Skip to content

Morning Lineup – August 13

12 comments

Pain and misery were postponed for ten days.  Dr. Tooth found a bit of infection in my gum, so I am obliged to participate in 10 days of antibiotic therapy.  Oh, well.  At least I got to eat normally last night.

*  *  *

One of the topics that we have been covering occasionally is that of volunteer fire and EMS recruiting problems and successes.  Unfortunately, the problems have been way outnumbering the successes lately.  Recently, TV Channel 4 in Dallas, Texas, ran this news item about the dwindling numbers of volunteer firefighters in the communities north of the city:

I am in disagreement over what they are claiming their problem is, though.  True enough, their membership numbers are down.  And it’s happening all over.  But ….. are they properly identifying their real causes for it?  Unless you know just what the problem is, you cannot take remedial action to overcome it.

Early in this tv clip the narrator says flatly that membership is lacking “because of the economy.”  I think that is a lame excuse.  We are hearing the economic situation taking the blame for all kinds of failures, some accurately and some like this one, just being a convenient scapegoat.  I have seen several other dips in the economy before, a couple of times even worse than this.  But it usually doesn’t affect volunteerism at all.  If anything, it picks up as people have more time at their disposal and they seek out less expensive ways of using it.  Not to mention the obvious need to step up a little and help out in many different ways.

The vol. chief that they interview is right, however.  The younger generation isn’t showing up like previous generations did.  I believe that there is a cultural shift lately where young people are not being taught by their elders the importance of helping others and instead are wrapped up in themselves more than was usual in the past.  If you can’t encourage them to think about helping their neighbor, then how about playing to their narcissism and convincing them of the rewarding self-satisfaction that is earned by doing something that is both good and “entertaining”?

Another item that caught my attention in the video report was the situation in one of the VFD’s where they say that their active membership dropped from 12 to 3 in just one year.  Now call me cynical if you wish, because I am, but a massive defection like that didn’t come about because the price of groceries has gone up.  There’s something wrong going on in the internal affairs of the department to cause that to happen, if it did.

Not every volunteer fire/EMS company is having these problems, though.  Just over a year ago we posted an article about a vol. fire dept. in upstate New York HERE that had a waiting list of applicants so large that they had to change their by-laws to allow for an increased membership roster.  The secret is finding out the real reason why people aren’t showing up to sign up, and then targeting that cause.  Next week I hope to bring you a couple of success stories of VFD’s that are having successful recruiting drives.  And if you have a success story to share also, send me an email telling me about it.

Now let’s get this equipment checked out.  I need to get the coffee started.

Posted by on August 13, 2009 • Filed under: morning lineup, Recruiting
  • B. Morgan

    In a community I know very well the VFD is allways short of volunteers. They have good funding and equipment and a nice station. A number of years ago several women decided to join up. Smart, physical fit and free during the days, when most needed, and aviliable for training. The department created an negative atmosphere that did-not place them on a equal footing with the male members.
    The word got out and the VFD is now shunned by many. One would hope the leadership would see the light and change.

    I worked for a VFD once and despite a thin budget it was well run and created a good work place where all were valued and respected. There was allways a standing list of people wanting to join.

  • B. Morgan

    In a community I know very well the VFD is allways short of volunteers. They have good funding and equipment and a nice station. A number of years ago several women decided to join up. Smart, physical fit and free during the days, when most needed, and aviliable for training. The department created an negative atmosphere that did-not place them on a equal footing with the male members.
    The word got out and the VFD is now shunned by many. One would hope the leadership would see the light and change.

    I worked for a VFD once and despite a thin budget it was well run and created a good work place where all were valued and respected. There was allways a standing list of people wanting to join.

  • firegeezer

    In May of last year we posted this story on how a VFD filled out its daytime roster with stay-at-home moms:
    http://www.firegeezer.com/2008/05/10/are-vfd-recruiters-missing-an-opportunity/

  • firegeezer

    In May of last year we posted this story on how a VFD filled out its daytime roster with stay-at-home moms:
    http://www.firegeezer.com/2008/05/10/are-vfd-recruiters-missing-an-opportunity/

  • Anonymous

    For what it’s worth, here in the middle of Maine, the economy IS the big factor. People who were (paid-on-call) members of the FD have had to curtail their activities and search for second (or even third) jobs to make ends meet. It may sound silly to those outside of New England, but with the dock price of lobster hovering around $2.00 per pound, the lobstermen have been trying to find work — anything, even bagging groceries — to keep up the payments on their boats. And these are not pleasure craft we’re talking about, these are honest-ta-Gawd work boats… dirty, smelly, no creature comforts.

