Becoming A
Firefighter or Officer-----The Complete
Guide to Your Badge! Fire "Captain Bob"
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Firefighters July 1, 2008 Estimated reading time 1 - 3 minutes for any segment! Thousands have been hired by using the free information from our web site and having their questions answered by phone or e-mail. Leave FireZine easily here: Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. --Cinderella Story
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http://www.eatstress.com/firezinearchive.htm In the strengths and weaknesses subject. For my last couple of boards I've used lack of EMS experience as my weakness. In your program, one of your students mentions lack of experience and you advise against using it. Dan Reply: I would not use this. Oh, yea, we want to put the guy who says his weakness is lack of EMS experience. Pick something simple. DC: Also, I'm working on my "what do you know about the department". Is it a good use of time to talk about the history of the department? Or should I tell what I've learned about the current day Dept? Reply: I don't have a list because we want the candidate to come up with something that is original for them. More here: http://www.eatstress.com/weakness.htm DC: Also, I'm working on my "what do you know about the department". Is it a good use of time to talk about the history of the department? Or should I tell what I've learned about the current day Dept? Reply: I've had candidates who have started with the horses and come all the way up to today. Please spare us this part. Stick with today unless there is something of significant value. More here: http://www.eatstress.com/toolong.htm DC: Still working on an acceptable weakness. Over the years, I've tried to identify and correct my weaknesses. I respect your opinion regarding not using lack of EMS experience as a weakness. What kind of reaction would you (as an evaluator) have if a candidate said his biggest weakness was lack of experience as a full-time firefighter? Reply: Uh, Dan, are you practicing any of this answer with a recorder before you send it to me? You've got to knock this off. You're way, way too serious about this answer. No, no weakness about experience. Just had another guys like you who was way to serious. He stumbled on he often couldn't remember names. Now he ID's someone's name with an object. Bingo! Get it? DC: I was and assistant manager/ department supervisor at 2 long term (10years and 6 years) retail jobs. Should I mention this in my work history part of my "tell us about yourself"? Reply: Please. This question is not scored. You history goes with your answer to "What have you done to prepare for the position". More on tell us here: http://www.eatstress.com/opening.htm DC: I'm still not overly happy with my "weakness" but, luckily they didn't ask at my oral today. Reply: Remember this is Fantasy
Land, not the real world. Keep it simple.
I read your page regarding letters of recommendation and understand your position on them but have a question because I think the circumstances might be a little different. I have an interview coming up and a family friend who has known me since I was little is a captain of the department and has written me a letter of recommendation. He is in the top 20 on the department's seniority list of over 350 line personnel and has worked with the three people selected to be on the interview board for many years. I was wondering if it would be best to make a note on the Resume that the letter is available upon request, offer it with the resume, or some other way? Thank You, Steve Reply; First before I answer your question convince me how this would help you and what he would write that would improve your position? Captain Bob: SR: I thought that since he held such seniority and is pretty much friends with the interviewers that a letter from him would be held a bit higher in regard than the average letter of rec. from some not-so-well known captain of a large department writing it as a favor for his kid's friend's brother. He was going to talk to some people on the interview panel a week ago and arrange a meeting so I could talk to them and make myself known but I work on a wild land hand crew and was on a fire for the last 8 days and thus missed the opportunity. Also, our families have been good friends since before I was born and he saw me grow up and he has been pretty much a mentor to me for the fire service. I interviewed once before and was not selected. I was able to talk with a chief on the board and he said that I was not hired because I had no experience and a couple of my answers sounded a little canned. I bought your gold package and am finishing up my new resume. I suppose that he would probably write about how he has known me my whole life and watched me grow up, how I excelled in school, how