Imaginary Scenario Based Assessment = Fail

I hate being assessed through imaginary scenarios, I absolutely detest it. Why? Because performing well with an imaginary scenario in no way reflects how someone will perform in the actual situation when the shit hits the fan.

You can be a qualified chef and cook food that isn't fit for any species' consumption, but because you met assessment criteria you have the certificate. Today I succeeded in completing a fire brigade Crew Leader assessment which consisted of Theory questions and 3 practical scenarios. In these practical scenarios there is an imaginary fire, marked out with barrier tape and it is the crew leader's responsibility to assess & size up the situation and act accordingly utilising the crew and resources available. My concern is that apart from assessment day nerves there is no real pressure except for time constraints whereas in a real situation there would be smoke, heat, flames, wind and everything else really happening and therefore really testing your skills, but at the same time giving you something real to react to.

As far as I'm concerned a person can do extremely well in these types of assessments and then go out, stuff up horrible and get people hurt or killed because they crumble under pressure. Other people can be the best at what they do, know it inside and out, perform expertly under pressure but fail at the assessment because they have trouble visualising imaginary flames and smoke.

OHS regulations are a big problem because we are not allowed to run assessments with active flame. But hang on a minute, a person without the crew leader qualification can still end up leading a crew at a real fire. So why not base the assessment on how a person actually does perform out on the field, it's not that hard to do it that way... in theory.

The Unfortunate Truth (the way I see it)