With the number of volunteers decreasing throughout the nation, there are many actions being taken to counteract this situation. Recruitment and retention is the volunteer fire services new battle. From different training activities to gain interest, to recruitment drives and incentive plans, there are many varying approaches to this problem. On the other hand, what is really working?
From a volunteers perspective I feel that the fire departments suffering from low numbers of volunteers could not do enough to combat the situation. Unfortunately we don't always have all the time in the world to focus on trying to recruit new members, and we certainly can't make every volunteer happy in order to keep them as active members.
In my opinion, I feel that some of the best ways to recruit new members are fairly simple. Anything from recruitment drives at a local mall or shopping center, or even mailing out flyers and posting "volunteers needed" signs are very beneficial. These acts get the word out that says, "we need help" and this is an easy way to do so. What could be better than that? At a department I currently volunteer for, and live at during the academic year, a fund drive was conducted at the mall in our local. We only were there to collect money that day, however I feel that it would have been a great opportunity to recruit some new members. Two birds could have been killed with one stone as some may say, raise money, and recruit volunteers. Some other alternatives could also include making recruitment videos and posting them on YouTube, as well as posting things on the company website. However, you need to have some sort of reasons as to why one should join your department, basically what's in it for them. The typical reasons include building character, team work, and even building new relationships, but there is a vast amount of reasons one could join, just use your imagination.
Another way to score some new recruits could be add an incentive program. This would also aid in retaining volunteers as well. However, adding an incentive program to a department could also be a risk if implemented improperly. To begin, the departments must derive some sort of plan as to how the volunteers are paid. Whether it be obtaining a certain number of points by attending training and calls, or just by attending a certain number of company activities etc. From my experience, another fire department where I volunteer has an incentive program. However to qualify, each member must attend a certain number of training events and calls.
Also, in order for this to function properly, obviously the fire department must have the funds available to disburse, and still have enough money left over to support the rest of the departments demands. In today's economy, money is tight for a lot of people, and to get people to volunteer for free is getting tougher and tougher, which is why incentive programs are so beneficial. Incentives also lead to more personnel responding for those nuisance automatic fire alarms, many volunteers these days only show up for those possible structure fires because more often than not, automatic fire alarms are just a waste of fuel.
Making the fire service more interesting also is a good way to recruit and retain members. Having the same drills every week gets old after a while, especially when you aren't learning anything new. Departments need to switch things up sometimes and try some new things, even if you hit a few bumps along the way. When people become bored, they lose interest, which for us at the fire department means less people show up. Introducing new techniques and different training evolutions are great ways to gain interest.
Last but not least, many teenagers, at least in my area are beginning to get involved in the fire service and many after high school decide to go to college, but need to leave firefighting behind. However, some fire departments are now offering live-in programs for college students. I feel that this is a great way to have personnel available for those late night or early morning calls. I am a live-in at a fire department and I have one other live-in with me. It is nice to be able to go to school and continue with firefighting, it's also nice to have a free place to reside during school. Not only does it benefit the student by saving money, but also the fire department. For a department that only waits for four firefighters to respond, having two live-ins means only having to wait for two other volunteers which drastically increases response time. It may cost a little more money to have people living at your fire department, but it would make your department look better in the eyes of the community, which could lead to more money in the long run. Who wouldn't want that?
All in all, volunteers are becoming hard to come by, it's a well known fact, and the only way to overcome this is to get out and do something about it. Even the government is helping by offering grants to aid in recruitment and retention, so why not put that money to use? All it takes is a little help from those of us who want to make a difference. If we keep losing volunteers today, what will happen tomorrow?