THE FIRE SERVICE PROMOTIONAL PROCESS
  By: Steve Prziborowski - Battalion Chief

Getting promoted in the fire service is not an easy task. You think it was tough getting hired as an entry-level firefighter? It will be just as tough to get promoted in the fire service. This section will provide the information and resources to assist you with the most common phases of the fire service promotional process:

The Application Process
The Resume
The Written Examination
The Assessment Center (which can include any or all of the following):
- Oral Interview
- Teaching Demonstration
- Personnel Problem / Counseling Session
- Emergency Simulation
- In-Basket
- Oral Presentation
- Website Resources

To get promoted in the fire service, you have to take one of two courses of action:

1. Take a promotional examination within your fire department.
2. Take a promotional examination in another fire department.

There are plusses and minuses to both of the above courses of action. You have to decide what is going to be best for you and your family in the long run. If you are planning on taking a promotional examination within your department, then you need to pay attention to when the next examination will occur. Most fire departments offer promotional examinations every year or every couple of years. Some longer, some shorter.

If you are planning on taking a promotional examination in another fire department, how are you going to find out about the examinations? Well the most common methods to locate promotional examinations are:

Subscription Testing Notification Services such as:

www.firecareers.com
www.firerecruit.com

Fire Service Trade Publications such as:

www.fireengineering.com (Fire Engineering)
www.firehouse.com (Firehouse)
www.firechief.com (Fire Chief)

Either route will typically require you to complete a job application, similar to the one you completed when you first got hired in the fire service.

Suggestions for completing the promotional application include:

- Make a copy of the application.

- Ensure the information matches your resume.

- Complete all of the required blanks. Put N/A if something truly is not applicable.

- Take the time, spend the money to have someone professionally type it for you (some departments use applications that can be completed on the internet; some of these do not look that professional when completed. However, if that is the only option, make the best of it).

- Spellcheck and proofread it when completed; also have someone else take a look at it for the same reasons.

- If completing an application for the same department you work for, ensure the information on the promotional application matches any previous applications you may have submitted to the same department.

- Complete and submit as soon as possible. In some departments, tie-breakers on the promotional list are determined by who turned their application in first.

- Make sure you include a resume with your application.

It is not uncommon for departments to require a resume with the promotional application. By the time you prepare for a promotional exam, there is a good chance you have not updated your resume for quite some time. You probably did not have a good reason to update your resume.

Suggestions for putting together a promotional resume include:

- For Company Officer (Lieutenant / Captain), try to keep it to one page in length. For Chief Officer positions, try to keep it to two pages. Anything longer will be hard to follow. I will list some suggestions below to help you keep it to one or two pages, depending on the rank you are shooting for.

- Try to not have any text that is more than two or three lines at a time. Anything more looks like a paragraph and is hard to follow. When someone reads your resume, they want to see things that stick out; they do not want to feel like they are reading a book.

- Make things stick out - accentuate your key points with bullets, dashes, italics, underlines, uppercase words, bold text, etc. Use all of those sparingly and do not abuse any one style. A resume needs to be easy to read and scan for the highlights.

- Make sure your contact information is at the top (name, address, phone number). Leave the email address off, especially if it does not sound professional.

- Your resume should contain major headings such as: Objective, Experience, Education, Certificates, Special Skills, Community Service, etc.

- Objective should be the first major heading on your resume. Keep it to one line; include the position you are aspiring to and the department name. Short and sweet, to the point. "To become a Captain with the Oakland Fire Department."  Some people think they have to have a paragraph that does not cut to the chase - "To obtain a position in the department where I can showcase my knowledge, skills and abilities and provide the best possible service to our internal and external customers." That is too generic. Be specific and cut to the chase.

- Be prepared to comment on and discuss everything you include on your resume when the oral interview arrives.

- Use professional resume paper from a quality printer for the final copy you submit with your application or bring to the oral interview.

- Please stay away from the standard resume templates that are found on common software programs (like Microsoft Word or Corel Word Perfect). Why? Because everyone seems to use those and when the oral board has seen numerous resumes in the same style, they tend to lose their impact and you blend in with the other candidates (when in fact, you're trying to stand out in a unique way). Instead, create it from scratch using a word processing program such as Word or Word Perfect.

Suggestions for keeping your promotional resume to one or two pages include:

- Do not write "References Available Upon Request." That is a waste of space and we don't really care at the promotional level. If they want references (particularly if you are testing outside your department), they will either ask for them on a supplemental application or have a separate sheet with about five professional references listed).

- Leave off your hobbies. You're not getting promoted for your hobbies. You are going to get promoted for your knowledge, skills and abilities (primarily your education, training and experience, coupled with your performance on the promotional process). By all means talk about them during the oral interview if you so desire; just don't take up valuable space on your resume.

