Overview
Recruiting and retaining firefighters is one of the biggest challenges facing fire departments today.
Whether your department is volunteer, career, or a combination of both, building a sustainable and engaged team requires planning, resources, and a commitment to creating change.
We're here to help. Follow the process below. If you get stuck or need advice, we are available to help you implement these best practices.
Challenges
Fire departments across Pennsylvania face a unique set of challenges in recruiting and retaining firefighters. These include:
Get Started
Follow these steps to get started. Contact us if you need help along the way.
1. Before You Start: Analyze and Assess
- Analyze your current roster when it comes to age, experience, diversity, and skill gaps.
- Identify trends in turnover and retention. Who's leaving? Who's staying? Do you know why?
- Identify specific needs in your department and recruit based on those needs. Do you need drivers, marketers, recruiters, maintenance, or firefighters?
- Meet with municipal leaders and other stakeholders to understand their values, expectations, and needs.
- Identify financial requirements and funding sources.
- Know your community's demographics, employment trends, and civic involvement.
- Consider barriers like language, work schedules, and distrust of institutions.
- Define what success looks like for your department.
- For example: 10 new volunteers each year; a 90 percent retention rate.
- For example: 10 new volunteers each year; a 90 percent retention rate.
- Set timelines and key performance indicators for recruitment and retention.
- Form a committee or assign a dedicated officer to lead recruitment and retention efforts in your department.
- Include diverse voices. Choose a mix of newer members, long-timers, and municipal/community leaders.
- What's your department known for? What do people think of when they see or hear your name?
- Is your message welcoming, inclusive, and aligned with today's values?
2. Retain Members
Keeping and activating current members is always easier than finding new members.
- Prioritize respect, teamwork, and leadership development.
- Encourage open communication and feedback.
- Recognize achievements and years of service consistently.
- Prioritize both physical and mental health.
- Offer training and advancement opportunities.
- Cross-train or create specialty teams (rescue, water ops, fire police).
- Support educational goals (tuition reimbursement or training stipends).
- Be flexible with schedules and roles. Not everyone can respond 24/7.
- Celebrate milestones like birthdays, certifications, and family events.
- Provide gear, uniforms, and a comfortable space (a break room, lockers, etc.).
3. Recruit New Members
- Use social media and local press outlets. Visit schools, community events, and job fairs.
- Create compelling messaging. ("Serve your community. " "Learn new skills. " "Join us.”)
- Highlight the benefits: purpose, training, camaraderie, leadership, career advancement.
- Ensure messaging is tailored to the specific needs of your department. For example: If you really need people to help with office work, images showing burning buildings could turn off potential volunteers who are not interested in firefighting.
- Make the application easy to understand and available to submit online and in person.
- Provide a roadmap of what to expect: interview, physical test, background check, steps to certification, etc.
- Assign a mentor or liaison right from the start.
- Partner with schools, colleges, Army ROTC programs, Scouts, or cadet programs.
- Offer ride-alongs, station tours, and/or junior firefighter programs.
- Make all community events recruitment events.
4. Ongoing: Measure, Maintain, and Improve
- Monitor your key performance indicators monthly or quarterly. Examples: Applications received, active members, call participation, exit surveys, etc.
- Follow up with all applications and clearly identify next steps.
- Make sure members are responding to call minimums and participating according to key performance indicators. Make adjustments if goals are not being met.
When someone leaves, ask why. Learn from it and optimize your approach as needed.
- Are your outreach efforts working? Are people staying longer?
- Be ready to tweak your message, incentives, or internal culture.
- Highlight members who have grown in the department.
- Publicly recognize long-time contributors and new members.
Recruitment is not a one-time event. It’s an ongoing effort. Regularly revisit and refresh your strategies.
