Firefighter Survey Analysis -...

Firefighter Survey Analysis Virginia Fire Chiefs Association

9/20/2011

Analysis of the VFCA statewide firefighter survey, conducted April-May, 2011 by Esri and Intterra

1

Introduction

Thousands of communities across the US depend heavily on the contributions of volunteer firefighters,

paramedics and emergency medical technicians to provide or augment a wide variety of public safety

related services. Active and effective volunteer staffing programs support public education, mitigation

and prevention programs, community preparedness activities and the full spectrum of tactical response

to and recovery from emergency events. When volunteer fire departments are well managed and

adequately staffed, the services provided by the volunteer workforce can significantly reduce the

financial burden of protecting life and properties in our local communities. The premise of this study is

that volunteer fire departments can substantially improve their recruitment and retention programs by

applying proven marketing methods to design recruitment programs and target outreach efforts. The

study relied heavily upon a process known as Tapestry Segmentation to develop a thorough

understanding for a given community’s firefighter workforce, and then using the results of that

assessment to develop a targeted firefighter recruitment strategy.

To develop an even deeper understanding of firefighters in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia

Fire Chiefs Association (VFCA) conducted an online statewide survey of its firefighters. Over 1,800

firefighters responded to the survey, generating a valuable insight into several aspects of the fire service

in Virginia.

As part of the project, Esri and Intterra developed recommended recruitment strategies by

incorporating the information obtained from the Tapestry Segmentation studies for each of the study

communities. The Tapestry Segmentation studies included media preference information from GfK

Mediamark Research & Intelligence, LLC, which showed what firefighters were most likely to read

(newspapers, magazines, etc.), listen to on the radio, and watch on television.

The survey illuminated more in-depth information about firefighters that was incorporated into the

recommended recruitment strategies. The supplemental information from the survey helped to further

refine the firefighter recruitment efforts.

The questions and summarized responses to this survey are included in this report and a brief

discussion about how each question influenced the recommended recruitment strategies is also

included.

2

Question 1

Are you currently (as of TODAY):

Answer Options Response Percent

Response Count

All-Volunteer firefighter 57.4% 1036

All-Paid firefighter 22.3% 403

I get paid, but most of my time is volunteer 3.1% 56

I volunteer some, but most of my time is paid 17.2% 310

The first survey question shows that over half of the survey respondents (57.4%) are all-volunteer

firefighters.

57.4% 22.3%

3.1%

17.2%

Question 1: Volunteer/Career Firefighter Workforce Makeup

All-Volunteer firefighter

All-Paid firefighter

I get paid, but most of my timeis volunteer

I volunteer some, but most ofmy time is paid

3

Question 2

Please choose what industry BEST DESCRIBES your primary occupation. Choose one of the options below.


Response Count

I work ONLY as a paid Firefighter 23.6% 324

I am Currently Unemployed 3.0% 41

Full-time Student 7.3% 100

Retired 6.2% 85

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 2.1% 29

Mining, Quarrying and Oil & Gas Extraction 0.5% 7

Utilities 2.5% 34

Construction 6.0% 82

Manufacturing 3.9% 54

Wholesale trade (sales to businesses - not individual customers)

1.2% 17

Retail trade (including restaurants and businesses selling direct to individual customers)

4.1% 56

Transportation and Warehousing 4.2% 58

Information (Information Technology, newspapers, cellular phone industry, publishers, etc.)

3.3% 45

Finance and Insurance 1.5% 20

Real Estate and Rental & Leasing 0.7% 10

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.5% 103

Management of Companies and Enterprises 2.0% 27

Administrative, Support and Waste & Remediation Services

0.5% 7

Educational Services 2.0% 27

Health Care and Social Assistance 7.1% 97

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation 0.1% 1

Accommodation and Food Services 0.7% 9

Public Administration (government) 10.1% 139

Other (please specify) 240

4

Question 2 indicates that firefighters work in a wide array of professions. The largest response for this

question was expected, indicating that 23.6% of respondents are career firefighters. This correlates with

the answers of Question 1, where 22.3% of respondents indicated they were “All-Paid” firefighters.

