Recruiting, Retaining & Supporting Volunteer Firefighters

Revised with new information as of February 17, 2015

A free resource for nonprofit organizations, NGOs, civil society organizations,
charities, schools, public sector agencies & other mission-based agencies
by Jayne Cravens
via coyotecommunications.com & coyoteboard.com (same web site)

Research and case studies regarding
recruiting & retaining volunteer firefighters

&
justifications for involving volunteer firefighters

that do NOT relate to "money saved"

One of the highest profile volunteer responsibilities in the USA - and, really, worldwide - is volunteer firefighting. Yet, go to a conference on volunteer engagement and you will find few, if any, workshops related to volunteer firefighting. Go to a web site with resources about volunteer engagement, and you may not find any information about the particular environment of volunteer firefighting. Likewise, walk into a fire station which is staffed fully or partly by volunteer firefighters, and you probably won't see any books related to volunteer management, in general, and few managers of volunteer firefighters attend DOVIA-related meetings or conferences.

This gap really bothers me.

I've been interested in the reasons fire stations involve volunteer firefighters, and the challenges faced in recruiting and retaining such volunteers, since 2001, when I started dating a volunteer firefighter in Germany. He's now my husband (and now a volunteer firefighter in the USA), and my interest in the particular environment of recruiting and supporting volunteer firefighters remains.

I've blogged about volunteer firefighters a few times:

pro vs. volunteer firefighters (26 August 2013), about the excellent National Volunteer Fire Council's Right to Volunteer campaign.
Fire station turns away volunteers – & how it could be different (20 August 2013), which I think is self-explanatory from the title.
International Association of Fire Fighters is anti-volunteer (2 December 2010), about how the union of career firefighters in the USA is actively working against the involvement of volunteer firefighters.

I also recently started looking for research and case studies regarding recruitment and retainment of volunteer firefighters, as well as information that documents justifications for involving volunteer firefighters that do NOT relate to "money saved." A list of the resources I've found comes later on this page.

Summary of what the research says

All of these resources trace the majority of retention problems on the demands on volunteer time and leadership problems within fire stations. The lack of time is attributed to the increased competition for people’s time (more work hours, more commute hours for work, etc.) and because of the increased requirements in firefighter training over the years. Leadership problems are mentioned frequently, but not detailed in these reports.

The top reasons for active volunteer firefighters to stay were identified in these studies as an opportunity for philanthropy or application of civic duty, opportunity for acquiring skills, thrills, work environment, good management/leadership, social relations, material issues and recognition.

What isn’t noted in these reports as contributing to lack of volunteers, but probably should be, is:

volunteers being excluded from most, or a meaningful number of, actual firefighting activities, being put instead primarily in support activities (clean up after calls)
lack of awareness in the community that there are opportunities to be a volunteer firefighter
lack of a welcoming atmosphere by career firefighters for volunteers
lack of leadership opportunities for volunteers
perceived preference by station or association leadership of career firefighters
resentment of volunteer firefighters who have stayed far longer than most career firefighters at a station
lack of a welcoming atmosphere for diversity; for instance, if the community served has a diverse ethnic makeup, but that diversity is not represented in the firehouse
lack of a diversity in communications methods (not using social media, not listing volunteering activities on sites like VolunteerMatch, etc.)
lack of purely-social gatherings with fellow firefighters (all work, no fun)

The only way to know for sure about any one fire department or association is to survey both current and departed volunteer firefighters.

Here's what I have found so far regarding research and case studies relating to the recruitment and retainment of volunteer firefighters, as well as information that documents justifications for involving volunteer firefighters that do NOT relate to "money saved":

US FIRE DEPARTMENT PROFILE 2013, (PDF), by Hylton J. G. Haynes and Gary P. Stein, November 2014
Abstract: NFPA estimates there were approximately 1,140,750 local firefighters in the U.S. in 2013. Of the total number of firefighters 354,600 (31%) were career firefighters and 786,150 (69%) were volunteer firefighters. Most of the career firefighters (71%) worked in communities that protected 25,000 or more people. Most of the volunteer firefighters (95%) were in departments that protected fewer than 25,000 people. There are an estimated 30,052 fire departments in the U.S. Of these, 2,477 departments were all career, 1,971 were mostly career, 5,797 were mostly volunteer and 19,807 were all volunteer. In the U.S., 13,400 (44.6%) of departments provided EMS service, 5,050 departments (16.8%) provided EMS service and advance life support, and 11,600 (38.6%) of departments provide no EMS support.

