Recruiting firefighters from a diverse and wide background in order to tap new pools of candidates and improving compensation/benefits can help slow or reverse the trend. That may mean adjusting the jobs a little to improve pay but without doing this it is unlikely people are going to make long term careers.
Perhaps ensuring free online education (which you can do from your phone or laptop, while people are serving, etc. could sweeten these jobs for younger people. One might add improved retirement funding even though the pay isn't very high or housing vouchers to help mitigate personal costs.
Improving compensation increases cost and money and that will be hard to come by until we deal with our national debt issues so these issues are likely to grow. If fires and other issues grow, full time and volunteer firefighters decline, then there will be a push to change.
If you attract motivated whipper snappers when they are young a higher percentage will stay in the field much of their lives. There are also new immigrants looking for work so pairing this with some benefits might help. Just a thought as more than 1/4 of wild fire jobs are vacant.
Its not an easy job but it is a rewarding one. Service to ones country can take many forms. New generation, climate issues, and lots of motivation. Finding a way to attract and funnel that is important.
If your interested in joining check out U.S. Fire Service Jobs
*I'm seeking grants, corporate and other donations for a local fire department in the Upper Peninsula so feel free to contact me to the right and I will point you in the right direction. Tax deductible. An investment in a great team doing great things.
No comments:
Post a Comment