FCTC Situational Judgment Scenarios Questions and Answers 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are working a 24-hour shift and begin feeling lightheaded and nauseated mid-shift. There are no critical incidents at the moment. What should you do?
- Ignore it and push through since the shift must be covered
- Self-medicate with over-the-counter drugs from the station's first aid kit without telling anyone
- Inform your supervisor of your condition so the crew can be prepared and you can be evaluated (Correct answer)
- Quietly lie down in quarters without telling anyone
Correct answer: Inform your supervisor of your condition so the crew can be prepared and you can be evaluated
Reporting health symptoms to your supervisor ensures the crew maintains operational readiness and you receive appropriate evaluation.
Question 2: Your station receives a call to a location where you personally know the resident. You recognize this could affect your objectivity. What is the best course of action?
- Refuse to go on the call entirely
- Respond normally and disclose the personal connection to your supervisor before or upon arrival (Correct answer)
- Respond but take a lead role to make sure your friend receives the best care
- Call your friend on the way to the scene to warn them
Correct answer: Respond normally and disclose the personal connection to your supervisor before or upon arrival
Disclosing a personal connection to your supervisor allows command to make an informed decision about your role at the scene.
Question 3: During a high-stress multi-casualty incident, a newer crew member freezes and is unable to perform their assigned task. What do you do?
- Berate them loudly to snap them out of it
- Ignore them and complete your own task
- Calmly reassign them to a simpler task, take over their role temporarily, and notify the incident commander (Correct answer)
- Send them back to the truck and handle everything yourself
Correct answer: Calmly reassign them to a simpler task, take over their role temporarily, and notify the incident commander
Reassigning a freezing crew member to a manageable task and notifying command maintains incident effectiveness while supporting the individual.
Question 4: You discover that a departmental report you submitted last week contains an error that does not affect operational outcomes but is factually inaccurate. What should you do?
- Leave it since it had no operational impact
- Correct the report and notify your supervisor of the amendment (Correct answer)
- Shred the original and resubmit a corrected version without mentioning the change
- Wait to see if anyone else notices the error
Correct answer: Correct the report and notify your supervisor of the amendment
Correcting documentation errors and disclosing the amendment upholds the integrity of official records regardless of operational impact.
Question 5: You are first to arrive at a reported gas leak at a residence. A homeowner insists on re-entering the building to retrieve their pet. What do you do?
- Allow it since they are the homeowner
- Accompany them inside to keep them safe
- Firmly prevent entry, explain the life-threatening risk, and advise that emergency personnel will assess conditions first (Correct answer)
- Call the police to handle the situation while you stand by
Correct answer: Firmly prevent entry, explain the life-threatening risk, and advise that emergency personnel will assess conditions first
At a gas leak scene, preventing civilian re-entry and clearly communicating the hazard is a fundamental life-safety priority.
Question 6: A journalist approaches you at an active scene requesting a statement about casualties. You have not been authorized by command to speak with media. What do you do?
- Provide a brief statement since the public has a right to know
- Speculate about the situation to be helpful
- Decline to comment and direct them to the designated public information officer or incident commander (Correct answer)
- Provide off-the-record comments to build goodwill with the media
Correct answer: Decline to comment and direct them to the designated public information officer or incident commander
Only authorized personnel (PIO or incident commander) should communicate incident information to the media during active operations.
Question 7: After a particularly traumatic call involving a child fatality, a crew member states they are fine and refuses to participate in the post-incident stress debriefing. What should you do?
- Respect their wishes entirely and say nothing more
- Force them to attend the debriefing against their will
- Privately express concern, encourage participation, and notify your supervisor so that support resources can be made available (Correct answer)
- Share your concern about them with the rest of the crew
Correct answer: Privately express concern, encourage participation, and notify your supervisor so that support resources can be made available
Expressing private concern and ensuring supervisors are aware allows the crew member access to mental health support without coercion.
FCTC Situational Judgment Scenarios Questions and Answers 5
You are working a 24-hour shift and begin feeling lightheaded and nauseated mid-shift.
There are no critical incidents at the moment.
What should you do?