volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention strategy

3. Centrally coordinate public relations.Centralized public relations conducted by the AFCA would improve the perception of volunteerfirefighting. It is recommended that the AFCA employ one full-time public relations officer toconduct these activities. The public relations officer would be responsible for conducting publicrelations on a provincial level, and supporting regional public relations. Public relations activitieswill raise knowledge of volunteer firefighting through reputable earned media sources such asopinion-editorial columns, newspaper articles, and radio interviews. The public relations officerwould also organize and coordinate the utilization of a recruitment spokesperson network; andcoordinate the creation of regular newsletters.Earned Media“Earned media” refers to publicity gained through promotional efforts, as opposed to paidmedia (such as advertising). Some earned media outlets are newspaper and radio. Earnedmedia has more credibility than advertising in the minds of the target audience because it isdelivered through a third-party (the media outlet), not through paid sponsorship. Events thathave provincial reach (such as awareness weeks, National Fire Prevention Week, provincialrecognition awards, etc.) should be leveraged in centralized earned media activities.Utilizing earned media requires several steps, including: Media target identification - The public relations officer should work with local firehalls to leverage rural media (typically newspapers and radio). Media database preparation - The names, locations, and contact information of thechosen media. Media kit development and maintenance - Promotional material about the AFCA andvolunteer firefighting. Receiving media inquiries - The person should have training in media relations toeffectively receive and respond to media inquiries.The public relations officer should be responsible for providing easily customizable draftnews releases to local fire departments when there is newsworthy information aboutvolunteer firefighting in Alberta. Centrally-created news releases will aide in consistentmessages about volunteer firefighting across Alberta, which will support the centralizedbranding initiative.Recruitment Spokesperson NetworkA network of spokespersons could be created across the province. The network wouldprovide a readily called-upon, diverse group of existing volunteer firefighters who couldspeak first-hand to media and other audiences about the importance, value and fulfillment ofvolunteer firefighting. It would also serve as a tactic for meaningfully involving currentfirefighters in a recruitment drive.The spokespeople would be selected from across the province with a special effort made toshowcase spokespersons from non-traditional firefighter demographic groups (such asVolunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention Strategy & ToolkitPrepared by Volunteer Alberta for the Alberta Fire Chiefs’Association28