“Day in the Life” Shows Service, Sacrifice

This great video from the Pontiac Michigan Fire Department depicts a day in the life of their firefighters, from leaving the house and their family in the morning to returning hours later to their loved ones.

Tastefully done, I think it’s one of the best videos I’ve seen that demonstrates the service of America’s firefighters and recognizes our families who make real sacrifices on our behalf so that we can do what we love to do. I’m not sure of its origin or if it was created just for the video but the voice-over is superb and includes a great motivational message, apparently intended for this fire department that is going through some its darkest times facing the deepest cuts possible. We wish only the best for them in their fight to save their ability to protect their community.

Check it out and let the FireRECRUITER know what you think and be sure to share your fire department recruitment and promotional videos and resources.

A Touch of Gray

This article from Long Island NY talks about an often-overlooked audience in the volunteer fire service today: 40+.

Age is Nothing But a Number at Syosset Fire Dept.

Joining later in life is becoming more the norm

I love the fact that Syosset allows each company in the department to have its own identity. I took this photo when I visited all three of their stations about a year ago with my good friend Rob Leonard.

Don’t discount or write-off the value of people coming to the fire service with some life-experience under their belt. That maturity can turn out to be a huge advantage to your fire department, especially when teamed with the free spirits of Generation Y.

As I wrote in “From the X-Box to the Box Alarm” — This demo includes settled homeowners; their kids are growing to an age of independence; focused on giving back; perhaps even looking for an outlet – or just an excuse to get out of the house.

The Art of Speed-Recruiting

Doyle Hose Co. 1 Fire-Recruiters Brian Sas, Colton Marinelli and Don Keuck engage students during career day at their local high school.

If you had just 30 seconds to convince someone why they should join your volunteer fire department, what would you say? 

What would your message be? Do you have a standard sales pitch that you use for just such occasions? Can you even say hello in 30 seconds? 

I recently had the opportunity to coach and practice some speed-recruiting exercises with the Doyle Hose Co. 1 in Cheektowaga NY. They had been invited to be a part of career day at the local high school in their response area and they invited me to join them. 

Live Netcast: Recruitment Challenges and Solutions

Join the FireRECRUITER live via the Internet on Wednesday-March 10, 2010 at 8pm ET at FirefighterNetcast.com for a conversation discussing the challenges of today’s fire service in recruiting and retaining volunteers.

Click www.tigerschmittendorf.com for all the details.

SURVEY SAYS? FD Youth Programs

There’s apparently a heated debate going on at FirefighterNation.com as to whether recruiting high school students to join the volunteer fire service, in whatever capacity, is a good idea.

The discussion has so many twists and turns that I thought it was time to cut through all the ***stuff*** and survey the audience.

Enough debate, are Fire Department Youth Programs a good idea – Yes or No?

X-Box Firefighters

I wrote a magazine article for FASNY’s The Volunteer Firefighter titled: “From the X-Box to the Box Alarm” that addresses today’s generation of firefighters and firefighter candidates.

Given recent news articles and discussions, I think it’s relevant to revisit and discuss the future of the fire service here:

http://tigerschmittendorf.com/2009/06/21/from-x-box-to-the-box-alarm/

Download the Reprint of: From X-Box to the Box Alarm from www.tigerschmittendorf.com.

PA Dips in the Fountain of Youth for Recruits

Here’s a link to a news story on FirefighterNation.com about some volunteer fire departments in Pennsylvania who are teaming up to reach out to local high school students for new recruits.

Managed, trained and nurtured properly, Explorers and Junior Firefighters can be the lifeblood of a volunteer fire company. Admittedly, there are pros and cons to this approach.

Nontheless, this is a great story of a fire department taking necessary steps to ensure the survival and success of their volunteer fire service.

Agree or disagree, my helmet is off to them for doing whatever it takes to keep their service going. And I especially like the fact that they’re teaming up to do it.

http://www.firefighternation.com/forum/topics/pennsylvania-volunteer?commentId=889755%3AComment%3A4415263

Read it. Digest it. Discuss it here or discuss it there.

Stay safe. Train often.

Run to the Curb!

What kid doesn’t want to be a firefighter? Every time they hear a siren or see a fire engine race by, they run to the curb to see what’s going on. I call them “Run to the Curb” type kids.

I was one of those kids and I bet you were one too. It’s something you never grow out of — and many of us chose to grow into it.

“Run to the Curb!” is a work-in-progress blog I just created and a possible online book project too. There I’ll share my experiences, my stories and my thoughts on our need to be better story tellers. 

And, I want to hear your stories too. You can share your childhood experiences and your connections to the fire service and in doing so, share the brotherhood, history and traditions of the fire service with fellow firefighters — and those who wish they were.

Check back often as more stories are added and we build this legacy document together.

Run to the curb. Tell your story. Tell your fortune. We can’t wait to hear it.