Mentorship Programs for Volunteer Fire Departments

This article is reprinted from the latest issue of the NVFC’s Firefighter Strong publication. Find more articles with tips, tools, and best practices to help with recruitment and retention, in the full issue here.

Your volunteer fire department has gone through the hard work of recruiting a new member. The new member began as a prospect, with little to no knowledge of what your fire department is tasked to complete on a daily and weekly basis. The prospect became a candidate and successfully went through the interview and background check. The candidate became a probationary member and is beginning the onboarding process. It is at this point in the membership lifecycle that your department should match the probationary member with a mentor.

Volunteer fire departments throughout the United States are facing high turnover rates in their ranks. It is difficult to successfully recruit new members for the long-term until the retention issues are solved. This article will focus on the critical role mentorship programs can play in the retention process and detail tips to build a successful program. Read More…