Course Conventions and Content

Welcome to the section on the course conventions and content. When I say course conventions, I mean concepts and methods I will use to present material to you. The course is divided up into several chapters; many of those chapters are split up into smaller sections. Each time I start a new section or chapter, I will give you its name.

During the course, I will present small quizzes to you. Typically, I ask a question, you will respond, and then I will give you an answer. For this course, however, we will need to make a couple of changes. Because some of the material is writing intensive in the mathematics section for example, I will refer you to your printable study guide that comes with the course. These study guides usually provide summaries and useful links that help students both during and after an AudioLearn course. In the case of this firefighter course, you will use the study guide as a workbook as well. Be sure you have it close at hand.

Another convention that makes this course a bit unique is that I will ask you questions that do not technically have right or wrong answers. Some of the psychological testing you will encounter involves someone asking you about yourself. So, when I ask these kinds of questions, I am demonstrating the kinds of questions you may hear; you should answer the questions and think carefully about your responses. Make sure your answers reflect who you are and not what you think others want to hear. This is also true for when I discuss the oral job interview. I will pose typical interview questions to you, and you will answer them and consider your responses. Again, because the questions are posed to you and you only, there is no right or wrong answer. Whether or not your responses demonstrate that you are firefighter material, though, is another question.

During the course of my lectures, I will probably use the expression “he or she” or “him or her.” While it is a bit more awkward to speak in those terms, it is important for

me to acknowledge the fact that firefighting is no longer a male only profession. So, if you are a woman listening in, welcome and thank you for your anticipated service!

For many learners, repetition is invaluable to effective learning. Soon you will discover that I will repeat many terms and concepts. This is not because I am running out of things to say. I am also not just trying to extend the length of the course. When you hear ideas that have been repeated, even multiple times, take note of them. We consider them to be very important concepts.

Speaking of repetition, I whole-heartedly recommend your listening to every lecture in this course at least twice, even more. You are about to be given a great deal of information: facts, terminology, techniques, and suggestions for supplemental study. It will be extremely difficult for you to fully grasp everything in just one listen. Depending on where you are listening, you can take notes as well. Many chapters are best absorbed if you can sit and follow along in the study guide as I present the material. If, however, you are only able to listen while commuting to work, forget the study guide for now. Consult it when the time is more appropriate. You can still get valuable information just by hearting what I have to say.

Now, I want to give you an outline of the material I will present to you. This is just an overview to allow you to see what to expect. I hope that much of what you hear about this outline motivates you to want to listen and excites you about the prospect of becoming a firefighter.

My lectures will begin as I give you the basic profile of today’s firefighter. That will include not only the desired personality traits, but also the chief duties and responsibilities you can expect upon being hired.

From there, I will walk through the Civil Service test application process: where to look for job openings, how to apply, and what factors can render you ineligible or cause you to become disqualified from consideration.

Once your application to take the written exam is accepted, what comes next? In most cases, not all though, the written exam is the first step in the hiring process. If you do not pass, then your path to a firefighter career ends there. So, I will tell you about the written test. At this point my explanation will just be a summary. Also, please understand that the version of the exam you get depends on where you apply to take the test. More on that later.

Next, we will get into the nitty gritty of the written examination. Here is where you can expect to get most of the quizzes in the course. After providing an introductory overview of the test structure, I will cover material about general test taking. How do you successfully navigate through a written multiple-choice test? What are some effective study habits? What should you do during the time leading up to your test date?

As we get into specific topics, I will discuss the Decision-Making section. I will talk about the Reading Comprehension test structure and content you will see. I will do the same for the Listening Comprehension test section. After that comes a very extensive lecture about the Mathematics section. From there, I will talk about the memory and spatial relationship testing. Because these types of tests are prepared by trained psychologists, I will present only sample type questions you can expect.

What follows will be the structure and content of the Mechanical Aptitude test.

As we leave the written exam behind, I will get into the specifics of the -C-A-P-Tor candidate applicant physical test. This test is widely used to assess the fitness of firefighter candidates. If you do not have to take that particular test, you will most certainly have to undergo some degree of fitness testing. Using the CPAT as a guide will give you a good idea as to the tasks you will have to perform on any fitness test.

Next, I'll talk about the oral interview. If you have ever been on a job interview, you may have a bit of an idea as to what you can expect. I plan to supplement what you already know by discussing the interview process as well as interview dos and don’ts. It is important to realize that you can ace the written and fitness tests, but if you fail your interview, the rest was all for naught.

From the interview, I will shift to psychological testing. This important test is used to create a psychological profile of you to determine if you have the appropriate mindset to become a firefighter.

As a component of your psychological testing, you may have to undergo a polygraph test a lie detector test. I will give you some background about how these tests work as well.

The next section will deal with the requirements of the medical or physical exam. Do not confuse this with the fitness exam. A doctor, possibly designated by your potential employer, will give you a thorough examination. It is critical to know if you have any physical issues that would render you physically ineligible to become a firefighter.

That will take us into Fire Science where I will introduce a great deal of terminology including the names of common tools and equipment you can expect to use. This is just a basic introduction to concepts and terminology related to fires and firefighting. There is far more information you will learn in your eventual training. That material is well beyond the scope of our course.

As the course begins to wind down, you will hear about emergency medical care. Depending on where you apply for a job, you may need to obtain Emergency Medical Technician or -E-M-T- certification. You might also decide that you want to become an E-M-T-. I will explain how those functions fit into a firefighter’s duties.

The course will close out with a summary of the steps you need to follow once your successful test performance is in the books. Now that your name is on a Civil Service list, what happens next on your road to becoming a firefighter?

You can see that we have quite a bit to cover. Work at a pace that is comfortable to you. Listen as often as you can. Retake written portions of the test questions I present, especially if you get any wrong. Remember, the whole purpose of your taking this course is to put yourself in the best position to successfully take the fire-fighter

exam. The more you know the material, the more prepared you will be. In addition, the more you know about the fitness and non-written tests, the more prepared and confident you will be.

Well, I hope that I have gotten you motivated to get started. If you are ready to proceed, be sure to have your study guide close at hand. Have some pencils or pens available. Get comfortable, and let’s begin!