Elements of an In-Basket In-basket
exercises across the country are used to determine whether a candidate has the behavior dimensions of time management and the organizational priorities and skills needed to be a fire officer.
Contained within most in-basket exercises are:
organizational memos
formal messages
notes pertaining to you or your organization
informational and/or organizational charts
meeting dates
schedules
maps
calendars
letters from fire officers and public officials
complaints
thank-you letters
The in-basket exercise is usually conducted in an atmosphere in which the firefighter or officer is simulating actual fire department office
environment. Often the candidate is instructed that the materials contained within the in-basket must be dealt with according to the situation or scenario that is given to them. Many times the situation is that the fire
officer will be leaving town or has recently become ill and will not be able to complete the information that is contained within his/her in-basket. The fire officer will be asked to deal with items that are of utmost
priority and those which can wait until a later date. The officer must also determine which of the materials can be delegated to others within the organization. |