VOLUNTEERS CORNER ❘ BY DAVID HESSELMEYER
Finding and keeping good people in a post-pandemic world are getting increasingly difficult. With increasing demands from work and family paired with reduced interest in working for free, volunteers are becoming harder and harder to come by. We used to see a steady stream of people who would at least come and join the department, but that stream has nearly dried up.
- The Recruitment Crisis in the Volunteer Fire Service, Part 1 | Part 2
- Retention in Paid-on-Call and Volunteer Fire Departments
- Focusing on Job Satisfaction for Volunteer Firefighter Retention
- Camp Fahrenheit 516: The Future of Recruitment and Retention
On the career side, members are leaving jobs at record paces for new opportunities, and record lows of applications plague us. The fire service is in desperate need of overhauling its recruitment and retention strategies.
As a profession, the fire service has a range of strengths and weaknesses. Addressing all of them at once would be impossible, but it’s important for us to stay open-minded as we look for ways to improve recruitment and retention.
Real-World Example
Over the summer, my family and I had the opportunity to visit Summerville Bunnlevel (NC) Fire & Rescue’s Back-to-School Bash, held at one of its stations. The event included a wide range of exciting, well-planned-out activities, including the following (photos 1-5):
- A display of multiple fire apparatus from the department’s two stations, including one engine set up for the public to spray water from a booster line.
- An exhibition and display of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s LifeLink Air aeromedical helicopter.
- A presentation from the Office of the State Fire Marshal concerning hot-car temperatures.
- Multiple jump houses for children.
- Vendors, including local churches with giveaways.
- A food vendor that offered free hot dogs, chips, and drinks.
- A very busy dunk tank.
- A backpack giveaway with school supplies for children.
- A static tractor display.
- Many other activities including Mr. and Mrs. Claus!
Even though it was called a Back-to-School Bash, the event really was a community day for everyone. So what does a community day like this have to do with recruitment and retention? To be honest, quite a bit.
(1) Photos by Connor Stephenson.
Retention Benefits of a Community Day
The drop in interest in the fire service in recent years is directly related to the fact that some fire departments have become less involved with their communities.
They have their training, which is basic in most cases, and they run their calls. However, they do not maintain a level of interest in the department. Firefighters were built to serve their community and want to do just that. For a community day to be successful, you need involvement from the ground up. And getting the buy-in you need to make such a day successful requires planning, communicating with partners, and organizing—at the least. Here are just a few of the ways a community day will help with retention:
It raises morale. Want to raise morale while you plan a great day? Have your junior firefighters help. This will give them a boost in their self-esteem and perceived value to the department. And having events like this on a regular basis will keep members at all levels interested and engaged.
It can double as a training day. In many cases, community days can work as training days. In fact, our National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses have taught us that the incident command system (ICS) can be used for any incident or (planned) event. We can use the ICS forms from FEMA’s Web site for setting up our objectives for the event (ICS 202 form), setting up an organizational chart (ICS 207), and even creating a Site Safety and Control Plan (ICS 208).
In addition to using the forms, a planned event gives us a unique opportunity to allow junior officers, or those rising in the ranks, to become officers to fill the ICS positions needed for the event. Those who are experienced in these roles can be used to mentor those in the command and general staff for the community day.
It’s great for mental health. Instances of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicides are higher than ever in our profession. And while it’s not a total solution, a community day can be a tool in our mental well-being toolbox. Offering firefighters the chance to have some fun with kids in their community or talk with citizens about their years of service can remind them of the positives within our profession, which will do a world of good for their mental health.
Recruitment Benefits of a Community Day
Now that we’ve looked at how a community day can help with retaining good people today, let’s consider the profound impact such an event can have on the future, through the lens of recruitment.
It broadens perceptions. The public often only thinks of us as volunteers who run into burning houses and put fires out. And yes, we certainly do that. But there’s so much more to what we do, much of which goes unnoticed. Here’s just a small sampling:
- We have a board that gives strategic direction.
- We have administrative teams that handle budgeting, payroll, and orders.
- We have drivers at the wheel of large trucks and pump engines.
Hosting a large-scale community day gives citizens a chance to come in and see what we do outside of just being interior firefighters. This can really increase the general public’s interest in potentially joining and serving alongside us.
It helps us find the helpers. On some level, everyone wants to help others. It may not always look like this is the case, but I think this is the heart of our society. For those of us old enough to remember, even Mr. Rogers taught us to look for the helpers. And when events like September 11 and Hurricane Katrina happen, we’ve always been able to find the helpers.
Where are they? They may not only be members of our department but they may also become the helpers to the fire department.
For example, many fire departments are publicly funded (i.e., tax dollars collected at the local level of government provide funding for the fire department). When you need to approach the commissioners or council to ask for increased funding, the members of your community may be the helpers. Years of experience have shown that elected officials like to do what the public wants them to do. If you are asking for an increase of funding by 10% and you have a good number of your citizens supporting you, the result is a positive correlation that elected officials simply cannot ignore.
It makes dreams come true. Imagine a child who has never set foot in a fire station. Now imagine that child coming by during a community day and saying, “I want to be a firefighter!” From phones to TVs to gaming systems, kids today are consumed by technology. But firefighting can become their passion if we show them opportunities at an early age. The 10-year-old kid in the captain’s seat of that engine at a local community day might just become a captain if he’s intrigued. And, most importantly, he might become a captain if he’s shown an opportunity.
Recruitment is not only for today, tomorrow, and even next year. We need to look at recruitment for the years—and even decades—ahead.
What About the Hang-Ups?
In discussions like this one, we’ll always have naysayers. They say, “This is a liability,” or “We do not have funding for this,” or make other similar arguments. Without a doubt, addressing these issues while pulling off a community day takes planning. However, we should not let the fear of things like liability deter us from doing something that’s positive for the community and that encourages recruitment and retention for the department. And this is why events like this require long-term planning and not just a few days of thought. Surely, Summerville Bunnlevel Fire & Rescue spent months planning its Back-to-School Bash.
Takeaways
Holding a community day creates so many advantages and opportunities. In addition to building recruitment and retention, a day like this also provides some level of fire prevention education.
Of course, we know that community days are not the sole solution to the challenges we face. But, as we move forward, events like Summerville Bunnlevel Fire & Rescue’s Back-to-School Bash will bring smiles to everyone’s faces while bringing opportunities to fire departments. Do not let an opportunity like this pass you by.
Author’s note: Thanks to the board of directors, officers, and members of Summerville Bunnlevel Fire & Rescue (Harnett County, NC) for allowing me to use their recent Back-to-School Bash as the basis of this article.
David Hesselmeyer began his emergency services career in 1997. He has certifications as a firefighter, paramedic, rescue technician, and certified emergency manager. He graduated from East Carolina University in 2004 with a master of public administration. He is the president/CEO of On Target Preparedness, a full-service emergency services consulting firm. He is also an adjunct professor at Campbell University in the Homeland Security program. He serves with the Buies Creek (NC) Fire Department.