- Do not put pictures of yourself, of fire engines, etc. on the resume. You think they look professional, most will think they look tacky and unprofessional.

- Leave off anything relating to your high school days (diploma, year of graduation, etc.). It shows your age and is irrelevant at this stage of your life.

- Do not feel you have to put EVERYTHING on the resume. Remember the main difference between an application and a resume is that they tell you what to put on the application, you put what you want on the resume.  Your resume should be a "snapshot" of your career highlights and accomplishments.

- Nothing says you have to list all of your duties of your current and former jobs on your resume. While those things will go on the application, I don't think you need to tell the oral board or the fire chief what the duties of a firefighter are. Duh. Instead of your duties, maybe include significant accomplishments, programs managed, committees served on, etc.

- Leave off your age, date of birth, sexual preference, religion, marital status, number of children, etc. That information is confidential and has nothing to do with your getting promoted.
 

SAMPLE RESUMES:

CLICK HERE to view the one page resume that I used when I took the Captain's test. One page obviously did not hurt me since I received a score of 100% on the oral interview (the only person out of 11 to get 100% on any of the phases of the assessment center) and received the top score in the assessment center.

CLICK HERE to view the two page resume I used for our last Battalion Chief's test. For the Chief Officer level, I felt it was appropriate to go to two pages.

If you are taking a promotional examination for the positions of Engineer, Company Officer or Battalion Chief in most departments, you will typically be required to complete a written examination as the first step of the promotional process. In some departments, the written examination will be ranked as pass or fail, with a minimum score of 70%. In some departments, your written examination score will be factored into the final ranking on the promotional list. In the department I work for, the written exam accounts for 40% of your overall ranking on the Captain's test (the other 60% comes from the Assessment Center), and 30% of your overall ranking on the Battalion Chief's test (the other 70% comes from the Assessment Center). Positions higher than Battalion Chief (such as Division Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, Fire Chief, etc.), typically do not have a written examination in their promotional process. Your ranking is determined primarily on your Assessment Center score.

Know what the promotional reading list (the books you will be tested on) will be years prior to the exam. I say years prior because it is not uncommon to have 100 written exam questions taken from multiple books totaling thousands of pages. There is no way anybody can comprehend and retain information from books in a short time period. The reading list should not be considered top-secret information. Most departments post the reading list within the promotional announcement or have the information available if you ask for it in advance.

Books typically used for promotional written examinations include:

- Department specific manuals (Rules and Regulations, Policies and Procedures, Standard Operating Procedures, etc.)
- County and State Mutual Aid Plans
- International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) Company Officer
- Fire Chief's Handbook
- Managing Fire Services
- Other IFSTA titles
- Other books relating to leadership, supervision, management, incident command, strategy and tactics, etc.

A good resource for fire service promotional written examination textbooks is:

Firefighter's Bookstore: Huntington Beach, CA
- Promotional textbooks

Tips to succeed at the promotional written examination include:

- Get plenty of sleep the night before the test; get a trade if you are scheduled to work.

- Know where you are going prior to the day of the test. If you have never been there before, consider doing a dry-run in advance to know how long it takes to get there during traffic conditions, to know where to park, etc.

- Carefully read the invitation to the test that you received in the mail. It will typically tell you where to show up, when to show up, what to bring, what to wear, how long it will take, etc.

- Don't wait until the last minute to study for the test. It is virtually impossible to retain and comprehend the thousands of pages of material you will be tested on in a short time frame. Successful candidates started preparing years in advance.

- Try to take practice exams prior to the real thing. There are many great study guides out there (IFSTA and Davis Publishing make study guides for the most common promotional books), use them to your advantage, especially if it has been a while since you last took a written test.

- Before you turn in your test, double-check it to ensure that you have answered all of the questions, that you have properly filled out the required information.

- As soon as possible after leaving the test, try to write down as many test questions (and answers you chose) as you can. If you have to challenge a test question or take the test again, the information is valuable.

- If your department allows you to do so, review the test with the answer key. Even if you think you aced the test, you can't be too sure. See what the correct answers are so if you ever have to take the test again, you know what they were looking for (many departments do not drastically change their promotional exams from year to year).

