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Have you ever been in a store trying to find something and none of the employees ask if you need assistance? Have you ever gone into a public restroom to find the person before you didn’t flush the toilet? Maybe you’ve noticed someone put a container of ice cream in the bread isle at the grocery store. If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking to yourself “What the f*ck is wrong with people?”. I find myself thinking, and saying out loud, that phrase all too often.

If you’re like me, you scroll social media and notice articles every day being shared about how the volunteer fire service is struggling with membership numbers. If you take the time to read them, you’ll see that most of the articles explain the problems but they do not offer many solutions. Some may mention plans for new incentives to attract more people, but none of the articles dig real deep into the issue. Personally, I am frustrated when I read these articles. I’m sure a lot of my frustration comes from my hatred for problems being addressed without a solid solution following it. Though, the rest of my frustration stems from all of us not coming together to solve this problem.

The Volunteer and Call Fire Service is in serious trouble. With shrinking membership all around the United States, there is a need to re-evaluate how we manage our Department. With that, we all need to know how to present ourselves with a leadership mindset. It is important to stress that leaders don’t have to be exclusively Fire Officers and Chief Officers. Leaders can be anyone in the membership. In order to create a Department with a leadership mindset, we must be sure we understand what it means to be a leader, and not an average firefighter. Below, I have put together a list of some of the traits a Fire Service Leader should possess. (more…)

One of the greatest challenges in leading a volunteer fire department is keeping everyone happy and keeping morale at a high level. Without morale, you will struggle to keep your membership numbers where they need to be. The most dangerous threat to morale are the ones who like to talk behind other’s backs, gossip and “stir the pot” around the firehouse. How do we police this unwanted threat? (more…)

Perhaps one of the most important assets of a Volunteer Fire Department is the comradery and the family-like atmosphere. It’s a bond much like our real family. So, why not include our real family? Without our families and the support they give, putting in enough time to the Fire Department to make a difference would be a challenge. We must learn to include our families as much as possible in many ways. Bringing our families together will strengthen the bond between all of the members, which will reinforce the Fire Department as a whole. (more…)

We write a lot about leadership because the Chiefs and Company Officers play a large role in the success of a Volunteer Fire Department. I’m not trying to belittle the rest of the membership. It goes without saying if we didn’t have the regular membership comprised of Firefighters and support staff, we would have nothing. However, the membership needs a group of educated, experienced and mature leaders to manage the direction and culture of the department. (more…)