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The National Volunteer Fire Council's Retirement Experience Survey

Your years of service to your community through the volunteer fire and emergency services have made a lasting impact. This survey is designed to help the NVFC better understand the retirement experience of members who have given their time, energy, and heart to serving others. What you share will help us identify the gaps, challenges, and opportunities of retiring from volunteer service so we can better support those preparing for and navigating life after serving in the emergency services. Whether your transition was smooth or came with unexpected difficulties, your perspective matters and will directly shape the resources and support available to those who follow in your footsteps.
Background Information
1.How many years did you serve in the volunteer fire and emergency services?(Required.)
0
75
2.Which role(s) best describe your service? (Select all that apply)(Required.)
3.What is your retirement status?(Required.)
4.How long have you been retired (if applicable)?
Preparing for Retirement
5.Before retiring, how prepared did you feel for the transition out of the fire service?(Required.)
6.What aspects of retirement were you (or are you) least prepared for? (Select all that apply)(Required.)
7.What do you wish you had known before retiring from the fire service?
Support and Transition
8.Did your department provide any guidance or resources for retirement planning? If you are not yet retired but planning to soon, is your department providing any guidance or resources for retirement planning?(Required.)
9.How would you describe your overall transition out of the fire service?(Required.)
10.What was or will be the hardest part about retiring from the fire service?(Required.)
11.What helped you adjust the most after retiring? (Select all that apply)(Required.)
12.Have you stayed or do you plan to stay involved in any fire service activities since retiring?(Required.)
Looking Forward
13.What types of support would be most helpful for members preparing to retire? (Select all that apply)(Required.)
14.What advice would you give to someone preparing to retire from the volunteer fire service?(Required.)
15.Would you be interested in participating in or helping design a retirement support program?(Required.)
Optional Contact Information (Only if interested in follow up)
16.Name:
17.Email:
18.Phone: