The Fire Corps is the result of a partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Volunteer and Combination Officers Section, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council and the U.S. Fire Administration. Its mission is to help career, volunteer and combination fire departments ease staffing shortfalls by recruiting “citizen advocates” to help. The NVFC coordinates and houses the administrative offices of Fire Corps at its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Fire Corps is a program partner of Citizen Corps, the presidential effort to involve everyone in making communities safer, stronger and better prepared for emergencies.

Shawn Stokes is the director of Fire Corps, which officially launched on Dec. 9.

Tell us about your background. I understand you are a second-generation member of the fire service yourself.

My father has been in the fire service for 35 years as a fire marshal and as a fire chief, several of those as chief of Mercer Road Volunteer Fire Company in Butler, Pa. When he went on calls, I often went with him — so I've basically grown up in a firehouse. When I graduated from college with degrees in business and operations, I was looking for a way to become part of the community I moved to, so I went back to what I knew best from growing up. In the last six years, I have become a medic and president of the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department in Fairfax County, Va.

What exactly is the Fire Corps, and how will it work?

Fire Corps is an exciting new program to help fire departments expand on programs they have or to create new programs to bring interested citizens who want to give their time and talents to the fire service in non-operational roles. We have a new Web site at www.firecorps.org where fire departments can register and be listed as having Fire Corps programs. Citizens can use the site to search for Fire Corps opportunities at their local fire departments and to learn about the program. In addition to the online database, Fire Corps will offer a series of resources, including marketing materials, a technical resource guide, and a means to interact with other Fire Corps programs to exchange ideas and information.

What roles will USFA, VCOS, IAFF and NVFC play?

As the lead federal agency, USFA provides oversight and direction to the program, manages the funding stream and is actively involved in the National Advisory Committee. VCOS, IAFF and NVFC all have important roles to play, be it in program coordination, development of technical resources or working to promote the program to their members. With each partner's constituent base being very different, it allows us to present the program through the efforts of the partners in ways that makes sense for each. The program benefits and concerns of an urban all-career department are different then those of a rural all-volunteer department. With the cooperation between the partners in developing and distributing materials for Fire Corps, we intend for the program to assist all operational fire service organizations.

What exactly is a “citizen advocate”? Who will define that role in the fire department and in fire department's activities?

A citizen advocate is a member of the public who assists your fire service organization in some non-operational role. Examples of these roles include, but are not limited to, administrative functions, life-safety education, fund-raising, canteen services, public relations, and apparatus and facility maintenance. A teacher or retired teacher might be involved in life-safety education; a writer could help the department with writing press releases; maybe a mechanic can help out in the shops. Their role as a member of Fire Corps will be defined by the individual fire departments, according to their needs.

Is there any risk that Fire Corps volunteers might cause any firefighters to lose their jobs?

No, the intent of the program is to bring citizens into the fire departments to supplement firefighters by performing non-operational support tasks, thus freeing up the time of the firefighters to accomplish the tasks they are primarily trained to do — fight fires and save lives.

How has the response been going?

It's been great! In the first five days, we've signed up 50 fire departments.

How can local chiefs get Fire Corps support for their department?

Local chiefs can learn more, ask questions and register their departments online at www.firecorps.org or contact our office at 202-887-4809.