Firefighters in New Canaan who are seeking promotion can attain two ranks, lieutenant and captain, officials said this week.
In rising from firefighter to either position, New Canaan’s bravest take on a slew of new responsibilities, according to Fire Chief Albe Bassett.
“Lieutenants conduct training for the shift” and “are more hands-on with training,” Bassett said during the March 11 Fire Commission meeting, held at the firehouse on Main Street.
He continued: “The captain is responsible for the entire shift. They are the overall incident commander on a fire scene, manage schedules, and ensure all members are trained and have proper equipment.”
Bassett’s comments came during an informational session on promotional processes and timelines within the municipal department.
Despite the differences between lieutenant and captain duties, there’s crossover between the roles, Bassett said.
“Each officer is responsible for various projects in the fire service, whether that’s helping with scheduling and apparatus repair, maintenance, tools and equipment, and training,” he said.
In order for an officer to become eligible for a promotion to lieutenant or captain, they must fulfill various requirements.
“A firefighter needs to have five years of service and to have completed ‘Fire Service Instructor 1’ (a 40-hour required certification class), before he or she can be promoted to lieutenant,” Bassett said.
“A lieutenant can be promoted to captain by completing ‘Fire Officer 1’ (an additional required 96-hour certification class),” he said.
Lieutenants, unlike firefighters, are not required to complete a set number of years of service before being promoted to captain.
“They can test immediately after they get promoted to the lieutenant – once they’re in the lieutenant rank, they can be promoted to captain if a test comes up,” Bassett said.
In addition to these qualifications, both ranks must pass a written exam and an Assessment Center (a tactical simulation).
“The written exam includes various standard operating procedures, and officers will have roughly five textbooks from which 100 questions are derived,” he said.
Bassett added: “The assessment puts officers in real-life situations that they would encounter in the firehouse every day. It’s a tactical fire scenario such as a personnel problem, a citizen complaining, or they might have to provide training.”
The testing is not completed on-site at the firehouse but is conducted at a separate location in the town of New Canaan, the chief said.
“Officers need a combined score of 70% across both parts of the test to pass,” he said.
During the meeting, Commissioner Beth Jones asked Bassett, “How quickly will you know who passed?”
He responded, “We will know on the day of which lieutenants passed the written test and assessment center and which firefighters are passed to lieutenants.”
According to Bassett, there currently are nine firefighters eligible to take the lieutenant’s test and four lieutenants eligible to take the captain’s test. However, not all candidates may elect to take the exam.
As of March 11, the written exam for promotion to both lieutenant and captain is set for July 8. The following day, July 9, is set for the captain’s Assessment Center, and the subsequent day, July 10, for the Lieutenant’s Assessment Center, according to Commission Chair Jack Horner.