Is your department struggling with recruiting diverse firefighters and emergency responders?
Nonprofit FIRE 20/20 has just released two, free Why I Chose Fire™: Next Generation diversityrecruitment videos designed to encourage qualified, inclusive, diverse and safety-conscious 15-25 year-old women and people of color to explore opportunities in the fire service. One is targeted for the volunteer fire service and the other is for career opportunities.
“The career video is perfect for our local broadcasting channels, school media, social media and community presentations,” said Mat Fratus, Fire Chief, Rialto, CA. “It’s more than a ‘hook’ for people exploring career options; it’s an illustration of what today’s fire service is, where it is headed and the opportunities that are there for everyone.”
“With the state of the economy and peoples’ busy schedules, many departments around the country are facing a shortage of volunteer firefighters,” explained Heather Schafer, Executive Director of the National Volunteer Fire Council. “FIRE 20/20’s free recruitment video offers volunteer departments a fresh opportunity to reach out to a new demographic and the next generation of volunteer firefighters.”
Both Why I Chose Fire: Next Generation videos focus on firefighter values, including service, commitment, caring and compassion. They feature interviews with passionate young firefighters from diverse backgrounds highlighting the benefits of serving as a firefighter. These include: training and education, opportunities to work with new technology, the job’s physicality, flexible schedule, camaraderie and a strong sense of family. The videos feature music of Grammy winners Cee Lo Green and Bruno Mars.
FIRE 20/20 can customize the introduction and closing of the video to create a department specific recruitment video for a small fee. This allows organizations to promote benefits of their department and their commitment to inclusion and diversity.
Why I Chose Fire: Next Generation was developed with a grant from Motorola Solutions Foundations,the charitable arm of Motorola Solutions Inc. It is designed for use by career and volunteer fire and emergency services departments, college fire science programs, fire academies, Cadet/Explorer programs, high school/college guidance counselors and diversity organizations.
“Motorola Solutions and Motorola Solutions Foundation have partnered with fire service and first responders for decades,” said Matt Blakely, Director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation. “It is important to support training programs that improve first responders’ ability to keep themselves and their communities safe. We’re proud to sponsor these videos because they may inspire individuals from a variety of backgrounds to enter the fire service.”
Additional sponsors who are committed to a qualified, inclusive, diverse and safety-conscious fire service and the Why I Chose Fire: Next Generation video include Tyco, Scott Safety, PBI Performance Products, Inc. and CPS Human Resources Consulting.
“Fire and emergency services departments around the U.S. and Canada continually ask us for help and tools that will enhance their effectiveness in recruiting qualified, diverse firefighters,” said Odessa Kawai, FIRE 20/20 Interim Executive Director. “Our Motorola Solutions Foundation grant and committed sponsors allow FIRE 20/20 to provide the video to fire organizations at no cost.”
The videos are promoted by organizations, including: International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), Center For Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), Fire & Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE), National Fire Academy Professional Development Initiative (NFAFDI), International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services (iWomen), National Association of Hispanic Firefighters (NAHF), National Native American Fire Chiefs Association (NNAFCA), Asian Firefighters Association, You Can Be Anything, National EMS & Firefighters Pride Alliance, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), Washington Fire Chiefs (WFC) and International City/County Managers Association (ICMA).
“It’s free, it’s targeted, it’s high quality, it speaks to the next generation,” said Ronny J. Coleman,Retired California State Fire Marshal. “Hopefully every fire organization will integrate the Why I Chose Fire: Next Generation videos for volunteer or career firefighters into their recruitment campaigns. This is a no brainer!”
For more information or to receive a link to the career video, please visit the FIRE 20/20 Web site(http://fire2020.org/what-we-do/videos/wicf-next-generation/) or contact FIRE 20/20 at: ff@fire2020.org.
About FIRE 20/20
FIRE 20/20 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005. FIRE 20/20 helps fire and emergency services work more effectively with their multicultural communities to increase the reach and effectiveness of fire prevention and community risk reduction, emergency response, emergency management and diversity recruitment and retention. Over the last nine years, FIRE 20/20 has trained more than 200 departments in the U.S. and Canada.
About Motorola Solutions Foundation
The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions. With employees located around the globe, Motorola Solutions seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships and fostering innovation. The Motorola Solutions Foundation focuses its funding on public safety, disaster relief and employee programs and education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information on Motorola Solutions Corporate and Foundation giving, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/giving.