Retention and Recruitment for the Volunteer Emergency Services

• improve “customer service”;
Retention & Recruitment for the Volunteer Emergency Services: Challenges & Solutions 4
• keep political leaders informed about the department’s progress and problems; and
• encourage political leaders and other community organizations to hold town meetings
at the fire station.
Pride in the uniform
Many departments promote a positive image by encouraging members to wear their
uniform in public, and requiring that uniforms be worn at prominent local functions.
For example, a department can require its members to wear dress uniforms to all public
meetings and any affairs where the members are representing the department. A work
uniform can be worn by members at local functions where they are on medical standby
like football games, rodeos, and other sporting or community events.
The uniform not only makes a department more visible, but also represents the professional
and business side of firefighting. There is a more subtle reason for wearing it in public as
well: wearing a uniform encourages members to demonstrate appropriate behavior and
professionalism.