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2012
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98
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English
Ebook
2012
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Publié par
Date de parution
20 novembre 2012
Nombre de lectures
5
EAN13
9781909229358
Langue
English
Publié par
Date de parution
20 novembre 2012
Nombre de lectures
5
EAN13
9781909229358
Langue
English
THE TESTING SERIES
FIREFIGHTER
TESTS
Orders: Please contact How2become Ltd, Suite 2, 50 Churchill Square Business Centre, Kings Hill, Kent ME19 4YU.
Telephone: (44) 0845 643 1299 - Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am until 5pm. Fax: (44) 01732 525965. You can also order via the email address info@how2become.co.uk.
ISBN: 978-1-907558-12-2
First published 2010
Copyright © 2012 Richard McMunn. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. Apart from any permitted use under UK copyright law, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information, storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further details of such licenses (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Typeset for How2become Ltd by Good Golly Design, Canada, goodgolly.ca.
Printed in Great Britain for How2become Ltd by Bell & Bain Ltd, 303 Burnfield Road, Thornliebank, Glasgow G46 7UQ.
CONTENTS
WELCOME
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1 ABOUT THE FIREFIGHTER WRITTEN TESTS
CHAPTER 2 SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND PROBLEM SOLVING
CHAPTER 3 WORKING WITH NUMBERS
CHAPTER 4 UNDERSTANDING INFORMATION
CHAPTER 5 PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE
WELCOME
Dear Sir/Madam,
Welcome to your new guide - 'Firefighter Tests'. This guide has beendesigned to help you prepare for the written test element of the nationalfirefighter selection process.
The author of this guide, Richard McMunn, spent over 16 years in the UKFire Service. He worked at many different fire stations at every positionup to Station Manager, and he has also sat on numerous interview panelsassessing potential candidates to join the job. You will find his adviceinvaluable and inspiring in your pursuit to joining what is probably one ofthe most exciting careers available. Whilst the selection process to join theFire Service is highly competitive, there are a number of things you can doin order to improve your chances of success, and they are all containedwithin this guide.
The guide itself has been split up into useful sections to make it easier foryou to prepare for each element of the testing process. Read each sectioncarefully before trying out the different test questions that have beenprovided by the author. Don't ever give up on your dreams; if you reallywant to become a firefighter, then you can do it.
The guide will focus primarily on the firefighter tests that form part of thenational firefighter selection process in the UK. If you need any help withother elements of the selection process, then we offer a wide range ofproducts to assist you, including application form completion, interviewDVD's and even a 1 day firefighter training course. These are all availablethrough our online shop www.how2become.co.uk.
Once again, thank you for your purchasing this guide and we wish youevery success in your pursuit to becoming a firefighter.
Work hard, stay focused and be what you want...
Best wishes,
The How2become Team
PREFACE
BY RICHARD MCMUNN
I joined the Fire Service on January the 25th 1993 after completing fouryears in the Fleet Air Arm branch of the Royal Navy. In the build up tojoining the Fire Service I embarked on a comprehensive training programmethat would see me pass the selection process with relative ease. The reasonwhy I passed the selection process with ease was solely due to the amountof preparation and hard work that I had put in during the build up. Yes Iadmit, the written tests were different back then, but the process was stillthe same. When I sat the firefighter tests back in 1992, you had to be competentwith numbers, good with the English language, and also possessan ability to interpret mechanical concepts and patterns. It also helped ifyou were from a military background. In 2010, the year in which I am writingthis guide, you must be competent at different things, and that is what I willconcentrate on during the content of this guide.