Most fire departments require promotional candidates to successfully complete an Assessment Center before they are considered eligible for promotion. Assessment Centers typically contain more than one event, and are usually spaced over a couple of days. While it is not easy for a department to put together a valid and reliable Assessment Center, it has been proven that Assessment Centers are capable of determining who will be (or will not be) successful at a position they aspire to. Assessment Centers may contain one or more of the following components, that I will discuss in more depth below:

- Oral Interview
- Teaching Demonstration
- Personnel Problem / Counseling Session
- Emergency Simulation
- In-Basket
- Oral Presentation

Within each of the components of the Assessment Center, you are going to be evaluated on various "dimensions." Common dimensions to evaluate promotional candidates on include:

- Oral communication skills
- Written communication skills
- Leadership ability
- Problem analysis ability
- Problem solving ability
- Decision making ability
- Knowledge of the position
- Flexibility
- Creativity
- Interpersonal skills
- Strategy and tactics

Understanding that you will be getting graded on the above dimensions should encourage you to learn as much as you can about each of the dimensions and ensure you are performing to the best of your ability.

Here is an example of a grading scale that may be used for each of the phases:

Outstanding         = 100 to 90%
Well Qualified      = 89 to 80%
Qualified              = 79 to 70%
Not Ready           = Less than 70

What do each of the above categories mean, or what does it take to make each of the above? Here is an example:

To get a score in the Outstanding range, you should demonstrate an outstanding amount of the knowledge, skills, or abilities as reflected in their performance in a particular exercise. You clearly exceed the minimal skills level necessary and demonstrates all of the ideal positive characteristics of the position.

To get a score in the Well Qualified range, you should demonstrate an above average amount of the knowledge, skills or abilities as reflected in your performance in a particular exercise. You exceed the minimum skills level and characteristics required of the position.

To get a score in the Qualified range, you should demonstrate an adequate amount of the knowledge, skills or abilities as reflected in your performance in a particular exercise. You adequately meet the minimum skills level and characteristics of the position.

To get a score in the Not Ready range, you should demonstrate very little or none of the knowledge, skills, or abilities as reflected in your performance in a particular exercise. You are clearly below what is minimally acceptable requirements for the position.

One component you can almost guarantee to find on a promotional Assessment Center is an oral interview. Expect to have a panel of three to five members from outside of your department (typically at least one rank above the position you are testing for) and maybe one person from within your department as a moderator to ensure the raters are asking the appropriate questions and maybe even to verify any of the information you claim to be facts in your interview.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS TO PREPARE FOR INCLUDE:

1. An opening statement. This question may be asked in a variety of ways:
- Tell us how you have prepared yourself for the position of _________.
- Tell us how your education, training, and education has prepared yourself for the position of _____________.

This question is considered to be the "ice-breaker" to loosen you up and relax you. Also, it is a great way for the oral panel to get to know you better. They have probably had the chance to review your application and resume, and now it is time to hear you sell yourself. This is where you are going to sell your key points:

- Education (formal)
- Training (certifications, licenses, etc.)
- Experience (on the job and off the job, including before you were hired with your present department).
- Community service/volunteer experience
- Special skills
- Personal characteristics/traits
- Preparation for the position

I encourage you to write out your opening statement in advance. Keep it on your computer and modify it as needed. A good opening statement should be two to four minutes in length. Anything less and you're probably not hitting all of your key points and anything more you are going to put the panel to sleep.

• CLICK HERE to download more information on creating an opening and closing statement, including a sample of what I have successfully used to get promoted.

2. Knowledge of Department Policies/Procedures, Rules/Regulations, Standard Operating Procedures/Guidelines, etc. These should be the freebie; if you do not know them by now, how are you going to enforce them and operate within the expected norms?

3. Knowledge of Current and Future Department Programs, Problems, etc. Understand the current and future "hot-buttons" of the fire chief and senior staff. Know the basics of the current programs your Department is offering. An officer is going to be expected to discuss those programs with the public and with their personnel. When you hear the question "tell us about the Department's on-call Fire Investigator Program," the first words out of your mouth should not be "duh...."

4. Desire to be in the position you are aspiring to. Know in advance why you want to promote to the position you are testing for. If the only things that come to mind are money and power, you really need to take a piece of paper and write down the reasons you want to promote; hopefully money and power are not your first two choices. Be able to discuss those items with the oral panel. When they ask you "why do you want to be a captain with the Department?," you need to have a good answer.

5. Personal Characteristics. Besides your education, training, and experience, the oral panel is going to what to know more about you as an individual. Some of the questions you may see include:

- What are your greatest strengths? Have at least three to share with the panel.
- What are your greatest weaknesses? Have at least three to share with the panel.
- And, what are you doing to improve those weaknesses?
- What are your core values?
- What do you think are the three most important qualities a company (or chief officer) can have?
- What is your management philosophy?
- What is your leadership style?
- Why should we hire promote you over all of the other candidates?

6. Your understanding of progressive discipline. At some point, an officer will have to impose discipline on an employee. It is guaranteed that you will be asked about the different steps of progressive discipline and your interpretation of them. Also, understand what level of discipline each rank is allowed to impose within your department.

