Where there’s smoke…

home-content-bgWhere there’s smoke…there’s a Delaware Volunteer Firefighter! proclaims this web site dedicated to recruiting more for their ranks.

Delaware’s recruitment clearinghouse site does a great job of getting the right information in the hands of the right people by sharing scrolling sections that explain what it means to be a volunteer; and detail both the benefits and requirements of volunteering.

It lays the foundation for realistic expectations, sharing that “In any given week you will spend some time in training, attending meetings, maintaining equipment, and a variety of other duties in addition to going out on calls…an average weekly commitment can be five to eight hours.”

It also talks about how some volunteer fire departments have [smartly] diversified their workforce with administrative staff to help run the corporate side of the Fire Company, Fire Police, and Auxiliary members who support in a variety of ways – exemplifying the FireRECRUITER.com motto that “Firefighting isn’t for everyone – but volunteering can be!” 

I had the pleasure of sharing my “Xbox Live(tm)” conversation at the Delaware State Fire School last month for a group of dedicated and engaged fire service leaders who are definitely on the right path to doing something positive about their recruitment and retention ‘situation.’

IMG_2545I then had the honor of bunking (but not riding – white cloud syndrome strikes again!) with the live-ins of the Claymont Volunteer Fire Company in Claymont DE, just minutes from the Pennsylvania border. A busy company (just not while I’m there) that runs a significant number of working fires and wrecks, they’re very focused on training and doing it right every time. They’re also getting creative with diversifying their staffing to meet the needs of their community, and their growing live-in program is an integral part of their continuing success.

The Delaware recruitment site wraps up the call to action with a short video to share the pride of their firefighters, rounding out what I believe “Where there’s smoke…there’s a great recruitment effort.” Congratulations to the Delaware State Volunteer Firefighters on a top notch, good-looking and already successful recruitment effort.