Career Development: Promotional Preparation

Professionally designed promotional assessment centers have become one of the most credible methods for evaluating a potential fire officer’s knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) in the promotional process. The centers’ ability to efficiently and effectively measure a candidate’s readiness has become the justification for their increased use; candidates have also become increasingly reliant upon it to help them better prepare for the process.

An assessment center is designed to simulate situations that are common to the rank being tested. Each exercise is designed to measure the KSAs and personal characteristics of the individual candidate in a given situation. Many within the promotional testing field believe that the oral assessment center is the ideal means of testing a candidate’s knowledge because it provides an accurate evaluation of the candidate’s abilities. In other words, it quickly identifies those who know their stuff and those who don’t.

In order to achieve a high score, candidates must not only know their job well, but they must also understand the testing process and its design. From there, candidates can prepare and develop a strategy to properly respond to the potential scenarios/exercises that are presented.

Oral assessment guide

In the promotional assessment field, we’re often presented with a structure fire exercise where either the company officer (CO) or chief officer is first to arrive at the scene. Note: As we all know, the incident commander (IC) at an emergency incident/exercise does not necessarily have to be a chief officer; they’re often a CO. Therefore, in many promotional exercises, the first-arriving fire officer at an incident will be the CO, so those looking to promote to this rank will benefit greatly from the following information.

Once the candidate reviews the structure fire scenario information and accompanying diagrams or simulation, the student is often asked one of a number of questions, such as “What are your strategies and tactics for this incident?” or “As the first-arriving fire officer and current IC, what are your actions and orders?”

Due to the vast areas of responsibility and scoring demands for these types of questions, we’ve developed the following 10-step approach for handling a structure fire exercise. More specifically, this approach can serve as a guide for candidates’ actions/orders in a sequential manner, from receiving the alarm all the way through to the termination of the incident.

Step 1:En-route/arrival

Tell the assessor that you would review any pre-incident or tactical survey information specific to the address/occupancy in the exercise, looking for information regarding:

The building’s construction, height and area, and how those elements may influence your decision-making.
Any construction features that could promote early collapse or rapid fire spread (e.g., truss-supported floors and roofs, shared light and air shafts).
The building’s occupancy, specifically the number of people expected to be within the building at the time of the incident, as well as the building’s content.
The location and presence of any auxiliary appliances.
Nearby water supplies, if available in the exercise information.

Upon arrival, conduct a 360-degree size-up of the incident.

Step 2: Transfer/assume command

Use of this step will depend upon whether you are responding to the incident/exercise after command has been established. If so, advise assessors that you would conduct a face-to-face conversation with the current IC and discuss:

Situation status: For the situation status of the incident—answering the question, “What do you have?”—tell the assessors that you would obtain information about the fire’s location within the building, as well as the building’s construction, layout and square footage. You would also determine any life hazard concerns and any anticipated difficulties.
Resources: Information related to the deployment and assignment of resources—answering the question, “What have you done and where?”—should cover the companies assigned and staged, and their location. Other shared information should include the different geographical and functional areas assigned, the number of hoselines stretched and operating, ventilation status and the results of any primary searches.
Tactical needs: Determine if the current IC has any suggested tactical needs. Simply put, do they feel that the current strategy, combined with currently assigned and deployed resources, is sufficient to handle the incident?

Once comfortable with the information presented, assume command and assign the previous IC to an Operations or Division/Sector assignment.

Step 3: Establish/assume command

Establish command. Radio communication should go something like this: “Engine company 21 is establishing command.”
Announce/identify the new IC: “Battalion 5 is assuming command from Engine 21.”
Announce the command post location: “Command set-up will be at side A.” (Other possibilities: the A/B corner, lobby, command vehicle or whatever your exercise requires.)
Identify command and tactical radio frequencies for the incident, if applicable.

Step 4: Initial radio report/resource requests

Give a brief initial radio report to fire dispatch outlining the current situation. Let the scenario narrative be your guide here. Simply tell them what you have. (Note: A chief’s aide/technician can perform this step, or you can try it.) Then request additional resources. To assist with your resource requests, consider using a resource acronym as a potential guide. We use U2 PERS WAR*:

Utility companies: Gas, electric and water
2 (meaning second alarm or greater)—move resources to a designated staging area
Police for traffic and crowd control
EMS for triage, treatment and transportation of the injured
Rapid intervention company(s) for firefighter safety
Safety officer for scene safety
Water supply officer for large fire potential or remote-area operations
Accountability officer
Rehabilitation officer
* Other occupancy-specific needs (e.g.,hazmat team, etc.)

