C H A P T E R 1
A career as a firefighter
The indispensable guide for applicant firefighters
If you are one of the many people whose ambition it is to become a firefighter, then this book can make it a reality. The previous editions have already helped thousands of candidates. This new edition can help you.
Most successful candidates spend a considerable amount of time and effort preparing for each stage of the firefighter recruitment process. Passing might well involve one of the biggest commitments you have made in your life so far. If this sounds a bit of an exaggeration, then appreciate that you will be one of many really determined candidates and some of them will have spent hours each week for months preparing. Do the same or risk coming a poor second.
Read this book carefully, think over the advice ā discuss points with someone, complete the exercises even if you find them boring or difficult, and refer back to the relevant section as you progress through each stage of the real recruitment process. You are going to have to take a careful look at yourself. You may well have to work hard in order to master things that you have previously struggled with. Most applicants do. You may excel in some aspects of the firefighter selection process but, like many other people, will find one or more elements a real challenge. To succeed you are going to have to overcome these challenges and take full advantage of your strengths. You are going to have to present yourself as an applicant who would make a really good firefighter. If you do not follow this advice then you may well experience failure and have to find the strength of character to re-apply. It is not uncommon for applicants to fail five or more times before being accepted into the Fire Service.
The national standards
All the UK fire authorities put applicants through the same long and difficult recruitment process governed by national standards. It can easily last over six months. It assesses all candidates in terms of qualities such as their personality, community awareness, numerical and verbal skills, and physical fitness. Only applicants possessing the qualities that a firefighter needs will succeed. This book will guide you through each stage, helping you to present yourself as the ideal candidate.
If you have applied and failed before
If you have been through the process before, perhaps more than once, you might feel resentful and view it as unfair. Put any feelings of resentment and frustration aside, as they are counterproductive. The best frame of mind to adopt is one where you view the recruitment process as an opportunity. See it as your chance to prove that you have what it takes to be a firefighter. Better still, view the recruitment process as a long line of opportunities. Set about leaving no room for doubt and make sure that at every point in that long line you look and sound like a great candidate.
The role of the firefighter and key responsibilities
Working in pressurized situations
Part of the work of a firefighter is necessarily reactive. The general public expects our Fire Service to be at the ready, respond at speed to an emergency and deal with that emergency professionally.
It is common to think of firefighters as heroes who save the lives of people in danger from fire, road accidents or flood. Accounts of their bravery are regularly reported in our newspapers and a great many people are extremely grateful for the life-saving help they have provided.
The drama and action of an emergency is a major reason why so many people want to become firefighters. Physically firefighters need to be very fit, and to succeed in your application you will need to demonstrate a high degree of physical fitness.
Working as part of a team to resolve an emergency
Dealing with emergencies requires firefighters to work closely together, and you will have to prove that you too can work effectively as part of a team.
To fight a fire or rescue someone trapped in a lift or a crashed car requires teamwork of the highest order. You are bound to be questioned about your understanding of what makes a good team and when you have been an effective member of a successful team.
What is teamwork?
Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common goal. Good teamwork depends on effective communication, an equal contribution by each member of the team and a āsupport one anotherā mentality. When a team is working at its best, it is amazing what it can accomplish and it is very likely that the objective will be realized.
How can you demonstrate that you have been an effective member of a team?
It is extremely likely that you have worked as a team to achieve something, solve a problem or sort out something unexpected. It may have been when you were at school or work, through voluntary work, through your involvement in a religious organization or a sports team. It is equally likely that you have played an effective role in a successful team. The objective of the team could be almost anything: win a game, paint a church hall or complete the dayās work. It does not really matter what sort of team it was or what its objective was. All that matters is that you can describe how you were an effective member of a team and that it realized its objective. I have already explained that teamwork relies on good communication, an equal contribution of effort and mutual support, and this is irrespective of the common objective. Write down three or four examples of times when you worked as part of an effective team, what your common objective was and how its success was made possible through communication, equal effort and mutual support. Ask someone to question you about teamwork and be sure that you can confidently describe the occasions when you were part of a winning team and what made it so.
Working in hot, dirty confined spaces and at heights
Firefighters must work and operate equipment in dirty, wet, hot conditions, at heights, and sometimes in conditions where visibility is greatly restricted. You may be asked to describe occasions when you have coped in such circumstances, and you will have to take assessments that test your ability to complete a task under such conditions.
