Residence Requirements:

*Salaries vary among municipalities and districts.

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY OR AN ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT* FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY OR AN ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT* AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment. Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states. * Candidates who reside in a school district which, for civil service purposes is administered by the Erie County Personnel Commissioner, but who are not legal residents of Erie County may apply for examination. However they will be certified for appointment only in the school district in which they are legal residents.

Under current New York State Law, candidates seeking employment with school districts in New York State will be required to undergo fingerprinting and a criminal history background check prior to appointment. A processing fee may be required.

Examples of Duties:

A Custodian performs a variety of cleaning, including mopping floors; washing walls, ceilings and windows; dusting woodwork and furniture; stripping and finishing floors; vacuuming and shampooing carpets; collecting and disposing of rubbish, etc.;

Performs semi-skilled maintenance and repair work, such as fixing or replacing broken shelving, hardware, glazing windows, and repairing window coverings; unplugging toilets, traps and sinks; replacing faucet washers, repair and adjust flush valves; replace blown fuses, switches, outlets, ballasts, light fixtures, etc.;

Maintains grounds by cutting grass, trimming shrubbery, raking leaves, removing snow, and maintaining power equipment used in this work;

Operates hot water and low pressure boilers, heating and ventilating systems and performs routine maintenance on heating and hot water equipment, such as replacing filters, periodically cleaning equipment and fire box to insure efficient operation, replacing or adjusting thermostats and related controls;

Replenishes lavatories, cleaning and other supplies;

Supervises lower level custodial personnel in cleaning and care activities;

Reports damages or needed maintenance repairs requiring a higher level repair capability;

May be required to serve as watch attendant;

May set up equipment and seating facilities for meetings, demonstrations, etc.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A. Graduation from high school or vocational school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and one year of experience in either-commercial cleaning practice, or in general building maintenance which included experience in any one of the following trades; Carpentry, Electrical, H.V. and A. C. Systems, Plumbing; OR

B. Five years of experience in either-commercial cleaning practices, or in general building maintenance, which included experience in any one of the following trades: Carpentry, Electrical, H.V. and A.C. Systems, Plumbing; OR

C. An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: Possession of a valid Class D New York State driver’s license at the time of appointment.

Notes:

NOTE: Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has published a test guide intended for candidate preparation use for this particular examination.

Please see Custodians and Janitors Series, Entry-Level . This test guide contains important test-related information as well as sample test questions similar to the questions that will be used in this written test. The New York State Department of Civil Service is making a copy of this test guide and other related information available on its web site at https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm . In addition, a copy of this test guide can also be obtained at our local civil service office. Please stop in the office at 95 Franklin Street, Room 604, Buffalo, NY 14202 or you may obtain a copy by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope (size required to accommodate the guide – manila 10” x 13”) to the Erie County Personnel Department, 95 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York 14202 or by picking one up in person at Room 604.

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. CLEANING TOOLS AND THEIR USES: These questions test your knowledge of various cleaning tools and equipment commonly used by janitors and custodians on the job. You are shown drawings of various tools and equipment. You will be required to recognize the tools and know their proper uses in order to answer the questions correctly.

2. TOOLS USED FOR MINOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR: These questions test your knowledge of various tools and equipment. You are shown drawings of tools and equipment used in minor mechanical, electrical, plumbing and carpentry repair. You will be required to recognize the tools and know their proper uses in order to answer the questions correctly.

3. HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES IN CUSTODIAL WORK: These questions test your knowledge of basic proper safety and health practices in areas of cleaning, building operation and maintenance and other areas relevant to custodians and janitors at the entrance level. You are presented with drawings showing situations of health and safety, which can be found in the work area. You are required to recognize any unhealthy, unsafe or otherwise hazardous conditions and know how to correct them in order to answer the questions.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", " Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $15.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.