Firefighter Hiring Process Components:
  The Chief's Interview

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Usually one of the last phases of the hiring process is the Chief's Interview. You usually have a oral interview with a panel of individuals that could be from the ranks of Firefighter up through Deputy Chief.  From there, many fire departments then take the highest ranking candidates on further through the process. Going through a Chief's Interview usually means that you are one of the candidates that are being considered for a position.  Not every fire department requires candidates to also go through a Chief's Interview. If you do get invited to a Chief's Interview it could be with any of the following individuals: just the Fire Chief, the Fire Chief and a member or members of his/her executive staff (other ranking chief officers such as Assistant Chiefs, Deputy Chiefs, Division Chiefs, or Battalion Chiefs), or a few of the ranking chief officers without the Fire Chief.  Every department is different. 

Either way, the Chief's Interview is set up to find out more about you on a personal basis (versus the initial oral interview which is really used as an initial screening process to determine which candidates at least meet the minimum requirements to work for the department). While a Chief's Interview is a little less formal than the initial oral interview, it is still very critical that you make a positive, lasting impression with the individuals interviewing you.  This is where the "buck usually stops" and they are determining whether or not you will fit the culture of their department.

A good resource for more information regarding Chief's Interviews is Fire Captain Bob's website. He has a section dedicated to Chief's Interviews, which you can view by going to: www.eatstress.com/chief4.htm

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