Regardless of your interpretation of combination departments, retention is the one factor that is probably consistent to every type of fire service organization.

Some organizations might have problems recruiting folks in the first place, but unless you're starting a brand-new organization, looking for new recruits is much easier if you have a plan to retain personnel. So how do you keep the personnel you have? At the combination department where I'm the chief, we have full-time, part-time and volunteer personnel. Our situation isn't unique, but how we manage the system might be. Our plan strikes at the heart of old volunteer philosophies and isn't overly popular in many regions.

I've spent almost 30 years working with these types of organizations, and without a doubt, the Truckee program was the most painful one to achieve, yet the most successful after implementation.

Changing philosophies

To understand how we hire and organize our personnel, you first need to understand where we've been.

This fire department was organized in 1894 as a volunteer department. At some point the job became too demanding and a paid chief evolved, followed by a fire marshal and a mechanic/firefighter.

In 1988 we took over the provision of an Advanced Life Support ambulance service and gained career firefighter/paramedics. The division between the new career personnel and old volunteers was broadening, so the part-time employee, or paid-call firefighter, was introduced.

We now have 28 career, 13 paid-call and three volunteer firefighters. As you can imagine, the demographics of our community and the type of person volunteering changed, as did the expectations of the fire department. We now respond to 2,200 calls per year.

Until my tenure as chief, volunteers were recruited through sponsorship of a current member and inducted by a vote of the total membership. Access to career positions was a bit foggy and very inconsistent in nature, and the retention system was based on camaraderie. In this department that meant monthly dinner meetings with card games, an open bar available at all times to members, the ability to select which call type you responded to, golf tournaments, picnics and a place to hang with the boys. Alcohol played a major role in all situations, and female personnel weren't on the scene until 1992.

I will begrudgingly admit that this volunteer recruiting method was very successful, and by all indications the retention rate was high. Upon my arrival in 1995 there were many volunteers on the department who had been with the organization for more than 30 years. The dinner meetings were attended by almost every member, and camaraderie was extremely high.

There were problems, however. Although the retention level was high, the kind of people being retained weren't ideal. These people weren't effective firefighters in any sense of the word, and they belonged to the organization for the social benefits it offered — firefighting opportunities being an extra, exciting bonus.

I decided to create an atmosphere that attracted a smaller segment of the population, but one that was dedicated to the primary mission of the fire department. This change in philosophy resulted in the loss of all the old veterans and the elimination of alcohol and frivolous engagements, and instead rewarded the dedicated firefighter. We implemented a system that placed the emphasis on quality and became willing to accept a reduction in quantity.

The painful part of the process was burying a fun tradition and coping with the political fallout from within the fire department community. Three members of my five-member board were ex-volunteers from this system. The positive outcome is that we now have a smaller but more powerful contingent of career, part-time and volunteer employees. The side benefits are the amount of money we saved on personal protective gear for less serious employees, a reduction in our general liability and compensation insurance, and an untold increase in respect from the community.

Hiring criteria

We believe that the key to retaining employees is allowing them to maintain a feeling of self worth to attain a level of personal expertise. That said, we also maintain a paramilitary structure that has clear expectations and levels of ability that must be demonstrated throughout the person's tenure. This process starts at the recruitment stage and continues throughout the person's career with the fire district. Our candidates start at entry level and end with a career assignment.

When we accept applications for firefighter positions, we treat the applicants as if they were competing for a full-time job. It ensures that they are committed to the program, and as a reward we hire from our part-time/volunteer staff exclusively.

On Jan. 1 of any given year we start our hiring process. The candidate fills out an application that includes a writing exercise. Successful applicants are invited to a comprehensive interview process with a panel. Because the remainder of the candidates' appraisal process requires physical agility, the top 10 candidates from the interview are sent to a mandatory medical examination, including drug test, at an Occupational Safety & Health Administration office.

The remaining candidates are then invited to a physical agility exercise. To pass the test they must complete a fire service agility course within an allotted time. A nurse and paramedics monitor all candidates during the drill. Those who pass then can attend the North Tahoe Training Officers three-month academy, which is offered two nights each week and on Saturdays. Upon completion of the academy, they must earn a passing score of 80% and have all basic minimum required training and a Firefighter I certificate. After that they can start May 1 on a one-year probationary period as a volunteer.

Probationary employees are referred to as volunteers because they don't receive compensation. They are assigned under a career shift and must attend at least six drill sessions per quarter and work a minimum amount of shifts per month. They receive quarterly performance reports from their shift officers, and at the end of one year they can choose to become part-time employees, receiving hourly compensation for their time. Their immediate supervisors are their designated shift captains, and they're assigned career firefighters who will be their mentors. At the successful completion of the one-year probation, the firefighter can choose to become a part-time employee or remain a volunteer.

Part-time positions are basically paid-call firefighters. They still are required to attend a minimum number of drills quarterly and must work a minimum number of shifts per month.

