International Association of Fire Chiefs
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This Retention and Recruitment Kit includes templates, letters, interview questions, tips, and forms for your department’s use and convenience. We thank the Manlius (NY) Fire Department for allowing the VWS program to customize and share their templates. The Manlius Fire Department won the “Retention and Recruitment” award from the IAFC’s Volunteer and Combination Officers Section for their program.
Below you will find electronic copies that you can customize as needed. Use any materials you find convenient and suitable for your department’s retention and recruitment program. These are only examples please check with your HR, legal or other people in your organization as appropriate before finalizing and utilizing them. We have learned that there are people in your community that are willing to step up and volunteer if you do the work to raise awareness of your department's needs and make them feel welcome. We encourage you to take advantage of the excellent recruitment and retention material in this kit.
Application for Volunteer Membership
A volunteer application that can be customized and modified for your department.
Download the template
Approval Letter
A letter to let an applicant know they have been approved for conditional membership.
Holding Application for Later Letter
Letter informing an applicant that you are holding their application for consideration until the next recruitment class.
Missing Documents Letter
A letter outlining documents missing from an application packet.
Received Application Letter
A letter thanking an applicant for their application and describing the next steps in the process to become a member.
Rejection Letter
A professional letter letting an applicant know that you will not be moving forward with their application.
Interview Questions
Sample questions for an interview to help you capture the information you need. The template also includes a reminder for questions you cannot ask an applicant.
Download the form
Reference Check
Sample questions to ask a reference for an applicant.
Medical Examination and Confidentiality
Information on medical examinations and confidentiality, along with resource links to help your department. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the Safety Health and Survival Section (SHSS) suggest that every volunteer and career firefighter receive an annual medical examination, and that this examination follow as closely as possible the guidance of NFPA 1582.
Download the document
NFPA 1582 Guide
A guide to understanding and using NFPA 1582 and the IAFC/IAFF Wellness Fitness Initiative.
Checklist for Mentors of New Members
Sample list of items a mentor should help their mentee complete.
Mentor Guidelines
Sample guidelines and expectations overview for new mentors.
Mentoring 1: Re-energizing Your Department Culture Through Positive Influence
Log into or create your free IAFC Academy/Helix account to register for the self paced online course.
Take the Class
Mentoring 2: Developing and Retaining Firefighters through Relationships
Orientation Presentation PowerPoint
This template is to help you orientate new members to your department.
Questions Recruits May Ask
A list of frequently asked questions about membership that includes some possible replies. Your department should decide how to answer these questions in advance to ensure continuity within the department and recruiters.
Download the FAQ
Recruit Orientation Schedule
Sample orientation schedule for a new recruit.
Download the Template
Techniques for Keeping Recruits
There are many reasons why volunteers decide to join the fire service. There are also many reasons why they decide to leave. This document may provide you with some unique or new solutions to help you retain your recruits.
New Recruit Sign Off Sheet Checklist
Sample form to help you track where a recruit is in the process of becoming a member.
Recruitment Plan Template
Use this year long template to help you plan out and execute your department's recruitment activities.
Certificate of Graduation
Sample certificate to use to signify the successful graduation from recruit orientation
Certificate of Completion
Sample certificate to use to signify the successful completion of recruit orientation
Exit Interview
Sample questions to ask during an exit interview to help your department gain a better understanding of why members are leaving.
Download the Questions