Top Competency for your Rank or Position


Based upon rank/position; "What is the Single most important thing you should either know (knowledge) or be competent in (skill), within your position?" i.e; Firefighter, Firefighter/EMT, Lieutenant, Captain, Engineer/Apparatus Operator; Safety Officer, RIT Officer, Battalion or District Chief, Shift Commander, Deputy or Assistant Chief, Chief of Department etc. Name the position and what you believe is THE Most Important thing you should either know or be competent in………(OK, IF you're having trouble picking just ONE, try the top two..)

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Permalink Reply by Bob Allard on August 27, 2008 at 11:25am
Firefighter- Safety is the first and most important, know your limitations and know your job as a firefighter and I hope there was some type of schooling you went to.

Engineer/Apparatus Operator- There again safety first, make sure you park the appartus in the right spot and hope there was a school you went to to learn all about the vehicle(s) you will be driving. A make sure you put the vehicle in pump or road range so as not to be imbarresed when your crew is yelling for water or up the pressure. Remember the collaspe zone.

I am sure there are alot more but I think these are some of the important ones.
Permalink Reply by Kristy Oxholm on August 27, 2008 at 11:27am
I see what you are trying to get at, but I'm not sure that you can break it down that far. I'll give it a shot though - Fire Behavior. If we don't know how it's going to act, we don't know how we should act....
Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on August 27, 2008 at 11:29am

Thanks for the insights...For Apparatus operators/engineers/chauffeurs; it could be knowing intimately how the apparatus operates and how to safely drive it AND knowing your response district.
Permalink Reply by Oldman on August 27, 2008 at 11:35am
I personally cannot narrow it down to even five. There are so many skills (both knowledge and hands on) which go hand in hand, that without one you cannot have the other.

But since you limited it to the top two, my picks would be critical thinking skills, and common sense.
Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on August 27, 2008 at 11:43am
True Words of Wisdom...(now we're getting somewhere)
Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on August 27, 2008 at 11:48am
Thanks, good perspectives on management and motivational skill sets.
Permalink Reply by Heather on August 27, 2008 at 12:09pm
In my area we dont get a lot of fires. So we drill on them a lot. I personnally consider the nozzel...if you cannot handle it, if you do not know how to direct it, if you do not know the correct stream to use, you will burn. Your back up will burn. That knowledge is imperative. Both the nozzleman and his backup should be proficient in his knowledge, whether they have a ton of experience or not, they should have the knowhow to take care of each other. Its a team effort to blow out the monster. And in our line of work teamwork is the primary goal.
Permalink Reply by Josh Dawson on August 27, 2008 at 1:11pm
I will have to agree that safety is probably the most important thing you should learn and follow. However I also believe that attitude is everything in our line of work. In that I mean if you are excited when going to a call your department can have all the safety guidelines it wants but your rescue crew will be unable to follow them. With my experiences with the fire/ems services I have found that the calmer the responder the better the results.
Permalink Reply by Don Zimmerman on August 27, 2008 at 1:21pm
As a Battlion Chief I am responsible for 4 medic crews and 4 engine crews, my only responsiblity everyday is that "Everyone Goes Home" the next morning with all the fingers and toes attached. That is the Single most important think that I must do everyday. Nothing else matters!!!
Justin CloutierPermalink Reply by Justin Cloutier on August 27, 2008 at 1:30pm
For a firefighter, you ought to know what kind of crew youve got and what they can get done (including yourself), if you get too courageous for what can actually be accomplished, then everything starts to go downhill and things get to be dangerous. Following the orders that your OIC gives you is also very important. 9 out of 10 times, he (or she) knows more then you do.
Permalink Reply by Wes Anders on August 27, 2008 at 1:36pm
Thats the ticket I agree with that.
Permalink Reply by Xterrasaint on August 27, 2008 at 1:40pm
I would like to compliment "Oldman" on his posting. I think that while the technical aspects of Firefighting/EMS/Rescue are essential in the modern day fire service, the one discipline that is most readily over looked is COMMON SENSE. I agree with many of the posts here regarding this topic. All seem well thought out and come from a lot of years of experience. The fact remains though, that the modern day fire service is getting more and more challenging ( and dangerous for that matter ) with all of our various disciplines that we are expected to be proficient in. Effective training ( core and progressive ) are really our best sources of ensuring firefighter's safety. A wise firefighter told me coming up in my first few years that if you always do things the right way,even when it may be overkill, will ensure you are doing it the right way when it hits the fan. Bad habits will only help to ensure that you or one of your crew mates will be going home in a bag.

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