Recruitment and Retention
Recruitment and retention is one of the most critical topics in the fire service, particularly the volunteer fire service, which has long been seeking to attract and maintain members. The recruitment and retention resource page provides critical content to help fire departments manage their personnel, from articles that inform prospective members are life as a volunteer to podcasts about recruitment best practices to new techniques being used to encourage new members, and so much more.
HOW TO BECOME A FIREFIGHTER
Make a good impression and launch your firefighter career on the right foot with these tips for probationary firefighters
The firefighter’s written exam covers everything from a math skills review to a personality assessment
Firefighter salaries and benefits vary by location and rank.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Line officers stepping into administrative roles face a culture shock — and a steep learning curve — that rarely gets addressed
Part of building crew unity is taking the opportunity to have some fun, but there must be room for training – plus all those EMS calls
The engineer serves several roles, from equipment checks to throwing ladders, medic assists and more
The week starts with motivation, weaves through myriad activities, and concludes with a restorative weekend – and possibly some duty officer work
24 hours filled with constant alerts, plus meetings, training and little sleep
It’s one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs in the fire service
A Monday to Sunday breakdown of what’s it’s like to serve as a fire chief for a mid-size fire department
COMPLETE COVERAGE
Among 344 graduates, Ian Montesi, whose father died in the North Tower collapse, and Francis Donohue, whose father died of a 9/11-related illness, are following their fathers’ path
Training all East Meadow firefighters with VR headsets simulates up to 60 scenarios, offering on-demand practice, muscle-memory building and a recruitment draw for gamers
The Columbia Township Fire Department now has full-time coverage on every shift and is planning for future expansion with two new parcels of land
Greenville City Council approves a 24/72 schedule to boost recruitment and work-life balance
It’s important to underscore the danger of the situation while not instilling an unproductive level of fear
Lafayette, Witmer and Upper Leacock plan to share crews to ease the volunteer crunch, but the compact is paused for township review
Miramar College’s two-year program arms veterans and working first responders with advanced emergency management skills to move up the ranks
With volunteer firefighter numbers declining as emergency calls rise, the Ohio Fire Academy has unveiled a new online portal to connect residents with local departments
The initiative, developed with Bucks County Community College aims to build the next generation of first responders
The Colorado Fire Commission is currently studying ways to better fund the state’s 340 fire departments
MOST POPULAR
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- Pa. firefighter dies responding to structure fire
- Va. county bans FD from responding to calls, citing ‘operational deficiencies’
- What Trump’s executive orders tell us about his public safety agenda