Firefighter

Firefighter interview questions

Your high-potential new firefighter is brave, compassionate and reliable with quick-thinking and super-fast reflexes. They’ve been trained and will be willing to develop their skills further, plus they’re motivated, patient and great at solving problems. 

Top tips: 

• Look for qualifications: It’s likely your candidates will have been trained at a college, school, academy or from a previous fire department. Look for CPR or EMT training certificates.
• Grow together: Hire candidates you can grow with by making sure their personal career goals align with your company's mission.

Role-specific interview questions

• Why did you choose to become a firefighter?
• What can a firefighter do for fire prevention?
• What’s a firefighter’s most important duty?
• What is the most hard-to-use firefighting equipment?
• What are the main challenges fire departments deal with?

Behavioral interview questions

• Tell us about a time you dealt with an emergency.
• Describe a time you used rescue equipment incorrectly. What should you have done differently?
• Have you ever had a conflict with a coworker? What happened?

Problem solving interview questions

• How would you care for an unconscious person?
• How would you balance two different orders from senior firefighters at the same time?
• What would you do with a panicking resident who wants to reenter a burning building?  
• What would you do if you noticed a fellow firefighter stealing?
• What would you do if you were ordered to do something you felt was dangerous?