The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Education AN EXAMINATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING RETENTION OF VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA A Dissertation in Workforce Education and Development by James E. Catino © 2015 James E. Catino Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2015 ii The dissertation of James E. Catino was reviewed and approved* by the following: Judith Kolb Associate Professor of Workforce Education and Development Dissertation Adviser Chair of Committee Wesley Donahue Associate Professor of Workforce Education and Development Mark Threeton Assistant Professor of Workforce Education and Development Assistant Director of the Professional Personnel Development Center John C. Ewing Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education David L. Passmore Distinguished Professor of Education Director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Learning and Performance Systems *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, nearly 90% of all firefighting personnel are volunteers. These volunteer emergency services organizations not only provide the invaluable service of public safety, but also produce a significant cost savings for local municipalities. The number of people who volunteer in Pennsylvania’s fire companies has been on a steady decline for the past several decades. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) tracked the number of volunteer firefighters from the period of 1976 to 1995 and estimated that the number of volunteers dropped from 300,000 to 70,000. The State Fire Commissioner reports that the number is closer to 50,000 today. Literature on this subject is mostly oriented toward the causes of the volunteer decline. In the study reported here, the researcher utilized semi- structured interviews, observations, and document reviews to collect pertinent data. A qualitative research methodology was selected in order to obtain “thick, rich data” as compared to the previous data collected by surveys. The researcher examined if existing firefighter retention strategies are working, how they can be improved, and discusses possible new strategies to enhance the effort of volunteer fire company administrators. During the interview process, the researcher was able to reinforce some of the previous data regarding attrition, especially in the areas of time requirements, leadership, and internal conflict. Further, in relation to study’s framework, it was identified that the vast majority of motivational techniques being employed by volunteer fire company leadership were extrinsic in nature. The researcher summarizes the data, makes conclusions, and offers recommendations at multiple levels of government. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ……………………………………………………………………….. vii LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………....…………………… viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………... 1 The Problem ………………………………………………………………………. 2 Time Demands ……………………………………………………………. 2 Training Requirements …………………………………………………... 4 Increasing Call Volume ………………………………………………….. 6 Changes in the Nature of Service ………………………………………... 7 Sociological Changes ……………………………………………………. 7 Leadership Problems ……………………………………………………. 8 Legislation and Regulations ……………………………………………... 8 Combination Departments ……………………………………………….. 9 Housing Costs …………………………………………………………… 9 Aging Communities …………………………………………………...… 10 Internal Conflict ………………………………………………………… 10 Significance of the Study …………………………………………………………. 10 Research Questions ……………………………………………………………….. 11 Limitations ………………………………………………………………………... 11 Definition of Terms ………………………………………………………………. 12 Assumptions ……………………………………………………………………… 13 Theoretical Framework …………………………………………………………… 13 Self-Determination Theory ………………………………………………. 14 Mini-Theories ……………………………………………………………. 15 Cognitive evaluation theory …………………………………….. 15 Organismic integration theory ………………………………….. 16 Causality orientations theory …………………………………… 17 Basic psychological needs theory ………………………………. 17 Goal contents theory ……………………………………………. 17 Chapter Summary ………………………………………………………………… 18 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE …………………………………... 19 United States Fire Administration………………………………………………… 19 Challenges………………………………………………………………... 19 Retention Strategies………………………………………………………. 22 National Volunteer Fire Council …………………………………………………. 29 Volunteer Profile ………………………………………………………… 29 Time Constraints ………………………………………………………… 31 Resource Constraints ……………………………………………………. 32 v Leadership ………………………………………………………………. 33 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania ………………………………………….…... 33 Recruitment and Retention ……………………………………………… 34 Pennsylvania Firefighters ………………………………………………. 