volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention strategy

Make an “ask” – that is, articulate needs the fire department may have, and which wouldassist in continuing to provide the above-listed benefits, such as:o Spreading the word about a recruitment drive;o Referring or recommending names of individuals that could be approached tojoin as volunteers;o Lending support to the department in a particular way.Political stakeholders can be engaged regularly through a variety of mechanisms, including:Personalized tours of the department;Ride-alongs with the department;Invitations to speak or attend special events of the department;Regular newsletters;Attending regular meetings of local council;It is emphasized that these actions must only occur after consultation with, and approval from,the CAO.Accompanying tool:Letter to Dignitary Template10. Bolster firefighter psychological support services.Many departments report that having psychological support professionals available is importantfor retention of volunteers. Suggested practises to bolster the psychological support offered tofirefighters are as follows:Provide information to both firefighters and spouses to prepare them for traumatic calls.Train every Fire Chief (and when possible Deputy Fire Chief) through the CriticalIncident Stress Management program. Firefighters who have been with the department along time may also be offered the opportunity to take this course, ensuring there isample psychological support in the fire department.Fire Chiefs offer (and publicize) an “open-door policy” to both firefighters and spouseswho need someone to talk to following a traumatic incident.Where possible, engage local professional psychological counsellors as skilledvolunteers to provide on-call counselling services.Other sources of counsellors which may be engaged as skilled volunteers to providevoluntary, on-call counselling services are school counsellors, local RCMP, and hospitalstaff to assist the Fire Chief in providing psychological support to firefighters.Establishing the aforementioned support services in the fire hall will make firefighters feel thattheir health is important to the fire hall. Publicizing these services to current firefighters will beimportant in the usage of the services. If the department already offers these services, effortshould be made to ensure current firefighters are made aware.Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention Strategy & ToolkitPrepared by Volunteer Alberta for the Alberta Fire Chiefs’Association20