If you are unsure about any aspect of your promotion or selection, this is where you need to start. The PQAs are absolutely crucial to your FRS career success, and below we explain why.

PQA stands for Personal Qualities & Attributes. Many organisations refer to these characteristics as ‘competencies’.  Both PQAs and competencies describe the same thing; the underlying personal skills and qualities which guide a person’s behaviour and therefore their workplace performance.

The PQAs are the fundamental skills which Firefighters need to perform successfully in their roles.  For instance:

• A Firefighter needs to be understood by others through their Effective Communication skills;
• They need to evaluate risks and generate solutions, using their Problem Solving capabilities;
• They can be trusted to care equally for the welfare and security of all members of the public because of their Commitment to Diversity and Integrity; 
• They support the positive reputation of the FRS through their genuine Commitment to Excellence 

The foundations of your success

Technical, procedural and operational skills are trained and measured throughout your career, but you need to prove that you have a firm foundation to build these skills upon if you are going to be selected to join, or be promoted within the FRS.

The PQAs are examined to determine if you meet the necessary standards of attitudes and behaviour. To progress any further in your FRS career, you need to be confident you can perform the PQAs to a very high standard. It is your performance of the PQAs which your FRS assessors will use to decide if you have the potential to succeed in your new role.

Meeting your needs

At VCA, we focus on developing your PQAs so that you can meet the standards the FRS requires. We do this by giving you the opportunity to practice different assessment activities in advance, so you know what you need to do to accurately demonstrate your PQAs when it really counts.

As with any new procedure, there is a knack to doing it properly, and we can teach you these techniques. Once you have established how to present your PQAs, we then give you feedback on your performance so you can learn which of the PQAs you demonstrate naturally, and which we can help you develop.

The PQAs the Fire & Rescue Service need you to demonstrate to a high standard are:

• Openness to Change- willingness to accept changes to procedures or the organisation, and support these in your actions and attitudes
• Effective Communication- the ability to make yourself understood to varied audiences, for a number of different purposes, using a range of methods
• Planning & Implementing-  ensuring that plans can be carried out by identifying and acting on the necessary steps
• Problem Solving- understanding the needs of the situation and creating solutions to resolve problems
• Commitment to Diversity & Integrity- showing an honest approach and a natural respect for the needs and differences of others  
• Working with Others- the preference for being supportive, involved and prepared to encourage the contributions of others
• Commitment to Excellence- awareness of the need for high standards and of ways to make improvements
• Commitment to Development- accepting the importance of continuous learning, looking to increase experience and skills of self and others
• Confidence & Resilience- controlling your own emotional states and conveying a strength of purpose to others
• Situational Awareness- recognition of a range of hazards and circumstances which have the potential to impact on safety
• Political Awareness*- recognising different agendas and making efforts to create parterships and networks to further objectives

* Middle Manager level and above only

For more details of the PQAs at your level, click the appropiate link below-

Firefighter PQAs
Supervisory PQAs
Middle Manager PQAs
Strategic Manager PQAs
PQA Framework

Remember- whether you are facing an Application Form, PQA based Interview, written exercise, roleplay or full Assessment & Development Centre (ADC) , your performance WILL be measured against the PQAs.

Visit our Store to find out how we can help you.