How to recruit more volunteer firefighters
People decide whether to volunteer from what they can see and who invites them in. Departments that describe the job clearly, welcome visitors, show their members at work and call applicants back quickly get more volunteers, and keep them.
These steps work for any size of department. Each one links to the part of the volunteer recruiter guide that shows how to put it on your department's FireDepartment.net volunteer page.
1. Describe what it's really like
Most people have never been inside a fire station. Tell them what a typical month looks like for one of your volunteers:
- How volunteers get called: paged from home or work, scheduled shifts at the station, or both.
- About how many calls you run a month, and what kinds.
- Who your volunteers are: neighbors with all kinds of jobs. Say so if no experience is needed.
- What new members can expect: training together, the people they will work with, and what you look for, such as showing up and being willing to learn.
How to write it: What is it like to be a volunteer at your fire department?
2. Be upfront about the requirements and the time
People who know what to expect before they apply are the ones who stay. Say plainly:
- The minimum age, driver's license, background check, medical exam or physical ability test, and how close to the station people must live or work.
- When you train, how long the recruit academy is, and whether new members start on probation.
- About how many hours a month it takes, including drills, calls and any shifts.
- What the department provides, such as training, gear and medical exams, and anything volunteers pay for.
How to write it: the minimum requirements and training.
3. Invite people to a training night
Seeing the station and meeting the crew is often what turns interest into an application. Tell people which night to come, what time, which station and which door, and what they will see. Ask one member to greet visitors, show them around and answer questions, and tell visitors the crew may have to leave if a call comes in.
How to write it: Are community members welcome to stop by?
4. Hold an open house
An open house is an evening or weekend afternoon set aside to talk about volunteering. Hold one once or twice a year; larger departments may hold them more often. Time it a few weeks before your next recruit academy, so people who are ready can apply and start right away.
- What to include: a station tour, the engines and equipment, members and their families talking about what volunteering is like, a short demonstration, and someone who can answer questions about requirements and training.
- Have applications ready: paper copies, or a sign with a QR code to your online application, and a sign-up sheet for anyone who wants a call back.
- Spread the word: a sign at the station, social media, the local paper and radio, schools, churches, community groups, and your FireDepartment.net volunteer page.
5. Show your volunteers at work
Photos of your own members do more than any description. Take them at training nights, community events and calls, and use them on your website, social media and your FireDepartment.net listing.
- Show a variety: medical training and calls, driving, community events and support work, not only fires.
- Show people who look like your community, so more people can picture themselves on the crew.
- Get your members' permission before you post their photos.
- Never show patients, or anyone or anything that could identify someone at a medical call, such as a face, a license plate or a house number. Follow your department's photo and social media policy.
- Choose photos that show safe practice, such as full protective gear where it is required.
Add photos to your listing with the photo link on your department's page in the directory.
6. Talk about more than fire
In many departments, medical calls outnumber fires. Volunteers also answer car crashes, alarms, wildland fires and community assists, such as helping someone who has fallen at home, installing smoke alarms or teaching fire safety at a school. Say so. Many people who would never apply to fight fires will apply to help a neighbor in a medical emergency, drive an engine or support the crew, and every one of them strengthens your department. If you take volunteers for medical calls only, say so, and point them to our page on volunteering as an EMT or medical responder.
How to write it: firefighting and support roles.
7. Show the path to a paid career
Paid firefighter jobs are competitive. Most ask for Firefighter I certification, an EMT license, real call experience and references from fire officers. Volunteering builds all of these, usually at no cost to the volunteer. Tell people, and mention members who went on to paid careers. It brings in young people who want a career in the fire service, and many of them keep volunteering at home after they are hired somewhere else.
Our firefighting jobs page lists current paid openings in the western states, with a volunteer callout for people who are not ready to apply yet.
8. Make applying easy, and follow up fast
- Put a volunteer page on your own website, link to it from your home page, and use the words people search for, such as "volunteer firefighter" and your town's name, in its title and heading.
- Offer an online application. Our free volunteer application emails each application to your recruiter.
- Call or email every applicant within a day or two. Interest fades quickly when nobody answers.
- Keep a simple list of every applicant and where they are in the process, so nobody is forgotten.
9. Keep your FireDepartment.net listing current
People looking for a place to volunteer find your department here. Make sure your listing answers their questions.
- Find your department in the directory and use the update links on its page, or the forms on the update your listing page. If you are not the fire chief, get the chief's approval first.
- Use Add your volunteer information on your department's page to answer the questions people ask before they volunteer. Your answers become your department's volunteer page. The volunteer recruiter guide goes through each question, with an example answer.
- Send photos, your logo, statistics and your fire equipment, so your listing shows what your department does. The forms open with what your listing shows now, so you only change what is wrong or missing.
- We verify every update before it goes live, and may call the department to confirm that you work there. Updates usually appear within a couple of days.
- Review your listing at least once a year, and whenever your training night, requirements or recruiter change.
Want more applicants?
Start with the free volunteer application, and link to it from your website, social media and flyers.