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FIREFIGHTER
For more than 75 years, BARRON’S experts have been helping R
students surpass their expectations on standardized tests. This E
is the only book you will need to get the score you want on your F
Firefighter Candidate Exam. I
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4 Expert advice for the Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT)
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4 A preliminary diagnostic exam E
EXAMS
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4 Complete review of all test topics
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4 Six full-length practice exams
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4 All test questions answered and explained
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MOST UP-TO-DATE REVIEW
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AND PRACTICE TESTS
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CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
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E 8TH EDITION
X James J. Murtagh and Darryl Haefner, B.S.
BARRON’S GIVES YOU THE ANSWERS!
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n Advice on passing the test and becoming
Includes seven practice tests with answers fully explained. M a firefighter
n 7 practice tests including one diagnostic
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n All questions answered and explained
n Helpful strategies for both written and
physical exams
Includes ISBN: 978-1-4380-0886-8
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BARRON’S
FIREFIGHTER
CANDIDATE
EXAMS
8TH EDITION
James J. Murtagh
Deputy Chief
New York City Fire Department (ret.)
and
Darryl J. Haefner, B.S.
Lieutenant
Bolingbrook Fire Department (ret.)
Fire Science Coordinator
College of DuPage (ret.)
Glen Ellyn, IL
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Acknowledgments
Thanks are due to the following for permission to reprint materials:
Current edition International Fire Service Training Association
Palo Alto Fire Department for information about its Assessment Lab. Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia
Donald J. Schroeder and Frank A. Lombardo for excerpts from Police Officer Examination, 7th ed.
Copyright © 2005 by Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
Joseph P. Spinnato, Fire Commissioner, City of New York, for use of materials published in Uniformed
Training and Operations Manuals and in Fire Prevention Directives.
IAFF for the information on the Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT). Copyright © 1999.
We would also like to thank the following for permitting us to use test questions:
City of Los Angeles Police Officer and Firefighter Selection Unit
Louisville Civil Service Board
City of Madison (WI) Fire Department
City of New York Department of Personnel
Acknowledgment is also made to the U.S. Government Printing Office, for the use of materials from
government publications.
I would like to thank James J. Murtagh for his original manuscript. I would also like to thank Capt. Mica
Calfee of the Irving, TX, Fire Department for letting us use some of his definitions and the many fire
departments for their invaluable information. Many fire service representatives have shared valuable
resources and information. I would like to offer many thanks.
Thank you to my wife, Nancy, for putting up with me for five months, day and night, being at the
computer and coming out only when Dancing with the Stars was on.
Darryl J. Haefner
Photo Credits: www.shutterstock.com: Caton Photo, pages 1, 53; Anita Patterson Peppers, page 17;
Rich Koele, page 243; and Monkey Business Images, page 427.
© Copyright 2017, 2013, 2009, 2005, 2000, 1995, 1990, 1985 by Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or
by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.
Note that any resemblance to people living or dead, or incidents past or present, is coincidental.
All inquiries should be addressed to:
Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
250 Wireless Boulevard
Hauppauge, New York 11788
www.barronseduc.com
ISSN: 2326-6104
ISBN: 978-1-4380-0886-8
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
987654321
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Contents
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................vii
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................ix
Welcome to the Fire Service........................................................................................................ix
BECOMING A FIREFIGHTER
1 Overview ..........................................................................................................................................3
Job and Role of the Firefighter ...................................................................................................3
Interacting with Firefighters and Officers ...............................................................................5
Human Relations in the FIre Service .........................................................................................7
General Requirements for Applicants .......................................................................................9
Getting Information and Applying for Exams .......................................................................11
Public Safety Departments/Consolidation .............................................................................14
What May Be on an Application .............................................................................................. 14
2 Examinations, Knowledge, and Abilities ..................................................................17
Purpose of the Exams .....................................................................................................................17
Written Examination ........................................................................................................................18
Oral Interview/Assessment Centers/Video Scenarios .......................................................19
During the Interview ........................................................................................................................21
Assessment Center Dimensions ................................................................................................26
How to Prepare for the Assessment Center .........................................................................27
3 Physical Ability, Medical Examination, and Related Testing ......................31
Physical Ability Test .........................................................................................................................31
Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT) Orientation Guide .........................................33
How to Prepare ..................................................................................................................................41
Supplemental Task-Specific Exercise Training ......................................................................41
What to Do on the Day of the Physical Ability Test ........................................................49
Medical and Psychological Testing ..........................................................................................49
Candidate Background Investigation .......................................................................................51
4 Test Strategies ..........................................................................................................................53
Achieving Your Highest Score ....................................................................................................53
Developing Good Study Habits .................................................................................................54
CONTENTS iii
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Ten Rules for Effective Studying ...............................................................................................54
Strategies for Handling Multiple-Choice Questions ..........................................................56
General Instructions and Administrative Procedures .......................................................59
Test Instructions ..............................................................................................................................60
How to Work with an Answer Sheet ........................................................................................61
How to Make the Most of This Book .......................................................................................62
5 Diagnose Your Problem ......................................................................................................63
Before Taking the Diagnostic Exam .........................................................................................63
Diagnostic Exam ..............................................................................................................................67