    I’m working two jobs myself. Even though the FD pays better than the second job, we average 3 calls per month (six, if you include EMS), so I have to stick with the regularly-scheduled (and regularly paid) second job instead.

    But FireGeezer is right about the younger generation. The town where I live has a population of less than 1000, and most of those are senior citizens. We have 4 students in the local high school, and fewer than 20 kids in the elementary grades. This means we have very few potential new members, especially when one deducts those with substance-abuse or mental health issues (both of which are endemic here).

    Of the ten active members of our department, I am the second youngest… and I’m 53. Two are on limited duty as a result of injuries (including yours truly). Two of the remaining eight are self-employed builders and the other six have day jobs out of town (there is one business in our town). We can’t rely on stay-at-home moms as Geezer suggests in his comment above, in that we don’t have any… mothers are either working outside the home, or running day cares. In order to provide any sort of reliable coverage, six or seven local towns have instituted an automatic mutual-aid response of ALL departments for structure fires during normal business hours. This gives us the potential of 6-8 pieces of apparatus and — if we’re very lucky– eight to ten firefighters. A fire at a commercial shipyard last year during business hours required twenty-five departments from three counties, just to raise the hundred FFs required to contain and control the blaze. That’s an average of FOUR FFs per department (and due to the size of the fire, many employers released FFs when they wouldn’t otherwise have done so).

    None of the local towns have the tax base to support a paid department, even on a regional basis. We MIGHT be able to staff one station (with one pumper), but the low volume of calls — even regionally — would lead to high turnover as the paid guys went to more active departments.

  • Mr 618

    For what it’s worth, here in the middle of Maine, the economy IS the big factor. People who were (paid-on-call) members of the FD have had to curtail their activities and search for second (or even third) jobs to make ends meet. It may sound silly to those outside of New England, but with the dock price of lobster hovering around $2.00 per pound, the lobstermen have been trying to find work — anything, even bagging groceries — to keep up the payments on their boats. And these are not pleasure craft we’re talking about, these are honest-ta-Gawd work boats… dirty, smelly, no creature comforts.

    I’m working two jobs myself. Even though the FD pays better than the second job, we average 3 calls per month (six, if you include EMS), so I have to stick with the regularly-scheduled (and regularly paid) second job instead.

    But FireGeezer is right about the younger generation. The town where I live has a population of less than 1000, and most of those are senior citizens. We have 4 students in the local high school, and fewer than 20 kids in the elementary grades. This means we have very few potential new members, especially when one deducts those with substance-abuse or mental health issues (both of which are endemic here).

    Of the ten active members of our department, I am the second youngest… and I’m 53. Two are on limited duty as a result of injuries (including yours truly). Two of the remaining eight are self-employed builders and the other six have day jobs out of town (there is one business in our town). We can’t rely on stay-at-home moms as Geezer suggests in his comment above, in that we don’t have any… mothers are either working outside the home, or running day cares. In order to provide any sort of reliable coverage, six or seven local towns have instituted an automatic mutual-aid response of ALL departments for structure fires during normal business hours. This gives us the potential of 6-8 pieces of apparatus and — if we’re very lucky– eight to ten firefighters. A fire at a commercial shipyard last year during business hours required twenty-five departments from three counties, just to raise the hundred FFs required to contain and control the blaze. That’s an average of FOUR FFs per department (and due to the size of the fire, many employers released FFs when they wouldn’t otherwise have done so).

    None of the local towns have the tax base to support a paid department, even on a regional basis. We MIGHT be able to staff one station (with one pumper), but the low volume of calls — even regionally — would lead to high turnover as the paid guys went to more active departments.

  • Steve

    Firehouse politics plays into this problem in a huge way. I had 22 years in as a volunteer FF. EMT and Hazmat tech and one day I got so fed up with the ruling clique and the stupid “head in the sand” attitude that I walked away. I’ve got a college degree in fire science and 8 years exp as a chief officer. That’s a lot of experience that just walked out the door. Fast forward 10 years. I get a call from those very same ruling elders, asking me to come back and save them from extinction because the town had finally given them an ultimatim. Step up response numbers or risk getting closed. Kinda makes you feel good to know you were right all along. It doesnt make the re-building job any easier, but its nice to know you knew what you were talking about. AND it’s encredibly hard to not go in there and say “I TOLD YOU SO!”

