With record-breaking attendance of more than 200 members of the volunteer fire service from around the United States, the 10th National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Training Summit focused on three primary areas: health and safety, leadership, and recruitment and retention. The summit offered members of the volunteer fire service the opportunity to attend classes on each of these topic areas, collaborate in breakout sessions, and hear from prominent speakers from across the United States.
Challenges to the Volunteer Fire Service
Instructors from the volunteer fire service discussed topics that explore the biggest challenges to the field. They offered opportunities for discussion and solutions that attendees could bring back to their respective departments. Several of the instructors are pictured above (L-R: Brian McQueen, Doug Cline, Brian Foley, Dr. Candice McDonald, Bill Arsenault, Warren Jones, Kent Swarts, Joe Maruca, John Buckman III, David Denniston, Jill Holland, Katie Bulla. Photo courtesy of NVFC.)
Here’s a look at the classes that were offered at the event:
Recruitment and Retention
- “R&R Strategies that Work: A Case Study of a Four-Year Journey to R&R Success,” presented by Warren Jones and Kent Swarts.
- “Model Mentorship Programs to Connect Generations and Improve Volunteer Retention,” presented by Tiger Schmittendorf.
- “Volunteering for the 21st Century: Recruitment and Retention Resource Roundtable,” presented by John Buckman III and Dr. Candice McDonald.
- “Culture in the Firehouse: Are We Fostering a Welcoming Environment in Small Town America?” presented by Doug deBest.
- “Fire Up Your Recruitment Game: Harnessing Digital Tools for Recruitment Success,” presented by Katie Bulla.
- “DEI for Today: Reimagining DEI in Your Agency,” presented by Alisa Arnoff.
Health and Safety
- “Behind the 8 Ball: The First 15 Minutes,” presented by Timothy Cowan.
- “From the Lab to the Kitchen Table: Breaking Down Cancer Data to Digestible Pieces for Volunteer Firefighters,” presented by Maria Koeppel.
- “Solar Safety: Suppressing Fires Involving Solar Power Energy Systems,” presented by William (Bill) Hopson.
- “Brush, Vegetation, Field: Preparing for Wildfire No Matter the Terrain,” presented by Bill Arsenault.
- “Igniting Engagement: Interactive Educational Program Ideas,” presented by Brene Duggins.
- “Implementing an Operational Training Program for Small Town Fire Departments,” presented by Joe Maruca.
Leadership
- “Leveling Up: The Emotionally Intelligent Instructor/Leader,” presented by Douglas Cline (pictured at top).
- “Balancing Flames and HR Frames: A Comprehensive Approach to Risk Management in the Fire Service,” presented by Brian Foley.
- “The Value of Vulnerability: What is a NIOSH LODD Investigation, and How Does it Impact the Fire Service?” presented by Patrick Montague.
- “Simple Data for Complex Problems,” presented by John Oates.
- “It Starts at the Top: The Importance of Leadership Supporting Health and Wellness,” presented by Jill Holland and David Denniston (both pictured at top).
- “Staffing for Tomorrow: Developing a Foundation of Succession Planning,” presented by John Buckman III and Brian McQueen.
Outside the Classrooms
Attendees had many opportunities to network—and keep learning—even outside the classrooms.
The Training Summit’s opening session included Chief Tonya Hoover, deputy U.S. Fire Administrator; Edward Tase, president, Firefighters Association of the State of New York; and Daniel Neaverth, Erie County Emergency Services Commissioner. “Our organization and its members share the same problems as many other states do in recruiting,” said Tase. “My best takeaway of [this event] is the networking and sharing of ideas.”
Opening Session
Keynote speaker Jan Spence brought the house down with an exciting, engaging, and inspiring presentation about overcoming obstacles in recruitment and retention. Spence stressed the importance of departments being open to new ideas and being intentional in appealing to younger generations.
“When we look around the room, and we see people who look just like us, we’ve got to explore, be diverse, be inclusive, and really be open to new opportunities and new ways of doing things,” she said in an interview following her presentation. “Maybe that pancake breakfast has been great for the last 50 years, but maybe now it’s time to try something new to let the community know about what the volunteer fire service does, and to recruit people.”
General Session
Day two opened with “Small Town, BIG Problem: An Overview of the 2023 East Palestine Derailment with Chief Keith Drabick.” This presentation offered a play-by-play account of the train derailment in early 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. Chief Drabick provided an insider’s perspective of the incident that included how his department dealt with the many challenges the incident created, an overview of the hazardous materials involved, and his department’s biggest takeaways.
Closing Session
The proposed emergency response standard from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was among the most talked-about topics for the entire Training Summit. During the closing session, Joe Maruca, director, NVFC, and retired fire chief of the West Barnstable (MA) Fire Department, urged attendees to take action by submitting a public comment before July 22.
Closing out a productive and engaging weekend, Tom Merrill, author of The Professional Volunteer Fire Department (Fire Engineering Books, 2023), urged attendees to bring what they learned at the summit back home to their departments, saying, “Don’t just put those notes in the drawer. Strive to make a difference in your department and in our fire service.”
Important Concerns
The deep importance of mental health, the urgency of cancer screenings, and suicide awareness within the volunteer fire service came up in several sessions, as well as in conversations throughout the weekend. Sincere concern about the obstacles facing departments every day rose to the top as the common thread connecting the instructors, attendees, and the NVFC staff.
Dave Denniston, fire commissioner of the Virgil (NY) Fire District and second vice president for the Association of Fire Districts, State of New York, presented “It Starts at the Top: The Importance of Leadership Supporting Health and Wellness” with Jill Holland, fire commissioner, Kauneonga Lake (NY) Fire District, and a regional director for the Association of Fire Districts of the State of New York.
“When we look at firefighter suicide, the number is higher than the firefighter line of duty death number,” Denniston said in an interview with Fire Engineering. “And cancer is one of those things we really didn’t talk about 10 years ago. But now people are talking about that and they’re starting to understand. And we’ve got to get behavioral health on that same level so that people can talk about it, and so they understand the resources that are available to them should one of their people struggle or come to them.”
2024 Sponsors
- AES.
- Amazon Business.
- Anheuser-Busch Foundation.
- BK Technologies.
- Buxus.
- CellBlock.
- Clarion Fire & Rescue Group.
- Columbia Southern University.
- DripDrop.
- GBC Fundraising.
- Hazmat Virtual.
- Josh Cellars.
- Lucid Diagnostics.
- Mission CIT.
- Lincoln Financial Group.
- National Fire Protection Association.
- Sustainable Workplace Alliance.
- Tesla.
- UDS.
- Wendell’s Mint.
2024 Exhibitors
- FEMA Grant Programs Directorate.
- Firefighters Association of the State of New York.
- National Firefighter Cancer Registry.
- North American Fire Training Directors.
- NERIS.
FEMA Grants
The NVFC understands that attending an event like this is not easy on the wallet. In fact, many attendees came to the event with the help of stipends through FEMA grants. Sarah Lee, CEO, NVFC, said, “I remember when back when, when this was like a pipe dream. We wanted to do a conference for volunteers, and we wanted to make it easy to get there. And that dream came true. The FEMA grants really made it possible.”
The next Training Summit will take place June 20-21, 2025, in Salt Lake City, UT.