7. Knowledge of Department Strategic or Master Plan. An officer needs to know where their department presently is and where it is going in the future. If your department has produced a Strategic or Master Plan, you need to be intimately familiar with it and be prepared to discuss the different sections within it.

8. Your current and future goals. It is not uncommon to be asked a question such as "what is your five year plan?" or "where do you see yourself in ten years?" or "to what position do you ultimately aspire to within this department?" You should already know where you are and where you want to be. Have a plan of action to get there and be prepared to discuss it with the oral panel.

9. Anything that you have documented on your application and/or resume. Be prepared to discuss, defend, or further explain anything you have documented in your application or resume. If you put it down, it is fair game.

10. Your plan of action as a company officer or chief officer. Be prepared to answer questions such as:

- What are your plans for your first day as a company or chief officer?
- How do you plan to fit in with your newly assigned crew upon promotion?
- What are your expectations of your personnel when you are promoted?

11. Judgment Scenarios. You may be tested on your ability to think on your feet and make split-second decisions. These scenarios be on the emergency scene, the fireground, within the fire station, etc., and may include situations such as personnel problems, employees perceived to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, employees not getting along with each other, employees that are tardy, employee theft, employees providing poor customer service, and/or customer complaints. The Department wants to see that you will enforce the Rules/Regulations, Policies/Procedures, laws, ordinances, etc. Do you immediately jump to the conclusion or do you properly investigate and attempt to get all the facts?

12. Closing statement. The famous question that can be worded in ways such as:

- That concludes all of the questions, do you have anything to add?

I encourage you to write out your closing statement in advance.  Keep it on your computer and modify it as needed. A good closing statement should be thirty seconds to ninety seconds in length. Some key points about the closing statement:

- Don't repeat everything you said in your opening statement.
- If there is anything you left out in your previous answers, this is a good time to include those items.
- It is ok to summarize your key selling points.
- Make sure you ask for the position (not begging or sounding desperate, but sounding sincere and passionate).
- Thank the oral panel for their time.
- This is your chance to leave the oral panel with the best taste in their mouth.

GENERAL ORAL INTERVIEW TIPS:

- Ensure that you have rehearsed your possible answers to any question you may be asked.
- Take the time and energy to practice in front of a video camera and/or audio tape recorder to see how you perform (the camera and tape recorder do not tell lies!).
- If possible, try to get some of your supervisors to give you mock oral interviews to prepare for the interview, to get comfortable, and to practice your answers.
- Be on time for your interview!
- Preplan where you are required to go in advance; the last thing you want to do is have to go somewhere you have never been or have to find parking in a place you are not familiar with.
- Where the appropriate uniform/dress attire. Make sure your uniform/dress attire are neatly pressed and freshly cleaned with no wrinkles. Polish your shoes. Have a few dress shirts in case it is a multiple day affair. Make sure all of your accessories are up to date and included (name badge, badge, bars, stars, department pins, etc.).

WHEN ANSWERING QUESTIONS:

- Listen very carefully to each question, try not to have to ask the oral panel to repeat it for you. Doing that shows you have poor listening skills.
- Remember that you are getting evaluated on oral communications. Keep the uh's, uhm's, you know's, to the bare minimum. Those are filler words. Instead, take a pause instead of saying "uhm......"
- Don't just answer the question - answer the question!
- If you state something, back it up with a fact. For example, if you tell the oral panel you are "dependable," then you better also back it up with a statement to prove it. I am dependable because I have not called in sick for the last ten years gives the oral panel something to show you are what you say you are. It also gives you the opportunity to get a higher score.

As a company officer or chief officer, you are going to be expected to instruct classes to your personnel and to the public on a daily basis. It is imperative that company and chief officers have excellent oral communication and presentation skills.

Here is an example of a teaching demonstration:

You are led into a preparation room, and given 30 minutes to prepare for a 10 to 15 minute teaching demonstration. Use your preparation time wisely, and properly budget your time during the teaching demonstration. Going under 10 minutes or over 15 minutes will result in your failing the teaching demonstration portion of the exam.

Within the preparation room, you find the following items:

1. An instruction sheet (see below)
2. Pencils, pens, permanent and dry erase markers
3. Flip chart paper
4. Thermal Imaging Camera
5. Instruction manual for the Thermal Imaging Camera

The instruction sheet states the following information:

This morning, your battalion chief notified you that during a training event last shift (you were gone on vacation), your two firefighters and one engineer were not able to demonstrate competency using the Thermal Imaging Camera. Some of the problems noted: inability to properly turn it on and turn it off, inadequately charged batteries, and an inability to successfully find the victim during a search and rescue evolution. The battalion chief voiced his displeasure, and stated that he had already verbally counseled all three of them. He directed you to immediately provide a training class to them, and provide them some scenarios to do some hands-on training. The three evaluators in the Teaching Demonstration room will mimic your crew of three. Your task is to teach them a lesson on Thermal Imaging Camera use, allow them time for questions, and to evaluate them on how well they retained the information.

