Overview
Instructions
Many people do not understand the diversity of the fire inspector position and the training requirements needed to be successful. For this assignment, you will interview an active fire inspector or fire marshal. Ask specific questions about the duties and scope of the fire inspector, what training was needed, daily schedule, most difficult violation to enforce.
Prepare a minimum of six questions for this interview. After you conduct your interview, compile your research in an essay that focuses on the need for qualified and certified inspectors. Make sure to include a paragraph about the topics and interviewee, and a bulleted list of questions that were asked along with the interviewee’s responses.
Interview: Jesus Castillo - Porter City Fire Department
Question 1: How long have you been a fire inspector? Answer: "For a little over 9 years."
Question 2: What made you pursue this career? Answer: “Well, I have been in the fire department for some time and the opportunity to further my career kind of just came with the experience I've had with the fire department."
Question 3: What qualifications do you have and what is their importance in this field? Answer: “Fire Inspector Certification, Texas Commission of Law Enforcement (TCOLE), Fire Officer II, Incident Safety Officer, Incident Safety Officer, and Master Fire Fighter. All of these really just come with time and experience if you are willing put in the work. I also had good people mentor me early on. Experience is the most important thing."
Question 4: If you could name a few common challenges you deal with, what would they be? Answer: “Off the top of my head, I would have to say code enforcement (electrical mainly) and pre-construction plans.”
Question 5: What local organizations does this department work with most? Answer: “Multiple fire department agencies in Harris and Montgomery County and law enforcement."
Question 6: This one is just for fun. What is the strangest fire scene you have encountered? Answer: *laughs* “Well, that's a tough one because I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff. The other day though, we responded to a an electrical house fire and as we were breaking through the sheetrock to make sure everything was out, we found a secret room that was completely enclosed and the entrance to the room was only about one and a half or two feet wide. There was only a bed in that room, and it didn’t have blankets or anything on it. Well then there was a little section where the wall had been broken and the person I guess that was living in there had crawled into the walls and brought the bedding in there with them in between the sheetrock and that is where they had been sleeping. That was the most recent one. Luckily, everyone got out.”
Your report should include the following elements.
- An outline of the responsibilities of the fire inspector. Be sure to describe why it is important to have properly trained fire inspectors.
- Explain what professional qualifications and standards are required in their position and their importance.
- Compare and contrast the training and certification from the interview with national standards.
- Discuss the allied organizations with which they work.
- Summarize what you learned in your interview.