Profiling The Veteran Volunteer Firefighter For Recruitment And Retention Implications

Are there other characteristics common to the fire service professional in suburban departments of large metropolitan areas that are common to personnel with five to fifteen years of service. Procedures included an exhaustive literature search, written survey, and analysis of the survey results for 20 similar sized volunteer paid-on-call midwestern fire departments. Results of the research revealed a diverse and varied approach to recruitment and retainment problems. Results of the survey indicated several commonalities among those individuals selected for the response group. Recommendations from the research were established and a list of common traits and interview questions to determine those traits have been developed. Additionally, a list of programs that have been successful in addressing the recruitment and retainment problem was compiled.

The number of active volunteer firefighters has been steadily dropping in the state of Connecticut for several years. At the same time, the number of public service calls for fire departments has been on the rise. This problem impacts fire protection and municipalities that rely on volunteer fire departments. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore why volunteer firefighter numbers have been declining, the extent to which recruitment and retention programs are used in volunteer fire departments, and how these programs contribute to a fire department's ability to recruit members. Perry's public service motivation model provided the theoretical framework for the study. Research questions focused on improving recruitment and retention programs. Data were collected from interviews with 5 current chief officers and 5 former firefighters in Connecticut and from organizational documents in local fire departments. Open, axial, and selective coding were used to identify 5 themes: lack of awareness of state policy on recruitment and retention, lack of recruitment, public service motivation, retention, and time. A key theme emerging from this study were that participating fire departments have limited effective recruitment and retention programs. The positive social change implications stemming from this study include recommendations to fire department leadership to consider a unified recruitment and retention strategy. This determination provides a foundation for volunteer fire departments to make informed decisions on how to increase recruitment and retention in their respective communities.

In 2004, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) worked in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to revise the 1998 text, Retention and Recruitment in the Volunteer Fire Service: Problems and Solutions. The original text was based on a series of workshops bringing together volunteer fire service members from all the States. This edition has been enhanced with new research and current issues as the emergency services enter the 21st century. Many of the original reasons for the recruitment problems remain: lack of time, apathy, and excessive requirements. However, they appear to have become even greater issues with the passing of time. Although the recruitment and retention challenges continue to grow, some volunteer organizations maintain good membership while others continue to function with reduced numbers. Those organizations that seek solutions and adapt to our changing personnel environment are successful. Individuals are still willing to give their time to volunteer emergency services organizations provided the following: The experience is rewarding and worth their time; The training requirements are not excessive; The time demands are adaptable and manageable; They are rewarded with a personal sense of value; There is good leadership minimizing conflict; There is ample support for the organization. The emergency services are the most demanding of volunteer activities today. The physical and time demands associated with training; responding to incidents; maintaining facilities, apparatus, and equipment; fundraising; and administering a nonprofit corporation are grueling if not managed properly. In today's hectic world, strong leadership is required to make the emergency services the organizations that will attract volunteers. This text will cover many of the problems of recruitment and retention and provide some examples of solutions that have worked in volunteer organizations across the Nation.

The sharp decline in recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters by fire departments in southeastern Pennsylvania has resulted in the shortage of volunteers to respond adequately to emergencies. This deterioration has culminated into the delivery of inadequate services to most municipalities. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to explore and identify factors that influence recruitment and retention from the perspective of volunteer firefighters in southeastern Pennsylvania who agreed to participate. Additionally, a comprehensive review of scholarly journals as well as volunteer management literature was examined during the conduct of this study. Furthermore, data collection activities was carried out through a one-on-one, face-to-face interview methodology with 25 active volunteer firefighters in the region to answer the interview questions which helped the researcher adequately answer the primary and secondary research questions using Hertzberg's two-factor theory. A major findings from the study indicated that the scarcity of volunteer firefighters to respond to community emergencies was due in large part to the lack of motivational incentives to boost recruitment and retention. It was, therefore, the recommendation that chiefs and policy makers of volunteer fire departments in southeastern Pennsylvania make every effort to provide the motivational needs of potential as well as experienced volunteer firefighters to entice them to enlist and remain with fire departments.

Volunteer fire departments across the country have been feeling the effects of declining membership. Less and less people are joining volunteer fire departments and many experienced members are leaving. This trend is also being experienced by a number of volunteer fire departments located in Erie County, New York, based on a recent survey conducted by the Erie County Volunteer Firemen's Association. The purpose of this paper was to determine what could be done to recruit new volunteers and what could be done to retain current volunteers. An action research method was selected in order to gather sufficient information regarding the volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention programs from across the country. These programs were analyzed to decide which, if any, would be applicable in Erie County. In researching numerous articles and reports, it became apparent that the problem of diminishing volunteers was widespread. A number of fire departments have realized that in order to remain in existence, they must aggressively recruit new members and become more aware of members' needs to retain those members. A number of creative recruitment and retention programs in use across the country were evaluated. From those programs, a number were selected to be implemented in the Erie County Fire Service, some with only minor modifications. Essentially, Erie County's recruitment and retention programs must become very aggressive in order to provide quality fire protection and emergency medical services to the county residents, or face the consequences of having to drastically increase taxes to subsidize a career fire department.

Reviews the Los Angeles Fire Department’s hiring practices as of June 2014 and outlines a recommended new firefighter hiring process that is intended to increase efficiency of the hiring process, bolster the evidence supporting the validity of it, and make it more transparent and inclusive.

This book serves as a guide for the seasoned veteran, the new firefighter and everyone in between, bringing them together for what it all takes to have that love for the job. Each chapter addresses the next step in the leadership chain that is necessary for a fire service professional to succeed. The chapters are as follows: Our Mission; The Firefighter; The Company Officer; The Chief; Our Two Families; Sweating the Small Stuff; Changing Shirts-The Promotion; What September 11th Did For Us-The Good and the Bad; Ceremonies; Marketing Your Fire Department; Making It All Happen-Embracing Success; Have You Forgotten.

Rick Lasky and John Salka are two of the most dynamic and inspirational leaders in the fire service. Their book, Five Alarm Leadership, is a compilation of leadership lessons learned, situations handled, decisions made, and problems solved during their combined 60-plus years of fire service experience. Also included is a special introduction by Chief (ret.) Bobby Halton, Editor-in-Chief of Fire Engineering magazine, outlining the nature of transformational leadership and its power to inspire excellence in the fire service.