Answer Key and Explanations ....................................................................................................82
6 Handling Recall, Visualization, and Spatial
Orientation Questions ..........................................................................................................87
Strategies for Recalling Pictorial Details ................................................................................87
Strategies for Recalling Written Material ...............................................................................89
Developing Observation Skills ...................................................................................................90
Visualizing Images ............................................................................................................................91
Spatial Orientation ...........................................................................................................................91
Practice Exercises ............................................................................................................................95
Answer Key and Explanations ...................................................................................................114
7 Understanding Reading and Verbal/Listening
Comprehension Questions ................................................................................................117
How to Concentrate ......................................................................................................................118
Increasing Your Vocabulary ........................................................................................................118
Strategies for Handling Reading and Verbal/Listening Comprehension ................119
Practice Exercises ..........................................................................................................................125
Answer Key and Explanations ..................................................................................................138
8 Decision Making, Reasoning, and Problem Solving........................................143
Understanding the Decision and Reasoning Problem .................................................143
Five Steps for Handling Problem-Solving Questions ...................................................143
Practice Exercises ..........................................................................................................................147
Answer Key and Explanations ..................................................................................................158
9 Mathematics, Machines, Science, and Information ..........................................163
Mathematics .....................................................................................................................................163
Why Should a Firefighter Learn Mathematics? .................................................................164
Machines .............................................................................................................................................171
Science ...............................................................................................................................................176
Practice Exercises ..........................................................................................................................183
Answer Key and Explanations ..................................................................................................199
10 Mechanical Reasoning .......................................................................................................207
Before Practice ..............................................................................................................................207
Practice Exercises ...........................................................................................................................211
Answer Key and Explanations .................................................................................................222
iv FIREFIGHTER CANDIDATE EXAMS
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11 Tools and Definitions ..........................................................................................................225
Tools and Definitions ...................................................................................................................225
Glossary of Tools ...........................................................................................................................226
Glossary of Emergency Medical Equipment .....................................................................229
Practice Exercises .........................................................................................................................233
Answer Key and Explanations ..................................................................................................241
PRACTICE EXAMS
12 50-Question Practice Exams .........................................................................................245
Before Taking the Exams ...........................................................................................................245
Practice Exam One .......................................................................................................................249
Answer Key and Explanations .................................................................................................270
Practice Exam Two ........................................................................................................................277
Answer Key and Explanations .................................................................................................298
Practice Exam Three ....................................................................................................................307
Answer Key and Explanations .................................................................................................324
Practice Exam Four .......................................................................................................................331
Answer Key and Explanations .................................................................................................346
13 100-Question Practice Exams ........................................................................................351
Before Taking the Exams ............................................................................................................351
Practice Exam Five .......................................................................................................................355
Answer Key and Explanations .................................................................................................376
Practice Exam Six .........................................................................................................................387
Answer Key and Explanations ..................................................................................................418
A FINAL WORD
14 What to Do Immediately Before, During, and After the Exam ..............429
The Week Before the Exam ......................................................................................................429
The Day of the Exam ...................................................................................................................430
After You Have Finished the Exam.........................................................................................431
A Word About the Future .........................................................................................................432
15 Fire Service Terminology ................................................................................................433
Important Terminology ...............................................................................................................433
Index ..............................................................................................................................................451
CONTENTS v
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Foreword
T
his revision is dedicated to firefighters from the past, the present, and the future.
Everyone has a dream and mine started about twenty five years into my life. I didn’t
always want to be a firefighter, but the opportunity arose with a volunteer fire department
and the need for firefighters in our new community. I answered the call along with several
other new “probies” wanting to help our village. We trained several days and nights a week to
learn this new and exciting vocation. We all worked full time jobs and never thought about
being hired as professional firefighters. We didn’t have a fire station in our village, but one was
going to be built, one day. If there was a fire or emergency call we had to wait for the neighbor-
ing town to send an engine or ambulance. On several occasions we fought fires with garden
hoses until the engine arrived.
