Fire Fighting Instructor Interview Questions And Answers

This question is the most deciding question and most of the candidates make a mistake by answering that they have no weaknesses. Avoid listing out your weaknesses rather talk about your weakness which you have overcome. Talking about past weaknesses is a great way to answer this question. But never make up a new weakness just for the sake of answering.

Is there anything that has happened which would strain your credibility? If so, avoid mentioning such incidences. You can talk about your past mistakes and the lessons you have learnt from it. Make sure not to make it big; otherwise, it will affect the confidence of the interviewer on you. The crux behind this question is to know whether you are having the ability to learn from your mistakes and how positive minded you are.

Every fire department candidate can expect a question along these lines. The best response is to offer an honest weakness that doesn't affect your ability to do the job. As an example, John cited a firefighting candidate who described carrying a length of rope to help him improve his knot-tying skills, which had been a weakness. This kind of honesty works better than evading the question, or throwing out a generic response like, "I work too hard."

Obtain a copy of the job description from your local fire department before the interview or review the advertisement you responded to. That way, you can demonstrate your knowledge of how firefighters spend their time. For example, describe how some firefighters drive ladder and rescue trucks, while others drive tanker trucks with water for extinguishing fires. Indicate how you'd treat injured victims, write reports on fire incidents and educate the public, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests. The more knowledge you share, the more you'll stand out as a viable job candidate.

The automatic fire sprinkler system is the most widely used fire protection system today. The whole philosophy of sprinklers is based upon the premise of applying the right amount of water (as little as possible) in the right place (the seat of the fire) at the right time (as quickly as possible). Many ordinary hazard systems used to be fed directly from the town's mains, but increasingly a water tank and pumps are being installed to guarantee adequate water flow and pressure.

Types of fire sprinkler systems:

☛ WET
☛ DRY
☛ PRE-ACTION
☛ DELUGE

Relate skills and accomplishments that apply to firefighters when answering why you'd be a good firefighter. For example, tell the interviewer how you're usually fearless about taking on the biggest challenges on a job and have the physical stamina and strength to be a highly effective fireman. Most important, provide examples of how you approach problems head on or spend many hours on the job. Courage, physical strength and stamina are important attributes of firemen.

Each fire sprinkler head is rated for certain degree, depending on its application. For example if a fire sprinkler head is rated for 155 degrees, as soon as the surrounding temperature reaches 155 degrees the bulb will burst and thus engage the fire sprinkler system.

We block traffic lanes for the safety of our personnel and our patients. Blocking extra lanes keep our personnel safe when they go back to our apparatus to get more equipment and help protect the victim we are trying to stabilize. Over 25 firefighters are killed or injured each year while working at incidents on streets and highways.

A combination of an electrical/mechanical detection system, fire sprinkler heads are open and the pipe is not pressurized. When the detection system is activated water discharges through all of the sprinkler heads in the system.

A deluge fire sprinkler system is commonly installed in high-risk areas such as power plants, aircraft hangars, and chemical storage or processing facilities.

Davenport Fire Department is not equipped to fill fire extinguishers at this time. However, you can find local fire extinguisher businesses in the yellow pages to refill them.

Aerodrome fire category from cat 1 to cat 10 is determined based on the longest aeroplanes normally using the aerodromes and their fuselage width as per ICAO.

Split your career goals into smaller segments and how it helps fulfill your long term goals. For example, first say that you would like to clear the interview and perform the given job with utmost excellence. Then talk about how you see yourself 5-10 years down the line. Discuss short term goals which are practical and achievable with a neat explanation.

If you have held a leadership position in the past, then talk about how you managed your team. If no positions held then talk about how well you coordinate with the team and what are your strategies to get the best out of your team. Never criticize your ex-leaders rather talk about the good qualities in them that have inspired you.

Use a STAR story when answering questions about situations you handled on previous jobs. Stories are usually easier for the interviewer to remember. STAR stands for situation, task, action and result, according to Rasmussen College. Describe how you confronted an angry customer on a retail sales job and calmly asked him what was wrong -- the situation and task. Subsequently, you refunded his money for a defective cellphone and replaced it with a new one. Result: The customer was happy with his new cellphone. Firefighters deal with confrontation on a regular basis, so keep your responses to this question related to customer conflicts, problem employees or even rescues.

Why does a fire truck respond when I wanted an ambulance? Because firefighters can and do get there first, and time is critical in a medical emergency. Every Davenport Fire fighter is cross-trained in Emergency Medical Services. What does that mean to you, a citizen phoning 911? Simply read on...

In the early days, fire stations were strategically located so the crews could quickly get to burning buildings. Obviously, time is an important aspect of firefighting, because flames can rapidly spread through a building. The ability to quickly respond to a fire provides more time to rescue people inside, and save property by suppressing the blaze in the early stages. It soon became apparent that the firefighter's ability to "get there fast" could be used for other types of emergency response, such as heart attacks, strokes and trauma.

