Section 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-9 - Original appointments; Preferences; Limitation(a) The board of fire and police commissioners shall give preference for original appointment to persons designated in Section 10-2.1-8 whose names appear on any register of eligibles resulting from an examination for original entrance in the classified service of the fire and police departments of any municipality coming under the provisions of this Division 2.1 by adding to the final grade average which they receive or will receive as the result of any examination held for original entrance, 5 points. The board shall also give preference to persons eligible under subsection (b) as provided in that subsection. The numerical result thus attained shall be applied by the board of fire and police commissioners in determining the position of such persons on any eligibility list which has been created as the result of any examination for original entrance for purposes of preference in certification and appointment from such eligibility list. The board shall strike off the names of candidates for original appointment after such names have been on the list for more than 2 years.(b) All persons who, on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1993, have been paid-on-call certified firefighters II, paramedics, or any combination of those capacities, of the municipality shall be awarded 0.5 point for each year of successful service in one or more of those capacities, up to a maximum of 5 points at the time of examination for original appointment to the classified service of the fire department. Certified firefighters III shall be awarded one point per year up to a maximum of 5 points. Applicants from outside the municipality who were employed as full-time firefighters or firefighter-paramedics by a fire protection district or another municipality for at least 2 years shall have the same preference as paid-on-call personnel. These additional points presuppose a rating scale totalling 100 points available for the eligibility list. If more or fewer points are used in the rating scale for the eligibility list, the points awarded under this subsection shall be increased or decreased by a factor equal to the total possible points available for the examination divided by 100. No person entitled to additional points under this subsection shall be required to claim that preference or credit before an examination is held. The preference shall be given after the posting or publication of the eligibility list. To qualify for the preference, applicants who are eligible for credit under this subsection shall make a claim for that credit, in writing, within 10 days after the posting of the eligibility list, or the claim shall be deemed waived. Upon request by the board of fire and police commissioners, the governing body of the municipality or (in the case of applicants from outside the municipality) the governing body of any fire protection district or any other municipality shall certify to the board of fire and police commissioners, within 10 days of the request, the number of years of successful paid-on-call service of any person. A candidate may not receive preference points under this subsection if the amount of points awarded would place the candidate before a veteran on the eligibility list.