As we transition into another new year, fire service leaders grapple with many challenges. We set resolutions, goals and objectives with the full intention of doing better. But often, we fail. And we allow it to occur. Have you ever thought about that? When did we stop caring about the outcomes? I can’t put a finger on a specific date or time, but there is no question in my mind that in the fire service today, we don’t care like we used to.
One of the key challenges facing almost every department is firefighter recruitment and retention. It’s a serious matter because we can’t provide good service without good people. It is so easy to point fingers at individuals, attitudes, culture and other causes as the reason the fire service is failing miserably at recruitment today. These causes are important to understand, but outcomes and results must be our focus. Improving recruitment and retention is certainly not simple, especially in departments where economics, demographics and lack of community support work against us. At the same time, the successes some organizations and leaders have had with this issue prove that positive outcomes are possible.
So, where do we start? Let’s focus on two fundamental principles: instilling pride in the organization and holding people accountable to clear expectations.
Recruitment: Have Pride in Your Organization
What brought you to the fire service? I remember vividly my early beginnings in this lifelong journey. It was during the era of Emergency!, CHIPS and other shows that helped me imagine I could do this for a career. Entertainment can play an equally critical role in inspiring the next generation of firefighters. In fact, we have many more options to get these messages to our audiences – video creation is easier than ever, and social media gives us direct access to viewers.
As a young man in high school, I found the world “weird” and confusing. The firehouse was an inviting, inclusive place where I could be part of something big and know what to expect. Everything was always in order at the firehouse. It had rules, procedures, clear expectations and a standard set of outcomes everyone pulled together to achieve. This environment wasn’t just something I wanted, it was what I needed. The firehouse brought order to the chaos of high school. And the senior firefighters who mentored me as an Explorer encouraged me to grow; they valued my contribution, even though I wasn’t the “real deal” yet.
Firefighter recruitment and retention is a multifaceted issue; the point of this article is not to oversimplify it. The point is to refocus on what we can do about it.
My early experiences in the fire service quickly led to a feeling that is at the heart of the fire service’s recruitment and retention challenge today: PRIDE! I was immensely proud of the fire station, the apparatus, the gear, the uniform and everything associated with my role. I took ownership of my contributions to the organization and worked tirelessly to ensure our community was proud of our service, whether or not they were actively seeking it. This pride in my work remains a driving force in my daily efforts.
Everyone in the fire service, especially every fire service leader, must ask themselves: Am I supporting my people to have pride in what they do today? We all know fire service leaders who are incredibly proud of the mission, the community and the organizations they lead. They are vocal about it and this pride shows in their actions. The result: Their departments are vibrant, positive places where people want to be. And that has a direct impact on recruitment.
Are you proud of your organization? This is a gut-check question we must answer honestly and objectively. And we need to be deliberate about instilling pride every day.
Retention: Setting & Meeting Expectations
Excuses, blame, finger-pointing and a lack of ownership of outcomes mire the fire service. What’s crazy is this applies equally to positive and negative consequences. We have forgotten to celebrate when things go right and too often, we fail to take ownership and accountability when adverse outcomes occur.
The reason for failure often comes back to a lack of clear expectations. Even when we do set expectations, they’re often watered down, without commitment, conviction or accountability. It’s wild to me that in an industry that deals with life and death we focus so little on getting it right. Apathy and complacency creep in, and a daily focus on improving outcomes seems to be lost. As leaders, we continue to accept this culture. Worse yet, we internalize and adopt the attitude ourselves. Leaders, the buck stops with us. Failure occurs because we allow it to. But we don’t have to; we must change and hold ourselves and others who fail to care accountable.
Everything we do is a process. Lexipol co-founder Gordon Graham has taught us that public safety outcomes are not witchcraft but a simple and standard set of processes and systems. When things go wrong, we can look back at the inputs and see very clearly why bad things happened.
It may not seem intuitive, but setting and meeting expectations is essential for firefighter retention. People want to know how to succeed. They want to see that all personnel are held to the same standard. They want to understand what it takes to promote.
Consider these three steps for setting and holding people — including yourself — accountable to expectations:
- Set Expectations on Day One. When a new member joins your crew, battalion, division or organization, take the time to communicate what you expect of them and what they can expect from you. Be specific. Don’t begin your talk with “Generally, we expect…” or “We want you to tell us what we can do for you.”
- Help Supervisors Be Supervisors. When an individual is promoted to a new role, clearly outline how the expectations have changed. Then seek to support them in this new role. Don’t leave feedback for the once-yearly performance evaluation. As leaders step into new roles, frequent feedback and coaching is essential. When struggles occur, lean in as a team and work together. The fire service is a team sport. We succeed or fail together, not individually.
- Find Out How You’re Doing. Many leaders take the attitude of “I’m not here to make people happy; I’m here to get a job done.” Really? Why can’t we be effective at both? We can. The first critical step is finding out whether you are meeting the expectations of your personnel. Yes, it’s uncomfortable and scary, and the truth may not be what you want to hear, but you probably need to. This feedback comes with your opportunity to take stock and identify your personal improvement plan. If you aren’t willing to do this, you’re sending a message that you don’t care. People know you care when you take the time to ask questions, hear their opinions and take deliberate steps to implement changes that provide the desired outcomes.
Each of us must recognize that our organization’s culture begins with us at the helm. Even if your role isn’t the department chief, you oversee your area of influence in the organization. Our team members follow our lead, for better or for worse. As leaders, it’s our duty to set an example, tone and attitude. It’s not enough to say we care about them; we must show them through our actions that we genuinely do. Then they will actively invest in the future of the organization – not because they must but because they want to.
Info Sheet: Fire & Rescue Policy Management Solution DOWNLOAD NOW
Own the Outcomes!
Firefighter recruitment and retention is a multifaceted issue; the point of this article is not to oversimplify it. The point is to refocus on what we can do about it. While there are many tactics we can take, I encourage you to think beyond the next job fair or social media posting. Think about what you’re doing to instill pride in your organization. And think about how you are setting the expectations for your personnel and supporting them to achieve those expectations.
We are successful at leading when our people succeed. If they fail, we have failed them as leaders. It’s time to take on the challenge of firefighter recruitment and retention – with purpose, with pride, with persistence.
