interview Questions

[firemanmikey]

Does anyone have a list of questions they use in interviews for internal promotions? We have a bunch, but they've been asked a million times and the candidates probably know every question we'll ask. These questions should be for Lt's and Captain candidates. Are there any interview questions you were asked at one time you thought were good? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

[aneff3904]

I have been asked a two part question before.
What I thought it would take to be a good fireman?
Second part: What have I done to become a good fireman?

Hope this helps

[THEFIRENUT]

If there is an officer position open, my department would ask....."would you like to be an officer?" to the person with the most seniority!!!!(that hasn't ****ed everyone off of course).

Sorry I couldn't help you out Mike, but that is how it is done here.

[firemanmikey]

We're a small department here. 200 calls a year with 27 paid on call members and 2 full time positions. We do it this way because it's fair and we want the best possible person in the position. Otherwise we could possibly get an idiot and someone with a bunch of experience and no training and ZERO people skills. Not that it ever happens though. I think it works well the way we do it.

Mike

[vegetablevn]

We're a small department here. 200 calls a year with 27 paid on call members and 2 full time positions. We do it this way because it's fair and we want the best possible person in the position. Otherwise we could possibly get an idiot and someone with a bunch of experience and no training and ZERO people skills. Not that it ever happens though. I think it works well the way we do it.

Mike

Hi,

I agreed with you. Any way, your ideal make me thinking about some thing for my project.

Apart from that, this link below may be useful:IT interview questions
Pls try to keep posting.Tks and best regards

[patricholier]

Hi

This topic help me a lot in developing my project. I will contribute more when I finished it.

I found some references on this subject, please refer to everyone here: Police interview questions and answers
Best regards.

[paulLepore]

Here are a couple of questions (including answers) that I have included in my new book. I am putting the finishing touches on it now.

1. You have been recently promoted and are assigned to a single engine station where you personally know, or have worked with, the majority of your new crew. Prior to your first day you meet with the current officer in charge of the crew. He details an optimistic perspective of your new crew. He believes that the crew is well trained, but he is concerned that they must be kept under constant supervision so they do not stray outside the policies and procedures of the department. You arrive at your new station prior to the effective date of your transfer to pick out your locker and to drop off some of your safety gear. One of your new crew members is someone who you have known for your entire career. He tells you how glad the crew is that you are now assigned because the last officer was always “by the book” and a micro-manager. Describe your actions based on the above situation.


The first action I would take is to make sure I do not have any assumptions because I have not gathered enough information yet. I need to be able to clearly evaluate what the situation is before I can take any kind of action. If I had been met with the comments from the person that I knew prior to my first day though, I would take the opportunity to let them know that I am also “by the book.” I would make it clear that under my command, the crew can expect to always follow the rules and regulations of the department. We will take actions based on what the organization would want us to do. In other words, we will do the “right” thing. I would let the comment about the previous officer being a micro-manager go, for the time being. I would also let the crew member know that we will be talking and discussing about this and many more things once I am officially assigned to the crew.

This small bit of information reinforces the need to conduct my crew expectations meeting shortly after I am assigned to the crew. I plan to meet with the group and set forth my expectations of the crew. I will be sure that I emphasize for them that we will be following all the policies and procedures, rules and regulation, standard operating procedures (SOP’s), standard operating guidelines (SOG’s), etc., whatever it is that exists in my current department. I would let them know what would be my expectation of each of them. I would also take the opportunity to find out what their expectations were, and what issues might have arisen in the past. It is clear to me based on the firefighter’s comments that there were some issues going on. It could be that the officer’s perception of his crew ultimately led to the micro-managing (this is certainly probable). This situation may have deteriorated into the environment that they were currently experiencing.
I believe the healthy way to manage a crew in the fire station is for the crews to be well trained and then given some autonomy to work within the confines of their position, their training, and their rank. Based on the assessment that I would perform in the next few shifts, I might take any other actions that are necessary, but without any clear cut guidelines or my own evaluation of the crews, there would be no other action to take at this point.


2. Your new assignment as an officer includes a recently-assigned probationary firefighter in her second week at this assignment. She appears to be adapting well to her new profession, except for the presentation of training exercises (station drills). Your assessment determines that this probationary firefighter seems to be unorganized and appears extremely nervous in presenting the material. Describe your responsibilities as an officer and the actions you would take based on the information presented.


