Firefighting is one of the crucial services for any nation. More often than not, firefighting agencies are in constant need for firefighters to help with their activities. The good thing about being a firefighter is that you initially do not need prior experience before being recruited. All you need to have is the willingness to serve and learn on the job. As simple as it seems, however, firefighting can be challenging and at times fatal. This means that stringent measures have to be taken to sieve the people joining the service.
Some of the activities and tests that go on during a firefighter recruitment exercise include:
1. Behavioral tests
Firefighting is all about emergency response. At the firefighter recruitment exercise, you will need to prove your prowess in several cognitive and behavioral response schemes to different case scenarios. Apart from reactive behaviors skills, you will need to have certain aspects in your personality that are compatible with such things as teamwork and rational decision making. All these are assessed during the firefighter recruitment exercises.
2. Literacy tests
A firefighter needs to be calculative and smart enough to make individual decisions, some on a knee jack situation. Some of these abilities are tested during recruitment through a series of literacy tests. Additionally, the literacy tests help ascertain the IQ level of an individual and their ability to comprehend issues as well as interpret different situations.
3. Medical tests
These are necessary for enrolment, and they are vital as they help isolate people with unique medical conditions that might hinder them from delivering their best on the job. These tests also help the medical teams to identify unique complications that each service person may be having so that they can deal with them accordingly to enable them to serve better. The medical tests are not to disqualify enrolment entirely but to foster better medical attention to the firefighters.
4. Physical examinations
Being physically fit is of paramount importance for a firefighter. The job involves emergency and lots of physical activity. During a recruitment exercise, one is taken through physical tests that include running and muscle flexing practices. Being fit is not only important for the agencies recruiting but also for the safety of the firefighter. Being able to flee and move with ease is an advantage to the individual person as well, especially during emergencies where they need to escape a fire scene.
Firefighting is a rigorous exercise and can be life threatening for both the victims and the firefighters. Therefore, being adequately prepared is important as it ensures safety and makes the work a little more bearable for both parties.
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