23.6%

3.0%

7.3%

6.2%

2.1%

0.5%

2.5%

6.0%

3.9%

1.2%

4.1% 4.2%

3.3%

1.5% 0.7%

7.5%

2.0%

0.5%

2.0%

7.1%

0.1% 0.7%

10.1%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

I wo

rk O

NLY

as

a p

aid

Fir

efig

hte

r

I am

Cu

rre

ntl

y U

nem

plo

yed

Full-

tim

e S

tud

ent

Re

tire

d

Agr

icu

ltu

re, F

ore

stry

, Fis

hin

g an

d H

un

tin

g

Min

ing,

Qu

arry

ing

and

Oil

& G

as E

xtra

ctio

n

Uti

litie

s

Co

nst

ruct

ion

Man

ufa

ctu

rin

g

Wh

ole

sale

tra

de

(sa

les

to b

usi

nes

ses

- n

ot

ind

ivid

ual

…

Re

tail

trad

e (

incl

ud

ing

rest

aura

nts

an

d b

usi

nes

ses…

Tran

spo

rtat

ion

an

d W

areh

ou

sin

g

Info

rmat

ion

(In

form

atio

n T

ech

no

logy

, ne

wsp

ape

rs,…

Fin

ance

an

d In

sura

nce

Re

al E

stat

e an

d R

enta

l & L

eas

ing

Pro

fess

ion

al, S

cie

nti

fic

and

Te

chn

ical

Ser

vice

s

Man

age

me

nt

of

Co

mp

anie

s an

d E

nte

rpri

ses

Ad

min

istr

ativ

e, S

up

po

rt a

nd

Was

te &

Re

me

dia

tio

n…

Edu

cati

on

al S

erv

ices

Hea

lth

Car

e a

nd

So

cial

Ass

ista

nce

Art

s, E

nte

rtai

nm

ent

and

Re

crea

tio

n

Acc

om

mo

dat

ion

an

d F

oo

d S

ervi

ces

Pu

blic

Ad

min

istr

atio

n (

gove

rnm

ent)

Pe

rce

nt

of

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

Primary Occupation

Firefighters Primary Occupations

5

Question 3

How many years have you served as a firefighter? This can be either as a volunteer, as a paid firefighter, or both.


Response Count

Less than 1 Year 4.3% 75

1-2 Years 8.3% 146

3-5 Years 12.7% 224

6-10 Years 18.5% 326

11 Years or more 56.2% 991

Question 3 was designed to identify how long the majority of Virginia’s firefighters have been working as

a firefighter. Responses show that a vast majority (56.2%) have been a firefighter for 11 years or more.

4.3%

8.3%

12.7%

18.5%

56.2%

Years of Service as a Firefighter

Less than 1 Year

1-2 Years

3-5 Years

6-10 Years

11 Years or more

6

Question 4

How much do you enjoy the following activities? Please be sure to select one answer in every row.

Answer Options I live and breathe

for it

I like it

Neutral I don't like it

I strongly dislike

it

N/A Response

Count

Administrative Duties 65 626 730 209 51 38 1719

Training 408 1169 132 3 3 4 1719

Fire Response 913 680 89 9 3 25 1719

Medical Response 318 749 432 142 44 34 1719

HAZMAT Response 157 583 620 224 80 55 1719

Other Response Including Technical Rescue

404 848 366 44 12 45 1719

Fire Prevention 213 884 498 75 25 24 1719

Community Outreach 272 983 393 38 24 9 1719

Other Duties 115 811 720 14 14 45 1719

7

Question 4 was intended to gauge how much firefighters enjoyed certain aspects of their jobs. As

expected, firefighters overwhelmingly listed “Fire Response” as a primary aspect of their job that they

particularly enjoy. Receiving training also emerged as a favorite component of being a firefighter. In

addition, community outreach was a very well-liked aspect of fire service.

The high number of firefighters who expressed that they liked community outreach was a contributing

factor for the recruitment strategy recommendations. Combining community outreach activities with

recruitment efforts will keep morale of firefighters high, while bringing more people to the profession.

One other detail noted from the responses to Question 4 is that overall, firefighters did not respond

negatively to most aspects of the profession. A small minority expressed their dislike for HAZMAT

Response, Medical Response and Administrative Duties. It should be noted that only a very small

number of firefighters expressed strong dislike of any one particular aspect of the profession.

0

250

500

750

1000

Nu

mb

er

of

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

Aspects of Fire Service

The Profession - Likes and Dislikes

8

Question 5

Approximately how much time do you spend IN AN AVERAGE WEEK performing the following activities? Please be sure to select one answer in every row.

