A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse

Transcription

Many fire departments hire new candidates only to find out later they can't handle the death part of the job. Very seldom have I ever heard a candidate really nail this question. Most often fire service candidates fumble around in their attempt to answer the death question, and that fumble is because it's an uncomfortable topic. Let's look at how this question should be properly responded to... It's no secret that in this business, you're going to see things that are the making of nightmares for the average person. You'll see death at its most gruesome, and that's just a fact. Tell us why you feel that you'll react to, and how you'll recover from being exposed to critically injured and fatally injured people. I think I'd be fooling myself, and certainly not fooling any of you, if I said that death doesn't bother me. I'd come off as cold and calloused and that doesn't depict my nature at all. I'm just as compassionate as any person, but I also understand that terrible things happen in this world, and death is inevitable, and sometimes unfortunately, it's violent. The part of me that outweighs a natural and appropriate aversion to death is the side of me that feels compelled to assist those in need, and to do that in all elements of this profession. I know that there will be many times that I'm exposed to victims of extensive trauma and death, and I'm prepared engage myself professionally in those situations. There will be people that ask me how I can do my job and likewise, I often wonder how a person could be an accountant, no offense if any of you have accountants in your family (then laugh a bit). I think you all know what I mean, some people are cut out for a profession like this, others aren't and I understand there's an ugly side to this career, and I'm willing to manage that accordingly. As for my recovery from traumatic incidents, I'm not certain that I'll need recovery time and I'm not so sure that I won't. I believe I'll take from the experience of my seasoned coworkers and the knowledge of my supervisors and look to them as examples and for advice if I were in need of that guidance if that time comes. The oral panel is searching to determine if you display one of two, very common, undesirable reactions to this type of question. There are two responses that fire service oral board panels receive when they ask the dead body and/or dismemberment question. They are: 1. Do you get, well, kind of freaky or grossly uncomfortable with this question. Now, "uncomfortable" can materialize in an answer in several different ways and the more common is that the candidate begins making statements that are meant to impress the panel. "Yeah, I've seen lots of dead bodies, doesn't bother me a bit" is just one type of negative answer. The panel knows that a person of ordinary senses, are bothered at least a bit at the sight of a dead person. Now, if it's true that the candidate isn't bothered in the least at the sight of a dead person, the panel will most certainly pass on this candidate, as they know he or she is only posturing, and isn't being honest. 2. Do you become a cross between "Superman" and "Ice Man" and tell the panel that you can handle anything at all with no problems, regardless of many bodies are piled up! Again, this is the type of answer that keeps you looking for a job in the Fire Service. In essence, that panel is looking to see if you're normal, that's it. In my answer to this question, you'll note that I added an element of compassion, like most any person, right? I followed that by saying that everyone is cut out to work in their chosen profession and that I simply couldn't work an office job, that I was indeed the type of person that is desirous of, and capable of managing myself in this line of work, and that I was also understanding of the fact that there was an "ugly" side to working in the fire service. And finally, another very important element to my answer was the close, and that was my reference to looking to seasoned fire service professionals, including supervisors, in the event that I felt I needed that as a support tool, as I grew into my profession. Once again, an all-encompassing answer, and that's exactly what the panel is looking for, but seldom gets from candidates.