VOLUNTEERS CORNER ❘ By CANDICE McDONALD
The volunteer fire service is experiencing its biggest challenge to date with shortages among volunteers. Volunteer firefighters make up 67% of the nation’s fire service, with 745,000 of the 1,115,000 firefighters in the United States being volunteer.1 Turnover in the volunteer fire service is not a new issue, but the added stressors and exhaustion from the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increased risk among first responders. COVID-19 is causing some volunteers to exit the industry because of the perceived risks and the psychological toll.
Other volunteers, like myself, who work full-time in a high-demand profession such as nursing, career fire/emergency medical services (EMS), or law enforcement have experienced an increased demand of time within their paid career resulting from the pandemic. These increased demands may lead not only to higher levels of “burnout”—a failure to balance work-life-volunteer life—but also the inability to keep up with fire and EMS training requirements. “Dual-hatted” first responders are experiencing COVID-19 fatigue at work and in their volunteer world. In addition to COVID-19 causing added stressors in the volunteer and workplace, with almost 800,000 COVID-19-related deaths,2 many volunteer first responders have experienced personal loss because of the pandemic.
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The effects of the pandemic have become another barrier to volunteer recruitment and retention that fire service leaders must face. With volunteer firefighters saving communities across the United States an estimated $46.9 billion a year,3 policymakers and industry leaders cannot ignore the high financial impact of turnover, especially during a pandemic. It is important to note that turnover has negative financial impacts associated with the costs of training, schedule vacancies, and delays to patient care.
It is essential for fire service organizations to stay proactive to reduce volunteer turnover. Fire service leaders must focus on job satisfaction as a key tactic for volunteer firefighter retention. Volunteers with feelings of job dissatisfaction are at a higher risk for turnover.4 Volunteering is a choice, not something required for individuals to support themselves or their families. Volunteers who do not have a strong identity within an organization are at a greater risk of walking out the door when they feel dissatisfied.
Scheduling
One strategy related to job satisfaction that policy makers and fire service leaders can use to address volunteer retention issues is accommodating volunteer schedules. There is a direct link between job satisfaction and the ability for individuals to control their own schedules. Volunteers are more likely to continue to be active within an organization when flexible schedules and schedule accommodations are a part of the culture. There is a desire among volunteers to have control over their personal schedule to allow for the accommodation of work-life balance needs. Organizations that are inflexible with accommodating the needs of volunteers will create an additional personal life burden on volunteers that can, in turn, have a negative impact on engagement.
Accommodating volunteer schedules is especially key among younger generations of firefighters. The younger volunteers value the ability to accommodate personal schedule needs more than monetary benefits and value being present at their children’s extracurricular activities, social outings with friends, and self-care hobbies. Offering volunteers the option of self-scheduling by self-selecting on-call hours may lead to an increased long-term engagement, reducing the stress for work-life volunteer balance and leading to a higher level of volunteer satisfaction.
Although we cannot predict when emergencies occur, we can require our volunteers to commit to a minimum number of hours per month and allow them to self-schedule when they honor that commitment. For example, a fire department may require volunteers to donate 15 hours per month to remain active members. One member may decide to schedule his on-call time for one 15-hour block in a single day, and another may break that commitment up into three five-hour blocks of time a week. The minimum requirement does not mean a volunteer can’t sign up for more on-call hours, but it sets the expectation. Based on department policy, these on-call blocks of time can be fulfilled by being on-call from home or at the station. This flexibility removes the volunteer’s stress of having to pick between the fire service and family/work/social commitments.
Benefits
Another strategy for fire service leaders to prevent volunteer shortages is to offer attractive, nonwage benefits as a method for increasing job satisfaction. Nonwage benefits are, again, an extremely important factor among the younger generations. Some examples of nonwage benefits include holding activities to build camaraderie, creating professional development opportunities, and providing fire department uniforms.
