When asked what his or her biggest challenge is, every volunteer fire service leader will answer, “getting more quality volunteers.” Some services, however, spend more time discussing the paint scheme of their new fire truck than developing, implementing and evaluating a method to increase volunteer members. In many services, recruitment would be a lesser issue if they could only retain good volunteers. Still other services leaders have given up actively recruiting. They appear resigned to the fact that there are no more volunteers in their community.

Haste makes waste

The issues of recruitment and retention of volunteers are inexorably linked to the issue of community support. People generally do not join organizations that they believe are about to “go under,” or have poor reputations.

Along with a service's community image, the present members' recruiting actions have the largest effect on attracting new volunteers. People like to work with those who they deem to be honest, stimulating, understanding and competent; everything possible should be done to portray volunteers in that light. Services should provide business cards for members so that “spontaneous” recruiting can be done more skillfully.

Many recruitment efforts are put together quickly in response to a sudden loss of personnel. Typically, a department hastily prepares an article and provides it to the local newspaper for publishing. If the article attracts someone's attention, there usually isn't any prepared written information that can be provided to the potential recruit that explains the service's mission, requirements and the like. What often does occur is that the potential recruit is directed to an existing member for more information. A meeting then occurs at the service headquarters, but often has little structure to it, resulting in inconsistent messages.

This point in the recruitment process is critical. It's at this point that the potential member decides whether he or she wishes to be associated with the service. All too often the potential member receives a disjointed or incomplete message and, as a result, hesitates to fill out the membership application that has just been thrust into his or her hand.

For the ones that do sign on, the first few weeks are crucial. Is training conveniently available or must they drive 30 miles to a training course that starts three months from now? Does it take three months for membership approval? These delays often cause new members to say to themselves, “It appears they do not need or want me very badly.”

There are three distinct elements within the volunteer recruitment process: planning, selling and “closing the deal.”

Service analysis

The planning process needs to begin with an analysis of the service and the community. The planning process may take weeks or months, depending on the amount of time members can devote. The service analysis will result in several resource materials being developed.

The information sheet will list the service's mission, responsibilities, methods, needs, and contact phone number or open-house times for additional information. These information sheets will be used in general and target meetings, handed out during open houses, provided in “welcome wagon” packets, provided to other community groups for distribution, handed out when service “ambassadors” speak at community gatherings, and for spontaneous recruitment.

A more detailed description of the service also needs to be developed. This several-page booklet should also include the service's history, requirements, training opportunities, membership benefits, an application form, a calendar with meeting and training dates, day-care opportunities and outside testimonials. This booklet would be provided to people who respond to the initial canvassing and will help ensure the message going out to potential members is complete and consistent.

All these prepared resource documents may need to be styled accordingly for the target group that is being focused on. For example, the detailed booklet will look different and contain different benefits or photos depending on the audience. The booklet for recruiting young members will look different from the ones going to the service club members.

Job descriptions for each position to be filled also need to be created. These descriptions provide the potential member with an idea of the tasks, reporting structure and evaluation process. The volunteer service must be flexible enough so that a member need not be a firefighter to help out with, for example, financial matters. Ensure that all service documents are high quality, not third generation copies that contain spelling or grammatical errors.

The community analysis is the other essential aspect of the planning required in recruiting/retaining volunteers. This analysis will describe and identify the important aspects and elements in the community that must be part of the recruitment program. For example, to what organizations can the service provide “ambassadors” to deliver the recruitment message? These would include churches, synagogues, schools, civic, businesses, retired worker groups and the like.

The service ambassador typically provides these groups with the recruitment message and distributes the one-page informational sheet. Likewise, the community employers are identified and approached for assistance in distributing informational sheets to employees. Employers also should be asked if they would allow employees to leave work for major calls. This type of cooperation is more likely in communities that have low call volumes.

The community analysis also includes developing a list of media contacts that will be used to communicate the service's message. This list may include local and school newspapers, pennysavers, radio, TV, and employee and church newsletters — the same resources as those used in developing and maintaining community support. These contacts need to be done face-to-face rather than simply being mailed. Services also need to not overlook the use of posters and billboards or even grocery bag messages. County and state fire offices should have prepared artwork that can be used.

Selling & closing

Once the service has prepared the preceding resources and contacts, it is time for the message to be delivered — the selling.

The selling is made easy if the planning process has gone well. Person-to-person recruiting is probably the most common and can be persuasive. Persuasiveness can be enhanced if the present member has been prepared and can provide quality follow-up material to the potential member. Some members who join are recent customers of the service. Along with customer satisfaction surveys, recruitment materials can be sent out to certain recent users of the fire department.

During a group presentation, the service needs to use an accomplished speaker. While local groups are not expecting an orator, they do expect to hear a well-prepared message delivered in an honest, clear and concise manner. The use of visual aids can enhance the delivery if used properly. Piloting this presentation on a small group first will be advantageous.

Once the service delivers the recruitment message to the community and to individuals, it must be prepared to properly handle the people who have responded, or to close the deal.

The planning phase of the recruitment process should have created a simple worksheet for use on the telephone. The call should not be a 30-minute dialogue, but a concise conversation that leads to the scheduling of an interview. Of course the prospect's name, address and phone number are correctly recorded, as well as any previous training and experience. The prospect also should be asked which position(s) they are interested in.

With this basic information, an interview is scheduled and confirmed in writing. The service can select the best member for the interview, based on the prospect's interests and background. This is also a good opportunity to send the additional prepared booklet regarding the service to the prospect.

The one-on-one interview also should have some prepared structure to it. A checklist may be needed to ensure all-important items are discussed. The interview is most appropriately conducted at the service headquarters. The headquarters itself must send the correct message. Nothing but a clean facility will do. If volunteers won't clean the headquarters, then the service needs to pay someone to do it. The interview should be informal but organized and free from interruptions or distractions.

Sticking to the checklist and becoming “obsessed with listening” is important. This active listening needs to include the assessment of the prospect's background, desires and needs. The service's interview checklist should have near the end a question whether the prospect would like to join the service. If “yes” is the case, then the interviewer can move on to the steps needed to accomplish membership. Once the prospect “signs on”, the service must continue to pay individual attention to the person.

Afterthoughts

Many services make the mistake of believing the battle is over when the new people are enrolled. They are sadly mistaken, for retaining good members is perhaps the most important job in managing a volunteer fire department.

In some services, the time period between the prospect signing on and gaining membership is much too long. This causes many new members to wonder how much they are actually needed. Every opportunity needs to be extended to the recruit to get him or her involved immediately. While placing them in the rescue truck on the next call is inappropriate, they could be placed on an active committee or immediately enrolled in some form of training. Many services successfully use a buddy-system, in which the new member is paired up with an existing member. This can smooth out the orientation period for the new member.

We have seen that the recruiting process is made up of three distinct elements: planning, selling and closing. The success of the recruiting process is dependent on all three elements being in place and properly managed. All too often, volunteer fire services spend a minimum amount of time, effort and money in this area. This results in low membership, which increases the responsibilities of each existing member, which often leads to members leaving the service. Remembering that retention efforts should start the minute the prospect signs up will help tremendously.

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Ted Halpin is an extension support specialist for Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y, and the co-founder of the university's FARMEDIC program, which has been training rural fire-rescue personnel in farm emergencies since 1981. Halpin has 24 years of volunteer and career fire, rescue and EMS experience. He holds undergraduate degrees in agriculture and fire protection and a master's degree in public administration. Halpin also is a member of the FIRE CHIEF editorial advisory board.