So, what qualifies me to help you to pass the firefighter written tests? Well,apart from serving nearly 17 years in the job, I was also heavily involved infirefighter recruitment and training. I have administered the firefighter tests,marked application forms, sat on interview panels and even been an instructoron four firefighter recruit training courses. Therefore, the knowledgeand test questions that I will provide you with, will go a long way to assistingyou during your preparation. I do not claim, however, that the questionsprovided within this guide will be identical to the ones that you will haveto undertake. That would be wrong, and it would not help you to developthe right skills and qualities that are required to become a firefighter. Thepurpose of this guide, apart from providing you with a host of sample testquestions, is to help you to understand why the Fire Service asks you thequestions that they do. If you understand why they ask these types ofquestions, then your chances of passing the tests will greatly increase.
I have always been a great believer in preparation. Preparation was mykey to success, and it is also yours. Without the right level of preparationyou will be setting out on the route to failure. The Fire Service is very hardto join, but if you follow the steps that I have compiled within this guidethen you will increase your chances of passing the written test element ofselection dramatically. Remember, you are learning how to be a successfulcandidate, not a successful firefighter. That will come later.
I make no excuses for stating that, in order to prepare effectively for thefirefighter written tests, you must learn and understand thoroughly the Personal Qualities and Attributes (PQAs) that are relevant to the role ofa firefighter. This is simply because some of the questions, especially thosewithin the situational awareness and problem solving test, the personalityquestionnaire and the understanding information test, are based around thePQA's. If you know the PQA's inside out, then the answers to the questionswill be easier to identify - in some cases they will even jump out at you!
In addition to learning the PQA's I also recommend that you becomeproficient in the use of basic numerical arithmetic. Firefighters need tobe competent in the use of numbers, including addition, subtraction,multiplication and division. After all, your life and that of others could oneday become dependant on your ability to carry out simple basic numericalcalculations, whilst under pressure.
So, let's get started and take a look at the different types of tests that theFire Service uses in order to assess firefighter applicants.
Best wishes,
Richard McMunn
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained withinthis guide is accurate at the time of publication. How2become Ltd arenot responsible for anyone failing any part of any selection process as aresult of the information contained within this guide. How2become Ltd andtheir authors cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissionswithin this guide, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damageoccasioned by any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result ofthe material in this publication can be accepted by How2become Ltd.
The information within this guide does not represent the views of any thirdparty service or organisation.
CHAPTER 1
ABOUT THE FIREFIGHTER WRITTEN TESTS
The firefighter selection process involves a number of different writtentests. These tests usually consist of multiple-choice questions, which aredesigned to assess a candidate's ability and aptitude for becoming acompetent firefighter. The tests themselves will normally be carried outat a local test centre or Fire Service establishment and will take approximatelythree hours to complete. You will receive full details about thetests prior to the test day.
The firefighter written tests are split into two different categories as follows:
1. Ability tests Working with numbers; Understanding information; Situational awareness and problem solving.
2. The National Firefighter Questionnaire
This questionnaire has been designed so as to provide information on your style and your behaviour. The Fire Service will use this information,along with the other results of your tests, to determine whether or not youare suitable to become a firefighter. I have found over the years that manypeople struggle with this part of the test. The questions often repeat themselvesthroughout the questionnaire, albeit in a slightly different manner.One of the most effective ways to understand this type of test is to fullylearn the PQA's. If you know them, then you will fully understand thestyle and behaviour that the Fire Service is looking for from successfulapplicants; more on this later.
Before we take a look at a number of different sample test questions, letus explore why the Fire Service are assessing you by using ability testsand a questionnaire. By understanding why they are assessing you in thismanner will serve to help you pass the tests. If I was preparing for thefirefighter written tests today, I would first of all ask myself the following twoquestions:
Q1. Why is the Fire Service assessing me in these areas?
Q2. What would they expect to see from successful candidates?
I will now write down my perceived answers to these questions, and I getthe following responses:
A1. The Fire Service want to be sure that I am capable of working with numbersin a fast and competent manner, because this is what firefighters arerequired to do as part of their role. They must use calculations effectively,especially when using breathing apparatus and operating the pump on afire engine. Whilst I don't need to be a mathematics professor, I