How To Become a 999 Fire Control Operator , livre ebook

How2become - Richard McMunn

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104 pages

English

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How To Become A 999 Fire Control Operator. Fire Control Operators are the Fire and Rescue Services 999 Call operators who carry out a highly stressful and demanding job. As part of the selection process for becoming a Fire Control Operative candidates are required to undergo a series of rigorous assessments including completing a competency-based application form, an assessment centre, numeracy and literacy tests, a call-handling test and an interview. During the call handling test candidates are required to listen to a recorded 999 call and then type up as much of the information as possible in the given time-frame. Other elements and eligibility requirements include an ability to receive and record information accurately, excellent communication skills with the ability to listen and speak clearly to ensure callers can understand what you are saying, being able to remain calm and provide guidance in stressful situations and also being capable of working effectively as part of a team. How to become a 999 Fire Control Operator book is packed full of tips and information on how to pass every element of the application process, from sample application form questions and answers, sample numeracy and literacy tests and even interview questions with suggested responses.

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Publié par	How2become
Date de parution	05 décembre 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781910602096
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Orders: Please contact How2become Ltd, Suite 3, 50 Churchill Square Business Centre, Kings Hill, Kent ME19 4YU. You can also order via the e mail address info@how2become.co.uk .
ISBN: 978-1-910602-09-6. First published 2014
Copyright © 2014 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.
Printed in Great Britain for How2become Ltd by CMP.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PREFACE BY AUTHOR RICHARD MCMUNN
CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS A FIRE CONTROL OPERATOR?
CHAPTER 2 THE FIRE CONTROL OPERATOR JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION
CHAPTER 3 THE FIRE CONTROL OPERATOR APPLICATION FORM
CHAPTER 4 SAMPLE TESTS
CHAPTER 5 THE FIRE CONTROL OPERATOR INTERVIEW
A FEW FINAL WORDS
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to ‘How 2 Become a 999 Fire Control Operator’. This guide has been designed to help you prepare for and pass the selection process that forms part of the UK Fire Control Operator selection process.
The author of this guide, Richard McMunn, spent over 16 years in the UK Fire Service. He worked at many different fire stations at every position up to Station Manager, and he has also sat on numerous interview panels assessing potential candidates. You will find his advice invaluable and inspiring in your pursuit to joining what is probably one of the most exciting careers available. Whilst the selection process to join the Fire Service as a Control Operator (FCOp) is highly competitive, there are a number of things you can do in order to improve your chances of success, and they are all contained within this guide.
The guide itself has been split up into useful sections to make it easier for you to prepare for each stage. Read each section carefully and take notes as you progress. Don’t ever give up on your dreams; if you really want to become a Fire Control Operator then you can do it. The way to prepare for a job in the Fire Service is to embark on a programme of ‘in depth’ preparation, and this guide will show you exactly how to do that.
If you need any help with tests or interview help and advice, then we offer a wide range of products to assist you. These are all available through our online shop www.how2become.com .
Once again, thank you for your custom and we wish you every success in your pursuit to become a Fire Control Operator. Work hard, stay focused and be what you want…
Best wishes,

