As leadership needs grow, firefighters test for promotion in Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Twenty firefighters in Fayetteville are testing their skills this week, taking the next step in their careers by testing for lieutenant positions as demand for strong leadership grows.
With 25 structural fires reported in the past month and nearly 300 last year, officials say the need for experienced leaders in the Fayetteville Fire Department is becoming more urgent.
"We've got to have people that know how to do the job. They have to be able to lead others. They have to have the knowledge and the skills to be able to make good strategic and tactical decisions on a fire ground," said Daniel Maffia, assistant chief of training and EMS.
Maffia said he understands the weight of that responsibility, having gone through the same process himself.
"Folks like me are getting closer to retirement. We have to be able to succession plan so that we have folks that can take those leadership positions and can keep moving the department forward," he said.
They are conducting the assessments at the FTCC Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center.
"So they have to have a minimum of six years on the department. They have a fire incident where they have to act as the first and company officer in a simulation and that they have images on it that are generated by the computer to simulate a house fire. And then they have to do the different tasks that required over the radio, give assignments to successfully mitigate the emergency," Maffia said.
Once candidates demonstrate they can handle emergencies, navigate risk scenarios, and complete interviews, six to eight will move on.
As the department looks ahead, there is also a push to bring in more diverse candidates.
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"The citizens that we serve. They want to see that the firefighters that are responding to their emergency are like them. So we've taken great strides in the last few years to increase our numbers in those areas," Maffia said.
The assessments are expected to wrap up next week, marking the start of the next generation of fire service leadership in Fayetteville.
