Do-it-yourself recruitment guide

Most people who look into volunteering want to know what they are signing up for before they apply. A volunteer page that answers their questions, plus an easy way to apply, does most of the work.

What to put on your volunteer page

Requirements. Minimum age, driver's license, background check, physical, and how close to the station people must live or work.
Training commitment. How long the recruit academy is and when it meets, and how many training hours you require each month and each year.
Time commitment. Drills, meetings, events and any minimum share of calls or duty shifts.
Calls per month. Your average, so people can picture how often they will be paged.
Costs. What volunteers pay for, if anything, and what the department provides, such as gear and training.
How you operate. Whether volunteers staff the station on shifts, respond from home when paged, or both.
Roles. Firefighter, EMT, driver, support and any others you need, so people who do not want to fight fires still apply.
Benefits. Anything you offer, such as stipends, training paid for, or certifications people earn.
The process. Each step from application to first call, and roughly how long it takes.
How to apply. An online application, plus the department's contact information for questions.

Make it easy to find

Link to the page from your home page.
Use the words people search for, such as "volunteer firefighter" and the name of your town, in the page title and heading.
Show photos of your own members, with their permission.

Follow up fast

Applicants lose interest when nobody calls them back. Decide who answers new applications and how quickly, and keep a simple list of every applicant and where they are in the process.

Keep it current

Review the page at least once a year and whenever requirements change. Out-of-date pages lose applicants and search traffic.

Want it done for you?

Our $40-per-applicant program builds the page and application, delivers every application, and helps you follow up.