer is hired from the citys current probationary list, that candidate must go through 12 weeks of basic training and then 16 weeks of field training. Lateral transfer hires have already completed all of that training, worked as an officer for at least two years, and would only have to go through an abbreviated field training. Altogether, Thomason said, it would shave 12 weeks off the process.