My responsibilities as a company officer are to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone, especially a probationary firefighter. It is up to me to ensure adequate training in all aspects of the position for this probationary firefighter. This includes providing her training on how to conduct a proper drill. I would also include how to research and compile the necessary information, how to organize it, and how to present the information to the crew. Not only would I make my expectations clear of what I expected from the drill, but I would show her the components of a successful drill. I would select a topic and put on a drill for the crew. I will do this in part because it’s my responsibility to train my crew. More importantly, she will see what I expect in a station drill.

In addition, I would partner the probationary firefighter with a seasoned firefighter on the crew who possesses a good skill set in presenting drills. I would have them to work together to present a drill so that the probationary firefighter can see how to get the material organized and put the presentation together in a way that everybody can understand. Working together will assist the new employee to learn the way we expect to have drills presented. Lastly, this will help develop camaraderie between the probationary and the seasoned firefighter.

I will make sure that she is familiar with the various teaching aids such as using the dry erase or chalk board. Another option is to use a bulletin board. She will understand the importance of handouts and how to create PowerPoint presentations. These options will provide her with a wide variety of options for which she can present a professional station drill.
I will have the probationary firefighter make contact with Training Division or Training Staff to see if there is some type of material that they can provide to assist the firefighter with her drills. It is entirely possible that someone from the Training Division will help the firefighter with the presentation. It would be easiest if she work on one component of the drill at a time. Certainly my expectation of the probationary employee is that she knows the material. Once this has been accomplished, we can work on getting her presentation down pat. Certainly we would want her to know and understand the material she is presenting, but the way she presents the information is less of a factor for me than actually knowing the material and being competent in her position.

Finally, once all those things are complete I will continue to monitor the probationary firefighter while she is conducting drills. After each drill, I will make sure that I provide feedback, both positive and negative, so that she understands what things she is doing right and also areas in which she can improve.


3. As a new officer, how will you assess the abilities and/or training needs of your members’ performance during emergency and non-emergency situations? How will you address any deficiencies you identify?


There are several ways I will assess the abilities and training needs of my crew. The easiest way to assess my crewmembers performance is if I am assigned to an active company. I would simply be able to monitor and evaluate everyone’s performance on emergency and non-emergency responses, paying particular attention to the areas that are usually problematic such as skill degradation for basic skills. On medical aid calls, I would pay attention to such things as observing the firefighters’ ability to take a blood pressure or pulse, or perform a patient assessment. I would be alert for safety issues, things like driving the too fast, not wearing seatbelts, or the proper protective equipment when it is needed.

I believe that fire ground operations are a little more challenging to evaluate with an active company as I will be busy commanding the incident or directing placement of a hose lines or ladders. These are referred to as low frequency, high risk events. These events are not encountered on a regular basis, but are extremely dangerous. I believe that these situations will be easier to evaluate during training exercises.

Once I begin my initial assessment of my crew’s abilities on calls, I will be better prepared to develop a training needs assessment. Another way to accomplish this objective would be to have each member conduct a drill for the crew. This will enable me to evaluate each member’s level of knowledge and performance of particular skills, especially in the area of basic skills such as ladders, hose lays, tools and equipment, forcible entry techniques. Based on the results of the training needs assessment and my actual observation on calls, I can then address each deficiency as I identify them. I will strive to recognize what the root cause of the particular deficiency is. I will identify whether it is it simply a matter of training or if it us that the member has not performed the skill a long time and they are not practiced in it. If this is the case, I will include routine skills in areas where they are deficient. If it is in an area that we do not often experience such as using the Jaws of Life, or operating the aerial ladder, I will schedule a day of training in this area. In addition to what I have already covered, I will be observant for skills that the crew uses frequently, but may have developed bad habits. In these cases, I will look for opportunities to identify and begin to correct them.
Most of these examples have easy fixes that can be simply implemented while we are on an incident. It is a matter of pointing out the deficiency and encouraging the member to change the inappropriate or ineffective behavior immediately while we are on the scene. For larger issues that pertain to the entire crew, I will discuss them with the group and we all will participate in the training. Other issues might involve individual performance issues. One that comes to mind is with an Engineer that may have developed bad habits or is not as trained to meet the minimum standard. In this case, I will work with him or her on an individual basis.

I believe training and evaluation of my personnel is always ongoing. I will continue to conduct an updated needs assessment as members of my crew change or as I identify different behaviors.