    Studies have shown that the average vollie is active just 18 months. Thats just long enough to get them trained before they lose interest or get fed up with the constant demands on their time for training, responding and fund raising.

  • Steve

    Firehouse politics plays into this problem in a huge way. I had 22 years in as a volunteer FF. EMT and Hazmat tech and one day I got so fed up with the ruling clique and the stupid “head in the sand” attitude that I walked away. I’ve got a college degree in fire science and 8 years exp as a chief officer. That’s a lot of experience that just walked out the door. Fast forward 10 years. I get a call from those very same ruling elders, asking me to come back and save them from extinction because the town had finally given them an ultimatim. Step up response numbers or risk getting closed. Kinda makes you feel good to know you were right all along. It doesnt make the re-building job any easier, but its nice to know you knew what you were talking about. AND it’s encredibly hard to not go in there and say “I TOLD YOU SO!”

    Studies have shown that the average vollie is active just 18 months. Thats just long enough to get them trained before they lose interest or get fed up with the constant demands on their time for training, responding and fund raising.

  • firegeezer

    from Steve: “….. or get fed up with the constant demands on their time for training, responding and fund raising.”

    You hit another nail on the head. We’ve mentioned that in the past and the training requirements alone are crushing. We no longer have room for the good soul who just wants to learn the basics and pull a hose line. There are always higher and higher qualifications to be met. OK if you want to work your way up to be a captain and be responsible for making decisions, but not worth it if you just wanted to help out.

    Nor can you just take a basic EMT-A course and then help people stay alive long enough to survive the trip to the hospital. Now the medical establishment wants the volunteer to be a paramedic and do junior doctor stuff out there. Not many people are able to give up the entire weekend every week for a year to take paramedic training. So we have ambulance squads withering up and dying.

    It’s getting to where communities are limited to two choices: Either go paid – not always possible because of the cost – or do without and wait 20 or 30 minutes for an ambulance or fire engine to arrive from a population center somewhere. How about having a choice #3? Such as basic training again to allow eager-but-limited members to fill the empty seats? It’s debateable either way.

  • firegeezer

    from Steve: “….. or get fed up with the constant demands on their time for training, responding and fund raising.”

    You hit another nail on the head. We’ve mentioned that in the past and the training requirements alone are crushing. We no longer have room for the good soul who just wants to learn the basics and pull a hose line. There are always higher and higher qualifications to be met. OK if you want to work your way up to be a captain and be responsible for making decisions, but not worth it if you just wanted to help out.

    Nor can you just take a basic EMT-A course and then help people stay alive long enough to survive the trip to the hospital. Now the medical establishment wants the volunteer to be a paramedic and do junior doctor stuff out there. Not many people are able to give up the entire weekend every week for a year to take paramedic training. So we have ambulance squads withering up and dying.

    It’s getting to where communities are limited to two choices: Either go paid – not always possible because of the cost – or do without and wait 20 or 30 minutes for an ambulance or fire engine to arrive from a population center somewhere. How about having a choice #3? Such as basic training again to allow eager-but-limited members to fill the empty seats? It’s debateable either way.

  • http://www.twitter.com/neilmcd Neil

    Another factor is the lack of leadership in fire departments generally. When you factor in the shrinking numbers of volunteers, the ones that are chosen to be leaders are often the ones who never would have been considered previously.

    Some folks say good leaders are born. I think this is only partially true. Some people are great at getting people to follow them…and then nothing ever happens. People need to be trained to be effective leaders, either by experience or by design.

    Leadership development programs (training, thoughts, practices, etc.) should at least help the leaders of today and tomorrow understand the impact they have on recruitment and retention.

    -N

  • http://www.twitter.com/neilmcd Neil

    Another factor is the lack of leadership in fire departments generally. When you factor in the shrinking numbers of volunteers, the ones that are chosen to be leaders are often the ones who never would have been considered previously.

    Some folks say good leaders are born. I think this is only partially true. Some people are great at getting people to follow them…and then nothing ever happens. People need to be trained to be effective leaders, either by experience or by design.

    Leadership development programs (training, thoughts, practices, etc.) should at least help the leaders of today and tomorrow understand the impact they have on recruitment and retention.

    -N