Recruitment and Retention
Firefighter Camps for Girls in 2026
This post originally appeared back in 2020, so I know that it likely needs updating. If your firefighter camp for girls is listed, please make sure…
Yes, Virginia, Girls Can Grow Up to Be Firefighters!
Why not introduce the young girls in your life to Ember and Molly this holiday season as a gift that shows them girls can grow up to be anything, especially a firefighter!
Why aren’t more women becoming career firefighters?
Why does the fire service have difficulty attracting, hiring, and keeping women on the job? Because in too many fire departments there's still a “gauntlet” that women have to “run” every day! And that gauntlet is not a single challenge, but rather multiple challenges.
Are Fire Departments “cutting off their noses to spite their face” with Age Discrimination?
I participate in several fire service-related Groups on Facebook whose target audiences are women in the fire service. One, Female…
More on fire service careers that don’t require entering burning buildings
“The fire service is a dynamic and diverse profession. It offers a wide array of opportunities throughout one’s career, not only…
Musings about firefighter recruitment and retention
Firefighter recruitment. One of those topics that's like the weather: everyone is talking about it, but nobody is doing anything about it. What fire department out there--career, combination, all-volunteer--doesn't have a tough "row to how" when it comes to finding and retaining good people?
Pregnant women in public safety is not something new
Your efforts to recruit and retain women for your department are doomed to fail if you don't have those policies and procedures in place now. If every one of your male officers and firefighters aren't informed and educated about how a female colleague will be treated when she finds out she's pregnant, your efforts are doomed to fail.
Camp FFIT gives real fire service experience to young women in Ontario
They learn that to truly be successful in this career—especially for a woman—you have to be physically fit and mentally sharp at all times. ‘Cause as a firefighter you’ve always got to have your eyes and ears open and taking it all in, and if you don’t you could get yourself or someone else seriously injured or killed.
Clan Behavior and its Influence on Fire Service Culture
I submit for your consideration that fire department leaders will not find the “fix” until they recognize that those new members (outsiders) are being exposed to the behaviors and expectations of the firehouse clan from Day #1 with a department. Who’s teaching them in those entry-level training programs? Who’s working with them at the firehouse when they come on board?
Thoughts on Recruitment and Retention for the Volunteer Fire Service
The recruitment and retention of members is a critical issue for many volunteer fire departments across the U.S. and Canada.…
Engaging Our People in the Fire Service
People--especially those who enter the fire service--generally want to be successful and feel like they are making a contribution to the organization. Lack of clarity from their organizational leaders, and especially their first-line supervisor, in the form of clear expectations can be a significant "roadblock" to their success.
The Fire Camp for Girls Experience
The confidence that I gained to be able to work through any tough situation, not just firefighting situations. I’ll never forget the slogan that was on our camp T-shirts and all the equipment that we used, “Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I’ll understand. Involve me and I’ll remember.” Been more than four years now and I still remember that.