Answer Options Less than an hour

1-10 hours

11-20 hours

21-30 hours

More than 30 hours

N/A

Administrative Duties 367 836 224 97 77 103

Training 196 1185 216 38 40 29

Fire Response 261 1033 216 58 71 65

Medical Response 304 678 354 140 127 101

HAZMAT Response 1208 255 23 6 11 201

Other Response Including Technical Rescue

1069 376 50 5 9 195

Fire Prevention 850 626 58 19 19 132

Community Outreach 697 810 74 22 19 82

Other Duties 334 864 264 81 71 90

0

250

500

750

1000

Nu

mb

er

of

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

Aspects of Fire Service

Time Allocated to Aspects of the Profession

9

Question 5 was intended to get an idea of how much time firefighters work on particular aspects of the

job. This question included the same components as Question 4 in order to allow some comparison

between what firefighters liked about their job, and how much time they devoted to those aspects. A

few key pieces of information emerged from Question 5:

Fire Response is by far the favorite activity for firefighters.

o 61% of respondents noted that they spend between 1-10 hours per week toward fire

response.

o 15% responded that they devote less than one hour per week toward fire response

activities.

o 13% noted that they spend between 11-20 hours per week on fire response.

o Only a small minority (7%) responded that they devote more than 21 hours per week

toward fire response.

Other aspects of fire service that are well-liked by firefighters, and a synopsis of the time

devoted to these aspects include:

o Training

70% of respondents indicated that they participate in training between 1-10

hours per week.

92% of respondents indicated that they either like, or “live and breathe for”

their training.

o Medical Response

40% of respondents noted that they spend between 1-10 hours per week doing

medical response.

21% indicated that they spend 11-20 hours per week on medical response.

15% of respondents indicated that more than 21 hours per week are devoted to

medical response.

The vast majority of firefighters enjoy medical response. Approximately 44% of

those polled noted that they liked medical response, and 18% indicated that

they “live and breathe” for it.

However, 36% of respondents indicated that they were either neutral or

expressed dislike for medical response.

o Other Response/Technical Rescue

85% of the firefighters noted that they spend less than ten hours per week on

other/technical rescue, and an additional 11% noted that they do not perform

any of these activities.

However, 72% of firefighters indicated they enjoy these activities.

o Community Outreach

Almost all firefighters – 73% - indicated that they like community outreach

activities. Approximately 16% noted that they “live and breathe” for this part of

their job.

However, the vast majority (89%) noted that they spend less than 10 hours per

week doing community outreach. Approximately 41% of the firefighters

10

indicated that they devote less than an hour per week toward this activity.

o Fire Prevention

64% of firefighters indicated that they enjoy fire prevention activities.

Half of all respondents (50%) noted that they work on fire prevention activities

fewer than one hour per week. An additional 37% noted that they do less than

10 hours of fire prevention activities per week.

8% of the firefighters indicated that they do not participate in any fire

prevention activities.

Activities that are least favorites include HAZMAT and Administrative Duties.

o 18% of firefighters indicated their dislike for HAZMAT, and 86% noted that they do less

than an hour per week of HAZMAT duty.

o 15% of firefighters noted their dislike for administrative duties, and 43% were neutral

about this part of their job.

o 40% of firefighters in this survey enjoy their administrative duties.

o 49% of firefighters indicated that they do between 1-10 hours of administrative work

per week. Approximately 23% of the firefighters noted that their workload includes 11

or more hours of administrative duties per week.

Question 6

Thinking back to when you first enlisted as a firefighter, which of the following enticed you to join? Select all that apply.


Response Count

Friend or family member referral 58.4% 990

Personal contact with a firefighter 42.1% 714

Other 18.2% 309

Fire station or truck tour 13.0% 220

Experienced family, friend or personal tragedy 11.6% 196

Career day at school 5.4% 91

Story in local media about a fire or accident 3.7% 62

Banner at the station 3.4% 57

Participated in a fundraising event 3.1% 53

Special event 2.8% 47

Brochure 2.0% 34

Newspaper advertisement 1.9% 32

Television advertisement 0.9% 16

Facebook 0.6% 11

Radio advertisement 0.5% 8

Email 0.2% 3

11

Friend or family member referral

35%

Personal contact with a firefighter

25%

Other 11%

Fire station or truck tour 8%

Experienced family, friend or personal

tragedy 7%

Career day at school 3%

Story in local media about a fire or accident

2%

Banner at the station 2%

Fundraising event

2%

Special event 2%

Brochure 1%

Newspaper advertisement

1%

Television advertisement

1%

Facebook 0%

Radio advertisement 0%

Email 0%

Motivators to Join the Fire Department

12

Question 6 was intended to identify marketing methods and other motivators that worked to get

current firefighters to join their department. The vast majority of responses show that personal, face-to-

face contact between firefighters and citizens is the most effective method to recruit new firefighters.

According to these survery results, traditional media (TV, Radio and Newspapers) appear to have

minimal effectiveness in reaching potential firefighters.

The “word cloud” depicted above shows the free-text entry data from respondents who answered,

“Other.” The larger words indicate several of the free-text responses were included several times as

survey responses to this question. These responses likewise support the conclusion that interpersonal

contact was important in these individuals’ recruitment to the fire service. Several respondents noted

that they were approached by firefighters while at school, or that a family member played a significant

factor in their decision to join.

Question 7a

What percentage of the people you knew BEFORE you became a firefighter were in the fire service?


Response Count

0% to 5% 54.1% 917

6% to 10% 22.3% 378

11% to 25% 10.6% 180

25% to 50% 8.7% 147

More than 50% 4.3% 72

0% to 5% 54%

6% to 10% 22%

11% to 25% 11%

25% to 50% 9%

More than 50% 4%

Percentage of Social Circle Who Were Firefighters Before Joining Fire Department

13

Question 7a asked firefighters to recall what percentage of their friends were firefighters prior to joining

the fire department. The results show that the vast majority (76%) of firefighters’ social circles consisted

of 10% firefighters or less.

Question 7b

What percentage of all the people you know NOW are in the fire service?


Response Count

0% to 5% 3.3% 56

6% to 10% 9.2% 156

11% to 25% 17.5% 297

25% to 50% 32.3% 548

More than 50% 37.6% 637

Question 7b followed Question 7a and asked the firefighters to describe the current percentage of their

social circles who are NOW firefighters. The results show that the vast majority of current firefighters’

social circles are NOW other firefighters. This information further qualifies well-known assertions that

firefighting tends to take on a major role in an individual’s life after joining a fire department. This

suggests that there may be some appeal in the familial nature of the profession to firefighting recruits.

0% to 5% 3% 6% to 10%

9%

11% to 25% 18%

25% to 50% 32%

More than 50% 38%

Percentage of Social Circle Who are Firefighters After Joining Fire Department

14

Question 8

Think about the firefighters you know who have left the fire service. Why do you believe they left the fire service? Select as many of the following choices below that apply.


Response Count

Life change: married, moved, kids, retired 70.5% 1192

Too much of a time commitment 50.0% 845

Station/department politics 40.9% 691

Lack of leadership in station/department 38.0% 642

Did not fit in with other people in the firehouse/department

31.4% 530

Lack of incentives/benefits 26.2% 442

Could not meet training requirements 24.1% 408

Could not meet assigned duty requirements 23.7% 400

Health or fitness issues 21.8% 369

Not enough calls 18.0% 304

Lack of leadership on emergency scenes 16.2% 273

Compensation issues 12.1% 204

Lack of training opportunities 11.8% 200

Jurisdictional politics 11.7% 197

I have no idea 10.6% 179

Other (please specify) 8.3% 141

Call volume too great 6.6% 111

Lack of equipment 3.3% 55

15

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Pe

rce

nt

of

Re

spo

nse

s In

dic

atin

g R

eas

on

fo

r Le

avin

g w

as a

Fac

tor

Reasons for Leaving

Reasons Firefighters Have Left Fire Service

16

Question 8 was intended to identify reasons why firefighters are leaving the fire service. Several items

arose that are factors. A few of the top factors are:

Life-changing events – such as having children, moving or retirement (70% indicated this was a

factor)

Fire service is too much of a time commitment (50% indicated this was a factor)

Station and/or department politics (40% indicated this was a factor)

Lack of leadership in station/department (38% indicated this was a factor)

Did not fit in with others in station/department (31% indicated this was a factor)

Question 9

What are the things that continue to motivate you to be a firefighter? Please be sure to select one answer in every row.

