BY SAM PHILLIPS
Fire departments, large and small, are constantly faced with the question of how to hire the best firefighters. In today’s tumultuous economic times, this question is more prevalent than ever, and the answers are even more evasive. Competition among fire service agencies and candidates can be fierce. In a down economy, there are more applicants and candidates to sort through, creating an additional workload for the organization and increasing competition for candidates.
This article lays out an overview of the hiring process for fire departments and provides a format for comparing your organization’s existing hiring process and possibly revising some aspects of that process to help ensure that recruitment and retention will be increased.
Following is an eight-step framework fire departments can use to establish a more productive selection process.
STEP 1. THE APPLICATION
Becoming a firefighter is easier if you know how the process works. Many good candidates often hesitate to apply because they are unsure of what is expected of them. Facilitate the process for potential members of your department. Make sure they know how and where to obtain an application for employment. Is your department listed in the telephone directory or on a Web site or a Blog spot? Is it on Facebook or Twitter? If not, it is time to reconsider how your internal and external customers can find you.
Many fire departments have a Web site that contains a detailed explanation of how community residents can become members of the department, lists position openings, and provides details on the application process. Having an application that can be downloaded and filled in electronically is standard these days. If your department does not have a Web presence, it can provide a brochure or flyer that details how and when applications are accepted. (If neither of these items is available, you can easily create one using the information below as a guide and adding your local contact information.) Posting a job description online is also helpful and will alleviate repetitive questions posed by potential applicants.
The Web site should clearly state where and to whom the completed application should be directed. This necessitates listing the mailing address of the fire station and a business telephone number with the business hours during which applications will be accepted. Frequently, candidates will want to turn in the application personally. This would be a great opportunity to introduce the candidate to the officer in charge of the program for an initial size-up. Make front office staff aware of this approach, and make every attempt to connect the applicant with the recruiting program manager.
Candidates often ask questions such as the following: Do I need to reside in the city or fire district? What is it like to be a firefighter? How many hours a week or month are required of volunteers? You could save time answering these questions if you cover them in your brochure/flyer or on your Web site. Clearly define the issue of residency early in the process to avoid issues later.
Candidates often want to know what the department is looking for in a firefighter. List the criteria in your recruitment literature: age, reasonably good health (able to pass a physical), a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record, and possession of a reliable mode of transportation.
When designing the employment application, provide ample space for contact information: name, address, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Essentially, all methods of contacting the applicant should be on the form.
Indicate in the educational history section of the application that the candidate’s response should include all types of schooling (including home schooling), names and addresses of the educational institutions and years attended, all types of work training (internships, for example), and any military service with a brief description of the services provided. When reviewing these application sections, look for skills or characteristics that might indicate how the candidate would fit into your organization. One experienced chief officer, for example, recalled reviewing an application where the candidate listed U.S. Army under his work history section and wrote “long range patrol” in the details of his duties. This immediately told the chief that this candidate was used to enduring long hours of outdoor operations with little supervision and minimal food and water. Those three words spoke volumes to those reviewing that application.
On the application, ask for contact information for the immediate supervisors in current and previous positions. Those people know the appplicants’ work ethic best and can be great advocates of their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Ask for the amount of time the candidate was employed (or volunteered) at the organization.
Ask for the names of groups and organizations of which the candidate is (or was) a member (scouting, church, debate clubs, student government, sport teams, mock trial/court, and so on). This information will help you determine if the candidate has “people” skills and can work with others on teams.
When reviewing the candidate’s cover letter (if one is included) and résumé, observe qualities such as neatness, the ability to follow directions, and perhaps the reason the candidate wishes to join the fire service. These cues might help you to determine the candidate’s motivation for joining and the potential for becoming a dedicated and enthusiastic department member, if selected.
STEP 2. APPLICATION SCREENING
Make the most of what is probably your first introduction to the candidate. Note qualities such as neatness, completeness, the ability to express oneself clearly, and other factors that might influence job performance and the ability to fit into your department.
Applications are usually screened and evaluated by multiple people. Many organizations have standing membership committees comprised of members across the ranks including firefighters, driver-engineers, company officers, and chief officers. These evaluators will range from one year of experience to 30 years or more. The evaluators are skilled at looking over employment histories, driving records, and references. Look for applications that stand out in a positive manner.
Written examinations for entry level firefighters have been a component of evaluating new hires for many years in many fire departments. Written examinations, when properly prepared and validated, serve as one tool to evaluate an applicant’s merit. Assessing the cognitive abilities of a candidate may be conducted prior to acceptance of the candidate or may be performed afterward during the recruit academy or a probationary period. The key in all assessments of candidates is to avoid any disparate impact that the process may have on any one individual or group of individuals through standardized and validated examinations. For these reasons, some fire service organizations have shied away from using written examinations.