At the time they become paid-call firefighters they must get their ambulance drivers certificate to be allowed to drive our ambulances. If they attend Operator IA and IB and pass the required driving programs, they may operate various fire apparatus. At this point they have the option of competing for career positions within the department.

We augment our weekend staffing with paid-call firefighters, and they also are used to cover open shifts behind career staff. Many become paramedics during this time. The district sponsors a minimum of two paid-call firefighters per year into the paramedic program through a competitive application process.

Personnel may compete for career firefighter positions after a minimum of three years as paid-call firefighters, meaning they'll have a full four years within the organization. They apply for the position and compete in a two-day process that includes interviews, writing exercises, group presentations, leaderless group exercise and skills demonstrations. These candidates are placed on a hiring list and offered positions according to their numeric rank as positions become available. The list is generally active for two years, before the process is repeated.

Organizational structure

Any business requires an organizational chart — a flow chart that outlines how information moves up and down.

In a paramilitary organization it's simple: There's a pyramid with the governing board on top that widens out to shifts at the bottom. Some combination departments choose to ignore unity of command and have parallel or mirror organizations for each entity. For instance, an organization might have a volunteer fire chief and a career fire chief with various ranks down the line on both sides. This phenomenon has evolved over time.

Nearly all combination departments started out as volunteer, and career staff was added as the need for organization developed. Throughout this evolution, both organizations maintained their ranking system. For a time departments maintain this system out of organizational need, but eventually the organizational need ceases to exist and the dual ranking system becomes political.

Unity of command dictates that each of us deserves a sole supervisor. The parallel system of management doesn't provide this, so it should be discontinued. In mirror situations the ranking system belongs with the career staff.

Not to minimize the value of the volunteer fire service, but career personnel are paid and expected to make hard decisions, and this is just one of many. In this case, volunteer personnel should act as chiefs or company officers when no other option is available. The volunteer fire chief becomes president of the volunteer organization, and all other volunteer and paid-call firefighters are considered firefighters. They are assigned to a shift and report to the designated shift captain.

Organization of command has everything to do with retention. A good firefighting organization that exhibits leadership and follows a distinct chain of command will attract people who want that type of structure in their lives, and those types of people are the best firefighters. Otherwise, career firefighters won't follow orders from a volunteer and the volunteer firefighters won't follow the orders of a career officer. The politics in the station will invade the fireground, and the final result will be dead firefighters or, at best, a lousy job of mitigating incidents.

I mentioned that this process is painful. Burying this myth hidden in the strong tradition of firefighting is a must in combination departments. It's not easy and it's not popular.

Motivation

Although this department places significant emphasis on organizational structure, we also have some fun. We have maintained a non-profit entity known as Truckee Fire Inc., and all personnel in the department are members. When I first became chief of the department, career members were excluded, yet the community perception was that all department members were involved in the group.

Including all personnel in the group has minimized the abyss between paid and non-paid personnel and allows us to do fund-raising and receive donations. The group sponsors a July 4 pancake feed and an annual $2,000 scholarship for a local high school graduate going into emergency services. The board of directors also sponsors an annual appreciation dinner and golf tournament for all past and present employees.

Many departments have retention problems simply from lack of emergency activity. Keeping busy always keeps employees motivated. In addition to the routine calls, we allow our department to be an active member in the state mutual aid system, which results in numerous assignments in California and Nevada for major fires. We also allow our personnel to be part of a Type II incident management team in the region and get involved in regional issues.

The area we operate in demands skills in all aspects of fire and rescue, including dive team, ice rescue, high-angle rescue and hazmat response. Paramedic skills are required for a career position, and outside training is available to all who ask for it. All of our employees are encouraged to become proficient at any and all of the skills available in the disciplines we work in. The emphasis is skills-oriented for better performance on the job, and the people we draw into the process excel in this environment.

We also maintain a small retirement program that basically is structured as a deferred 401(k) for our paid-call personnel. Our full-time personnel enjoy the standard endless benefits enjoyed by most career personnel. Along that line, you can't imagine how many times I say, “I'm sorry you didn't choose an occupation that enjoys the salaries and benefits of a firefighter.”

Our system brings a new twist to combination department retention issues. I realize our system is just that — our system. I felt compelled to share the Truckee Fire Protection District's program purely because of our evolving success and partly because of my disappointment in the activities that occur in other areas solely to retain personnel.

So many of the traditions within the fire service that were enjoyed in the past are unacceptable now, and they hurt us all when we need local and regional support. You may think your community supports your activities, but when and if you change, you'll learn otherwise.

If you have to push non-fire department programs to retain firefighters, you need to look closely at the message this behavior sends, your interpretation of your mission and your standing in your community. You may have heard the old fire service described as 100 years of tradition unhindered by progress. It's time to make a change; you might be surprised.

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A 30-year fire service veteran, Michael Terwilliger is chief of the Truckee (Calif.) Fire Protection District and the incident commander of the Sierra Front Incident Management Team.