Step 5: Fireground size-up

There are a number of factors/concerns that will need to be identified at every fire incident/exercise. In our seminars, we often refer to the thought process behind this as “thinking out loud.” Information specific to your incident will allow you to identify key size-up factors that could influence your decision-making. Following are the factors to consider.

Construction class/design: This size-up factor, combined with the location and the extent of the fire, will require you to identify how fire and smoke will spread throughout the building, as well as how the building may collapse.

Occupancy: Depending upon the building’s occupancy, identify how the building’s contents may influence your operational concerns and what you intend to do about them (e.g., Acme Cardboard Company = increased fire loads, water-absorbent stock, maze-like configurations).

Exposures: Size-up factors, such as the proximity of surrounding properties, an exposure building’s life hazard or construction, and wind speed and direction are just a few of the many influencing factors that you may need to identify and mitigate.

Life hazard profile: Identify any life hazard groups and how you will provide for their safety. Specifically, firefighters must all be equipped with PPE/SCBA/PASS, and assigned and accounted for with periodic personnel accountability reports (PARs) as a minimum. And all occupants must be accounted for and their location in relationship to the fire must be determined. Other determinations: who needs to be or has been removed and/or treated, and how many require shelter.

Water supply: Be prepared to seek out and identify additional water supplies for fire incidents that could escalate.

Auxiliary appliances: Identify whether the building(s) has any sprinkler system, standpipes or special extinguishing systems that you will need to augment and utilize.

Time: Be mindful of the time of day and how it could influence your life hazard and operational concerns.

Step 6: Identify strategies and tactics

Many structure fire exercises are designed to assess your strategy and tactics from your size-up of the incident. Specifically, what are the concerns, and what are you going to do about them? The only accurate way to respond in this part of the 10-step guide is to be fully prepared by knowing as much as you can about the building’s construction and life hazard. You should also be prepared to put your resources to work to fix any problems you have identified.

Offensive vs. defensive: Advise the assessors (the people scoring your exam) that at this point in your exercise, you would conduct a risk analysis in which you would weigh your options related to conducting an offensive or defensive operation.

Assign engine companies: To assist with your resource assignments, consider using the WASS POCC acronym as a potential guide.

W: Establish primary and secondary water supplies. Domestic supplies can come from city mains and hydrants; natural supplies from rivers, lakes and streams; and for either, portable systems, such as tankers and tenders, can also be used.
A: Apparatus placement should involve pulling past the fire building in an attempt to view three sides of the fire building. This will also leave sufficient room for the first-arriving ladder company and will assist with the movement of deployed hoselines.
S: Hoseline selection is often determined by the occupancy type and anticipated fire loading (e.g., residential vs. commercial); the square footage of the building; volume, reach and penetration capabilities of the stream; speed and mobility needed to move the hoseline to the intended areas; the amount of fire showing, as well as the amount anticipated; and the auxiliary appliance supply and use.
S: Hoseline stretch will primarily focus on the distance and type of stretch. Consider how many feet of hose will be needed; friction loss concerns; stairway and stairwell designs; building setbacks; and how to modify the stretch if needed.
P: Hoseline placement involves identifying where the hoseline is going, such as in the interior stairwell of the fire building; in the alley between the fire building and Bravo exposure; or the fire department connection for the sprinkler or standpipe.
O: Hoseline(s) objectives involve determining what you want your hoselines to do, such as locating, confining and extinguishing the fire; protecting the Delta exposure; or supplying the standpipe system.
C: Coordinate all operations with the ladder company’s movement. Water must be timed and coordinated with vent, enter and search responsibilities.
C: Provide periodic progress reports to Command. Keep the boss informed on conditions, actions and needs.

Assign ladder companies: To assist with your resource assignments, consider using the AL VES SCOUP acronym as a potential guide.

