How captain differs by department
In some departments the captain is the company officer and lieutenant does not exist. In others the captain runs a station across all shifts or manages a program such as training, EMS or prevention. Read the job description.
Common exercises
- A multi-company tactical simulation where you are the first-arriving officer or initial incident commander.
- An in-basket with station budget, apparatus out of service, a citizen complaint and a training deadline.
- A personnel issue involving a lieutenant or a cross-shift conflict.
- A presentation on a program improvement.
Preparation
- Fire Officer II (NFPA 1021) is commonly expected or required. Schedules fill up, so book early.
- Practice ICS expansion: when you add divisions or groups, a safety officer and staging.
- Bring numbers to your program answers: response times, training hours, inspection counts.
Reading to gather
- Department SOGs and budget process
- NFPA 1021 Fire Officer II material
- NIMS ICS references
This guide is general information written by ServiceJacket, not advice from any agency or testing company. Your official announcement, civil service rules and labor contract control.
Keep going
Fire11 min read
Fire Lieutenant / Company Officer
The company officer test checks whether you can run a crew safely on the fireground and handle the people side back at the station.
Fire9 min read
Battalion Chief
Battalion chiefs command incidents and manage several stations. Assessment centers test both in the same day.
All disciplines12 min read
Any rank
Police, fire, EMS, dispatch and corrections promotions use the same building blocks. Learn how assessors score, and practice the way they score.