NVFC Report Outlines Steps to Increase Volunteer Retention

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has released an eye-opening report that found nearly half of the nation's volunteer firefighters have considered leaving the fire service at some point.

The "Volunteer Retention Research Report" was compiled in three phases over the previous year and includes some concerning findings, but it also lays out some steps that volunteer fire departments can take to increase retention and counter the nationwide decline in volunteering.

The major findings of the report revealed that over two thirds of respondents believe their departments have or have had a problem with volunteer retention, which includes nearly 70 percent of current leadership surveyed.

Former volunteer firefighters who responded cited a lack of department cohesion and unsupportive leadership as their primary reasons for leaving the fire service. Some of the specific reasons cited by these former volunteers for choosing to leave include:

• A department atmosphere full of cliques and groups that exclude others
• Leadership that wasn't focused on or supportive of members' needs
• A department in which members of different generations didn't get along
• A lack of camaraderie or sense of community among all members of a department

It is interesting to note that current volunteer firefighters cited different reasons for why they believe former members left the service, although the notion of cliques and groups that exclude others was still among the top reasons. Other reasons cited include:

• Lack of support and flexibility in juggling volunteer responsibilities with other life commitments
• The realities of volunteering changed or didn't meet the expectations that were set before signing up
• Lack of clear expectations of how much time and effort will be required each week or month for meetings and training

Among the current members who at some point considered leaving the fire service, there was a sense that they had been bothered by aspects of leadership, cliques and training requirements, but ultimately they remained because of a desire to serve their communities or a sense of responsibility.

For all the current volunteers surveyed—both leadership and rank-and-file—the top choice for having a positive impact on retention was implementing some type of mentorship program between new volunteers and more experienced members. This finding reinforces some of the responses that hinted at new recruits with feelings of isolation being much more likely to leave the fire service.

The former volunteers who responded said their top choice for having a positive effect on retention would be conducting exit interviews when a volunteer leaves so that leadership has a chance to address the needs of membership. They also said that a "stay interview" could be beneficial to volunteers who have lapsed attendance and may be considering an exit from a department.

While flexibility in training requirements and volunteering schedules remain important factors, a key overall takeaway of the report is how leadership and culture are highly influential when it comes to volunteers choosing to leave the service.

The NVFC has targeted some initiatives that can begin to address retention and volunteer decline:

• Mentorship programs
• Recognition efforts    
• Touchpoints/interventions such as the stay and exit interviews    
• Volunteer engagement kits    
• Development of a foundational – if imperfect – retention measure as a starting point to establish the norm

There is plenty more to unpack in the detailed report, which can be read in its entirety here.