Recruitment Rescue: Saving The Day, One Volunteer At A Time With Sarah Lee

Send us Fan MailRecruitment & Retention in the Fire Service: Culture, Flexibility, and Making the Ask (with NVFC CEO Sarah Lee)In this VFIS-sponsored episode of Behind the Sirens, host Travis speaks with National Volunteer Fire Council CEO Sarah Lee about recruitment and retention in the fire service and why the two are closely connected across generations. Lee outlines key reasons departments struggle—time constraints and mental load, volunteers moving to career roles, unwelcoming or toxic culture, and differing generational needs—and emphasizes that culture must be built intentionally. She shares actionable recruitment steps such as creating positive member experiences, offering sampling opportunities like open houses and ride-alongs, showing clear growth paths, and providing flexibility in training and scheduling. For retention, she stresses knowing members as people, checking in when behavior changes, and involving families to build support. Lee highlights NVFC resources including MakeMeAFirefighter.org and tools and training available at NVFC.org.00:00 Recruitment Retention Kickoff01:11 Meet Sarah Lee NVFC02:01 Recruitment Versus Retention03:28 Why Volunteers Leave07:47 Culture And Leadership10:12 Sponsor Break VFIS10:38 Quick Recruitment Wins14:08 Keeping Good People18:31 NVFC Make Me Firefighter19:51 30 Second Challenge21:23 More NVFC Resources23:06 Final Takeaways OutroShow NotesRecruitment and Retention in the Fire Service: Culture, Time, and Making the Ask (with NVFC CEO Sarah Lee)In this VFIS-sponsored Behind the Sirens/All Clear episode, host Travis talks with National Volunteer Fire Council CEO Sarah Lee about fire service recruitment and retention, emphasizing that the issues are intertwined and require balanced staffing across seasoned, mid-level, and younger members. Lee outlines key reasons people don’t join or leave: limited time and mental load, volunteers moving into career positions, unwelcoming or toxic department culture, and unmet generational needs. She offers actionable steps for departments, including creating a positive member experience that fuels word-of-mouth, providing “sampling” opportunities like open houses and ride-alongs, showing clear advancement paths, and offering flexibility in training and scheduling. For retention, she stresses knowing members personally, checking in when behavior changes, and engaging families through communication and inclusive events. Lee highlights NVFC resources such as makemeafirefighter.org and nvfc.org, which provide tools, research, marketing support, guides, and training. Support the showThanks for listening to All Clear!You can contact us with questions, suggestions or just to say hi at our website allclearpodcast.comAlso pick up a bag of our signature All Clear Coffee.  A unique cup that will quickly become your new morning hero in a cup!Please like and subscribe on you platform of choice!  It dosent cost you anything and it helps us more than you will ever know!