Information is Key!

If we have said it once, we have said it 100 times. After 40 years in Fire Service, we know a thing or two about earning your firefighter’s badge. As retired Fire Captains, Rob and I have found ways to share this knowledge so that others can have their dream job as a firefighter. After all, being a firefighter is like having a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth.

Here is tip Number 1 – As you may know the written and the physical ability are both pass/fail. Why does this matter? Well, it tells us that 100% of the score to earn your firefighter’s badge is in how well you do in the Oral Board. You read that right – your badge is interconnected to how well you do on your Oral!

The Oral Board is where your marbles should go. As a former captain sitting on over 100 Oral Boards, I have seen candidates with great credentials, personality, skill, and that burning desire. Sadly, they could not present the “whole package” and didn’t do well at the Oral. Here is the deal – If you can’t present the whole package, you will never, never, ever see a badge!

Here is the good news. The firefighter candidates following our firefighter training program are improving their scores by up to 15 points. They prepared using the workbook, practiced with a tape recorder, and engaged in private coaching. One-on-one coaching is where candidates get dialed into making their best presentation. It can make the difference between being low down on a list and being in the top 10 going for the chief’s oral.

Candidates armed with this information are the ones who move to the head of the class.  We know because we get the calls when they get their badge!  What this means is that they are nailing the badge. They catapulted themselves into the Olympic camp. It’s there that they get to take their shot at the badge. Over 2,450 candidates have received their badges through EatStress. We are very proud of this.

Remember – “Nothing counts ’til you have the badge . . .  Nothing!  And, there is no feeling like proudly wearing the badge.”

Fire Captain Bob