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.
Virginia Beach Fire Chief Ken Pravetz is asking the city for 140 more firefighters after spending $3.7M in overtime
The Capital Region Firefighter program launches a 100 Teens-to-Lifesavers Challenge
Salary
Newport News officials proposed a pay raise and step plan to be more competitive with neighboring departments
Is there such a thing as “too old to serve”?
Participants learn a variety of skills to expose them to the fire service and build confidence
Goshen students will have the ability to transfer credits toward an associate’s degree in fire science
Firefighters get real about one of the biggest issues facing the industry and how to fix it
It’s time to reevaluate our SOPs, eliminate insular groups, and see traditions as an honor, not an anchor
Decatur Fire & Rescue usually does lateral hires to fill firefighter positions
We can all work from the same playbook
“I’m still pretty badass at 75, but I wish I had done it sooner,” Mary Jarschke said as she prepares to graduate as a volunteer firefighter
The issue of age isn’t a simple problem to solve, particularly in the volunteer fire service that’s struggling for members
Grant County Fire District 7 saw a 25% increase in calls, purchased new apparatus and nearly doubled its number of volunteers
Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott opposes to going to a firefighter-based EMS model
Test how your personality aligns with the motivation, teamwork and key character traits that exemplify firefighters around the world
Family & Home
Tucson Firefighter Cyprian Ortiz saw a familiar face on his first day as captain — his sister Captain Crystal Ortiz
The Senate bill would allow small city, county departments to hire retired firefighters for chief officer positions
A consolidation plan in Sunbury will cover everything from leadership, staffing and apparatus to avoid duplication of services and improve costs, training
Plaistow’s program was launched in Oct. 2022 and has seen its number of junior firefighters more than double
Staffing
The FireRescue1 community considers what is driving high stress and staffing challenges
The low number of female firefighters has led the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire to use a more standardized, widely used physical exam
Success in the firefighter interview is about far more than answering the questions
FireRescue1’s newest board members share personal passions and insights about what’s to come in the new year
Firefighters from Colonial Park, Paxtonia and Linglestown fire companies can register for 4, 8 or 12-hour shifts, earning $10 per hour
Gresham firefighters reported various hazardous conditions, including sewage leaks and and lack of protective sleeping quarters
Life lessons and the spirit of volunteerism, community are the heart of the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department
Fire Chief
Interim Sebastopol Fire Chief Jack Piccinini wrote to city officials, politicians and the media about the challenges in the department
Firefighters pinpoint their top stressors and acknowledge the impact of stress on the quality of service provided
Survey respondents share their experiences with staffing stressors
Effective recruitment will look different for each agency, but the basics are the same and critical to get right
Firefighters feel generally positive about the job, but they report high stress, and many have considered leaving their organization
Faced with shrinking volunteer numbers, Pa. fire departments embrace new strategies to bolster ranks
Since 2000, the number of volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania has dropped from 60,000 to 38,000
The East Peoria Fire Department has joined others in dropping a pre-hire EMS certification requirement
