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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on January 9, 2013 at 7:52pm

2) On some of the agility test instead of hitting a door or a stopper with a sledge they use a block slider (not sure correct name)

This sounds like a Keiser sled....just google the name and you can find some sites to help you more.

Basically, short, steady swings in the center of the beam works best that I found. Come up to above your knees with the swing and try to hit on the center of the beam. Striking the beam more to one side can push the beam to the side of the sled and creating friction, making it harder to move.

 

 

1) My interview skills are horrible. I get asked the "trick" questions and have no idea what they're looking for in an answer (sometimes my true response is not how I should answer it)...any tips?

 

What do you mean by "trick" questions? For an interview, anticipate a question asking:

Why do you want to be a FF?

What have you done to prepare yourself?

Expect a question on diversity

Expect a question on a situation....which I'm guessing may be the "trick" question. Such questions can be along the lines of:

-conflicting orders......Your captain gives you an order and while you go to perform the order a battalion chief tells you to do something else.

-safety situation.....Your officer tells you to do something you believe is unsafe, like you officers orders you onto the roof, but you see it sagging, what do you do?

-ethical situation......You see another firefighter remove a wallet full of money from a dresser and put it in his pocket....what do you do?

 

And so on. In reality, while such questions may seem "tricky" the aspect isn't about a right or wrong answer, but in how you defend you opinion of it. Answers can vary on such questions and they are truly not a simple answer.

 

The other aspect is practicing a response in a timely matter, because some interviews may have a time limit for such questions. Being ready to anticipate such questions help and you can work on ahhs and umms and get more to your answer.

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Permalink Reply by ljones628.lj on February 28, 2013 at 3:49pm

The trick question I was refering to is.. you're dispatched on the rescue with two other memebers beside yourself to a vehicle into a utility pole. Its blizzard conditions no-one will come to help. Oa you see a vehicle into the pole. Two people in front car seat in back. Scene is safe. The passenger respirations are high and shes confused. The driver has agonal respirations and is slumped over wheel unconcious. There is a hole in the back driver side window. That's the jist. Can't transport and no help coming to us. What do you do?

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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on February 28, 2013 at 9:39pm

It is actually pretty straight forward, you do a size up and triage. Start with a safe approach, do your outer circle and do your inner circle. You can have a person on the crew doing that to check for the possibility of a person being ejected.......essentially suggesting the passenger in the child seat was ejected. Reality is that if there was a child in the seat, the only way they would be ejected is if they weren't buckled into the seat. A kid really isn't going to be ejected and the safety seat remains......which to me would suggest there was no child at all.

However, you still send a member to do a quick search (outer and inner circle) then yourself and other member can check on the other occupants. Again triage, given the conditions and circumstances, who has the better chance of survival? The passenger, that is the priority.

 

As for the aspect that you can't transport and you have no help coming, I would say I would call for another rig to transport. If told there is no other help, then I would mention that you and your crew was dispatched and made on scene and while not ideal circumstances, the priority pt needs definitive care. If the rig you are on has transport capabilities (for us we call an ambulance a "rescue" depite what the NIMS terminology states)...you can transport both known patients, concentrating efforts on the passenger. If you have to wait for a transporting rig, then you do what you can for the priority pt with the equipment you have. If there is room in the rig to get them inside, then try to get them in the rig and keep them warm, etc until other help does arrive. Do what you can for the driver, readjust airway, etc, but don't concentrate all efforts on someone who is essentially a black tag, concentrate on the red tag.

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Permalink Reply by Brennan on August 15, 2013 at 10:37pm

Go buy the captain Bob interview program! It is amazing! It helped me a ton! And I got a awesome job after working hard on my interview skills.

As for the slider I think your talking about a "Keiser" sled.

1. Tlak to people who rock at it

2. watch videos on it

3. Get in great shape

4. don't hit it dead on, hit it to the right and then left of the center.

5. work on hitting it behind your heels

 

Good luck buddy!

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Permalink Reply by Russ on August 21, 2013 at 10:25pm

Be yourself in the interview and if you don't know that answer, say you don't know. I cannot speak for everyone who does interviews but I like it when candidates are simply themselves

 use short strokes on the keiser block while straddling it

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