Firefighter Interview Questions - Frequently Asked Firefighter Interview Questions And Answers that You MUST Prepare For

Firefighters put out fires in buildings and environment, find and rescue people impacted by fire, and respond to medical and other emergencies

Success Traits Firefighters require good communication skills, decision-making skills, physical stamina, physical strength, emotional skills, Compassion, and empathy

Job skills - Firefighters put out fires in buildings and environment by using fire trucks, hoses, extinguishers, and water pumps; find and rescue people impacted by fire; respond to medical and other emergencies, and treat and provide medical attention to people in emergencies, etc.

Firefighter Interview Questions - Firefighter interview questions are crafted in such a way that the hiring manager can assess if you have the right qualification, experience, passion, and skills, needed to be a firefighter in their organization.

Listed below are the top frequently asked REAL Firefighter Interview Questions asked at various organizations.

Tell me about yourself?

By asking this question, the interviewer wants to see if you have the passion, skill set and experience required to be a Firefighter.

Best way to answer this question is to briefly talk about yourself and highlight the following four points in sequence.

1. Your education - Highlight on your high school, bachelors degree in fire sciences or a related major, and certifications such as EMT or Paramedic that you might have achieved.
2. Your previous experience - Highlight the job duties from your previous jobs that match the requirements for this job.
3. Your strengths and passions - Highlight the success traits required for a firefighter - communication skills, decision-making skills, emotional skills, etc.
4. Your job specific skills - Highlight specific fires and emergencies that you have you have handled in your past jobs.

Important - Do not specify your hobbies, personal details, or family details unless specifically asked for.

Sample answer - 'I got a bachelor's degree in fire sciences from XYZ university, and I'm a certified EMT and Paramedic). I have five years of experience as a firefighter, including last four years at XYZ fire department participating in various firefighting and emergency tasks. (shows that you have relevant experience). I love helping community by helpting in emergencies such as fire and natural disasters, and helping people in emergencies. (Shows that you are passionate about being an firefighter). I have excellent fire fighting skills, decision-making skills, and emotional skills. (shows that you have the right job related skills.).'

What are your key strengths?

Strengths - Some of the key success traits required to be a successful firefighter are - physical strength and stamina, communication skills, decision making skills, your knowledge of fire fighting and fire safety, etc. Mention some of these as your strengths, and make sure that you can back it up with concrete and measurable results from your previous jobs.

What are your weaknesses?

Weaknesses - Yes, you would certainly like to answer 'I do not have any weaknesses', but that is not what the interviewer is expecting, so be prepared to list out some weaknesses. The trick is specify some weaknesses but put a positive spin on these weaknesses.

Important - do not mention any of the key success traits required for this job as one of your weakness. For example, do not say 'communication is my weakness' or 'bad health is my weakness'

What is your biggest professional mistake or failure?

Unfortunately you cannot answer like 'I never made a mistake'.

Prepare for this question by having a list of mistakes or failures that you may have encountered.

Important - Make a positive spin on this kind of question. In this case, in addition to stating what your mistake is and why, make sure to follow it up and describe how you over came that mistake.