Fire fighters protect life and property from fires and a variety of other emergencies. They are usually and frequently the first to respond to emergency. Firefighters not only respond immediately to fires, accidents and medical emergencies but at the scene, they perform specific tasks in order to handle/solve these dangerous situations.
The firefighter is basically a person who fights fires of all kinds, saves lives and property on an everyday basis and based on his professional training.
A firefighter not only has an important role but also a social responsibility.
Therefore, the job of a firefighter is given to a person who shows true talent and responsibility towards their job and human life.
Since this position is so important, the interview becomes doubly important than many other interviews ever conducted.
After reading this article, you may be interested in reading the related articles:
Situational interview questions and answers
Competency based interview questions – examples
Firefighter Interview Tips: Firefighter Interview Questions with answers
Below are commonly asked question for the firefighter interview:
What education or training have you undertake that makes you fit for this profession?
This would be the first question asked in any interview for any profile. There are several critical profiles where it is quite necessary for a person to have the requisite education and training to even pass the first round of an interview.
The firefighter profile is one such profile, because a non trained firefighter becomes not only a liability to the group of firefighters, but also becomes a risk that the firefighters would carry.
Therefore, it is important that you give a proper and truthful reply to the question regarding the training and education. You could also get along all the documents and certificates pertaining to your education and training.
However, remember that the interview is for a very short timeframe and the interviewer may not have the time to go through the documents, therefore, do not press them to look at the documents.
Why do you want this job? Why firefighter?
The truth be told, the job of a firefighter was the dream of every boy during school, right behind a rock star and a film star. However, everyone knows that wanting to be something and having that something that is needed to become that are two different aspects.
This question is therefore a question that tries to decipher whether you know what it actually means to be a firefighter and are aware of the advantages and the disadvantages of being a firefighter. Therefore, make sure that you do not offer any dramatic or clichéd answer to this question about being the reason of being a firefighter.
What are the job responsibilities of a firefighter?
As previously discussed, the job of a firefighter is more of a social responsibility as compared to a actual job. Keep this in mind while replying to this question.
You should put the point across that as a firefighter you have to ensure the safety of people and institutions and make sure that in the unfortunate event of a fire, you are not only a savior but also a person who is responsible for the lives of people and the safety of the goods where the fire has broken out.
What do you think is the role of the fire department?
As far as I know, the fire department is one of the most important institutions in a society. With the fire department in place, the area is always safe and a working fire department ensures that there are no problems and everything is safe.
What is the most important aspect of being a fire fighter?
This is a question that is asked so that the interviewer can decide better whether you know the aspects that are important for being a fire fighter. As a firefighter, you have several responsibilities, some of them being safety, safe salvaging and maintaining the best possible damage control during a fire outbreak.
Other than these, the fire fighter should keep the value of human life at the highest. In the profession of a firefighter, there will be several situations where the firefighter has to decide between valuables and lives.
Therefore, the most important aspect of being a firefighter would be the valuation of human life above all else.
Do you have any allergies or medical conditions that would hamper your job as a firefighter?
This is an important question as regards the job of a fire fighter. The job of a firefighter is full of risks not only to the people who are in the presence of a fire, but also to the person who is holding the position of a fire fighter. It is of extreme importance that the person should be of sound health and not have any allergies or medical conditions that might hamper them while they are doing their duty.
Some Other Firefighter Oral Interview Questions:
• Give an example of a mistake you made. What did you learn from that mistake?
• How do you cope with stressful situations in general?
• Give me a situation of an efficient teamwork. Why did this situation require an efficient team work?
• Did you have a volunteering experience? How did this experience prepare you to be a firefighter?
• Give me an example of a situation when you helped someone (saved his life).
• Do you need to learn something new that is related to firefighting? What are your development needs?
• Do you have an example of a situation when you have followed strict rules to complete a task.
• Have you initiated improvement on work methods and suggested higher standards?
• Give an example of a situation when you worked outside of your job profile to solve a problem?