Where do you go from here you may be wondering? That is a good question, with a good answer. There are many right ways to attack this type of situation, but realize your 30 minutes of preparation time will be eaten up quickly.

Some points to consider when preparing your lesson plan and determining what to do:

There are two primary ways to deliver a lesson:

- A manipulative lesson plan (hands-on practice)
- A technical lesson plan (a lecture or discussion)

Based on the above, you need to pick one or the other, based on your limited time frame of 10 to 15 minutes (you don't have time to do both). Regardless of the method you choose, consider the following:

1. Remember to use the "four step" teaching method:

Step 1 = Preparation. Basically it is up to you to not only introduce your topic and yourself, but to motivate the audience as to why it is important that they listen to what you have to say. Have a few sentences or a paragraph at the most, of high-impact, enthusiastic, eye-catching and attention grabbing words that immediately grab their attention and make them want to listen to what you have to say.

Step 2 = Presentation. For a technical lesson, this is your actual lecture. For a manipulative lesson, this is where you actually demonstrate how to do the task. A good rule of thumb is to go through the full demonstration once at regular speed, then once at a slower speed to fully explain what you are doing, and then maybe a third time at regular speed. Doing it three times should help with retention.

Step 3 = Application. For a technical lesson, this is where you actually ask the students questions during your lecture to ensure they are paying attention and retaining the material, and where you use various instructional aids to help enhance the learning process. For a manipulative lesson, this is where you allow them to practice with the item, after they have watched you demonstrate how to use it. Be prepared in this phase to have to coach them through any safety errors, critical or minor errors, in a tactful and respectful way. Have them practice it enough times to ensure proficiency. Step 3, the Application phase is the most important phase of instruction. Remember they are only practicing it to be prepared for their actual test will occur in Step 4, the Evaluation phase.

Step 4 = Evaluation. This is where you test the students to ensure that learning has occurred. Testing can be done in a variety of ways: oral exam, multiple choice exam, true-false exam, essay exam, matching exam, or demonstration. Even though you may not have the time to develop an actual test during your teaching demonstration, do not forget to at least advise the students how they will be evaluated on the lesson they just received. Even a simple statement such as "review your lecture notes, read pages 30 to 40 and be prepared for a 10 question quiz next shift which you will have to score at least 80% on," or "practice with the Thermal Imaging Camera and be prepared for an actual simulation where you will be required to find a missing patient in the smoke filled drill tower, without missing any critical items." Remember that Step 4, the Evaluation phase is not a teaching phase. You have already demonstrated to them how to perform the task (step 2, Presentation) and you have already coached them and observed them during the actual practice session (step 3, Application).

2. Do not forget to ask questions of each of your audience members; make them feel included in the process, especially if they are evaluating you. The most common types of questions to ask (try to use each of them at least once):

Overhead Question: A question asked of the entire audience, that anyone can answer.
Direct Question: A question asked of one specific person.
Rhetorical Question: A question asked of the entire audience to promote thinking, or to make a point. You are not expecting an answer to this type of question.
Relay Question: A method of taking a question someone has asked you and relaying it to another student to answer, to get someone else involved or to tap into the specific knowledge someone may have on the subject.

3. Try to use at least two different forms of instructional aids, the more the better. Examples of instructional aids can include:

- Models or actual tools or equipment.
- Flip charts or easel pads.
- White boards or chalk boards.
- Handouts.
- LCD projector with PowerPoint.
- Slides.
- Video or DVDs (limit to one minute; more than that is a waste of time and will take away from you).

Key point: If you see any of these in the room, make sure you use them! More than likely, they are there for a reason. Having the ability to recognize this should go in your favor. Even if you just write your name on the white board, you should get points for using instructional aids. Every point counts.

4. Do not forget to also leave time for questions and answers at the end of your presentation.

5. Watch your time! Good instructors know how to make quality use of their time.

6. Try to be enthusiastic, energetic, and remember you are being graded on oral communications. So, make sure you modulate your voice, do not talk in a monotone voice, change your pitch to emphasize key points, and keep the ahs, uhms, uhs, oks and you knows to the bare minimum. Don't forget to smile while you are at it.

** ALSO SEE THE ORAL PRESENTATION SECTION BELOW FOR MORE INFO, SINCE THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT TYPE OF TEST.

