VOLUNTEERS CORNER|由Daniel L. Rogers
我们都看到了统计数据 - 现代志愿者消防部门因招聘人数而受到困扰。最少说，我们的志愿人员配置水平的下降趋势是令人震惊的。志愿者部门的最低人员要求NFPA 1720,Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments，在白天工作时间内为大多数农村代理商是一个管道梦想。因此，相互和自动援助协议得到了加强和扩展。
We have all heard the talk of how today’s generation would rather spend more time on a cell phone than sweeping a bay floor. Why is recruiting members of this tech-savvy generation so hard? What have we changed in our recruitment techniques over the past 20 years? The fire service is an ever-evolving creature. Each year we see scientific studies from universities educating us on flow paths, survivable spaces, and cancer prevention, but how many studies have you seen on recruitment of today’s youth?
2015年，国家志愿者消防委员会发布了这项研究志愿者消防员招募和保留形成性研究成果.1This study surveyed 1,224 U.S. adults ages 18 and over. The results were that 71.5 percent were not interested in volunteering, and 22.8 percent stated they “might” be interested. Those of us who have been to the deepest depths of the recruitment fight understand that if you have to force a volunteer firefighter through the door more than once, he doesn’t want to be there.
ALSO
Humpday Hangout: Saving the Volunteer Fire Department
Recruiting Volunteer Firefighters Isn’t the Issue!
So, what’s the plan moving forward? How can we reverse this trend and return our staffing levels to the norm of decades past? In short, we cannot without大改变。
住宿
这个国家没有两个志愿者消防部门做了完全相同的事情，但每个部门都有一个特定的共同点：骄傲。我走进的每个机构都有一个成员站在门口准备告诉你关于他的部门的每一个细节。这位成员深信，他们在“约翰·志愿者部门”做事的方式是最好的方式，他们并没有真正开放，以听到改变的建议 - 完全。
我不能责怪他;这就是人类建造的。问题是，当这些部门未能在其机构的运营队伍中启动变化以适应今天的几代人时，我们将继续看到人员分配人员拒绝。改变很难，特别是对于那些希望事情会回到他们加入的方式的“咸”退伍军人。
Now, you may be thinking, “Wait, you’re saying I need to accommodate these new young punks?” Yes—we must play with the hand that we are dealt. What do I mean by accommodate? Making sure you have free Wi-Fi available to them at the station? No. I am saying is that you need to give them a voice. With Facebook and Instagram, this generation is used to being heard over the waves of social media. When they post a comment or story on their phone, it’s generally met with an abundance of emoji faces, likes, and comments. So, their voice is heard. During a monthly meeting or training, these new members all too often to get dismissed by veteran members. Take time, listen to their input, and give an appropriate response. In most people’s eyes, this is much less an accommodation than it is being respectful.
责任
Every volunteer department has that “go-to” member—the one who has his nose in absolutely every aspect of the department, top to bottom. He is the one who spends the most time at the station, always pushing for new equipment and more training hours. He keeps track of the equipment lists, takes care of pager and radio issues, and keeps the fridge stocked with cold soda. He does it all. The issue with this is that there are 24 other members of this department who get to skate by. They get to show up, voice their opinion, and leave without having to follow through on the very opinions they gave; this is where the “rubber meets the road.”
不要害怕委托责任是否hout the department. Every department in this country could benefit from the introduction of committees within the operation of that department. Small engines, hand tools, personal protective equipment (PPE), documentation, grant writing, and International Organization for Standardization/National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) research and compliance are just a few areas in which you can form committees and delegate responsibility.
