Page 4, Fire News, June 2022
FireNews.com
From the Editor’s Desk Dennis Whittam, Editor
How Are Your New Recruits Doing? In New York, the Fireman’s Association of New York has been encouraging fire departments throughout the state to hold a RecruitNY weekend. I am always amazed at the number of people who stop by the firehouse for this event and had no idea that, according to the National Fire Protection Association, 70 percent of firefighters in the United States are volunteers. This number used to be higher. I joined the volunteer fire service almost 30 years ago. As a kid who grew up in New York City, my wife had no idea that the fire service in our community was 100 percent volunteer. When I decided to join my department — with my wife's blessing of course — we soon realized that being a volunteer firefighter involved a lot more that riding on a truck and fighting an occasional fire. Almost 30 years have passed, and I still find my love for my department is still going strong. Unfortunately, my health has gotten in the way of being first due. I am still active in other ways and try my best to support the members who have followed in my footsteps. Before you take on new members, it is imperative that the Chief of Department sits down with the perspective new member to explain what their obligation to the community entails. I know most
departments do this. Unfortunately, the new member doesn’t always realize that he or she may not have the time to volunteer. I joined at a time when my two children were active with school and community sports. I worked 50 miles away from my home. There were many nights that I arrived back home and found myself attending training classes at either my department or at the county fire academy. After I finished the basics, I realized that training never stopped. To maintain active status like most volunteer firefighters, you must participate and maintain your training, drills and response percentages throughout the year. This is where new recruits, no matter what their age, become a problem. I know I am speaking to the choir. If you are reading this, you are aware of the responsibilities of being a first responder. The problem I see is that when we take on new members they really do not understand how much time they need to fulfill their obligation to the fire service. In my early years I always had to work a second job to pay the bills. Volunteering in the fire service is that second job that pays no bills. If you take on this second occupation, you must be passionate about your decision to protect the com-
munity! As a recruiter for the fire service, what do you do to make the person fully understand what their obligation is to your department and to the community that you serve, before they sign on the dotted line? If you find that your new recruits are not living up to your expectations, do not let poor service go by without addressing it immediately. Recruiting volunteers takes time. Maintaining active, well-trained volunteers can be difficult. Volunteer recruitment is hard work! Volunteer retention is even harder work. Motivating and maintaining new recruits is the job of every member in your department. - Dennis