Dealing sympathetically with people who are emotional and distressed
Firefighters witness distressing situations and sometimes have to comfort and assist people who are extremely distressed. You should identify a time when you have dealt with such a situation or assisted people in such a state, and be sure that you can talk about that situation confidently.
Helping challenging members of the community
Not everyone is grateful for the service provided by the Fire Service. People who are intoxicated, for example, are far more likely to require the services of a firefighter but may not always welcome that help. They may on occasion react aggressively when assisted. Some people may appear undeserving. Yet firefighters must help every member of the public in the same way, no matter what they might think of them or how challenging they may be. Be prepared to describe any experience you have had of working with such members of the public, and expect to be questioned about your approach towards them.
Demonstrating integrity
Firefighters often find themselves in positions of great trust, entering peopleās homes and businesses after the occupier has left, assisting the elderly and children, and collecting abandoned possessions. There must be no question about their honesty or integrity. Expect to answer questions about your sincerity and truthfulness.
Working unsocial hours
Shift working and time spent on standby form a major part of the job. When on duty firefighters live in close proximity with one another. They might on occasion get on each otherās nerves. Expect to be questioned about your approach to others and how you might deal with an annoying or possibly inappropriate colleague.
Fitting into the culture of the Fire Service
Firefighters wear uniforms and carry out orders. The service is a lot less militaristic than it used to be but it is still hierarchical. Be sure to identify things that you have done in the past that demonstrate your ability to work under such a regime.
Doing the job safely
The job necessarily involves the taking of risks. But firefighters are never cavalier about their personal safety, or that of their colleagues. Risks are assessed and managed, and the authority to which you apply will want to investigate your approach towards health and safety, and risk-taking in particular.
The preventative work of the Fire Service
It is better to ensure that a fire does not occur in the first place. To some extent, having to go to an emergency implies a failure: the failure to prevent an accident from occurring. Nowadays much of the work of a firefighter is concerned with preventative measures designed to avert an emergency.
Firefighters have always attended schools and public events to promote public safety. In recent years this work has been greatly extended. You must be aware of what it involves and consider what you may have done to demonstrate your suitability for this important aspect of the job, as this may help you to make a strong impression in the firefighter recruitment process.
Why equality of opportunities is so important
What is equality of opportunity?
Equality of opportunity means that people are allowed the same chance to take up education or employment opportunities, or to be protected by organizations such as the Fire Service, and not be excluded from these opportunities on the basis of birth, nationality, religion, race, gender, political belief, sexual preference or disability.
Equality of opportunity means equal treatment and respect. Nothing should prevent people from gaining access to services or employment if their talents, experience and achievements fit the requirements of the position. And someone should get the job, promotion or place on a training course only if they can demonstrate the talent, necessary experience and achievement.
How can you show that you are committed to equality of opportunity?
An effective policy of equality is entrenched in day-to-day working practices. What you do in work on a day-to-day basis therefore can be used as an example to demonstrate your commitment to equality. This means that you demonstrate such a commitment if you treat customers fairly and with respect and provide a service irrespective of the customersā birth, nationality, religion, race, gender, political belief, sexual preference or disability. You demonstrate a commitment to equality if you help ensure the workplace is free from discrimination, bullying or harassment.
If you have undertaken voluntary work in your local community, then you have demonstrated a commitment to equality if you helped members of excluded groups to gain access to services. It might be, for example, playing sports with young people at risk of offending, or giving an elderly neighbour a lift to the polling station on election night or to the doctorās surgery.
The Fire Service is determined to serve all members of our communities irrespective of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. It is also determined to serve people both rich and poor. The most disadvantaged people in our society are more likely to require the services of the Fire Service. National statistics show that people who live alone, the elderly, some members of ethnic minority communities and people who do not speak English are more likely to be the victims of a fire-related accident. If the service is to succeed in its commitment to serve all members of our communities, and if it is to succeed in preventing fires, then it must work especially hard to reach out to the members of society who are at most risk of being the victim of a fire. Very often these are the hardest people to communicate with, and in some instances the people who are most likely to mistrust the motives of the service and a firefighter.
Let me illustrate this point, because it is a very important one. Consider a single man over 60 years of age living alone on a low income who smokes and drinks. In every street there is probably someone who fits this description, and national statistics demonstrate that such an individual is far more likely to suffer a fire in his home. He may not have a smoke alarm, and if he does it may not have been tested for some time. His home may be in a state of disrepair, the electrics may be old and he may rely for warmth on unsafe electric heaters. The fire may occur because he falls asleep while smoking...