This is ONE of the six cases on assessment practices and the changing nature of work, undertaken by the Centre for Work and Learning (CWL). The case focuses on the assessment practices of a fire-fighting commander course that foregrounds the nature of a demanding profession, and raises discussion about forms of knowledge and skills such as “leadership” and effective use of simulators. Here, the discussion seeks to advance an understanding of the learning and assessment of fire-fighting as a body of professional knowledge and skills.