Answer Options Doesn't motivate me at all

Doesn't really

motivate me

Motivates me a little

Motivates me a lot

This is why I do it

N/A

Service to my community 17 29 180 548 887 18

Personal fulfillment/enrichment

26 44 194 537 860 18

Fire response 28 35 227 531 812 46

Friendship/Camaraderie 29 48 282 758 542 20

Receiving/Delivering training 39 103 463 735 304 35

Appreciation from people 83 172 478 524 394 28

EMS Response 155 221 526 408 306 63

LOSAP/Retirement Benefits 353 302 381 266 81 296

Incentives 340 387 476 231 70 175

HAZMAT 354 441 490 184 89 121

Financial 470 307 342 208 101 251

Tax savings for community 450 418 363 179 101 168

Other (please specify)

Question 9 asked respondents to identify their motivators for being a firefighter. Responses showed that

the top five reasons respondents are firefighters are:

Service to community

Personal fulfillment or enrichment

Fire response

Friendship & Camaraderie

Receiving or Delivering Training

17

The full graph for Question 9 follows, showing responses for all 12 motivations outlined in the question:

0100200300400500600700800900

Motivators

Nu

mb

er

of

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

Levels of Motivation

Motivations to be a Firefighter

18

Question 10

What are some of the other things that continue to motivate you to be a firefighter? Please make sure you select an answer in every row.

Answer Options Doesn't motivate me at all

Doesn't really

motivate me

Motivates me a little

Motivates me a lot

This is why I do

it N/A

Personal obligation 99 131 442 621 340 44

The adrenaline rush 109 185 451 516 377 39

The equipment (truck, tools, technology, etc.)

93 188 544 575 239 38

Family connection 205 249 413 467 228 115

Keeps me in shape 153 228 597 518 126 55

Heightened community status 279 408 485 319 128 58

It's the only thing I'm good at 347 330 349 217 132 302

Administrative duties 329 523 519 181 52 73

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Motivators

Nu

mb

er

of

Re

spo

nd

en

ts

Levels of Motivation

Motivations to be a Firefighter (continued)

19

Question 10 asked respondents to identify additional motivators for being a firefighter. Responses

showed that more reasons respondents are firefighters are:

Sense of a personal obligation to the community

The adrenaline rush firefighters get from the profession

Use of equipment available to firefighters (the truck, tools, etc.)

The sense of having a “family” connection to others in fire service

The fact that the fire service requires them to maintain physical fitness

Question 11

Do you use social media?

Answer Options Yes No

Do you use Facebook? 1119 505

Do you think using Facebook to recruit firefighters is a good idea? 982 642

If asked, would you use Twitter or Facebook to help enlist firefighters? 881 743

Do you think using Twitter to recruit firefighters is a good idea? 615 1009

Do you use Twitter? 128 1496

Yes 69%

No 31%

Do you use Facebook?

20

Yes 8%

No 92%

Do you use Twitter?

Yes 60%

No 40%

Do you think using Facebook to recruit firefighters is a good idea?

Yes 38%

No 62%

Do you think using Twitter to recruit firefighters is a good idea?

21

Question 11 asked firefighters about their use of social media. The results of this question are as follows:

Facebook

The vast majority (69%) of firefighters currently use Facebook.

The majority (60%) of firefighters believe Facebook is a valuable way to recruit additional

firefighters.

Twitter

A very slim minority (8%) of firefighters currently use Twitter.

A large majority of firefighters (62%) do not believe Twitter would be a valuable way to recruit

additional firefighters.

Survey respondents also noted that the majority (54%) would use Facebook or Twitter to help recruit

firefighters, if asked.

Yes 54%

No 46%

If asked, would you use Twitter or Facebook to help enlist firefighters?

22

Question 12

Question 12 simply asked firefighters their age. The above graph shows the overall age distribution of

the survey respondents.

Appendix A Paper Version of VFCA Workforce Solutions Survey

Virginia Fire Chiefs Association Volunteer Workforce Solutions SurveyVirginia Fire Chiefs Association Volunteer Workforce Solutions SurveyVirginia Fire Chiefs Association Volunteer Workforce Solutions SurveyVirginia Fire Chiefs Association Volunteer Workforce Solutions Survey

The Virginia Fire Chiefs Association (VFCA) is seeking ways to improve methods for recruiting volunteer firefighters in Virginia. To accomplish this, we have designed this survey to gather information about why you have chosen to be a firefighter and identify what factors motivates you. All answers to this survey will be kept strictly confidential and anonymous. The VFCA will not disclose any information collected in this survey for non-research purposes. The information provided in this survey cannot, and will not be used to seek your personal identity. Geographic Information System (GIS) data, coupled with the data collected in this survey will be used to help us identify what differentiates the traits of firefighters from everyone else. Our hope is that this information will assist Virginia's fire service organizations in the better recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Your participation in this survey will greatly assist the VFCA in our work to develop more successful volunteer firefighter recruitment and sustainability methods. The survey is 16 questions long and will take less than 10 minutes to complete. On behalf of the VFCA, we truly thank you for your participation.

