Recruitment and Retention are Local Problems

 

During February and March 0f 2021, the Fourth National Fire Research Agenda Symposium was held virtually. With key national fire service professionals and scientists engaged in the project, it was an excellent approach to gaining nation-wide insight into key areas of fire service operation and needed research. One domain dealt specifically with Hiring Recruitment and Advancement (a/k/a) Recruitment and Retention and the FASP SAFER Grant Project was able to have its program director on that domain.

When looking at the present and future of recruitment and retention, it is important to consider research that needs to be accomplished to keep pace with being able to effectively communicate with those that we reach out to as potential members or try to keep as members.

Our populations and demographics, in most communities, are changing. Are you able to communicate with a more diverse community? Does your organization look like your community (male/female, ethnic/cultural, age); and if not how will you move toward a more inclusive organization? Have you identified any barriers to recruitment? Are your messages effective? How does the community perceive the fire department? Are you still recruiting by waiting for people to come to you? If you have not addressed these issues, it may explain why your recruitment programs are not working. You MUST know your audience you are recruiting from.

When you look at your ability or lack of ability to retain members, have you identified barriers and facilitators to retention efforts, the role training and funding play in retention, as well as inclusiveness and mentorship as critical roles to keeping personnel in your organizations.

Finally, leadership (informal and formal) is critical to recruitment and retention success including motivating members, training members, and leading members for the betterment of the public’s protection.

How does this relate to you locally…..these are global issues but also local. The most important factor to keep in mind in recruiting fire and EMS personnel is that:

Recruit Through Public Engagement

 

Since the Inception of the Firefighter’s Association of the State of Pennsylvania SAFER Grant Recruitment and Retention project, we have helped fund and learned of many successful recruiting efforts through public engagement efforts.

 

Successful public engagement efforts in Pennsylvania have included the following:

• Opening the fire station to the public during fire prevention week, for visits
• Participating in Community Days with a table/booth/recruitment tent
• Attending high school and local college events with a table for recruitment
• Participating with other organizations at their sponsored events with a recruitment effort
• Going out into public venues to provide fire prevention programs, recruiting at the same time
• Working with local police departments on National Night Out events

 

Of course, there is also the social media route where options for engagement abound. The key is knowing which sites may produce results.

 

You are encouraged to visit www.becomeapafirefighter.com to learn more about successful efforts, but remember this:  There are two key challenges to public engagement success (1) how do you make the public aware of the opportunities you offer, and (2) how do you impress upon them the value of their public service.

 

Public engagement works when trying to recruit new members. Public engagement efforts take time, resources, funds, and personal involvement. Many times you cannot do it with existing members, and the Chief can’t take this added role on. Look outside your Successes are evident, it takes you to initiate the program and achieve the success.

How Others Are Doing It

 

It’s not stealing, it’s not borrowing, it’s not cheating…..it is collaboration. Seeing what others are doing to communicate in a virtual world and inserting your material into a similar format is an easy way to learn from other successful programs, will take less time than creating original approaches, and most importantly – gain success faster.

 

What are we talking about? Very simply, how are other fire departments using their virtual platforms to recruit and retain members. Let’s look at some examples;

 

Fire departments have taken lessons from election candidates. Use banners, yard signs and similar advertising like politicians do, to seek members. You may even be able to post them where election candidates do at high visibility locations. Send articles, photos and videos to media outlets – be selfish, put your organization in the public eye.

 

Legacy recruiting (through your families and close friends) doesn’t work anymore. Departments successful in recruiting are finding new friends in facebook, Instagram, their website and you-tube.

 

Finally, departments that have implemented community risk reduction programs need to access the public for complete success of their initiatives. In today’s world gathering neighborhood groups together in a single location at a single time just doesn’t work. To overcome this obstacle, departments have implemented Zoom (or other group video communication platforms they may have) to conduct neighborhood meetings. You can do the same with a fire prevention message, coupled with a short story highly one of your volunteers, coupled with a recruitment message. The beauty of this approach is that it can be viewed not just by the community group, homeowner association group, public service group, etc., but it can be recorded and accessed by anyone in the community.

 

Stay relevant, collaborate with other users (businesses and civic groups, and constantly recruit with and across all venues we discussed above.

 

Successes are evident, it takes you to initiate the program and achieve the success.

The Firefighters Association of the State of Pennsylvania (FASP) is pleased to announce the 2022 Local Level SAFER Grant Program is available as of 10/1/21.

 

Applications can be made (electronically only) at

 

www.becomeapafirefighter.com

 

The program is available on a first-come first-served QUALIFIED submissions basis. Your organization (if receive funding) can be granted up to $5,000, for RECRUITMENT efforts only.

 

If you have questions on what may qualify, submit a question through the website.

                                                          FASP 2021 Recruitment and Retention

                                                          Local Level Grant Program Initiative

                                                          Summary of Activities & Results

                                                          And 2022 Grant Announcement

 

The  Firefighters Association of the State of Pennsylvania Recruitment and Retention program activities are quite broad and comprehensive and include:

Website management & updating. The site www.becomeapafirefighter.com; includes:

• Successful programs in PA
• News articles of relevance to Recruitment and Retention
• Powerpoint and video training in Recruitment and Retention

–     Links to other R&R websites

• Location for grant submission

–     Ask a question capability

Monthly Recruitment and Retention “Tip of the Month”

Presentations and training are conducted around the state

Questions are answered and guidance provided about R&R

A Local Level Grant Program is available.

 

The Fireman’s Association of the State of Pennsylvania (FASP) offered recruitment grants to fire and EMS agencies in Pennsylvania as part of a comprehensive SAFER Grant. Details include, by accepting this grant, the agency hereby agrees to provide a report to the Fireman’s Associations of the State of Pennsylvania Grant Program Administrator or funds will be returned to the Association.

 

Grants were awarded for fire/EMS agencies who want to customize and implement the core recruitment marketing and advertising materials and projects developed by FASP. The funds can be used to customize the materials based on local recruitment issues as well as to pay for printing costs associated with the materials.

 

2021 Grant recipients and their programs are as follows:

Blue Rock Fire District in Lancaster County used $4,992 to create and implement a digital marketing campaign to recruit high school and local college students. The campaign used digital media advertising that targeted phones and social media platforms. 10 new firefighters were recruiting and one new administrative member was recruited.

Boothwyn Volunteer Fire Company in Upper Chichester Township, Delaware County, used $5,000 to create three videos to use through social media and engaged a mail order firm to mail recruitment