NFSI Behavioral Characteristics Assessment 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are competing with a colleague for a promotion. You learn that he has been taking credit for a team project you both contributed to equally. You should:
- Begin exaggerating your own contributions to counterbalance
- Raise the issue privately with your colleague first (Correct answer)
- Spread word to peers about his behavior to level the field
- Let it go since promotions are inherently competitive
Correct answer: Raise the issue privately with your colleague first
Addressing the issue directly with the colleague first is the most professional approach before considering further escalation.
Question 2: You learn through informal channels that your department will be implementing a controversial new policy. Before any official announcement, you should:
- Share the news widely with your crew to prepare them
- Approach leadership to voice concerns before the official rollout
- Wait for the official announcement before forming or sharing opinions (Correct answer)
- Begin informally organizing resistance among colleagues
Correct answer: Wait for the official announcement before forming or sharing opinions
Acting on unconfirmed information can create unnecessary alarm; waiting for official communication maintains professionalism and accuracy.
Question 3: A resident becomes verbally abusive toward you during a non-emergency call. You should:
- Match their energy to establish boundaries firmly
- Leave the scene immediately without completing the call
- Remain calm, attempt to de-escalate, and document the interaction (Correct answer)
- Argue until the resident acknowledges inappropriate behavior
Correct answer: Remain calm, attempt to de-escalate, and document the interaction
De-escalation, professionalism, and documentation are the appropriate responses to verbal abuse from the public.
Question 4: Your crew performs well at every inspection but morale is noticeably low day-to-day. As a peer (not a supervisor), the most effective contribution you can make is:
- Write a formal report to leadership about morale
- Ignore it since morale is a leadership problem
- Foster positive interactions, recognize contributions, and listen actively to colleagues (Correct answer)
- Organize off-duty social events and require all crew members to attend
Correct answer: Foster positive interactions, recognize contributions, and listen actively to colleagues
Peers build morale through consistent positive engagement, recognition, and active listening rather than formal reporting or forced social activities.
Question 5: You receive a direct order that seems unnecessary but is not unsafe or unethical. You should:
- Refuse until a satisfactory explanation is provided
- Comply and ask questions through appropriate channels afterward if needed (Correct answer)
- Comply but let your displeasure be visibly apparent
- Do a partial version of the order that makes more sense to you
Correct answer: Comply and ask questions through appropriate channels afterward if needed
Complying with reasonable orders while seeking clarification afterward maintains discipline and respects command authority.
Question 6: After a difficult call where your crew performed well under pressure, the best thing to do for long-term team cohesion is:
- Move immediately to the next assignment without dwelling on past calls
- Allow voluntary informal debriefing and acknowledge the team's performance (Correct answer)
- Require a formal written report from each crew member
- Celebrate with crew members who performed best only
Correct answer: Allow voluntary informal debriefing and acknowledge the team's performance
Voluntary informal debriefs combined with recognition support psychological resilience and reinforce team cohesion after high-stress incidents.
Question 7: You are asked by a journalist at the scene of a major incident for a statement. You have not been designated as a public information officer. You should:
- Provide a brief, factual statement since you were directly involved
- Decline and direct the journalist to the designated public information officer (Correct answer)
- Tell the journalist nothing is happening to protect scene security
- Answer only questions that seem harmless and deflect the rest
Correct answer: Decline and direct the journalist to the designated public information officer
Only designated PIOs should speak to media; unauthorized statements can compromise scene security, investigations, and department messaging.
NFSI Behavioral Characteristics Assessment 5
You are competing with a colleague for a promotion.
You learn that he has been taking credit for a team project you both contributed to equally.
You should: