Fire Instructor I exam-day guide
Fire Instructor I · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Name must match your registration exactly. Bring a second form of ID if you have one. Confirm the accepted ID types with the provider before test day; some programs also require a printed admission letter or candidate number.
Registration/admission confirmation
Printed or saved confirmation showing your candidate number, assigned station list, report time, and building/room. Screenshots are safer than relying on a signal in a training tower or drill ground.
Your prepared lesson plan or presentation materials (if required)
NEEDS_REVIEW: Whether the lesson plan, outline, handouts, or audiovisual aids must be submitted in advance or brought on the day varies by provider. Confirm the exact deliverable, format, and deadline with your course coordinator.
Uniform, PPE, or station-appropriate clothing
NEEDS_REVIEW: Requirements differ - some programs require department uniform or business attire, others require full turnout gear for skills stations. Confirm with the provider and bring what is specified, clean and complete.
Watch or small timer
You are responsible for managing presentation and station time limits. Do not assume a clock is visible in the room. Confirm whether smartwatches are permitted in the testing area.
Notebook and two pens plus a pencil
For notes the evaluator permits you to take during the briefing, and to fill out any candidate paperwork or station sign-off sheets.
Any pre-completed candidate forms
NEEDS_REVIEW: Confirm which forms (skill sheets, score sheets, release/waiver, prerequisites documentation) the candidate must bring completed versus what the evaluator supplies on site.
Written directions and parking/entry plan
Know the gate, building, and room before the morning of. Training facilities are often on secure sites with slow check-in. Drive the route or scout it online in advance.
Water, snack, and any medication you need
Practical days are long and often outdoors or in a bay. Hydration and a quick snack between stations matter more than a heavy meal.
Glasses, hearing protection, or other personal items you need to perform
If you need corrective lenses or hearing protection to instruct or demonstrate safely, bring your own and confirm with the provider whether loaner equipment is available.
Leave study notes and reference books in the vehicle
Unless the provider explicitly permits reference materials at a planning station, notes, phones, and manuals stay out of the testing area. Ask during the briefing rather than assuming.
Plan the day
Call or email the provider to confirm report time, location, assigned stations, required materials, dress/PPE requirements, and the retest/appeal policy. Get answers in writing if you can.
Re-read the skill sheets or performance checklists for every station you are assigned. Identify the critical (automatic-fail) criteria for each one and know them cold.
Rehearse your presentation out loud, twice, with a timer. Trim content until you comfortably finish inside the limit. Practice the introduction, the safety statement, and the closing summary.
Gather and stage everything on the checklist: uniform, PPE, materials, forms, ID. Wash and inspect gear. Replace anything missing now, not the morning of.
Pack the bag and lay out clothing. Print the confirmation and directions. Confirm your transportation plan and set two alarms.
Do a light review only - checklists, time limits, safety statements. No new material. Eat well and go to bed early; fatigue costs more points than one more hour of studying gains.
Eat a real breakfast, arrive 30 to 45 minutes early, and check in. Bring your ID and confirmation to the desk and sign the roster.
Listen for station order, time limits, break policy, where materials may be set down, and how to signal you are finished. Ask clarifying questions about procedure now - evaluators generally cannot answer content questions once a station starts.
State your safety statement and your assumptions out loud, work to the checklist order for each station, and manage your own clock. If an instruction is unclear, ask the evaluator to repeat it before you begin rather than guessing mid-station.
Thank the evaluators, collect your materials, and move on. Do not relitigate a score at the station - use the provider's post-exam review or appeal process instead. Do not discuss specific station content with candidates who have not yet tested.
Rules to check
Bring valid photo ID that matches your registration. If you arrive without it you may be refused admission; confirm the accepted ID types with the provider in advance.
Report at the assigned time. Most programs set a cutoff after which a late candidate is not admitted; confirm the specific late-arrival policy with the provider rather than assuming a grace period.
Phones, notes, textbooks, and smart devices stay out of the testing area unless the provider says otherwise. Confirm the exact policy during the briefing.
Evaluators observe and score; they do not coach. You may ask for an instruction to be repeated or clarified, but you may not ask for help performing the skill.
Breaks and restroom access are controlled by the evaluator. Once a timed station begins you should expect to stay in it; confirm the break policy at the briefing.
Safety violations and missed critical criteria can fail a station outright, regardless of how well the rest of the performance went. Know the critical items on each skill sheet before you walk in.
Conduct yourself professionally with evaluators, role-players, and other candidates. Unsafe or disruptive behavior can stop your evaluation; disputes go through the provider's formal review or appeal process after the exam, not at the station.
Assume you must pass every required station to pass the exam, but do not assume the retest terms - the number of retests allowed, the waiting period, and any fee vary by provider. Confirm them before test day.