1. Background


1. Are you currently (as of TODAY):

2. Tell us some basic information about you

*

All-Volunteer firefighter

nmlkj

All-Paid firefighter

nmlkj

I get paid, but most of my time is volunteer

nmlkj

I volunteer some, but most of my time is paid

nmlkj


1. Please choose what industry BEST DESCRIBES your primary occupation. Choose

one of the options below.

3. Occupation

*

I work ONLY as a paid Firefighter

nmlkj

I am Currently Unemployed

nmlkj

Full-time Student

nmlkj

Retired

nmlkj

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting

nmlkj

Mining, Quarrying and Oil & Gas Extraction

nmlkj

Utilities

nmlkj

Construction

nmlkj

Manufacturing

nmlkj

Wholesale trade (sales to businesses - not individual customers)

nmlkj

Retail trade (including restaurants and businesses selling direct to individual customers)

nmlkj

Transportation and Warehousing

nmlkj

Information (Information Technology, newspapers, cellular phone industry, publishers, etc.)

nmlkj

Finance and Insurance

nmlkj

Real Estate and Rental & Leasing

nmlkj

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

nmlkj

Management of Companies and Enterprises

nmlkj

Administrative, Support and Waste & Remediation Services

nmlkj

Educational Services

nmlkj

Health Care and Social Assistance

nmlkj

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation

nmlkj

Accommodation and Food Services

nmlkj

Public Administration (government)

nmlkj



1. How many years have you served as a firefighter?

This can be either as a volunteer, as a paid firefighter, or both.

4. Years of service as a firefighter

*

Less than 1 Year

nmlkj

1-2 Years

nmlkj

3-5 Years

nmlkj

6-10 Years

nmlkj

11 Years or more

nmlkj


1. How much do you enjoy the following activities?

Please be sure to select one answer in every row.

5. What do you like and dislike about the profession?

*

I live and breathe

for itI like it Neutral I don't like it I strongly dislike it N/A

Administrative Duties nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Training nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Fire Response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Medical Response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

HAZMAT Response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkjOther Response Including

Technical Rescuenmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Fire Prevention nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Community Outreach nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Other Duties nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj


1. Approximately how much time do you spend IN AN AVERAGE WEEK performing the

following activities?


6. Time spent on the job

*

Less than an hour 1-10 hours 11-20 hours 21-30 hoursMore than 30

hoursN/A

Administrative Duties nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Training nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Fire Response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Medical Response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

HAZMAT Response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkjOther Response Including

Technical Rescuenmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Fire Prevention nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Community Outreach nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Other Duties nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj


1. Thinking back to when you first enlisted as a firefighter, which of the following enticed

you to join?

Select all that apply.

7. How you first got interested in being a firefighter

*

Newspaper advertisement

gfedc

Radio advertisement

gfedc

Television advertisement

gfedc

Banner at the station

gfedc

Story in local media about a fire or accident

gfedc

Email

gfedc

Brochure

gfedc

Career day at school

gfedc

Facebook

gfedc

Friend or family member referral

gfedc

Experienced family, friend or personal tragedy

gfedc

Personal contact with a firefighter

gfedc

Fire station or truck tour

gfedc

Participated in a fundraising event

gfedc

Special event

gfedc


gfedc


1. What percentage of the people you knew BEFORE you became a firefighter were in

the fire service?


2. What percentage of all the people you know NOW are in the fire service?


8. More about you

*

*

0% to 5%

nmlkj

6% to 10%

nmlkj

11% to 25%

nmlkj

25% to 50%

nmlkj

More than 50%

nmlkj

0% to 5%

nmlkj

6% to 10%

nmlkj

11% to 25%

nmlkj

25% to 50%

nmlkj

More than 50%

nmlkj


1. Think about the firefighters you know who have left the fire service. Why do you

believe they left the fire service?

Select as many of the following choices below that apply.