You will typically have real person role playing or have to watch video of a situation, anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes in length. You will then be asked a series of questions if it is a video, or have to interact with the person if you have a role player. Most likely you are a newly promoted company officer or chief officer and you are witnessing a situation where someone is violating department rules and regulations (which can include sexual harassment, harassment, suspected drug or alcohol abuse, poor performance, poor customer service issues, damaged department equipment or apparatus, etc.).

Some tips to help you succeed in the Personnel Problem/Counseling Session:

- It is very important that you are intimately familiar with your Department's rules and regulations, policies and procedures, expectations, etc., because you are going to have to enforce them fairly, and consistently.

- It is very important that you understand the term "Progressive Discipline" and the different steps that make up progressive discipline, especially in your department and State you work in.

Some tips to help you if you are faced with live bodies performing a role play:

- Do not get angry with them, or raise your voice. If their voice gets loud, your voice should lower. Their job is to annoy you and not give in to you immediately. Eventually they will cave if you stick with it long enough, but they are told not to give up that easily.

- Do not take what they are doing or saying personally; they are just role playing.

- Even if you are pretty sure what you think the real, underlying problem is, do not expect them to say yes or spill the beans immediately. You may have to ask them the same question multiple times, or be prepared for a specific time limit before they start talking freely and answering your questions (five minutes or more).

- Do your best to get the person to sit down, next to you, to help calm them down. If there is a table, try not to have the table separate you; try to sit at the corner, in a non-threatening manner.

- Remember the eight steps for successful personnel counseling:
1. Start with a friendly greeting.
2. Briefly state the problem.
3. Let the employee explain their side, while you listen.
4. Now it is your turn to explain your side, what you have witnessed, and what facts you have while the employee listens.
5. State the rules for desired behavior.
6. Develop an action plan to get the desired behavior (if needed).
7. Review with feedback from the employee.
8. Have a positive closing.

- Do not patronize, be rude to, be condescending to, or be negative to the person you are counseling. Be firm, fair and impartial and just state facts.

- When asking them questions, open-ended questions are always good. Open-ended questions allow them to "spill their guts." When they are talking, if it seems like they have come to a stopping point, you can say "and then what," to allow them to continue. However, there are times when you need to ask direct questions if you want to find out something specific. Try to stay away from one or two word answers, they won't get you the results you are expecting.

- Typical levels of progressive discipline, subject to slightly change based on your location:

Preventative Action:
1. Establishing goals and expectations with your personnel (something you should have done the first day you worked with them).
2. Training.
3. Coaching.

Corrective Action:
1. Verbal Counseling.
2. Written Counseling.

Formal Disciplinary Action:
1. Letter of Reprimand
2. Suspension.
3. Demotion.
4. Termination.

Typical questions you will be asked after you are provided with a video scenario:

1. Based on the video that you just witnessed, what are the biggest issues you are faced with?
2. Based on those issues you perceive, what would you do?
3. What type of discipline would you impose/recommend for the involved parties?
4. Why did you choose that level of discipline? Why not more or less?

There are two primary types of emergency simulations a promotional candidate will be faced with:

1. Live and dynamic, with role players using radios and yourself using a radio to give orders and direction. This type of simulation allows you to watch the incident escalate in front of your eyes (especially if you are not doing the correct things to mitigate the incident; even if you are, don't expect to put the fire out, they don't want you to).

2. Static pictures, where you will be asked to talk through your thought process, including your size up, requesting of resources, and deploying of resources.

Types of events to prepare for:

1. Hazardous materials release (know your local hazardous materials response plan, what resources to request, what levels of response you and your department can provide, based on your training).

2. High rise structure fire (know your local high rise operational plan, expect to request at least a third or fourth alarm).

3. Commercial structure fire (could be strip mall, a "big-box" store such as Home Depot, etc.)

4. Residential structure fire (could be an apartment complex - center hallway or garden style, a small house or a large house).

5. Wildland fire (know your wildland terminology, how to deploy various types of apparatus and personnel, etc.).

6. Mass Casualty Incident (could be a vehicle or bus accident, a hostage situation, or any other type of EMS response with more patients then you can handle with your initial response. Know your local Mass Casualty Incident response plan, what special types of resources to request, etc.).

On all of the above types of incidents, to be successful, remember the following suggestions:

1. Expect to have a firefighter down or firefighter missing event. Hopefully when this happens, you will already have your Rapid Intervention Crew (or whatever you call it) already in place to activate. Don't forget to replace them with an additional crew, and request an ambulance if not already on scene. Don't forget the rest of the incident you are already running.

2. Expect to have to evacuate or shelter-in-place local residents or occupants. Know your local policy and who is responsible for evacuation (typically law enforcement personnel. If you have multiple law enforcement personnel, also request a law supervisor to coordinate those efforts and reduce your span of control.

