Jerry Knapp joins host Tom Merrill to discuss a special task force he was appointed to in New York State to examine issues related to recruitment and retention. This idea is to make your volunteer fire department stand out and excel as an elite unit that people want to be a part of.
Jerry discusses several ideas the task force is examining relating to training, establishing a dedicated bureau dedicated to recruitment and retention efforts on a state wide basis, tax incentives and money issues as they relate to the volunteer fire service, taking a good look at programs already in place at various agencies that are proven successful, and taking a look at incentives that work to entice people to join and remain in their volunteer fire department.
Jerry is also looking for your help and wants input and information from YOU the listener and he will be providing his contact information so you can get hold of him to offer your ideas, suggestions and examples of issues, challenges and what is working and not working out there. Even though this is a New York State task force, the issues, challenges and possible solutions are definitely NOT geographic at all and apply across the land. And, as Jerry points out, a lot of what is being done currently is not working.
This will be the first in a series of episodes dedicated to not just recruiting new members, but retaining them as well.
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