9. A little about those who have left service...

*

Call volume too great

gfedc

Not enough calls

gfedc

Lack of leadership on emergency scenes

gfedc

Lack of leadership in station/department

gfedc

Too much of a time commitment

gfedc

Lack of training opportunities

gfedc

Life change: married, moved, kids, retired

gfedc

Lack of incentives/benefits

gfedc

Lack of equipment

gfedc

Did not fit in with other people in the firehouse/department

gfedc

Station/department politics

gfedc

Jurisdictional politics

gfedc

Compensation issues

gfedc

Could not meet training requirements

gfedc

Could not meet assigned duty requirements

gfedc

Health or fitness issues

gfedc

I have no idea

gfedc


gfedc


1. What are the things that continue to motivate you to be a firefighter?


10. What motivates you?

*

Doesn't motivate

me at all

Doesn't really

motivate me

Motivates me a

littleMotivates me a lot This is why I do it N/A

Appreciation from people nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

HAZMAT nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Friendship/Camaraderie nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Incentives nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Service to my community nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkjPersonal

fulfillment/enrichmentnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Receiving/Delivering

trainingnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Fire response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

LOSAP/Retirement Benefits nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Tax savings for community nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Financial nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

EMS Response nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj



1. What are some of the other things that continue to motivate you to be a firefighter?

Please make sure you select an answer in every row.

11. What else motivates you?

*

Doesn't motivate

me at all

Doesn't really

motivate me

Motivates me a

littleMotivates me a lot This is why I do it N/A

Keeps me in shape nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Personal obligation nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Family connection nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

The adrenaline rush nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Administrative duties nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkjIt's the only thing I'm good

atnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

Heightened community

statusnmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj

The equipment (truck, tools,

technology, etc.)nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj nmlkj


1. Please provide us with some basic information about you.

All information provided here will be kept strictly confidential. We are asking for your

physical home address to improve the GIS-driven portion of this study, and identify

specific trends within your community.

The VFCA will NOT use the information you provide here for any purpose other than

analysis of this survey.

The VFCA will NOT use this information to send you junk mail, and we will not provide

this information to anyone.

Remember, all answers to this survey will be kept completely anonymous, including the

information you supply below.

12. Basic information about you

*

Home Address (no PO Boxes):

Address 2:

City/Town:

State: 6

ZIP:


1. Do you use social media?

13. Use of social media

* Yes No

Do you use Facebook? nmlkj nmlkj

Do you use Twitter? nmlkj nmlkj

If asked, would you use Twitter or Facebook to help enlist firefighters? nmlkj nmlkj

Do you think using Twitter to recruit firefighters is a good idea? nmlkj nmlkj

Do you think using Facebook to recruit firefighters is a good idea? nmlkj nmlkj

Other social media you use:


1. How old are you?

2. What fire department(s) do you work/volunteer for?

14. Just a few more questions...

*

Fire Department 1:

Fire Department 2:

Fire Department 3:

Appendix B Independent Academic Analysis of Survey

Submitted by Kevin Curtin, PhD

George Mason University

VFCA Survey Review and Analysis Summary Final Report Kevin M. Curtin, PhD Rebecca Lee Hill Department of Geography and GeoInformation Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA This summary report draws information from the full review report submitted to the VFCA. That report contains detailed information about the methods used in this analysis, and the significance of that report. If you would like to review the full report, please visit the VFCA website, at www.vfca.us. • Background Information

• The Recruitment and Retention Survey was administered to a large number (1,805) of Virginia Firefighters (1,253 from the T-10 or GIS-10 departments) in the Spring of 2011.

• The survey was reviewed and revised by staff personnel from the VFCA, IAFC, Esri and GMU. The survey asked questions regarding basic information, enjoyment levels of duties, time spent on duties, enlistment reasons, social circle structure, motivations for entering or leaving the service, and social media use

• The data from the survey were primarily categorical (respondents pick one or more categories) • As expected, response rates declined as respondents moved through the survey • Some questions allowed for a response of “Other” with an associated comment, and other

questions allowed respondents to choose any and all responses from a list

• Basic Descriptive Information • More than half of the respondents (57.4%) were “All Volunteer” firefighters • 55% of the respondents reported that they had more than 11 years of service • The average ages of the respondents across all status groups (“Paid”, “All Volunteer”, etc.) were in

the mid- to upper-30s • Leadership Issues

• A question was asked regarding the beliefs that firefighters had regarding the reasons why others had left the fire service. The results show:

• Three of the top five responses were “Lack of Leadership”, “Did Not Fit with the Department”, and “Departmental Politics”

• Volunteers were less likely to identify “Leadership” as a contributing factor to firefighters leaving the service

• With regard to years in service, firefighters with 5-10 years of service were more likely to identify these three issues as compared to those with less than 5 or more than 10 years of service

• The fact that between 25% and 50% of the respondents feel that leadership, fit, and politics are significant factors in firefighters leaving the service, demonstrates that these considerations demand attention with regard to firefighter retention

