The history of organized firefighting dates back at least to Ancient Egypt, where hand-operated pumps may have been employed to extinguish fires. The first Roman fire brigade was a group of slaves who were hired by an aedile Marcus Egnatius Rufus. Augustus took this idea from Rufus and then built on it to form the (Vigiles) in AD 6 to combat ...

This week I received an email titled, "LOVE-HANDLES!! Help me lose them." I have been working on a routine that incorporates exercises that will help you work your love handles (the oblique region of the torso). Personally, I like to work my "obliques" on days I work my legs, so I created the Legs and Love Handles workout seen below. As ...

Candidates who have served our country in the Armed Forces have a huge advantage over those who have not. It is generally believed that while military veterans may not have as many certificates and fire science units as the other candidates (they were busy serving our country), they offer so much more. The personal growth and professional experience a military service ...

Last week we rolled out a major update to our video channel that should make it much easier to share videos on FireLink. First and foremost, you should now be able to embed a video hosted on another site. So if you see something you like on YouTube and you'd like to pass it along to your friends on FireLink, simply ...

Along with the benefits of a promotion comes responsibility. Some firefighters are simply more cut-out to be leaders, and some are content serving the department the best that they can. Either way it takes a team to make a department great. FireLink has a great assessment tool to help you sort out your leadership skills with an evaluation quiz. Take it, ...

In case you were wondering what a typical score sheet looks like for interview questions, here's a sample: Step 5: Assess Your Leadership Skills Step 3: Oral Presentations Guide to Promotion: Table of Contents • Step 1: Plan for Promotion • Step 2: Assessment Center Exercises      • Tactical Scene Scenarios     • Oral Interview     • Employee Counseling Session     • In-Basket Exercise • Step 3: Oral ...

It is important that you prepare questions you might be asked. Here are a few samples for Fire Captain. Type your answers into the text boxes. When you're done, click "Print This Page" at the bottom, and print your answers for reference. (Note: if your answer has exceeded the size of the box, only the portion showing will print.) Interview Questions ...

Your oral presentation is an important part of the promotion assessment. Here's a quick and dirty list of possible scenarios you should have nailed down before you are presented with the real deal. It is important to speak clearly, initiate eye contact with your audience, and speak genuinely and concisely. Don't be afraid to jot down notes, there's nothing worse than ...

The in-basket exercise has been around forever and is one of my favorites. A candidate is given a list of items that must be addressed within a certain time frame. He or she is asked to prioritize the items and justify his reasons to the panel. It’s up to the candidate to determine what is important, and what is urgent. The ...

One of the most challenging parts of any supervisor’s job is dealing with employees. In the fire service we are particularly poor at imposing discipline on our members. Since we live, eat, sleep and work together for long periods of time, supervisors are reluctant to address poor performance. It is important to remember that the fire department is held to the ...

The oral presentations are probably the most overlooked part of the promotional exam. This is ironic because studies show that our greatest fear is to speak in front of a group. From the department’s perspective it is important to promote people who can speak in front of a group. The higher the rank, the more public speaking you will be expected ...

The tactical scene scenario can be one major event, a series of smaller events, or a combination of all of the above. It can be interactive or non-interactive. In an interactive scenario a candidate is given a radio and is expected to give on scene report (size up), assume command, name the location of the command post, request resources, and make ...

The term “Assessment Center” often sends promotional candidates into frenzy. It is unfamiliar to many people and as a result their already increased anxiety over the promotional process is heightened. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on the process. No department wants to have quality candidates get lost in the testing process, rather it’s an opportunity for ...

Setting a plan of how to reach your promotional goals can be a very intimidating process. There is a multitude of information and it can be overwhelming. I encourage promotional candidates to look at their future exam through a different set of glasses, those of the person creating the exam. Become the Test Maker One of my favorite sayings is, Become ...

You've done the hardest part, you survived your initiation years and become a valuable part of your department. Now what? Most promotion advice resources neglect public service jobs such as career firefighting so here's your chance to learn what it takes to move up in the ranks. FireLink featured writer Battalion Chief Paul Lepore has offered a multitude of resources to ...

Darryl Johnson, health and fitness coordinator for the Chicago Fire Department, recommends five ways to push your workout to the next level. 1. Try circuit training. Incorporating cardiovascular training (i.e. riding a stationary bike, running on a treadmill) into a workout that includes strength training will help raise your heart rate. "That'll intensify your workout," he says. 2. Train at 90 ...

It's no surprise that Homeland Security is recruiting heavily. Fortunately, this is good news for Firefighters and EMTs/Paramedics who both rank in the top ten. Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness & Response focuses on the premise that a disaster can strike anytime, anywhere. A disaster may be in the form of a hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a fire or ...

_Sandy2502_ - A little more advice. As you go through fire school. Always stay a chapter ahead of the class. Then the class becomes a review and Highlighting becomes easier. Be careful of the Dept. A-holes. We all have them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and orders if you feel it is unsafe. If they are talking FF-ize and ...

_Q: I am a student in high school and I want to be a fireman. What do I have to do?_ A: First decide if you want to be volunteer or paid. If you live in an area with a volunteer department start there. See if they have a juniors dept. or explorers post. As far as education, you will ...