If not you, then who?

Abstract

The problem was the Eagle Fire Department [EFD], WI is an aging organization that lacks the ability to effectively recruit and retain new volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians. The purpose of this research was to develop a public education campaign that could be used as a recruitment tool for new personnel who are interested in serving their community as volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians. By acknowledging the problems that Eagle, and the other fire departments in Wisconsin, faces in recruiting and retaining new volunteers, this research would illustrate the importance of developing a public education campaign as a recruitment tool. This was an action research project that used a literature review, survey and focus group to determine the essential components necessary in an effective public education campaign geared towards recruitment. This research project sought to answer the following questions: (a) what are other like-sized volunteer / combination fire departments in Wisconsin doing to combat recruitment and retention problems in their organizations. (b) What methods that communities employ to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and other ancillary staff? (c) What factors are precluding residents who live in Eagle from volunteering their time to EFD? (d) What are the ancillary roles that volunteers can fill within the organization that so not include scene response? (e) What should be included in a public education campaign to recruit members to EFD? Through this research, the foundation for an effective public education campaign to identify and recruit traditional volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians, as well as ancillary support personnel was developed and will be implemented in the community. Long-term studies will need to be completed to determine the program's effectiveness.