3. Expect to have medical patients; have a plan to treat and transport them. If you have multiple patients, besides requesting ambulances, consider requesting a medical supervisor to oversee patient care and transportation, and also consider activating the local mass casualty incident plan to alert the hospitals, other fire departments, other public safety agencies, and the local EMS agency of a possible significant EMS system impact.

4. Call resources early, and don't forget to request appropriate resources. If you have a fire during a simulator, expect it to go to at least a second (if not third alarm). Most departments are not going to give you a 747 into a hotel in the middle of the night, especially at the captain or battalion chief level. Most of them will be a little more realistic. Captains and battalion chiefs should be able to handle a second or third alarm assignment with minimal issues.

5. Try to always have a full alarm assignment in staging. Why? Besides doing so for common sense reasons (because when you need resources, it typically takes five to ten or more minutes to get them to the scene, especially if they are from other departments and have to go through the mutual aid request process), it allows you to handle those "immediate need" issues that will pop up. Immediate need issues can be a firefighter down or missing, a medical patient, a person needing immediate rescue from a window or perilous situation, etc.

6. Be ready to explain your actions: why you did or did not do something.

7. Remember if you didn't say it, you didn't do it.

8. You may have to fill out documentation. You may have something as simple as a piece of blank paper write on, a tactical worksheet typically used in your agency or an ICS 201 (Incident Briefing Form). Use what is recognized in your agency, and write quickly and neatly; you may or may not be graded on your written communications and/or your spelling, neatness or grammar.

9. You may have a white board, chalk board or flip chart to write on to draw a site map. If so, don't forget to include apparatus placement, hoseline placement (including the hydrant and line from the engine to the hydrant), personnel placement, and any other pertinent factors.

10. Know and use the Incident Command System. Be able to establish Command or I.C. (for Incident Command), whichever your department uses, use appropriate methods to decrease your span of control (establish Groups or Divisions), etc.

11. When assigning units, make sure you: 1. Advise them who they report to. If they are the first unit in that area or performing that task, make sure you advise the officer he/she is in charge and is known as ______. 2. Advise them of their tactical objectives.

12. If you are requesting things through a dispatcher, try to not ask for more than three (3) things at a time. Any more will overload them and you will run the risk of not getting what you ask for. So instead of dropping a salvo load on them asking for: a second alarm, three ambulances, an ambulance supervisor, law enforcement, the gas and electric company and a safety officer, pick the three most important items and start with those. Then wait a minute or two (allowing dispatch to process your request) and then ask for three more.

Looking to practice Emergency Simulations? Here are some great resources:

ADMS
Code 3D - A three digital three-dimensional ire simulation program.
Command Sim Fire - The simulation software used by Fire Engineering Magazine.
Digital Combustion - The leading emergency simulation software company you can purchase from.
Fire Engineering Magazine - There is a section on their website dedicated to free fire simulations to practice with!
Fire Simulation
Fire Simulator.com - Free fire simulation software to download and practice with!
Firefighter: EGH
Flame Sim
Long Beach Fire Department Training Division - Free fire simulations you can practice with!
MXinferno
nCommand
NIMSPro
StageIT
Vector Command

As a company or chief officer, paperwork is going to be a part of your daily life; get used to it and make the best of it. An in-basket is typically used during the Assessment Center to test your:

- Organization skills (ability to prioritize documents based on need)
- Time management skills (ability to complete the most important tasks first and complete all of your work in a timely manner).
- Written communication skills (you're going to be doing a lot of writing, more than you could ever imagine). You will be asked to write proposals, write budget requests, write employee performance evaluations, create training plans, prioritize the day of your crew(s) at the fire station, create policies, suggest improvements for the department, recommend discipline for employees, etc.

You will typically be given a packet of paperwork to complete, and you may or may not have enough time to complete everything. Some departments only give you a couple of hours for the in-basket, and others space it over two days and you work on it in between your other assessment center events. Either way, be prepared for a lot of writing and your hand getting cramped. Expect to receive about 10 to 20 items that you will be expected to complete.

Some key points about the in-basket:

1. Remember you are getting graded primarily on your written communication skills. Proper spelling, grammar, sentence structure and writing skills are what they are looking for.

2. Before you tackle any of the items in the in-basket, take the time to review ALL items. It allows you to get a quick view of what you will need to do and if you are smart, you'll try to initially triage each item into one of three categories: High priority, Medium priority or Low priority. These priorities may change as time goes on, but it will give you a starting point. From there, you can then prioritize them even more: High 1, High 2, High 3, etc. High priority items should be anything that deals with life safety, immediate staffing issues, political or sensitive customer service items, or damage that may have occurred to property (other people's or the department's) that requires immediate attention. The code 3 light bar needing repair is a high priority item since it is required for code 3 vehicle operation. However, if your engineer comes to you needing a tool to be replaced (and you already have another similar tool on the rig, and it does not get used that often), it will probably be a medium or more likely a low priority item.

