Recruitment and Retention

Many rural EMS agencies face challenges in recruiting and retaining the volunteers who often play such a crucial role. By designating a recruitment manager and a volunteer coordinator, you can dedicate strategic resources toward recruiting and maintaining your staff. The following resources may help you attract new members to volunteer with your service and keep them there.

Writing a volunteer position description

Explaining the position for potential recruits lays out expectations early.

• A step–by–step approach from About.com's Nonprofit Charitable Orgs

Finding daytime volunteers

Covering volunteer daytime shifts can be difficult due to employment work schedules. Consider recruiting a volunteer stay–at–home parent who could care for children while other parents are responding to calls.

Finding Daytime Volunteers by Susan J. Ellis

Addressing concerns about EMS runs

Most people think EMS personnel primarily encounter “blood and guts” situations. Portraying what the typical EMS run actually entails can dispel misconceptions that might prevent recruits from volunteering.

Dane County District One EMS — Common Myths about EMS Runs

Retaining members

By incorporating a few easy practices, your service can retain existing volunteers and avoid burnout. The following materials were created by the Virginia Dept. of Health's Office of Emergency Medical Services. Below are a sample of the retention tools you will find in Virginia's EMS Workforce Retention Tool Kit – Keeping the Best.

Provide incentives to volunteers through the Minnesota Ambulance Service Longevity Award and Incentive Program.