Date of Conferral

8-19-2025

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Chris Beehner

Abstract

Volunteer fire departments (VFDs) provide essential services in rural areas that cannot afford full-time staff, and they are negatively impacted by declining recruitment and retention. VFD administrators who lack strategies to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters risk reduced emergency services and increased costs for hiring paid firefighters. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to identify and explore strategies some VFD administrators use to recruit and retain members and maintain necessary emergency services. Participants were six administrators from VFDs in Oklahoma and Arkansas with community populations of 1,500 citizens or fewer residents who had successfully implemented strategies to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of publicly available documents about volunteer firefighter recruiting and retention strategies. Using thematic analysis, five themes were identified: funding, time commitment, recognition, volunteer selection pool, and policies and procedures for recruitment and retention. A key recommendation is for VFD administrators to develop policies and procedures to recruit and retain volunteers through training, time management, and volunteer recognition activities. The implications for positive social change include the potential for VFD administrators to prioritize firefighter recruitment and retention, ensuring sustained safety, stability, and equitable access to emergency services for all community members.

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