Camaraderie. Activities that build camaraderie are valuable for volunteer retention. Opportunities to build team resilience and reduce stress are effective methods for raising job satisfaction, which, in turn, may lead to higher levels of commitment among volunteers. These activities can be as simple as having a family movie or game night at the station or team sporting events, or it can be more formal with a facilitator facilitating a team-building activity. To help reduce the workload of fire service leadership, delegate the planning of these activities to a nonofficer or even a nonemergency responder.
Professional development. Another strategy is the expansion of professional development opportunities for firefighters beyond fire and EMS training. Some examples outside of the fire service realm may include offering certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, and Web site design. Although these trainings are not fire service specific, the skillset gained by the volunteer can have a positive impact on the organization and provides the volunteer with an added resume boost. For example, a member with formal project management training may be beneficial with station builds or the purchase of new apparatus. To help reduce costs associated with these professional development opportunities, fire departments can work to establish partnerships with local colleges, trade schools, and other training organizations.
Uniforms. Research shows that fire departments that provide volunteers with uniforms give them a greater sense of belonging and pride.4 Wearing provided uniforms may increase loyalty and the spirit of brotherhood within the organization. Uniforms also offer a sense of equality by bringing all volunteers onto the same platform, regardless of gender, race, or economic status. It is important to note that the uniforms must be comfortable and sized properly based on gender and body type; a one-size-fits-all approach can lead to a volunteer feeling excluded or a lack of pride because of the fit of the uniform making him feel sloppy. Fire service uniforms should foster a desire for the member to want to see the organization and himself grow. Volunteers with a sense of belonging and pride for their organization are more likely to be satisfied.
A Positive Work Environment
Another strategy for increasing job satisfaction is creating an attractive work environment. Some fire departments have done this by creating private areas for volunteers to telework or study such as a living room-type area for relaxation (to watch movies or play games while at the station), a washer/dryer room for personal laundry, a supplies room for personal car/truck washing, a game area, and a gym that both the volunteer and his family can use. An attractive environment that adds a benefit to the life of the volunteer may increase job satisfaction, making it harder for the volunteer to leave.
Survey
The needs and desires of each volunteer will be different. Conducting a survey of what your volunteers want is the most effective method for designing strategies to increase satisfaction. Even if your organization has conducted a survey in the past, the pandemic has changed what our volunteers need to be satisfied. Data collected can help fire service leaders find commonalities between volunteers and be proactive in developing tactics to increase volunteer satisfaction. This type of survey should be facilitated on paper and electronically to meet the comfort level of all volunteers across generations.
Fire service leaders who fail to ask what their volunteers want and make the necessary changes are at a higher risk of firefighter turnover. Leaders should also be conscious of developing tools to protect volunteers from burnout. In addition to being flexible with schedules and offering nonwage benefits, fire service leaders should also lobby for greater mental health support and resources to reduce stress levels among volunteers.
Fire departments that do not have a formal assistance program for mental health should reach out to their community’s mental health board for advice on community resources. The National Volunteer Fire Council also offers resources that will help departments implement/grow a behavioral health program and assist volunteers with seeking help for a behavioral health issue.5
enDNOTes
1. U.S. Fire Department Profile 2018. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA, February 2020.
2. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_totaldeaths_totaldeathsper100k.
3. “Total Cost of Fire in the United States.” National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA, October 2017.
4. McDonald C. (2016). Retention of internal stakeholders in the U.S. volunteer fire service (dissertation).
5. https://www.nvfc.org/programs/share-the-load-program.
CANDICE McDONALD has nearly two decades in the volunteer fire service as a firefighter, emergency medical services chief officer, inspector, and public information officer. She also works for NASA as a special agent and is an adjunct professor with the University of Arkansas and Eastern Gateway Community College. McDonald is the vice president for the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association, a trustee with Women in Fire, a member of the FDIC International/Fire Engineering advisory board, and a fire corps state advocate for the National Volunteer Fire Council. She has contributed to numerous publications and presented at conferences around the world. McDonald has a doctor of business administration with a specialty in homeland security, a master’s in organizational leadership, a bachelor’s in organizational management, and an associate’s in human services.