Four minutes is a critical time frame for someone who has experienced a heart attack, injury, or other illness that makes them stop breathing. The heart and brain have a better chance of full recovery they receive oxygen in four minutes or less. After that, a person can suffer brain damage or worse. Our firefighters, many of them educated to the level of paramedic, can use life saving techniques including defibrillation and medications to help prevent death or permanent injury. These life saving techniques are much more effective if they can get to a patient within the first four minutes.

Each Davenport Fire Station is part of a much larger, intricate dispatch system. The system is designed to provide adequate emergency coverage for the citizens who live here, by carefully managing response resources. Fire stations are not isolated or randomly located. They are strategically positioned to provide the best coverage with the least expenditure of resources.

Emergency calls represents only about fifteen percent of the work of a typical fire department in Davenport. The number of residential and commercial fires has steadily decreased over the years due to a variety of factors including improvements in construction, a greater public awareness of the risk factors leading to fires and a significant reduction in smoking nationwide. Fires, however, are only some of the emergencies to which the Fire Department responds. Nearly eighty percent of the Fire Department's emergency responses are, in fact, calls for medical aid, including illness/accidents at home and work, and injuries resulting from vehicle crashes. Other calls for emergency response involve hazardous materials releases, technical rescues, response to fire alarms and other calls for public assistance. Firefighters also spend much of their time maintaining equipment, doing routine public safety inspections for businesses and rental housing, training for all types of emergency responses and filling out the reports and paperwork associated with these activities.

Weeds and bushes should be kept three feet from fire hydrants for visibility and accessibility.

This is a decisive question. Explain in a positive manner how you have worked well with your team in the past and let them know what you can do to your team, in order to produce the best results.

Here are a few more sample questions that you may face in your EMT job interview.

☛ Are you overqualified for an EMT basic job?
☛ Measure your past job performance.
☛ List out your top 3 skills as an EMT.
☛ What do you know about the current trends in the field of EMS?
☛ How do you scale growth once you are selected for this position?
☛ Describe about a typical work week for you.
☛ What do you do to prevent yourself from getting emotional or panicking at work?
☛ List out your strengths.

This is the most typical question asked in every EMT interview. Make sure you match the answer for this question with the information you have provided in the cover letter and your resume. You can mention a wide variety of skills you have learned in the past. If you have gone through a refresher course then it is very good to state the new set of skills you have learned.

Express your keen interest towards learning new things in the upcoming years. Eagerness and enthusiasm to learn new things will surely impress the panel.

Two reasons: First, these inspections are conducted by on-duty engine companies that must be ready to respond to an emergency call from the field. Second, an important part of the value of the public safety inspection is to familiarize your local firefighters with the buildings and business in Davenport. While they check for hazards and consult with business owners on how best to eliminate or minimize the likelihood of a fire, they also familiarize themselves with access points and the layout of the facility. Why do firefighters break out windows and cut holes in roof during a fire? Firefighters ventilate smoke, superheated, poisonous, or explosive gases for safety and visibility. This allows firefighters to get inside the building to find and extinguish the fire, thereby reducing property damage. This also reduces the chance of a possible dangerous explosion.

When it is safe to do so, you should pull over to the right and stop until all emergency vehicles have safely passed. If you cannot safely maneuver to the right, simply stop and stay stopped so the vehicles can go around you safely.

The Fire Department does not assist in rescuing animals. Citizens may contact Animal Control. The telephone number is (000) 388-6005 .

When asked about strengths, discuss skills that you and firefighters have in common. Firefighters are analytical, work in teams and must know how to communicate effectively with the public or law enforcement officers regarding each incident. Tell the interviewer how you used analytical and teamwork skills on a past job or as a member of student council in high school. If an interviewer asks about weaknesses, choose one related to the job. For example, say, "I tend to be a bit controlling at times instead of delegating tasks, but I've learned how sharing responsibilities with co-workers helps me accomplish more." Show that you know your weakness and are working on overcoming it, Recruiter.com advises.

Talking negative things about your previous employer or the job position is a bad interview manner. So, make sure you list out the reasons that are fair enough and in no way related to the attitude of your employer. A few common reasons that are considered as valid can be:

☛ Work in an advanced environment
☛ Further education
☛ Bigger concern with desired career growth
☛ Getting a senior position
☛ Salary increment
☛ Contract expiry or termination

An interview panel has two basic rationales for asking this question. First, it's important to determine whether an applicant has given much thought to his career progression. Second, an interviewer wants confirmation that you're a good long-term fit with the department. The ideal answer will focus on a specific career goal, and how you might achieve it. The How To Become A Firefighter In USA website recommends saying something like, "In the next five years I would like to see myself having developed an expertise in fire and rescue. I want to stand out from my peers and demonstrate my passion for my work. I also hope to be promoted so that I may serve as an example for others.” Failure to respond, or take the question seriously, will count against you.