We have updated this question a little since our last post with some new ideas. Progressive discipline is a question asked in nearly every Fire Officer Interview. It is a crucial component of an officers responsibilities.

We have added a new question to our Fire Officer Interview Questions Ebook. This question comes from David in California who just completed his Fire Captain Interview. David wrote, “Thanks for all your help Jason, some of our email conversations were very helpful. I wanted to let you know about a question that you can address in your book. I had 12 questions that they asked in my interview and 11 of them were covered in the fire officer ebook. Thanks again.” Here is the new addition to our fire officer interview ebook.

Describe our department’s progressive discipline policy.

Key Points: You want to answer this question by walking through your department’s disciplinary process from the first step, up to termination. Talk about the officer’s role in each step. Also speak to how you will support decisions that are made at higher ranks regarding the discipline of a subordinate.

Example Answer: Our department’s progressive discipline policy begins with a verbal warning. This takes place between the officer and his subordinate. The officer should explain the situation, lay out a plan for improvement, and hopefully resolve the issue at that step. The next step is a verbal reprimand, which must also be documented by the officer. The officer is also responsible for notifying the Battalion Chief of the incident. The next step is a written warning. This is done by the officer and Battalion Chief, and presented to the subordinate at a meeting. At this meeting they lay out an improvement plan, and discuss the future steps of discipline if no improvement is made. The next step is docking pay. This is done at our Battalion Chief level. As an officer, my job will be to continue documenting events, and provide support to the Battalion Chief. The final step is termination. The goal of discipline is not to punish, but rather to improve performance. Depending on the severity of the offense, discipline can begin at any level of process.