I have worked for two seasons on a wild land crew, have been workout partners as I was trying to build muscle and he was trying to lose some weight, etc. I suppose about half the stuff he would say about me is probably already in the resume now that you have me thinking about it, however I still think that the other half, the more personal part of the letter, would hold some weight with the interviewers. I am also the only person that he would write a letter for and thus essentially put his name on the line to back me up. Rob’s reply: They know who he is and who his friend is. There is no way that is going to help him, and could hurt him. What if everybody on the department likes the guy with all of the seniority, except one. And he is one of the guys on his panel. He should be able to get this on his own. Reply CB: If you really believe this will improve your position you still believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. I agree with Rob that all you have to do is offend off one person and you’re done. And meeting the panel members before your oral is a real bad idea. With a recommendation letter like this panel members could take it as clubbing them over the head and asking for more points. Have you ever read a bad recommendation letter? That’s why they’re seldom read. You wrote: I interviewed once before and was not selected. I was able to talk with a chief on the board and he said that I was not hired because I had no experience and a couple of my answers sounded a little canned. From interview rater BC Steve Prziborowski: I'm with Captain Bob on this
one - leave them at home! Personally, letters of recommendation really aren't
worth much because it is very easy to get them (in my opinion and experience)
and they're like a verbal recommendation of someone. CB: Your best day was learning how to take an interview with our program. More on recommendation letters here: http://www.eatstress.com/recomletters.htm SR: I see where you guys are coming from now and it makes a whole lot of sense. I am not going to use the letter. I now see how it has the potential to really screw things up for me. Thank you guys for being patient and explaining it to me, I really appreciate it! Hopefully my next email to you
will be another success story to add to your page! http://www.eatstress.com/testdriveintro.htm Bottom line getting a badge is
all presentation skills! We’ve all seen and heard the noise and distraction that a basketball player faces when making the free throw that will decide the game. A catcher will whisper things to a batter before he swings. The comments that go back and forth between linemen in football is the reason they don’t have microphones on the line. There is a term for all of these things; it’s called “getting into your kitchen”. It is the act of trying to distract the competition so they don’t perform at their best. When it’s your game day, the oral, you don’t want to let anyone into your kitchen. I would stay away from arriving early, Talking to people while you wait, or doing anything else that might cause you to loose your composure. Just seconds before my friend went in for a captains interview, he found out the guy sitting next to him had gotten a 100% on the written. If you have never been to where the test is, do some pre-planning. If it is a long distance away, or there could be traffic, get a hotel room nearby. Just a few seconds of being stuck on the freeway and thinking you might be late, could change all of your energy for you presentation and your delivery; not to mention people I have seen running from the parking lot because they cut it too close. If your interview is late enough in the day, I recommend exercising before you go. As long as you have time to cool off and shower, it helps in a lot of ways. First, a stressful situation will cause your body to produce adrenalin, which was great for our ancestors that needed to run away from things that were bigger than them, but doesn’t help in an interview. Adrenalin is a large muscle group stimulator and you can use some of it up by exercising. Second your body will release endorphins when you exercise and this will help you to relax. I don’t recommend that you have any coffee the day of your interview. You won’t fall asleep and it could combine with the normal nervousness you will have to give you the jitters. So, do what you can to put yourself in the right frame of mind for your interview and stay there? Don’t let anyone get into your kitchen. Where ever you might be stuck in the hiring process from the written or video testing, physical agility CPAT, oral interview, psych interview, background, polygraph, or medical, you can find new powerful information on Captain Rob’s new web site here: www.myfireinterview.com CAPTAIN ROB (Thank you)
http://www.myfireinterview.com 1. You are not a superman.
