Retention and Recruitment for the Volunteer Emergency Services

Retention & Recruitment for the Volunteer Emergency Services: Challenges & Solutions 79
the dilemma of reducing training reQuirements
Many departments report that the requirements of today’s training standards are too
demanding and cause members to quit. At the same time, many volunteers feel that the
higher standards have increased the professionalism and pride of the volunteer fire service.
The great dilemma is that while the standards have increased professionalism and safety
(which help retention), they have created a major barrier for recruitment and retention
because the requirements are very time demanding.
Training requirements vary from State to State, but some States have adopted NFPA 1001
for Firefighter I and Firefighter II basic training as well as the DOT Emergency Medical
Technician (EMT) training.
Basic training is needed to ensure that firefighters know how to perform certain tasks in a
safe and efficient manner. However, training standards should not be set so high that they
discourage volunteerism. Ways to make them more tolerable:
• reduce initial training requirements by devising a multiyear training ladder for
members (e.g., Firefighter I the first year, Firefighter II the second year, and so forth).
Put the members on a career ladder training regimen. Samples of modular training
programs are provided in Appendix H.
• require advanced officer courses only