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Lino Lakes, Minnesota – Fire Department Analysis Page 33 <br /> <br />tool that should be used in your recruitment efforts.) All interested persons are immediately contacted by <br />a volunteer recruiter from the fire/rescue department (within 24 hours). An appointment is set up and <br />each candidate gets a briefing on the potential job, a scheduled ride along is arranged and an application is <br />filled out. The key is to keep candidate interest high, and identify how best to use the talents of new <br />members so they stay motivated and involved. LLFD can certainly use this coordinated system to <br />increase volunteer opportunities. <br /> <br />Retention – While people join volunteer fire/rescue departments for many reasons, retention issues boil <br />down to two distinct reasons: problems that arise in one’s life and factors relating to the individual fire <br />department or the fire service itself. To retain new and current members, volunteer departments must <br />display four essential characteristics that address these two root problems with volunteer retention: <br /> <br />• The program must meet the individual’s needs <br />• The program must provide its membership with reward and recognition <br />• The program must provide adequate supervision and leadership <br />• The program must challenge its members <br /> <br />Any recruitment or retention programs to be considered must take into account the four aforementioned <br />characteristics that must be present in a quality fire/rescue program. The Apple Valley Fire Chief noted <br />that his department hasn’t had to hire a new firefighter for nearly five years; he attributes that success to <br />“paying close attention to morale and clearly laying our expectations” before he hires someone. The City <br />of Lakeville also gets spouses involved, as they recognize the impacts that being a volunteer fire fighter <br />bring to their family. <br /> <br />There are numerous professional organizations that have developed model programs that can be used in <br />recruitment and retention efforts. There is no reason to “reinvent the wheel” where proven programs exist <br />to assist volunteer fire/rescue organizations with these matters. The National Volunteer Fire Council at <br />www.nvfc.org has a number of quality programs and provides assistance that can help this program get <br />started. Assistance can also be obtained through the Federal Emergency Management Association <br />(FEMA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) at www.usfa.fema.gov. Both of these organizations <br />have published numerous free reports on Recruitment and Retention among the Volunteer Fire Service <br /> <br />Volunteer Incentives and Recognition – Incentive and recognition programs are very important for fire <br />and rescue volunteers. Given the enormous time demands, training demands, and personal risks, it is easy <br />for volunteers to burn out and quit after only a few years of service. Incentives and recognition programs <br />are essential components to maintaining a strong cadre of experienced volunteers and to prevent a <br />revolving door situation. For the equivalent loaded salary cost of one career firefighter, a great deal of <br />recognition, incentive, and recruiting programs for volunteers can be implemented. <br /> <br />Many local governments across the nation have strengthened their incentive programs for volunteer <br />firefighters. The cost of incentives is small and economically justifiable if they help recruit and retain <br />volunteers and forestall hiring more career employees. As we all know, volunteers in the fire and rescue <br />service today are the first line defenders for any type of emergency or disaster. <br /> <br />Station Live-in Programs – One of the strongest incentive programs for volunteers, particularly younger <br />volunteers, is the station live-in program. Individual volunteer departments can establish minimum <br />39