Apparatus placement involves making full use of the scrub area of your apparatus. Consider objectives and obstacles, such as ventilation, rescue, master stream operations, trees, setbacks, overhead wires and building obstructions.
Ladders of all types can and should be used as needed (because you can never place enough ladders). Consider your objectives during the exercise or on scene, such as rescue, a secondary means of egress, ventilation, hoseline deployment, etc.
Ventilation involves determining whether to do so horizontally (windows and doors) or vertically (roof, natural openings). You must also consider when (for fire confinement or life safety) and how it should be performed (mechanically, hydraulically or by hand). Note: All must be coordinated with the engine company’s movement.
Forcible entry involves identifying challenges and the needed means/tools/techniques. It requires you to establish a primary means of entry and multiple secondary means of egress.
Searching a building involves both primary and secondary searches, but based on square footage and layout, it can also include perimeter searches and rope searches. Note: Always use a thermal imager when performing a search.
Salvage operations should be organized, meaning you should always first determine where and how the operation will take place.
Coordinate all operations with the engine company’s movement. Vent, enter and search responsibilities must be timed and coordinated with water placement and movement.
Overhaul should involve all six sides of the fire area, if needed.
Utility control should include gas, electric and water supplies.
Provide periodic progress reports to Command.
Keep the boss informed on conditions, actions and needs.

Step 7: The Incident Management System

On the fireground, you must manage and account for the resources that have been requested, as well as those currently operating on scene, but only use what is necessary! You will be assessed here on your ability to recognize the span of control, your ability to decentralize the incident, and your ability to delegate where necessary. Other items/positions to keep in mind:

Command: This has already been established, announced and located.
Information officer: The information officer is responsible for developing and releasing information about the incident to the news media, incident personnel, and other appropriate agencies and organizations.
Liaison officer: Incidents/exercises that are multi-jurisdictional or have several agencies involved will require the establishment of a liaison officer within your command staff. Their primary purpose is to coordinate any assisting or cooperating agencies.
Safety officer: This officer’s function is to develop and recommend measures for ensuring personnel safety, and to assess and/or anticipate hazardous or unsafe situations. Depending upon the size and complexity of your incident, you can assign more than one.
Operations section chief: As a member of the general staff, the operations section chief is responsible for managing all incident operations. The size and complexity of the incident will determine the need to staff this position.
Staging area manager: You will need to assign this position when you call for multiple resources at your incident. The individual assigned to this position will be responsible for resource readiness, levels and support.
Branch directors: When activated, branch directors take direction from the operations section chief and are responsible for the implementation of a portion of the incident action plan (IAP).
Division/group supervisors: This position reports to the operations section chief or the branch director when activated. If nether position is staffed, they will report to the IC. Division assignments are geographical, while group assignments are functional in design. Both are responsible for their own portion of the IAP.
Strike team/task force leader: This individual is responsible for performing tactical assignments under the direction of the division/group supervisor.
Planning section chief: As a member of the IC’s general staff, the planning section chief is responsible for the collection, evaluation, dissemination and use of information about the incident. This position is generally staffed during lengthy or complex incidents.
The logistics section chief: As another member of the IC’s general staff, this person is responsible for providing facilities, services and materials that support the incident.
Finance/administration section chief: The finance section chief is responsible for all financial, administrative and cost-analysis aspects of the incident.
Personnel accountability roll-call (PAR): Once units are assigned, conduct periodic PARs.

Step 8: Review, evaluate and revise your IAP

Be prepared to review, evaluate and revise your action plan based on visual and progress report information received throughout the incident.
This is one of our most important steps. It is designed to show the assessor your anticipative and adaptability skills. Tell assessors that you would be prepared to change tactics if necessary.

Step 9: Place the incident/exercise under control

Ensure that all secondary searches are complete and negative.
Ensure that all salvage and overhaul responsibilities are being met.
Rotate and rehab members.
Preserve the scene/evidence for fire investigators.
Begin to demobilize the scene.
Secure the scene.
Check carbon monoxide levels before allowing occupants to return to the building.
Return the building to its owner or representative.

Step 10: Terminate/transfer

Transferring the incident to a junior officer will depend on the rank structure outlined within your department. If no transfer is outlined or necessary, the current IC will terminate the incident and begin the debriefing process, which involves the following steps:

A simple “tailboard/back step critique” or a debriefing of the incident back in quarters at the kitchen table.
A post-incident analysis, which is more formal than a debriefing and requires a more thorough review of the fire department’s observations, actions, outcome and any corrective actions required.

If the incident involved a serious injury or a loss of life to a civilian or a firefighter, request that a critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) team be brought in to debrief all members. Lastly, ensure that all tasks that require documentation and report writing are met.

Verbalize everything

Does the above sound like a lot? It isn’t! In a promotional exam that includes an oral assessment exercise, you need to verbalize everything. A logical, step-by-step process with clarifying statements throughout is the key to answering a strategy and tactics question. If are you going to be professionally assessed and considered for the position of IC, we/you, should expect nothing less.