Examinations

[black arts]

Are examinations on their way back, my brigade are considering examinations as the way forward or is it turning the clock back?

The promotion procedure can produce officers that have knowledge of planning and diversity, but not
fire ground procedures.

What qualifications are out there...IFE???

[jokar]

GMC are now using IFE qualifications as part of the assessment process to ensure the underpinning knowldge of individua;ls.  Other Brigades are waiting to pick up the flag and run.  IPDS now a dead hub.

[firedodger]

Our Brigade (sorry service) is still continuing with ITOP, PQA and ADC but our new head of Human Resources (recruited from outside the service) is reportedly not impressed by the alphabet soup that has been produced in the last five years.  There is a groundswell of feeling that something has been lost with regard to basic levels of technical knowledge and our 'faculty' has recently returned to being called a training centre.

However there don't seem to be any plans afoot to return to examinations; it's still all about openess to change and embracing diversity.  We have a number of people who have come in from other organisations at supervisory and middle management level who are still struggling to get to grips with their operational duties. It seems that we who have taken the more traditional route to hold rank (sorry role) must have learned more than we thought we had over the years.

It seems obvious really.  If you take the Hackneyed example of the 'Tescos manager' coming in to the service, Tescos would not, as far as I'm aware allow someone to manage a shop unless they had worked in the the most basic of shop floor roles, at least for a while. But then their policies are driven by results, not by ideology.  Perhaps two tier entry should be limited to the top table, where it appears to work within limits.
 
The IFE would seem to be the ideal choice as it has some track record and is not subject to political influence (as far as I know).

But what about practical exams ?

[fireftrm]

Perhaps they could eb called role related assessments, where the suitability for any given post (suc as CM ops, CM fire sfaety, CM training etc) can be tested, after they have been deemed to ahev management potential through an ADC? Also some knowledge and understanding assessments in each role (sych as knowing about fire, building construction, the FRS law, CS, Fire safety, ICS etc ). So an RRA after an ADc and K&U for each role? Great idea?

Hang on that is what is uspposed to be happening now, that it isn't is no reason to drop the process, it is reason to examine why the process is not being used!