FireTEAM Test FireTEAM Situational Judgment: Following Chain of Command 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a multi-company response, the incident commander assigns your crew to staging. You believe your skills are needed at the fire floor. What do you do?
- Self-deploy to the fire floor since your skills are critical
- Report to staging as ordered and make your availability known to your officer (Correct answer)
- Ask another crew to trade assignments with you
- Leave the scene and return only when called
Correct answer: Report to staging as ordered and make your availability known to your officer
Staging assignments are part of the IC's overall resource management plan; follow the order and communicate your readiness through your officer.
Question 2: Your officer is temporarily out of radio contact. A neighboring sector officer gives you a task. How should you respond?
- Refuse the task until your own officer is reachable
- Comply if the task is safe and reasonable, and inform your officer as soon as contact is restored (Correct answer)
- Perform any task any officer assigns without any follow-up
- Leave the scene to find your officer in person
Correct answer: Comply if the task is safe and reasonable, and inform your officer as soon as contact is restored
In emergencies, reasonable direction from a scene officer may be followed, but your own officer must be informed as soon as communication is restored.
Question 3: You are ordered to perform a task you believe is unnecessary. What is the correct response?
- Skip the task and tell your officer you forgot
- Perform the task; afterward you may ask your officer for the rationale (Correct answer)
- Refuse until you fully understand the reason for the order
- Ask other firefighters to vote on whether the task is needed
Correct answer: Perform the task; afterward you may ask your officer for the rationale
Follow lawful orders during operations and seek explanation afterward; questioning during active operations can delay critical work.
Question 4: Your lieutenant orders you to use a specific ventilation technique you are less familiar with. What should you do?
- Use the technique you are most comfortable with instead
- Tell your lieutenant you are not competent with that technique and follow their guidance (Correct answer)
- Do nothing until you receive additional training
- Ask a bystander if the ventilation looks correct
Correct answer: Tell your lieutenant you are not competent with that technique and follow their guidance
Honestly disclosing a skill limitation allows your officer to provide guidance or reassign the task safely while still following the chain of command.
Question 5: The incident commander orders a defensive posture, but your crew captain wants to make one more interior push. What should you do?
- Follow your captain's lead since they are closer to the situation
- Follow the IC's order; the IC's command authority supersedes your captain's (Correct answer)
- Decide for yourself based on your personal assessment of conditions
- Stay outside and wait for the two officers to agree
Correct answer: Follow the IC's order; the IC's command authority supersedes your captain's
The incident commander holds ultimate authority on the fireground; a defensive order from the IC supersedes a captain's desire to go interior.
Question 6: After a shift, you overhear that your lieutenant may have given an order during the incident that violated department policy. What is the appropriate action?
- Post about it on social media to alert the public
- Discuss it loudly in the station to generate peer pressure on the lieutenant
- Report your concern through the appropriate chain of command or department process (Correct answer)
- Ignore it since the incident is already over
Correct answer: Report your concern through the appropriate chain of command or department process
Potential policy violations should be reported through proper departmental channels, not handled informally or publicly.
Question 7: You are assigned as a nozzle operator and your team leader tells you to flow water while the officer has not yet given that order. What should you do?
- Flow water immediately since your team leader outranks you
- Wait for your officer's order before flowing water (Correct answer)
- Ask another crew member to make the decision
- Flow water and apologize to your officer later
Correct answer: Wait for your officer's order before flowing water
Water flow orders typically come from the officer in charge; acting on a peer's unofficial order can disrupt coordinated fireground operations.
FireTEAM Test FireTEAM Situational Judgment: Following Chain of Command 3
During a multi-company response, the incident commander assigns your crew to staging.
You believe your skills are needed at the fire floor.
What do you do?