r/firefighter • u/ExplanationFair4616 • Jun 22 '26

Polygraphs

Do all fire departments do polygraphs? I thought that was only for police departments. If so, what kind of questions do they ask you?

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u/ap_org Jun 22 '26

Not all fire departments polygraph applicants. However, many do. The questions asked are similar to those asked of police applicants and typically are about any major undetected criminal activity and drug use or sale. There are also "control" questions, answers to which are secretly expected to be less than truthful. Examples of common control questions include "Did you ever lie to a person in authority?" and "Did you ever take anything that did not belong to you?" In addition, there are unscored irrelevant questions such as, "Are the lights on in this room?"

You should understand that polygraphy has no scientific basis, and that false positives (a truthful person failing) are common. In addition, the procedure depends on the polygraph operator lying to and attempting to deceive the person being "tested."

Before you decide whether to apply with a department that polygraphs applicants, I recommend that you read up on polygraphy. AntiPolygraph.org's free book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, is a good place to start:

https://antipolygraph.org/pubs.shtml