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New Jersey guy here.
I've gotten through all the phases of testing in Fairfax County, Virginia for Fairfax Fire and Rescue.
I did exceptionally well on the written, passed my CPAT with a better than average passing time. Then I was scheduled (thanks to my recruitment officer who accomidated me being so far away) to come down the 28th, 29th, and 30th for Polygraph, Medical Eval., and Pysch. Eval., in that order.
On the 28th, I went into the polygraphist office and answered all of his questions to the best of my ability and with complete honesty. Keep in mind, I'm 21 years old, have never smoked or done any form of any illegal drug in my entire life, never been arrested, never been in any sort of trouble. An upstanding citizen. I was later told that during the test, one question got me "spooked" on their machine which stated I was lying. The question was "Have you ever stolen anything of significance". I was appauled, to say the least. All of the other questions I answered concluded that I was a very average, run of the mill, honest, no trouble guy. Even the questions asked before the test (Do you intend to lie to me during this test?) and after the test (Have you intentionally lied to me during this test?) passed as me telling the truth. In that regard, how could I have been lying? The machine contradicts itself.
The officer administering the test asked if I could explain it. I couldn't, because I had never stolen anything. I've always worked hard and payed for my own way and ontop of that, I explained within the past few months, I had a large amount of very old, very valuable tools stolen from me. Gifts from my father and grandfather. He explained that that could be what triggered the machine, me thinking of that occassion. I asked him what happened next. He said he would be filing the report as the test being "Inconclusive". Not a good thing.
I showed up to my medical with my head hung low after that performance. Luckily, years of eating right and exercising, and never having smoked a cigarette a day in my life have yielded results. I'm in the "athlete" catagory, a very fine heartrate under stress, and have the lungs of a 15 year old. A passing test.
Then to the pysch eval.. To keep it short (as if this isn't long enough), the evaluation yielded that I am above average to unique in intelligence, leadership qualities, work ethic, and morals, and I've got a new high IQ (for me) of 136. I was very proud to hear the psychologist say I've got all of the qualities Fairfax would be looking for in a canditate.
But ultimately, I'm being told my inconclusive polygraph will be sent to the chief, at which point he will determine if I get a retest or if I am disqualified (over a stupid machine trying to tell him what type of canditate I am). I was told I would be allowed to form an appeal if such were the case, but I'd rather have it go through fine on the first try. If I retest, the polygrapher said the likelyhood of it reoccuring is pretty good, as in I'll get the same results.
I do not accept this. There is no way a machine can determine what type of firefighter I will be. All the other aspects of my tests should indicate that I am the canditate Fairfax is looking for. I am dying for this job, this line of work. I live, breathe, eat, sleep, and crave this particular job.
Please tell me I've got options. Please tell me this isn't the end of the line for me in Fairfax. And if so, please tell me this isn't how it is industry-wide
Sorry for the longwinded diatribe,
Pat Whalen
I've gotten through all the phases of testing in Fairfax County, Virginia for Fairfax Fire and Rescue.
I did exceptionally well on the written, passed my CPAT with a better than average passing time. Then I was scheduled (thanks to my recruitment officer who accomidated me being so far away) to come down the 28th, 29th, and 30th for Polygraph, Medical Eval., and Pysch. Eval., in that order.
On the 28th, I went into the polygraphist office and answered all of his questions to the best of my ability and with complete honesty. Keep in mind, I'm 21 years old, have never smoked or done any form of any illegal drug in my entire life, never been arrested, never been in any sort of trouble. An upstanding citizen. I was later told that during the test, one question got me "spooked" on their machine which stated I was lying. The question was "Have you ever stolen anything of significance". I was appauled, to say the least. All of the other questions I answered concluded that I was a very average, run of the mill, honest, no trouble guy. Even the questions asked before the test (Do you intend to lie to me during this test?) and after the test (Have you intentionally lied to me during this test?) passed as me telling the truth. In that regard, how could I have been lying? The machine contradicts itself.
The officer administering the test asked if I could explain it. I couldn't, because I had never stolen anything. I've always worked hard and payed for my own way and ontop of that, I explained within the past few months, I had a large amount of very old, very valuable tools stolen from me. Gifts from my father and grandfather. He explained that that could be what triggered the machine, me thinking of that occassion. I asked him what happened next. He said he would be filing the report as the test being "Inconclusive". Not a good thing.
I showed up to my medical with my head hung low after that performance. Luckily, years of eating right and exercising, and never having smoked a cigarette a day in my life have yielded results. I'm in the "athlete" catagory, a very fine heartrate under stress, and have the lungs of a 15 year old. A passing test.
Then to the pysch eval.. To keep it short (as if this isn't long enough), the evaluation yielded that I am above average to unique in intelligence, leadership qualities, work ethic, and morals, and I've got a new high IQ (for me) of 136. I was very proud to hear the psychologist say I've got all of the qualities Fairfax would be looking for in a canditate.
But ultimately, I'm being told my inconclusive polygraph will be sent to the chief, at which point he will determine if I get a retest or if I am disqualified (over a stupid machine trying to tell him what type of canditate I am). I was told I would be allowed to form an appeal if such were the case, but I'd rather have it go through fine on the first try. If I retest, the polygrapher said the likelyhood of it reoccuring is pretty good, as in I'll get the same results.
I do not accept this. There is no way a machine can determine what type of firefighter I will be. All the other aspects of my tests should indicate that I am the canditate Fairfax is looking for. I am dying for this job, this line of work. I live, breathe, eat, sleep, and crave this particular job.
Please tell me I've got options. Please tell me this isn't the end of the line for me in Fairfax. And if so, please tell me this isn't how it is industry-wide
Sorry for the longwinded diatribe,
Pat Whalen
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