Retention & Recruitment for the Volunteer Emergency Services: Challenges and Solutions, (PDF), Second edition, 2004
By the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) with the US Fire Administration (USFA) and The Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in cooperation with the United States Fire Administration (USFA), initiated a study that cumulated with a national workshop on recruiting and retention in 1993. Volunteer representatives from 16 states participated in this event, which was held at the National Emergency Training Center, (USFA’s National Fire Academy), in Emmitsburg, Maryland. From this workshop came a general understanding of the problems with retention and recruitment nationwide, as well as many possible solutions to these problems. The findings were documented in the Interim Report on Retention and Recruitment in the Volunteer Fire Service: Problems and Solutions and in Recruitment and Retention in the Volunteer Fire Service, Problems and Solutions, Final Report, December 1998. In 2004, the NVFC and the USFA again decided to address the issue of retention and recruitment due to the ongoing national problem. Surveys were conducted via online methods, at various fire and emergency medical service (EMS) events, and based upon various association membership queries during the fourth quarter of 2004. The data was compiled and analyzed by the Public Safety and Environmental Protection Institute of St. Joseph’s University. The findings, provided in this later report, found several key areas of concern that will require action to address effective recruitment and retention efforts in the future. Page 127 is the start of a section regarding recruiting women, members of different ethnic communities, white collar workers, retirees and college students, one of the few resources that offer any advice on such.

Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention in Rural Pennsylvania, by Robert S. D’Intino, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University Schuylkill, May 2006
Haven't had time to write a summary of this.

RECRUITING AND RETENTION OF VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS: EXECUTIVE PLANNING, by Michael Yacovino, Jr., Town of Canton Fire Marshal’s Office, Canton, Connecticut
Haven't had time to write a summary of this.

Improving the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Within the Martinsville Fire & EMS Department, by Kristopher W. Shrader, Deputy Fire Chief, Martinsville Fire & EMS Department, Martinsville, Virginia
Very general - not very specific in its recommendations.
I've also compiled resources regarding recommendations for volunteer firefighter recruitment specifically:

Volunteer Recruitment and Retention: Technology versus Tradition

Interesting incentive idea

Also see

Recruiting Local Volunteers To Increase Diversity Among the Ranks
Having plenty of volunteers usually isn't enough to say a volunteering program is successful. Another indicator of success is if your volunteers represent a variety of ages, education-levels, economic levels and other demographics, or are a reflection of your local community. Most organizations don't want volunteers to be a homogeneous group; they want to reach a variety of people as volunteers (and donors and other supporters, for that matter). This resource will help you think about how to recruit for diversity, or to reach a specific demographic.
Using Third Party Web Sites Like VolunteerMatch to Recruit Volunteers
There are lots and lots of web sites out there to help your organization recruit volunteers. You don't have to use them all, but you do need to make sure you use them correctly in order to get the maximum response to your posts.
Recruiting Mentors
(or any high-responsibility volunteers that will work with clients)
Recruitment is a mentality. Successful recruitment of volunteer mentors comes from a mentality that permeates the organization, one that prompts employees and volunteers to always be looking for opportunities for outreach and partnership, and where all employees and volunteers are advocates for the program, regardless of the tasks they undertake. This web page has specific recommendations to recruit mentors for youth, but these recommendations could be used for most any high-responsibility, high-commitment volunteer role working with clients, such as counselors or tutors..
Recognizing Online Volunteers & Using the Internet to Honor ALL Volunteers
Recognition helps volunteers stay committed to your organization, and gets the attention of potential volunteers -- and donors -- as well. Organizations need to fully recognize the efforts of remote, online volunteers, as well as those onsite, and not differentiate the value of these two forms of service. Organizations should also incorporate use of the Internet to recognize the efforts of ALL volunteers, both online and onsite. With cyberspace, it's never been easier to show volunteers -- and the world -- that volunteers are a key part of your organization's successes. This new resource provides a long list of suggestions for both honoring online volunteers and using the Internet to recognize ALL volunteers that contribute to your organization.
Studies and Research Regarding Online Volunteering / Virtual Volunteering
While there is a plethora of articles and information about online volunteering, there has been very little research published regarding the subject. This is a compilation of publicly-available research regarding online volunteering, and a list of suggested possible angles for researching online volunteering. New contributions to this page are welcomed, including regarding online mentoring programs.

Discuss this web page, or comment on it, here.

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