Is There A Fire In You? Coming to a Department Near You!

It had become quite evident that the number of volunteer firefighters statewide was  moving in the wrong direction. It was also clear that something had to be done on a large scale. Armed with this knowledge, last year FASNY took the bold move to secure a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. In the year since we won the award we have aggressively attacked the problem on a number of fronts.

FASNY’s Volunteer Programs Office has just concluded the second semester of FASNY HELP, our innovative community college tuition reimbursement. An increasing number of firefighters are benefiting from this opportunity and we expect this trend to continue. If you know a volunteer who is attending community college in New York, please send them our way. We may just be able to lighten their financial burden of getting a college degree.

In the last year we also put in place five Assistant Volunteer Program Coordinators. These individuals continue to work their way around the state to explain the SAFER program and assist local departments with their recruitment and retention activities. Yet, for them to efficiently help at the local level, each department must do its part. This includes designating a Recruitment Coordinator, submitting a Fire Department Information Form and filling out a Volunteer Profile Form for every new recruit they get. The database of information from the Fire Department Information Forms is steadily growing, but we need this information from every department for us to meet our SAFER goals. We also need every department to fill out a Volunteer Profile Form for every recruit they have gained since August, 2011. These forms can be filled out and filed online at  www.fasny.com or can be downloaded to mail or fax.

As if this wasn’t enough for our first year of grant funded activities, we saved the best for last. A few months ago, FASNY started the creative process for an unprecedented, statewide mass media outreach program. It was evident from the beginning that the best people to communicate our message would be volunteer firefighters themselves. After issuing a statewide casting call, two of our ranks were chosen to be our “stars.” In early June, FASNY commenced a mass media blitz designed to educate the public all across the state on what it takes to be a volunteer firefighter. The “Is there a FIRE in you?” campaign utilizes TV and radio spots, billboards and social media to drive interested individuals to a specially designed website. The centerpiece of the website is an innovative auto-referral system where a potential recruit can input their information and the system will provide them with up-to-date contact information for their appropriate volunteer department.

At the same time, that department will receive the recruit’s contact information so a direct connect can be made quickly.

While the initial phase of our statewide recruitment and retention effort continues to pick up momentum, we have already embarked on implementing the next component of plan. As you read this, the final touches are being put on a “Train The Recruiter” program. In keeping with our primary goal of assisting and supporting departments on the local level, this initiative will send trained individuals into the field to conduct recruitment and retention seminars for every department recruiter across the state. As part of the training seminars, attendees will receive a binder and DVD of the program so they can go back and train others in their departments. In addition, every department will be supplied with a kit containing such resources as a sample press release, print ads that can be customized, posters and pamphlets for distribution. Announcement of training dates will be posted shortly so keep an eye out for them.

Keep updated on our recruitment and retention efforts by going to the www.fireinyou.org website and our Facebook page frequently. Let us know when you see a billboard or view an ad. If you have any good ideas, send them our way. The volunteer fire service of New York has a proud history and an even more promising future because of the dedicated men and women who answer the call. Let’s work together to add people to those ranks.

THANK YOU: FASNY wants to sincerely thank both of our stars, Jeff Burkhart and Jessie Roland-Bystrak, as well as the Clay Fire Department, especially Chief Tim Dickerson and First Deputy Chief Dan Ford. A big thank you goes to ABC Idea Based Marketing, our  advertising agency out of Syracuse, for coordinating and managing the campaign. Thanks also go to Jerome Fire Equipment Co., Syracuse University, Moyers Corners Fire  Department, Northern Onondaga Volunteer Ambulance (NOVA) and everyone who helped along the way and made these commercials possible. FASNY is grateful for your support. Let’s hear it for statewide recruitment!