Shadowed a crew a few weeks ago is this normal?
A few weeks ago I interviewed at a department and made it past the first panel interview so they scheduled a ride along as a part of there hiring process to see if I fit in with the crew.
I get there early and meet the captain ask what his expectations are and what I’m allowed to do which is nothing I’m told essentially because I’m not a student and not an employee so I don’t have insurance to protect me and the department if something happens which makes sense. I offer to help clean and I help check off the ambulance. After that captain pretty much disappears for 10 hours in his room/office. The ambulance crew I never saw again, and the two firefighters on the engine were on their phones for 10 hours in the day room in the recliners with the exception of the 2 calls we ran. I stayed in the kitchen at the table it felt like for 10 hours trying to figure out how the crew is supposed to see if I fit in or not. I ended up just going out to the bay and going through the engine to see where things are because the engine was never checked off by the crew. I found the chore board and started cleaning and then the crew joined.
I guess I’m a little confused on how they were supposed to see how I fit in with the crew when everyone seemed to be doing their own thing. I don’t know much but I know enough to not go sit in the recliners uninvited. Is it normal to essentially be ghosted for 10 out of the 12 hours. During dinner which was the last hour of my ride along we talked more in that hour than the previous 11. It just seemed kinda weird to me, that they wanted to see how I would fit in and then took naps, stayed on their phones, and didn’t ask anything about me lol.
Maybe I’m overthinking it IDK but just wanted some feedback.