Volunteer Firefighters
Need for More Volunteer Firefighters
Volunteer Firefighting is declining at an alarming pace and there are many reasons associated with this worrisome trend. It is imperative to not only study those cause but also devise practical means of resolving the problems of recruitment and retention. This paper, therefore, discusses the major reasons and the consequential recommendations as to improving volunteer firefighter numbers.
The need for an active firefighting force in itself is inherently important for large scale disaster management. Disaster management is a field that always calls for improvement in today's world as lives are vulnerable to hazards almost every day. And needless to say that firefighting in particular, is a venerable trade that deserves to have more investment in terms of physical as well as human capital. The need to augment the value of firefighting as a profession is ever prevalent, not only because of the exalted nature of the job itself, but also because effective disaster management through volunteers is unfortunately declining. Volunteer firefighting has most certainly been an integral part of the fire department for many years and plenty of historic accounts show how volunteer firefighters have saved many days! So it is safe to say that the consequential effort of volunteers has been all too apparent. But it is important to note the recent downward and frankly appalling trend of volunteer firefighting and seek pragmatic resolutions to raise the volunteers' numbers.
It is first and foremost, imperative to track down the major cause as to why volunteer services are declining in order to seek practical solutions. One primary reason as to why people do not volunteer in firefighting nowadays is simply because they do not have enough time; the nature of everyone's life is defined by a rapid pace combined with a plethora of personal endeavors waiting to be accomplished. In such a fast-paced life, it is difficult to have the time to prioritize volunteer firefighting (or any other volunteer service for that matter) over all the other things on one's platter. Also volunteers now, require more training and learning before they can participate in any such activity; this makes for a rigorous period of preparation which naturally leaves no room for any amount of error. This can be yet another reason why people do not want to take the risk of trying out a job which requires such magnanimous responsibility out of them. Moving on, most fire departments nowadays are legislatively required to create extensive documentation and complex decrees for volunteering personnel. The myriads of red tape procedures involved in the fire department make it ever necessary for the aspiring volunteer to second guess his or her decisions, for this entails much greater commitment and equally great liability on his or her part. Also, the time that it takes to pass academic tests as well as health related tests is too much for a person to devote out of their personal lives. It only adds to the risk associated with volunteer firefighting by calling for great efficacy and cuffing the volunteer with the burden of extensive documentation and burdensome legal responsibility. (Bartel, 1998)
According to Christopher K. Switala, another major reason for declining voluntary firefighters is a moribund lack of leadership. He proposes that inefficient management can lead to a declining sense of morale in firefighters, which in turn is reflected in the decreasing number of volunteers. And ultimately the greatest element which can boost volunteer numbers is a robust incentive to abet a cause: a personal motivating factor such as a handsome amount of money or credible recommendation can go a long way in making the personnel feel appreciated, so if the firefighter's personal needs are largely overlooked that is simply not a good enough reason for him or her to pursue this occupation any further. Switala goes further by saying that there is a tremendous generational gap when it comes to people's attitudes towards civic duty: the youth may not relate to such causes the way older people have been raised to, and this needs to change through active campaigning and investment in marketing the cause. People need to be made to realize their inner sense of civic obligation and encouraged to act upon their giving instinct. Perhaps another very significant cause of declining volunteers is what is commonly referred to as 'Volunteer Burnout.' Volunteer Burnout is the condition whereby it is believed that firefighting demands much sacrifice from one's personal life; personal lives are believed to be largely compromised in this particular career and consequentially the supply of volunteer firefighters tends to decrease relative to the demand. (Switala, 2006)
A town with 3,000 residents simply cannot afford the expense of hiring full-time career firefighters" ("Heat on Volunteer Firefighters," 2007, p. A15). In case of an out of control fire, smaller towns and communities traditionally rely on volunteer firefighters. Volunteer Fire Departments' Tasks in case of out of control fire, both paid and volunteer fire departments perform basically identical tasks (Snook, et al., 2006). Services volunteer fire departments provide include,
Volunteer Firefighting The current setting of our country's economic position leaves many questions unanswered and creates new problems in unexpected areas. Volunteer firefighters are in short demand these days and it is necessary and important to investigate and gain knowledge of the reasons why this trend is occurring. The purpose of this essay is to examine some root causes of the current decline in volunteer firefighting across the United States of
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