Volunteer Fire Departments Struggle with Recruitment, Try New Strategies

(KNSI) — It’s no secret that fire departments, especially ones that rely on volunteers, have been struggling with recruitment, so they are leaning on advertisements and targeted messaging to boost their depleted ranks.

Chief Brett Anderson of the Mora Area Fire Department says he has 31 firefighters on call and fortunately just hit full staff thanks to ads and emphasizing a sense of camaraderie. He adds that dedication is at the heart of the profession and technical skills alone aren’t enough. “You gotta get the training, you gotta get the education. You gotta do that stuff so that you know what you’re doing when the pager goes off. But if you have the most qualified firefighter in the world, but he doesn’t have the passion, or she doesn’t have the passion to go to a call at 3:00 o’clock in the morning, [it] doesn’t matter how good they are at their job.”

Anderson feels the “family” selling point of becoming a firefighter has dissipated over the years, and re-establishing it can be a word-of-mouth tool to attract applicants. He did note that other area departments are struggling with their staffing levels, which could lead to longer response times for mutual aid.

Waverly Fire Chief Ben Duske says his department is short-staffed, but one positive development has been the rise of remote work, allowing community members to pause their full-time jobs to hop on a truck when that pager sounds. “We have three or four people that are on our department that are able to respond to daytime calls, which is a huge benefit.”

Jim McCoy is the chief of the Austin Fire Department and said that, beyond the money volunteer firefighters get for going on a call, there’s a psychological benefit. “You help people in their worst times on their worst day.”

For anyone interested in joining their local department, click here.

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