STEP 3. ROUTINE BACKGROUND CHECK
As members of public safety organizations, individuals serving in fire and rescue departments should be responsible and of good character. It is important to check the backgrounds of prospective employees. One of the areas to be checked is the applicant’s driving record because driving fire apparatus in an emergency is inherently dangerous, and irresponsible or inexperienced drivers pose hazards for themselves, their department, and their community.
In addition, the department will check with law enforcement agencies about the candidate’s fitness to fill a public safety position. Civil and criminal convictions, if any, will be analyzed in detail.
Most applications ask for permission to have the department conduct a credit check of the applicant. Many employers use credit reports to validate employment history, verify the applicant’s credit worthiness if he will be handling money, and indicate character.
The background check usually takes from one to three weeks, depending on the depth of the investigation. Personal references (ask for them on the application) may be contacted during this step. The references should not be family members or persons listed as employment references. They could be associates or colleagues from school days, a community group, or church who can attest to the candidate’s character.
STEP 4. INTERVIEW
A panel of three to five usually participates in the interview. They ask a series of probing questions designed to elicit information about the candidate. Note cues that also “tell” about the candidate such as degree of preparedness, appearance, and neatness. (The type of dress is also an indicator of how important the interview is to the candidate.) Prepare in advance questions to ask of the candidate relative to the résumé, reasons for wanting to become a firefighter, criteria for qualifying for the open position, and other relevant areas.
STEP 5. PHYSICAL ABILITY TEST
The physical ability test (PAT) determines if the candidate has the physical strength and mental toughness and acuity to do the job of a firefighter. Since the stations in the PAT have been carefully designed to simulate real-world activities found on the fireground, observe and record the abilities displayed during these tests. Activities may include lifting and carrying a life-sized mannequin, simulating the rescue of a person and removing the person to a safe location; dragging a charged hoseline from point A to point B, simulating a fire hose that needs to be advanced or relocated on the fire because of changing conditions; and other common fireground tasks.
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| (1) A scenario in the Physical Ability Test. [Photo by Bruce Montgomery, Hillsboro (OR) Fire Department.] |
When notifying candidates of the particulars related to the scheduled PAT, ask them to wear comfortable athletic clothing, and let them know that they will be provided with a firefighter’s turnout jacket, a helmet, and gloves. The level of personal protective equipment will vary according to your organization’s expectations and requirements. Some organizations upload a video of their PAT to their Web site so candidates can observe the requirements ahead of time.
STEP 6. CONDITIONAL OFFER
After the candidate has passed the PAT, your department is ready to offer the candidate a conditional opportunity to join the organization. You may do this by phone or in an official letter. Explain to the selected candidate at this time that the offer is dependent on the outcome of the candidate’s passing the medical examination.
STEP 7. MEDICAL EXAMINATION
It is assumed that your department, whether career or volunteer, has provisions for a physician’s preemployment firefighter medical evaluation. The need for this evaluation is well-known to all in the fire service who are familiar with the high rate of cardiovascular-related line-of-duty deaths each year.
This examination establishes the candidate’s medical history, including vital signs, height and weight, eye and hearing tests, metabolic blood workups, organ system evaluation, urinalysis, pulmonary function, treadmill test, and a few other simple evaluations. The physician and the medical staff are highly familiar with firefighting duties and follow National Fire Protection Association 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments (2007 edition). Your department will be notified of whether the candidate is or is not fit for duty. The particulars of the exam are not revealed to the department to protect the candidate’s privacy.
STEP 8. TRAINING ACADEMY
Once the candidate passes the physical exam, the next and final step is the training academy. Beforehand, the candidate should be made aware of the number of training hours that must be completed in the academy and the program schedule. Stress to the prospective employee that training is vital.
The candidate has made it through the academy and is now your employee. Your department probably has a planned ceremony at which the successful academy graduates will receive a certificate of completion and a Firefighter 1 certificate.
Hopefully, you have selected the most qualified candidates as new members of your department and your organization, and the new employees will enjoy a mutually productive and successful relationship for years to come.
SAM PHILLIPS, a 30-plus-year veteran of the fire service, is a deputy chief of the Hillsboro (OR) Fire Department. He has an associate degree in fire technology, a bachelor’s degree in management, and a master of science degree in executive fire service leadership; he has completed the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer program. He is an active deputy Operations Section chief on the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office Type II Incident Management Team (IMT) and a Type 1 safety officer trainee with a national IMT. He was the 2008 Oregon Fire Instructor of the Year.