Success Stories: I have just completed my first ever-testing center for Captain in Buckeye Valley, Arizona. I planned to go through the process and let the cards fall where they may. Out of fifteen candidates, I scored fifth in the process and we are taking nine Captains. Unbelievable, I only had a month to work with your program but it does work. I'm living proof. Thanks again Captain Jim McKeag, BVFD It's not uncommon though for some of our candidates to put the fire out before the evaluators get a chance to amp it up. Jim Mullen from Wisc. told us that he was tired going to badge ceremonies and it wasn't him. After ending up number 6 after two attempts he got our program. One of his BC's was on his simulation panel. He is friends with some NYC firefighters and is a big tactics guy. When he left the room after his tactical fire he stopped to encourage the next candidate going in from his department. He then heard his BC bellow from the next room, "Now that's how we want our officers to fight fires!" He knew something might be happening and wasn't disappointed by coming out number one by 3 full points. One happy guy. Subject: Job Offer Have received the official offer and accepted the Program Manager position with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts/Executive Office of Public Safety/Department of Fire Services/Regional HazMat Response Group. As of June 23rd, I will be assigned to the Massachusetts Fire Academy and report directly to the State Director of Hazardous Materials Response. My primary mission role will be to coordinate the 6 regional HM teams competency based training objectives as outlined by the NFPA CBRNE response standards 472 and 473 (revised 2008). Additionally, the responsibility includes coordinating local, state, federal and private sector inter-agency CBRNE response standards with competency based training as requested by those agencies. The overall mission is to prepare regional responders and support agencies within their respective mission roles in the event of a CBRNE event requiring multiple agency response to successfully manage and mitigate such an incident. Thank you all for your directness, guidance and encouraging wisdom. David P. Loh
Wait! While you're here Captain Bob wants to give
you a 10 day FREE test drive of selected inside
secrets how to get a promotional badge. Learn more here:
http://www.eatstress.com/promointro.htm For more on our promotional
program visit Captain Bob, Just wanted to say thank you again to you. I start a large County Fire Dept. academy tomorrow! I would not be at this point in my life without your dedication for dreamers like me! Robert I have just completed my first ever-testing center for Captain in Buckeye Valley, Arizona. I planned to go through the process and let the cards fall where they may. Out of fifteen candidates, I scored fifth in the process and we are taking nine Captains. Unbelievable, I only had a month to work with your program but it does work. I'm living proof. Thanks again Captain Jim McKeag, BVFD It's not uncommon though for some of our candidates to put the fire out before the evaluators get a chance to amp it up. Jim Mullen from Wisc. told us that he was tired going to badge ceremonies and it wasn't him. After ending up number 6 after two attempts he got our program. One of his BC's was on his simulation panel. He is friends with some NYC firefighters and is a big tactics guy. When he left the room after his tactical fire he stopped to encourage the next candidate going in from his department. He then heard his BC bellow from the next room, "Now that's how we want our officers to fight fires!" He knew something might be happening and wasn't disappointed by coming out number one by 3 full points. One happy guy. Subject: Job Offer Have received the official offer and accepted the Program Manager position with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts/Executive Office of Public Safety/Department of Fire Services/Regional HazMat Response Group. As of June 23rd, I will be assigned to the Massachusetts Fire Academy and report directly to the State Director of Hazardous Materials Response. My primary mission role will be to coordinate the 6 regional HM teams competency based training objectives as outlined by the NFPA CBRNE response standards 472 and 473 (revised 2008). Additionally, the responsibility includes coordinating local, state, federal and private sector inter-agency CBRNE response standards with competency based training as requested by those agencies. The overall mission is
to prepare regional responders and support agencies within their respective
mission roles in the event of a CBRNE event requiring multiple agency response
to successfully manage and mitigate such an incident. Thank you all for your
directness, guidance and encouraging wisdom. David P. Loh More badges here: http://eatstress.com/testbest.htm
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========================================== I should have been flying UPS for the past 20+ years Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are
some actual maintenance complaints submitted by
UPS. Pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by
maintenance engineers.
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced
left inside main tire. * P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not
installed on this aircraft. * P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something
tightened in cockpit * P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on
back-order. *
P: Autopilot in
altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. S: Evidence removed. *
P: DME volume
unbelievably loud.
P: Friction locks
cause throttle levers to stick.
P: IFF inoperative
in OFF mode.
P: Suspected crack
in windshield.
P: Number 3 engine
missing.
P: Aircraft handles
funny. (I love this one!)
P: Target radar
hums. P: Mouse in cockpit. S: Cat installed. *
And the best one
for last *
P: Noise coming
from under instrument panel. Sounds like a
Remember, absolutely nothing counts 'til you have the badge. Nothing! Get a Bonus when you sign up for our Free Newsletter here Although our products are sold separately, I would suggest you order Gold Package Program and our companion "It's Your Turn in the Hot Seat" CD series here: Special offer program
This program is also available on an easy payment plan
"Nothing counts 'til you have the badge . . . Nothing!" Ask "Captain Bob" Any Question
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