Recently I attended a state firefighter organization's meeting. Its attendees were like those of any typical county or state meeting: mostly gentlemen and a few ladies, and very few if any of the attendees were under age 50. Often at these meetings, I'm tempted to raise my hand and say, “Welcome to the geriatric fire service,” but the temptation passed and business proceeded. But I did keep asking myself where the younger members of the fire service were. The business presented would affect them more and for longer than those in attendance.

Toward the end of the meeting, the answer to this question came through loud and clear. A very senior member of the fire service with a growl-like voice and a cantankerous facial expression rose to speak. He asked why the association was spending money on winter games that included tobogganing, biathlon shooting, broomball and bobsledding — events open to firefighters, auxiliaries, Explorers, firefighter youths and all their families. “What do these events have to do with firefighting? What will happen if the press finds out about this?” I had the feeling that he had the support of the other firefighters in the room.

Two organization officials stood up and mumbled a rather apologetic answer that the idea of the event was to bring firefighters and their families together and instill pride in them in a friendly competition. This answer really didn't get much reaction from those assembled.

One audience member finally stood up and showed his support. Everything he had been reading in the organization's literature was that they were going to devote this year to recruitment and retention, he said, and what better recruitment and retention activity can one ask for. He added that this would be one way to reach a common goal of getting more young people involved in the fire service, and the chairman of the meeting said that he couldn't agree more. These statements seemed to pacify the audience.

Have NFPA standards, OSHA requirements and training to be everything to everyone taken the heart out of the fire service? Is the morale of the fire service hurting because of the press and our litigious society? Has it taken the fun out of the fire service? Maybe I'm being presumptuous. Should fun be part of the fire service? Is the fire service too solemn, with such an awesome responsibility to the community that it doesn't have time for fun, or is fun just inappropriate for such a dignified community service organization?

I don't believe so. It's the duty and responsibility of emergency services organization leaders to realize that good clean fun is essential to a well-functioning organization. Involving young and old firefighters with department officers in activities that are designed for the sole purpose of enjoyment and camaraderie can only be beneficial.

Such activities will go a long way in reviving the interest of young people in the fire service. It's often said that young people today aren't like young people were years ago, but in fact they are the same. The same thoughts and feelings are present; they are just manifested differently. These people also are very intelligent, and therefore they can't be told to do things without being given a logical reason why. They can't be treated the same way rookies were treated years ago, at least not if you intend to keep them around and interested.

The young people today are the Sesame Street generation. They have a different attention span because of such things as video games. Activity and constant change is essential. Doing fun, interesting and challenging activities will definitely improve the odds of getting younger members more involved in other essential activities such as training. Some of these fun events can even be a new and enjoyable approach to training objectives. It just takes a little creativity and inventiveness, as well as keeping one's eyes and ears open for new and different ideas to offer activities that will vastly improve morale. And like training, these activities also should be varied rather than just the same old picnic, at least not like the picnic that has been done over and over again.

If these activities are good clean fun, there's no worry about litigation, especially if the organization's administration can show the overall benefit of these activities and can obtain the proper insurance.

Adding family activities also will bring a tremendous amount of tangible and intangible benefits to the organization. Also, inviting the public to attend as either spectators or participants will help you get the most value from these activities. The majority of the public is behind the fire department.

This recently was demonstrated on Long Island, when a local newspaper set out to expose the volunteer fire departments in its area. They talked about some of the non — fire-matic activities that these departments did and how much those activities cost, along with many other derogatory comments in an eight-day exposé. When the series was concluded, the newspaper took a poll to see how effective it was in harming the local fire departments. The results of the poll were overwhelmingly in favor of the fire departments, and the newspaper took a real bad hit. The public does not mind if their local fire department has some fun occasionally.

Every member of the department is responsible for a successful operation, and that includes recruitment and retention. It takes the combined effort of personnel, good leaders and active members to make a winning team. Good, clean fun goes a long way to promote such involvement.

Don't let your department get so lost in NFPA standards, OSHA requirements and training that your members get lost and morale suffers. The public doesn't mind if its local department has fun, and the possible threat of litigation should not stop you from doing it, especially if your department is properly prepared. Fun is a valuable part of the fire service and it has been for years. Don't take yourself so seriously that you eliminate it — lighten up.

Chief Mike Chiaramonte, CFO, is a 40-year member of the Lynbrook (N.Y.) Fire Department and a past chief of the department. He's currently the chief fire inspector, where he's responsible for code enforcement and prevention education. Chiaramonte was a past chairman and board member of the IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section Board and president of the IAFC Eastern Division. He's also a National Fire Academy Instructor and an adviser to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Chiaramonte is a state EMT-B and an instructor at the Nassau County EMS Academy. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston and a master's degree from Hofstra University, both in communications education.