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VolunteerFD.org Member News February 2008 |
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| Volunteer Professionals | |
| Find Solutions With Member Exchange Programs | |
| By Jason Zigmont, VolunteerFD Columnist | |
 We all have very similar or even the same volunteer issues across the country. Whether they be related to department structure or the firefighters themselves, it's fair for me to say after six years of writing on the topic that these difficulties are universal. But departments tend to have different solutions for the same problems — and that is where we can learn from each other. The challenge is that we do not share these solutions as we think each of our issues are different and we try to keep our dirty laundry at home. The sooner we realize that we all have the same problems and there is nothing to be ashamed of, the sooner we can find true solutions. Every department has or have had issues with recruitment and retention, funding, training and overall management of the organization. We may be in different physical locations, but just as fire is the same everywhere, managing a professional volunteer department is the same, too. This realization may require a culture shift at all levels to one of sharing and collaborative problem solving, but this helps not only your fire service but the fire service as a whole. One way to identify and share our difficulties is to develop a member exchange program. Schools have been doing these for years to help share culture across countries, but this type of sharing could occur across departments. I am not suggesting you should trade one of your members with a department in France; I am talking about a neighboring department.  Full Column |
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Career firefighters fill gaps at La. volunteer departments [Baton Rouge, La.] Growth may bring change to N.C. volunteer fire departments [Mecklenburg, N.C.] N.C. firefighter dies responding to traffic accident [Rowan County, N.C.] New report outlines rural fire danger [Washington D.C.] Maine volunteer sues after losing job [Skowhegan, Maine] Pa. volunteer dept. prepares for casino emergencies [East Hanover Township, Pa.]
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