The use of Core Competency Indicators for Employee Selection: The Case of Evaluation for the Firemen Selection in Fire departments

摘要

Due to state policies and financial limitations, the few new firemen in Taiwan each year have resulted in a substantial shortage in firefighting personnel. As a result, it is critical to adopt an effective competency model in order to select the most qualified firefighting personnel. A literature review was conducted to compare the firefighting personnel systems of the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The hierarchical analysis method was employed to build Taiwan's entry-level firefighting personnel competency indicators. The present study established a set of core competency indicators covering seven constructs, which in turn contain 46 factors in total. The experts ranked the importance of the seven constructs from high to low as follows: professional firefighting knowledge, firefighting work skills, fire engine and equipment operation, self-management, firefighter physical fitness, firefighting practical experience, and interpersonal skills. The validation results obtained from three firefighters showed that this study's firefighting personnel screening and selection model can indeed identify firefighting personnel with stronger work performance.