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Introducing the What Firefighters Want in 2024 survey results

Chief Bashoor shares a sneak peek at some of the key stats

Three years into the What Firefighters Want project, surveying firefighters across the United States and Canada, one issue continues to emerge as a pain point: poor agency leadership.

FireRescue1’s 2024 state-of-the-industry survey revealed some alarming statistics related to fire department leadership:

  • 76% of respondents reported concerns about their fire department leadership
  • 49% indicated that poor agency leadership has a high impact on retention
  • 33% have considered leaving their department because of the fire chief

Chief Marc Bashoor offers a sneak peek at a handful of the survey stats.

Download the special report here, and check out more from the What Firefighters Want project here.

Thank you to ImageTrend for sponsoring the project.

What Firefighters Want: More from the Series
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Learn why outcome-based leadership is crucial for making meaningful changes in your agency and community
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The FireRescue1 community speaks up about leadership, training, technology adoption, member advocacy and more

Chief Marc S. Bashoor is a member of the FireRescue1 Editorial Advisory Board, serving as a senior fire advisor. With 40 years in emergency services, Chief Bashoor previously served as public safety director in Highlands County, Florida; as chief of the Prince George’s County (Maryland) Fire/EMS Department; and as emergency manager in Mineral County, West Virginia. Bashoor assisted the NFPA with fire service missions in Brazil and China, and has presented at many industry conferences and trade shows. Bashoor has contributed to several industry publications. He is a National Pro-board certified Fire Officer IV, Fire Instructor III and Fire Instructor. Connect with Chief Bashoor at on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Do you have a leadership tip or incident you’d like to discuss? Send the chief an email.