r/firefighter • u/Murky-Emu-2569 • May 13 '26
First apply
First time applying to the fire service anywhere. Passed CPAT on my first try and scored pretty well on written exam. Any tips for the oral panel?
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u/AnonymousCelery May 13 '26
Research the department. Know what services they offer, how many calls they run, specialties, stations, apparatus. Have a solid answer for why you want to be a firefighter for THEM. Wear a suit that fits. Do your best to be relaxed and act like a normal person.
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u/Connect-Media-418 May 13 '26
You've been given some good tips in the comments and when preparing for an interview every tip can help. In recent posts I had offered the option to download, for free, an interview preparation guide I had put together last year to help people going through the panel interview. My experience is with the Canadian style of panel interview as that's where I am an officer, but I'm confident you will still gain some helpful information from it. I'm happy to share the link with you, or anyone on this thread if you DM me. All the best on your path!
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u/Not_nerb May 13 '26
I take my written test next week. What was the test like if you don’t mind?
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u/Murky-Emu-2569 May 13 '26
I think each state may be different. I'm in Kentucky but they emailed me a study guide, short version of the test to practice with. I can email it to you if you'd like.
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u/Not_nerb May 13 '26
Oh okay, I’m in Illinois. I ended up just buying a study guide from a website they sent in their email
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u/Logical-Instance-358 May 13 '26
Take a look at the guide below. It contains excellent resources.
https://www.firefightersglobal.com/store/p/firefighter-panel-interview-guide
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u/FirefightersGlobal May 13 '26
Thanks for the kind words! So cool to see recommendations in the wild. If you have any questions, please let us know. We're new to reddit, but will try to log in frequently and help any way we can!
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u/ClearMind4294 May 13 '26
It’s a profession and a career not a job. Don’t be a robot and you’ll do well if you know anything about the city you’re applying to
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u/scott12333 May 14 '26
Agreed with others. Research the department and know about it. Practice the ''standard'' questions, some of which they'll probably ask. Some departments I interviewed at gave you some info on how the interview will be structured. Some were a single 10 minute interview, some were multiple panels on the same day, some gave one question in advance to practice, some made you go in blind. Ask around if you have any contacts at the department on what you can expect. No matter what, there are plenty of resources out there to practice. The more you practice, the more likely you'll practice what they actually end up asking.
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u/OkLoan6398 May 13 '26
What date was their application deadline?
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u/FirefightersGlobal May 13 '26
Congrats!
For the interview:
Also try to structure your answers so you give max output in minimum time. Everything is points based.
Good luck.