35 Firemen’s Association State of Pennsylvania …………………………………… 36 Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency ………………………………… 37 Self-Determination Theory in the Volunteer Setting ……………………………. 37 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ………………………………………………… 41 Overview of Qualitative Research ………………………………………………... 41 Basic Interpretive Study Design ………………………………………………….. 43 Research Questions ……………………………………………………………….. 44 Sample Selection …………………………………………………………………. 44 Instrumentation …………………………………………………………………… 45 Pilot Study ………………………………………………………………... 48 Data Collection …………………………………………………………………… 57 Interviews ………………………………………………………………… 57 Observations ……………………………………………………………... 57 Document Review ………………………………………………………... 57 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………………... 58 Internal Validity and Reliability ………………………………………………….. 59 Internal Validity ………………………………………………………….. 59 Reliability ………………………………………………………………… 61 External Validity or Transferability ………………………………………………. 61 Researcher Background as Related to Topic……………………………………… 61 Chapter Summary ………………………………………………………………… 63 CHAPTER FOUR: DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS ……………………………… 65 Review of the Study ………………………………………………………………. 65 Research Findings ………………………………………………………………… 66 Interviews ………………………………………………………………… 66 Demographics …………………………………………………… 67 Results for Research Question One ………………………………………. 68 Observation of decline in volunteers …....…….……….…………. 68 Measures taken to reduce attrition ……………………………… 70 Implementation of reward system ……………………………….. 71 Follow-up with members leaving ………………………….…….. 71 Change in social aspect of firefighting ………………….………. 72 Management style of chief ………………………………………. 73 Recruitment of non-firefighting members …………..……………. 73 Training specific to retention ………………….……...………… 74 vi Results for Research Question Two ……………………………………… 75 Leadership training available …………………………….……... 75 Training specific to motivation ………………………….………. 76 Current state of leadership ……………………….……………… 77 Member or group projects ………………………………….…… 79 Additional insurances provided …………………………….…… 79 Training hierarchy and competence ……………………….……. 80 Induction of new members …………………………….………… 81 Relationship reinforcement ……………………………………… 82 Observations ……………………………………………………………... 83 Pennsylvania State Fire Academy ………………………………. 83 Municipal emergency management agency …………………….. 86 Document Review ………………………………………….…………….. 88 Federal Emergency Management Agency ………………….…… 89 National Fire Protection Association …………………………... 92 Chapter Summary ……………………….………………………………………… 94 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, & RECOMMENDATIONS ..…….…... 95 Research Summary ……………………………………………………………….. 95 Summary of Research Question One …….……………………….………. 95 Summary of Research Question Two ………………………….………… 98 Discussion ……………..……………………………………………...….……… 101 Discussion Reinforcing Existing Literature …………..……….…….….. 101 Discussion in Relation to Theoretical Framework …………….…..…… 106 Recommendations for the Fire Service ………………………………….……… 108 Federal-level Recommendations ………………….……………..……… 108 State-level Recommendations …………………………………..……… 110 Local-level Recommendations ……………………………….………… 112 Recommendations for Future Research ………………………………………… 115 Contributions of this Study ………………………………….………………….. 116 Chapter Summary …………………………………………………….………… 118 BIBLIOGRAPHY ………………………………………………………………..……… 120 APPENDIX A: Meeting Interview Agenda ……………………………………………. 127 APPENDIX B: Artifact Request and Interview Guide ……………………….………… 128 APPENDIX C: Sample of Transcript Coding ……………………………….…………. 132 APPENDIX D: Suggested Entry-Level Pathway from Community College …….….…. 133 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Three inherent growth tendencies identified in the self-determination theory ……… 14 Figure 2: Negative aspects of fire department politics ……………………………….………. 105 Figure 3: Sample helmet-based competency identifier ………………………………………. 113 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Age of Volunteer Firefighters by Community Size in 1987 ………………………… 29 Table 2: Age of Volunteer Firefighters by Community Size in 2010 ………………………… 29 Table 3: Number of Volunteer Firefighters and Total Incidents from 1986 to 2012 ………….. 30 Table 4: Research Questions and Open-Ended, In-Depth Interview Questions …...…..….…… 47 Table 5: General Information Regarding the Interview Participants ……………………….….. 67 Table 6: Pennsylvania State Fire Academy Entry-Level Training Program …………………… 85 Table 7: Municipal Emergency Management Agency Retention Priorities …………………… 88 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Every day across Pennsylvania, the fire siren blows and pagers activate calling volunteer fire companies into action. It may be to respond to a building fire, but more commonly for motor vehicle accidents and emergency medical incidents.