3. Watch your time carefully; running out of time and not completing all items can lead to significant point loss. Even though the in-basket typically does not make up a high percentage of your assessment center overall score, it does count for something. Every point counts in the long run.

Company officers and chief officers will be asked to present material to their employees and the public, on a regular basis. A company officer is going to be providing daily training to their personnel, and they need to have excellent presentation skills to ensure they are successfully getting their message to their personnel and that their personnel are retaining the material. A company officer is also going to be leading public education presentations, station tours, and similar events, where they are going to making presentations. A chief officer is going to be making presentations to their staff members on a regular basis, to their elected officials, and to the public on a regular basis. The company officer and the chief officer needs to remember that they are always representing their employer, and they need to be on their best behavior. A fire department's reputation and credibility is created, maintained by its members. It can also be destroyed or set back significantly by its members who are not acting professionally or in the best interest of the department or its customers.

Here is an example of an oral presentation you might find on a promotional examination:

You have thirty minutes to prepare for a fifteen minute presentation. Your presentation must be no shorter than ten minutes, and no longer than fifteen minutes. Your evaluators will be your simulated audience, who will be simulating a five member senior staff of your department (Fire Chief, Assistant Chief, and three Deputy Chiefs). You will be a battalion chief that is presenting a proposal for to upgrade staffing from three people to four people on all five of your first-out engine companies. This is a proposal that you have created on your own, and are presenting to the senior staff for approval.

When you walk into the room to prepare your presentation, the following equipment is on the table or near the table for your use:

- 8" x 11" writing tablets
- Easel with flip chart, flip chart paper
- Permanent markers
- Dry erase markers
- Pencil and pens
- Copy of the Department budget

Well, this should be pretty easy, shouldn't it? It should, but many candidates miss the boat and do not hit all of the necessary key points to score the maximum number of points.

Some things to remember about oral presentation:

- If something is provided to you in the preparation room, it is probably there for a reason. Make sure you try to use everything provided to you, at least once. For example, they provide a flip chart to you. Even if you just use it to put your name and the name of your topic on it, you will most likely get the maximum points for that portion of the test.

- Make sure you stick to your time frame. If they give you a specific time frame, stick to it carefully. Going over or under the time frame may fail you, or cause you to lose valuable points. Also, doing so shows that you cannot properly manage time.

- Try to involve all of your evaluators in your presentation by asking them questions. Work the audience, to ensure they are understanding what you have to say.

- Ten to fifteen minutes is not a lot of time. You do not have the time to get too in depth, even on one subject. A good rule of thumb for an oral presentation, is to keep it to three main points. Start with your introduction, have a body (with no more than three bullet points on what you are discussing) and then a conclusion. Your Introduction sets the stage and tells the audience what you are going to tell them. Motivate them to want to listen to you. Your Body contains about three bullet points of main items. This is where you tell them about your key points. Your Conclusion is where you summarize and review what you just discussed. This is where you tell them what you told them.

- If possible, try to take the time to pass out handouts to your evaluators (just like you would to a real audience). Also, try to put together a brief lesson plan to work off of.

- Do not think you have to talk about everything there is to talk about your assigned subject. You are not getting as much on what you say, as much as you are on how you say it, how you present your material (flow, level of comfort, ease of talking to the audience, etc.), how you communicate and interact with your audience, and how you can make a convincing case for your topic.

What are you getting tested on during this portion of the exam?

- Oral communication skills
- Presentation ability
- Interpersonal skills
- Ability to be comfortable in front of a group and discuss something

** ALSO SEE THE TEACHING DEMONSTRATION SECTION ABOVE FOR MORE INFO, SINCE THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT TYPE OF TEST.

Below are some valuable website resources to assist you with the fire service promotional process:

Battalion Chief Paul Lepore: Long Beach, CA
- Promotional preparation information

Captain "Bob" Smith: Pleasanton, CA
- Promotional preparation information

Don McNea Fire School: Cleveland, OH
- Promotional preparation information

Fire Command Training: FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka
- Promotional preparation information and seminars

Digital Combustion: Huntington Beach, CA
- Fire/Emergency Scene Simulator Software

Vincent Dunn: FDNY Battalion Chief (retired)
- Promotional preparation information and seminars

Chuck Wilson: Manhattan Beach, CA
- Promotional preparation seminars

Firefighter Inspiration Readiness & Education: Sacramento Metro Battalion Chief Anthony Kastros
- Promotional preparation seminars and information

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