您是否完全达到NFPA标准？想象一下，有一个双人团队通过标准和退回部门改进的建议工作。想象一下，您的小型发动机在每次会议之前每月开始，并报告任何需要的维修。想象一下100％的记录为目前的消防员发出的PPE，并为新成员留下的存储空间。考虑两个成员不断搜寻和申请外部资助机会的益处。让成员加入只是战斗的一半。通过为他们提供自我价值的自我价值，作为部门的成员，保留它们变得更少。
两年多以前，这种做法是在我的家庭部门实施的。虽然仍处于起步阶段，但我们看到从绝大多数成员的刺激增加，通常不会提供太多投入。官员选举后，这些委员会每年投票。更多的成员更加订婚，但通常由一个或两个成员迅速完成的任务现在正在由每个委员会深入了解。这一直值得拥有它的重量。坐在待办事项清单上的小型发动机几个月成为小型设备委员会的首要任务。
我们代理机构内委员会执行的成功不能通过弃头扣清单来衡量;还有会员保留指标。我的部门已经看到人事营业额收缩和呼叫/会议/培训出勤率上升。成员的投入超过其特定委员会的投入也上升。该计划的下一步将是在不同委员会之间旋转成员。通过这样做，每个成员都将继续学习该部门的INS和OUT，并成为一个更加圆满的贡献者。由于每个成员现在理解维护设备和文档要求所涉及的工作，因此将发生设备和过程的自豪感。随着该计划的不断发展，我们将继续获得其利益。
The Big Picture
Where is your department going to be in five, 10, and 25 years in terms of staffing? Are you putting in the worknowto make sure your hard work pays off and your department continues to operate well after you have retired? I have spoken to many chiefs from volunteer and combination departments and have asked them about their Explorer Program. Their answer is, usually, that there isn’t time enough or that there were only a few kids interested, so justification for the program wasn’t there. How many volunteer departments would love for two or three fully trained firefighters to join their department each year? Enter the Explorer Program.
A funny thing about the youth—they talk a lot. When they talk, usually through an electronic device, other kids their age listen. That’s important here. By starting an Explorer Program, you accomplish three things. First, you are providing an outlet for kids within your community to be involved with something positive. Second, you are ensuring your agency will have known candidates ready to join when they become of age and who have been trained to the specific way your department does things. Third, although the salty veterans may grumble at the youngsters, they can often be caught beaming with pride when they see an Explorer have a positive interaction within the department, further boosting morale.
Explorer Programs can be a lot for departments to implement and manage. Start by seeking volunteers within your membership to head up the program. Also, look for members who have coached their kids through sports or have an active Explorer-age child who would consider joining the program. These members are invested and will likely take the program to a higher level than anticipated.
随着青年来他们的态度、戏剧、and that adolescent awkwardness we all cringe at, but you also get to watch these kids grow as members of the department as they work their way into adulthood. As they learn how to give back to the community, you can see and feel the burn of passion start to form in their soul for our mission. Rolling attack lines and bandaging a laceration are skills they will likely use outside of the station walls; just make sure you use these kids as more than just station cleaners and water getters! They can be extremely beneficial with exterior firefighting tasks. Train them to work for you. Train them to perform at the level you want your active members to perform. Spend the time teaching the little things by delegating members to help train them. Again, by asking a nonofficer member to help train an Explorer, that self-worth thing we mentioned above comes into play yet again. Once the passion takes hold, the desire to show up consistently will follow closely. And, by default, with the use of those aforementioned little electronic devices, word will travel, and your program will grow.
Our Explorer Program now sits at eight members. These members hold monthly meetings and training as well as an annual fundraiser to help purchase T-shirts, flashlights, and tuition for outside training opportunities. To date, we have accepted five fully trained Explorers into our department. These members know and understand their role on acceptance and are familiar with how the department operates. They have sat through the standard operating guideline training and understand the command staff’s expectations of them. Not only is this an excellent recruitment tool, but it helps eliminate turnover.
By going through the Explorer Program, those “this is not for me” folks have already been eliminated. The members who join through the Explorer Program and become active members are here for the long haul. What more could we ask for? The five members recruited through this program are some of the best firefighters we now have. Some of them joined at age 15 and had three years of fire department experience on acceptance as full, active members. The benefits of this program to our agency have far outweighed the time and very limited financial obligations it took to put it together.
Before we can initiate change within our departments, we must be open to it. We must be able to “roll with the punches” and evolve with the very folks we are asking to join. Listen to all members’ input—new and veteran—and instill in them a sense of worth to our agency. Think outside the box, and do not be afraid of the work ahead of you. The future of your agency and the volunteer fire service depends on it.
参考
1. Volunteer Firefighters Recruitment and Retention Formative Research Results. National Volunteer Fire Council/Salter Mitchell Inc. 2015.
DANIEL L. ROGERSis a 16-year fire service veteran and an assistant chief/EMT-B with the Witt (IL) Volunteer Fire Department, where he has expertise in industrial high-angle rescue and confined space entry. He is also a member of the emergency response team in Wood River, Illinois.