Finally the big day came when we actually had a fire station, an engine, and a 1960 Pontiac
hearse, this was our ambulance. Over the next several years we grew in numbers to about 30
volunteer firefighters. We hired a full time Chief and then started testing for full time firefight-
ers. Testing at that time was pretty lenient, usually a one mile run, 10 pushups, 20 sit ups, and
being able to walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time. We were able to hire many of the vol-
unteer firefighters and make them full time firefighters because we were a new department
just starting out. I happened to be one of the first twelve hired in our village. I had a good job
with a utility company, but becoming a firefighter was the best move of my life. The hiring
process has changed a lot since those early years. There are too many organizations watch-
ing every hiring move a village or fire department makes. Now there is a standard ability test
called the Candidate Physical Ability Testing or CPAT along with other processes put in place
to get the best potential candidate for the job.
I have many people that I could thank individually, but that would take too much time
and there is not enough room in this book for that. I want to thank my family for putting up
with me leaving in the middle of the night to answer emergency calls while I was a volunteer,
and then being hired full time, gone every third day for my duty shift. This went on for over
30 years. Thanks to all the fire departments from the Chief down to the newest recruits for
letting me stop by and exchange ideas and let me know what training would be beneficial to
all firefighters. I worked as an instructor and coordinator of fire science for two community
colleges and have them to thank for letting me develop so many new programs and get all of
them certified with the Fire Marshal’s Office in the State of Illinois. We had one of the largest
fire science programs in the Midwest.
I was very fortunate to have a great staff of instructors and friends at the colleges as we had
many programs to offer and without this group, none of this would have come to be. Many of
these instructors were hired by me after I became the Fire Science Coordinator and worked
FOREWORD vii
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for me until I retired. I retired from the Fire Service after 33 years in 1998, but kept working at
the College of DuPage until August 2011.
I am thankful that I had such a great opportunity to work with so many young people
assisting with their academic achievements, encouraging them to take test after test until
they were hired, share my expertise with them, and watch them grow into firefighters and
officers with some of the greatest fire departments in the country. They all touched my life as
well and I thank them for that. They kept me young and the reason for keeping long hours, so
we could have the best programs around.
Thank you and never give up because one day you will fulfill that dream just like I did.
Remember once you are a firefighter you will always be a firefighter.
Darryl J. Haefner (retired)
Bolingbrook Fire Department
College of DuPage
viii FIREFIGHTER CANDIDATE EXAMS
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Introduction
WELCOME TO THE FIRE SERVICE
Y
ou have taken a most important first step—from thinking to acting, from planning to
doing. You’ve decided to study, to prepare, and to be ready. The fire service is an action-
oriented organization, with the actions determined by previous training, study, and other
preparation. Your actions in preparing for your upcoming examination demonstrate that you
have the qualities necessary to be a successful candidate.
This test preparation guide has your success as its goal. It requires, as will the fire service,
study, training, and commitment. It contains not only information about the role of the fire
service and the career of the firefighter but also practice exams with clear explanations of
all answers, analysis of the various types of questions and helpful review material, practice
exercises to determine your weaknesses, tips for improvement, and hints on preparing for
the examination. The physical ability portion of your examination is explained in detail in
Chapter 3, with suggestions, tips, and techniques.
The techniques and strategies you will learn as you answer these questions are those that
have proved to be consistently successful.
Material contained in Barron’s Firefighter Candidate Exams is not all inclusive. It is used
primarily to assist the candidate with reading comprehension, mechanical reasoning, math,
and physical ability.
To make yourself more marketable as a firefighter candidate, you may consider enrolling at
a community college in fire science or a related program. Obtaining an Associate of Applied
Science (AAS) degree in fire science or working toward one may let you add preference points
to your final scores on the candidate eligibility list.
Contact your local fire department for possible employment as a part-time, paid on call, or
volunteer firefighter. You typically need little or no experience to join a fire department in one
of these capacities. In addition, you will get on-the-job training for firefighting.
Fire departments may require certifications such as Emergency Medical Technician, or a
Paramedic or Firefighter I. These programs are available almost everywhere and are open to
anyone interested in pursuing these certifications. Colleges, hospitals, and the Department
of Public Health offer these programs. Some colleges even give credits toward a degree. If no
college in your area offers these programs, contact your state health department for course
locations. Many fire departments require these certifications to apply. Having the certifica-
tion may give you preference points on the candidate eligibility list. Many of these courses
have national certifications, but each system may have its own requirements for licensure. If
INTRODUCTION ix
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