We recently added this interview question to our Fire Officer Interview book. Every question in our book includes key talking points, and a detailed sample answer. This is a fantastic question that is used in many Fire Captain and Fire Lieutenant interviews.

As a new Fire Captain, how will you work to develop your crew?

Key talking points: Crew development has two parts. The first is to make sure that your crew is proficient in all of the basic firefighting skills, pumping, driving etc. Be sure to make it clear where you expect them to be, and then develop a training plan to accomplish the goal. The next part of crew development is to prepare your crew for the next step of their career. This includes officer training or possibly getting involved in larger department projects.

Example Answer: As a new Fire Captain I will approach crew development in several ways. The first part will begin on day one. I will begin by analyzing where their skills are compared with where they need to be. I want to be sure my crew is response ready for any emergency. If they are deficient in basic firefighting skills, pumping, or driving, we will design a training plan to remedy that. I will be very clear about the level of proficiency that I expect from my crew. The next step of crew development occurs a bit later. Once my crew is proficiently trained, I will begin preparing them for the next step of their career. This will include officer development training. I want my crew members to be successful as they pursue promotional opportunities. By properly training my crew for a promotion, they will be able to make the transition easier and have more success.