Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 - (Page 28)

have. Giving them the tools to succeed in the assessment center also gives them the tools to succeed in the fi re station. A month before the assessment we hold voluntary training for the candidates. In class, a thorough explanation of each exercise is given and the dimensions that will be assessed in each. The class is like a mini-leadership class, as the candidates learn how to exhibit qualities of all the dimensions being assessed in the center. Participants are also trained as assessors and evaluate other candidates in practice situations. It is a pleasant surprise to see the scores they award are right in line with what I would give as assessor. This training gave a transparency to the process that few had witnessed before. We have a tendency not to want to let the candidates know too much about what to expect. We justify that by saying that stress helps separate the good from the poor performers. In the end, the separation is created by the ability of the candidate. Nothing more or less is needed. Assessors and Assessor Training The assessor’s job is to observe, record, classify and make reliable judgments about the behaviors of a candidate. It is common to use people with fi re department background, but, theoretically, subject matter experts from other areas could be utilized. A component that is either minimal or non-existent in most of the assessments I have been a part of is assessor training. Quite frankly, not a lot of training is required to evaluate a fi reground tactical that looks solely on the objectives of mitigating the incident. You look at the objectives necessary to combat the situation, think about how they sounded with their assignments, make a stab at how well they put them in a logical order and come up with a score that may be very different from the assessor next to you. The training for examining specific dimensions is more complex. For example, our fi reground tactical looks specifically at the dimensions of “job knowledge” and “planning & organizing.” Before the assessments, the assessors are coached on the exact dimensions to be evaluated and how to classify behaviors the candidate exhibits relating to the dimension being assessed. A candidate may provide clear and concise instructions for the fi re attack or give confl icting commands. These are distinct behaviors that can be recorded by the assessor. the performance of the candidate. This leaves little room for argument that a single assessor missed something or didn’t understand what was happening. These witnessed behaviors are also recorded for the candidate. This way they will know how the assessors interpreted their behaviors relevant to the dimensions being assessed. On the assessment day, I am able to witness exercises and dimensions that are in-line with what is required of a person in that rank and the scores that are a direct reflection of how the candidate performed in the exercise. There will always be candidates that don’t perform as well as we hope, and those who don’t score as well as they think they should have. Preparation is the key. An assessment center is not simply studying the books for the written exam. Studying prepares them for exams, but not promotion. Management skills must become part of the candidate’s behavior for them to truly show in an assessment. They must assume the needed characteristics of that rank. The candidate needs to seek out education to expand their skills and abilities. Fire departments need to place emphasis on leadership training however possible. When the scores are posted, the poor performers still darken my door, but I rest easier knowing that they participated in a process that utilizes known and established principles. The Future Like many departments that experienced growth in the 1980s, Grapevine has many senior officers that are retiring. To be proactive, we must maintain a list of qualified candidates eligible for promotion. “Qualified” is the operative word here. The officers of today must have the knowledge, skills and abilities to lead complex operations and manage personnel in a responsible fashion. The responsibility for this must become a partnership between the firefighters and the department. The individual must assume the responsibility to prepare themselves for promotion and fire departments need to actively implement succession planning for the future and create opportunities for learning. Another important resource that can be tapped is to foster a mentorship between the supervisors and their subordinates. These officers have the knowledge, skills and abilities required to be successful in the position and they know how to demonstrate it when required. The bottom line is that creating successful candidates creates successful officers. Recording Behavior, Reports and Data Integration After the candidate leaves the room for the assessors, with the assistance of the facilitator, discuss the witnessed behaviors and classify them as positive or negative as they relate to the dimension being assessed. Each behavior will only count for or against them in one category. After all the discussion, the assessors (hold on to your hats) form a consensus for score of the dimension being assessed. That way at least two independent and knowledgeable people came to the same conclusion about 28 Bibliography A great source of information is Preparing for Promotion, A Guide for Public Safety Assessment Centers, 2nd edition, by Rick Michelson & Pat Maher, and published by LawTech Publishing Co. Ltd. The website for the International Congress of Assessment Centers is www.assessmentcenters.org and contains several good articles regarding guidelines and ethical considerations. TEXAS FIRE CHIEF Fall/Winter 2008 http://www.assessmentcenters.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008 Contents Executive Director’s Report Texas Fire Chiefs Academy Project Reports Southwest Fire Rescue Conference Program Membership Application Customer Service Orientation in Fire Rescue Departments A Visit to the E-One Plant Index to Advertisers

Texas Fire Chief - Fall/Winter 2008

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