Acting Captains / Medic Officers

[FHandz17]

My department, a career municipal FD, has a policy that only engineers may act as captains when there is an opportunity, even though many of the firefighters and ff/medics have as much time on the FD. Does this make sense. Most of the engineers don't even want to be in charge or aspire to become an officer. ??? So when a medic gets promoted, his first day on the seat is his first day as a captain. ???

You will really like this one. Do you believe ff/paramedics make "more efficient" captains do to the fact that most of them have been making quick "life or death" decisions since they first got in the fire service, making them more suited to handle the pressure of being a line officer? This is not something you can teach, fireground tactics and officer roles you can.

Be easy, we are all friends here. I think.

[Smoke286]

Our Dept does not even have engineers, to get on the promotional roster for Captain you have to be a LT then you have to pass a written and oral exam, then you go on the roster in order of seniority