The How2become Team
PREFACE BY AUTHOR RICHARD MCMUNN
I joined the Fire Service on January the 25th 1993 as an operational firefighter after completing four years in the Fleet Air Arm branch of the Royal Navy. In the build-up to joining the Fire Service I embarked on a comprehensive training programme that would see me pass the selection process with relative ease. The reason why I passed the selection process with ease was solely due to the preparation and hard work that I had put in during the build-up.
I have always been a great believer in preparation. Preparation was my key to success, and it is also yours. Without the right level of preparation you will be setting out on the route to failure. The Fire Service is very hard to join, but if you follow the steps that I have compiled within this guide then you will increase your chances of success dramatically.
Remember, you are learning how to be a successful candidate, not a successful Fire Control Operator! I also want to state from the offset that, although I spent my career working as an operational Fire Officer, I have vast experience of how the Fire Service recruits its staff, including Fire Control Operators. I also want to stress that how you prepare for the application and selection process is absolutely pivotal. The Fire Service will assess you predominantly against the key qualities and attributes required to perform the role, and these will feature heavily throughout the duration of the content. During your preparation, you do not need to concentrate your efforts on learning any of the operational procedures that are required to be a Fire Control Operator; these will come later, once you start your training.
The Fire Service has changed a great deal over the past few years and even more so in how it assesses potential candidates for firefighters and Fire Control Operator positions. When I joined in 1993, it helped if you were 6ft tall, built like a mountain and from a military background. Things have certainly changed since then, and rightly so. Yes, the Fire Service still needs people of that calibre but it also needs people who represent the community in which it serves. It needs people from different backgrounds, different cultures, different ages, different sexual orientations and different genders.
The men and women of the UK Fire Service carry out an amazing job. They are there to protect the community in which they serve and they do that job with great pride, passion and very high levels of professionalism and commitment. They are to be congratulated for the service they provide.
Before you apply to join the Fire Service, you need to be fully confident that you too are capable of providing that same level of service. If you think you can do it, and you can rise to the challenge, then you just might be the type of person the Fire Service is looking for.
As you progress through this guide you will notice that the qualities required to be a Fire Control Operator are a common theme. You must learn these qualities, and also be able to demonstrate throughout the selection process that you can meet them, if you are to have any chance of successfully passing the selection process.
Best wishes,

Richard McMunn
CHAPTER ONE
WHAT IS A FIRE CONTROL OPERATOR?
Thousands of calls are received by the Fire Service control every year, and the Fire Control Operators (FCOp) are a vital element in the work of the Fire and Rescue Service.
The main duty of the FCOp is to obtain enough information from the caller and, within 90 seconds of taking the call, decide what fire crews and equipment need to be sent to the incident. Naturally, in the vast majority of cases this will be a relatively simple task based on the predetermined response that has been set by the Fire and Rescue Service. However, on occasions there will be times when the skills of the FCOp will be tested to the limit. The potential for varying degrees of incident difficulty will very much depend on the ‘risks’ that are present in a specific county area. For example, as a Fire Officer I served with Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the county of Kent has many diverse and different risks. To name just a few, in Kent there are the following significant risks: The Channel Tunnel The M2, M20, M25 and M26 motorways Dungeness Power Station Numerous rail links, including the hi-speed rail link to London Bluewater shopping centre The Queen Elizabeth Bridge and the Dartford river crossing
Of course, the county area that you are applying to join as a FCOp will have many different risks than the county of Kent. The reason why I am making reference to a county’s risks is because I recommend you learn what they are before you attend the interview stage of the FCOp selection process. Here is a sample interview question for you to prepare for:
Q. What are the major risks presented to the Fire and Rescue Service in this county area?
Throughout this book I will give you little tips like this for you to gather and prepare for.

TIP
Learn the major risks within your county area before you attend the interview. You may get asked what they are and why they are a risk to the general public.
In addition to gathering information from a caller it is the responsibility of the FCOp to calm and influence the distressed caller. This can be a very difficult thing to do, especially if the caller has just been involved in, or witnessed, a highly distressing incident. It is times like this that your skills will be tested to the limit. One of your main tasks is to pinpoint exactly the location of the caller. This can be even harder if the caller is on a motorway or in a rural area. At times, the survival advice you will give members of the public, as a Fire Control Operator over the phone, really will save lives.
Once firefighters have arrived at the incident, the Fire Control Operator will remain in constant contact with the control room to report on the progress of the incident and to request any additional crews or equipment that may be required. They are also a central communication point between firefighters and agencies such as the Police and Ambulance services.
To be a competent FCOp you will need to demonstrate the following personal attributes: Confident communication skills (oral, written and comprehension skills); Effective and confident telephone communicator; Good keyboard skills; Be able to work calmly under pressure maintaining attention to detail; Enjoy contributing to a small team environment; Be able to prioritise events and take appropriate action; Be able to absorb verbal and written information and apply this both practically and theoretically to NVQ Level 3 standard or equivalent; Be self-motivated, with aptitude and ability to undertake intensive initial and ongoing training and assessment.
I mentioned earlier how important the personal qualities and attributes are to your success. Therefore, one of the very first jobs you have during your preparation is to obtain a copy of the job description and the person specification for the role. These two documents will be the dif