• A comparison of these results with the results from another recent survey conducted by the Volunteer & Combination Officers section of the IAFC, demonstrates that when officers are polled, 8% state that Department Leadership is expressed as a motivation for leaving. In contrast,

http://www.vfca.us/�

the results from the current survey indicate that 35% of all firefighters believe that leadership, or lack of leadership is an issue

• Correlation Analysis Methods

• The analysts use categorical responses from the survey to create cross-tabulations and visualizations between variables in order to illustrate the relationships between them

• Cross-tabulations are two-dimensional frequency distributions with the categories for one variable in rows and the categories for the second variable in columns

• An example with “Years in Service” and “Enjoyment of Duties - Admin” is below

Sum of Count Enjoy Duties - Administrative Years in Service I live and breathe for it I like it Neutral I don't like it I strongly dislike it Grand Total 11 Years or more 48 381 405 104 21 959 6-10 Years 6 113 133 49 15 316 3-5 Years 2 75 94 34 9 214 1-2 Years 4 38 69 16 3 130 Less than 1 Year 5 19 29 6 3 62 Grand Total 65 626 730 209 51 1681

• Cross-tabulations can be used to give descriptive statistics representing correlations of

categories across the two variables • Cross tabulations can also be used to generate visualizations, please see the full report for

examples • The Chi-squared test for independence is used to test the strength of the correlation relationship

between the two variables. This test is appropriate for the categorical data and the sampling strategy that was employed for this survey

• This test allows us to determine if the value of one variable is independent of the value of the other variable

• If they are not independent (or correlated) then we can use that knowledge in the future to try to influence the recruitment and retention strategies that are in place

• The major findings from the cross-tabulations and correlation analysis are: • Longer serving firefighters are more likely to enjoy administrative duties. Based on this,

one may be able to encourage retention by 1) targeting persons who are more predisposed to administrative duties, 2) making administrative duties more attractive to firefighters with fewer years of service, or 3) reducing administrative duties altogether for more junior firefighters

• Longer serving firefighters are less likely to enjoy medical and HAZMAT response duties, and community outreach. This could mean that firefighters who enjoy these duties move on to other opportunities, or it could reflect a cultural shift where more and more medical and HAZMAT responses have occurred in more recent years

• Similarly, longer serving firefighters are less likely to have an affinity for fire prevention and community outreach duties. It may be that these duties appeal more to younger firefighters, or that these duties were not the norm when the older firefighters entered the service.

• The questions regarding what compelled firefighters to enlist can add some insight into recruitment strategies

• According to the respondents, personal interaction with a firefighter is the overwhelming impetus to enlist

• Efforts to identify trends among recruitment tools (radio, banner, etc.) for those who did not have a strong circle of friends prior to recruitment, did not indicate any statistically significant relationship

• Correlation analyses of the questions regarding social media use and perceptions of benefit can inform the recruitment strategies going forward

• Not surprisingly, firefighters with more years of service are less likely to use Facebook (although nearly 58% did so) compared to their more recently enlisted counterparts

• Less intuitively, among all groups of firefighters (with regard to years of service), fewer felt that Facebook is a good recruitment forum than responded that they use Facebook themselves

• Steps moving forward / Lessons Learned • Informing the marketing strategies under development to us the descriptive

statistics/visualizations and correlation analyses herein, and • Making suggestions to improve future survey efforts using the lessons learned from the analysis of

this survey; examples include: • Modifying categories to encourage more uniform representation across demographic

groups. More specifically, the Years-in-service categories did not capture the distribution of firefighters, with one category being far over represented

• Modifying questions to conform to well-accepted language norms for surveys • Identifying the more important questions from either an analytical or application

(recruitment, retention, marketing) perspective and placing those questions at the start of the survey to ensure a better response rate for those questions

• When multiple options can be checked, ask the respondent to identify the primary (or most important) choice

• Informing the marketing process • The analyses presented in this document are all intended only to support the overall

research effort designed and implemented by the IAFC, Esri and GMU on behalf of, and in conjunction with the VFCA. In the short term, the relationships described above can inform the developing marketing strategies. We hope that ongoing discussions with the marketing experts can lead to additional research questions that encourage greater success in recruitment and retention

• Additional Statistical Analyses • There are additional statistical analyses that may prove beneficial to overall future efforts.

These generally separate into three groups: • Ongoing additional descriptive analysis • Additional correlation analysis identifying relationships of interest • Exploration of the technique Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Firefighter Survey Analysis -...

Documents

Transcript of Firefighter Survey Analysis -...