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Volunteer Firefighter Recruiting and Retention

Volunteer Firefighters

Numerous studies from various organizations record the substantial decrease in volunteerism. The volunteer fire service is no exception to this downward trend. Through this study, we will try to determine why people volunteer in the fire service, methods that work in recruiting, and also methods for retaining membership. Through this study, we are trying to determine what are the most effective methods for recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters.
Although the survey can be completed anonymously, as an incentive for completing the survey, three randomly selected firefighters will receive a $250 gift certificate to The FireStore (http://www.thefirestore.com/), and the department with the highest percentage of members responding, will receive a $500 gift certificate to The Firestore. The survey will be open until August 31, 2016. Results of this study will be formulated into a paper for publication.
There are 43 questions, that will take you approximately 10 minutes to answer. The survey must be completed in its entirety to be eligible for prizes.
1.Is your fire department?
2.Is your fire department
3.In what year was your fire department formed?
4.In previous years, has your department ever merged or consolidated?  If yes, go to Question 5, if No, skip to question 6
5.In what year did your department merge or consolidate?
6.In what State is your fire department located?
7.In what County is your fire department located?
8.What is the population served by your fire department?
9.What percentage of your populations is:
0-20%
21-40%
41-60%
61-80%
81-100%
Rural
Suburban 
Urban
10.What is the approximate number of calls your fire department response to each year?
11.What percentage of your calls are:
0-20%
21-40%
41-60%
61-80%
81-100%
Emergency in your first due area
Non-emergency in your first due area
Mutual aid
Emergency Medical Service
12. On a MONTHLY basis, please rate how often your fire department response to the following types of calls:
Less than 1
1-4
5-9
10+
House Fires
Other structural fires
Grass/wildland fires
Auto accident
Medical emergencies
Automatic Fire Alarms
Carbon Monoxide alarms
Mutual Aid
Vehicle Fires
Utility problems
Other types of emergencies
13.What is the approximate number of active members in your fire department?
14.How do you define active member status?
15.Of the members of your fire department, how many do you consider to be active volunteers?
16.Was there ever a time when your fire department did not have enough members to respond to a call?
17.If you answered Yes to Question 16, approximately how many times per month does this happen?
18.If you do not have enough volunteers responders to provide coverage 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, how many more would you need to provide this level of service?
19.How old are you?
20.How old were you when you joined the volunteer fire service?
21.Do you volunteer with any non-fire service agencies?
22.If you answered Yes to Question 21, with what other agencies/organizations do you volunteer?
23.What is your gender?
24.What is the highest level of education you achieved?
25.What is the status of your employment  (Choose all that apply)
26.What category best describes what you do for a living? (Choose all that apply)
27.Do you consider yourself to be an active volunteer?
28.How many hours of in-house training do you complete Annually
29.How many hours of outside training do you complete Annually
30.How many certificates do you have (EMT, Firefighter I, Haz mat, Water Rescue, etc.)
31.How many of your fire department's calls do you respond to Annually?
32.Have you ever considered no longer volunteering as a firefighter?
33.How many hours a month do you spend fundraising?
34.How many meetings do you attend every month for your fire department
35.Have you ever recruited a new member for your fire department?
36.Who did you recruit?
37.To what degree do you think the following issues contribute to turnover in your fire department?
Very often
Often
Rarely
Not applicable
Laws
Boredom
Time Committment
Threat of Injury or death
Training requirements
Personality conflicts
Age or health-related issues
Other (Family, social activities, work)
38.To what degree would the following increase your commitment to the fire department? (Choose all that apply)
A lot
Slightly
Not at all
Not applicable
Already have this benefit
Pension
Annual tax credit
Recognition
Less Training
More training
Online Training opportunities
Health Club Membership
39.Please indicate whether you think the following things will benefit your fire department
A Lot
Slightly
Already have this option
Not at all
Increased funding
Total Government funding
More calls
Less calls
Paid administrative assistance
More equipment
More government involvement
Less government involvement
Online Training Opportunities
40.How did you first gain your interest in volunteer firefighting?
41.Name and Email address (If you want to be eligible for prize entry)
42.Fire Department name
43.Fire Department contact information