Study of Volunteer Firefighter Retention and Recruitment

The Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency/U.S. Fire Administration (DHS/FEMA/USFA) intends to negotiate and award a purchase order on a sole source basis (IAW FAR 6.302) with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), located at 7852 Walker Drive, Suite 375, Greenbelt, MD 20770. There is a need for effective retention and recruitment in the volunteer fire service as the number of volunteer firefighters has been declining. In the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2015 shows an estimate of 814,850 volunteer firefighters as compared to 884,600 in 1983. This represents approximately 70,000 less volunteer firefighters in the United States. Anecdotal reports from fire departments in every region in the country reflect this decline in volunteer firefighters. Many communities in the United States depend on the service of volunteer firefighters and have no other alternatives due to population size, call volume, budgetary constraints, and other issues. The National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2015 illustrate that nearly 70 percent of the firefighters in the US are volunteer, representing the vast majority of firefighters are volunteers. With changing demographics in the U.S. there needs to be focus on recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations in the volunteer fire service including women and minorities. The purpose of this project is for National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to research what type of organizational and individual behaviors contribute to, as well as those that have a negative impact, on volunteer firefighter retention and recruitment. NFVC will develop sound strategies and programs to enhance retention and recruitment based on the findings of this study, and also develop effective recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations in the volunteer fire service including women and minorities. The NFVC shall update USFA/NVFC manual, Retention and Recruitment in the Volunteer Fire Service - Problems and Solutions, May 2007 (FA-310) as part of this effort. The issues of retention and recruitment shall be studied, each to be examined as a separate and unique issue. When similarities are found they can be discussed jointly. This study shall examine retention and recruitment not just of active firefighting staff; but shall also include Emergency Medical Service (EMS) responders (including firefighters who are also EMS responders as well as EMS-only responders); non-response support staff performing administrative, maintenance, fire public education, fund raising, and other non-emergency activities for the volunteer fire department. The unique retention and recruitment aspects for these activities shall be studied and discussed. NVFC shall examine what is being done in other areas on behavioral issues regarding the retention and recruitment of staff by employers in both the public and private sectors, as well as other volunteer organizations. Such behavioral studies shall examine areas such as motivation, disenfranchisement, organizational perceptions, individual perceptions, equal opportunity, recognition, counseling and mentoring, organizational ownership, positive reinforcement, and others that impact on volunteer firefighter retention and recruitment. Past studies into employee motivation issues such as that done by Abraham Maslow (hierarchy of needs and Theory Z), Douglas McGregor (theory Y), Frederick Hertzberg (two factor motivation hygiene theory), George Elton Mayo's Hawthorne Experiments, studies of Management Systems and Styles by Rensis Lykert, David McClelland's studies of Achievement Motivation, and related research shall be reviewed as to applicability for volunteer firefighter retention and recruitment. The NVFC shall also examine diversity, cultural, and regional issues related to volunteer firefighter retention and recruitment with a goal on the development of effective programs in this area for underrepresented populations in the volunteer fire service including women and minorities. As part of this study, the findings from the panel of subject matter experts representing the various fire service organizations who were assembled to examine volunteer retention and recruitment from the meeting held at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland on June 26th - 27th 2018 shall be included. The NVFC State Directors as well as the Volunteer and Combination Officers (VCOS) Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) shall be involved in this effort in such a way as not to invoke Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Survey requirements or any requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The Association for Volunteer Administration (AVA) who has published studies in their quarterly newsletter The Journal of Volunteer Administration regarding psychological motivation of volunteers shall also be included in the study. The NVFC must reach out to groups representing local government such as the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), National League of Cities (NLC), National Association of Counties (NACO), National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT), etc. Any activities of this project shall not involve any such OMB Survey or FACA requirements. The role and responsibility of local-level government needs to be thoroughly studied, detailed, and emphasized related to this topic. The contractor must be able to meet core capabilities required for this requirement as follows: - Expertise in volunteer fire and EMS retention and recruitment at the national level; - Promote and provide education and training in volunteer fire and EMS retention and recruitment for volunteer fire and EMS organizations; - Gather applicable information from and disseminate information to the volunteer fire and EMS organizations from the United States Fire Administration (USFA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); - Serve as the voice and advocate for the volunteer fire and EMS organizations at all levels in the national arena and provide tools, resources and programs in volunteer retention and recruitment for volunteer fire and EMS departments and responders; - Conduct research, develop training, collect information and distribute that information which has an impact on volunteer firefighter and EMS recruitment and retention, including linkage to and utilization of the NVFC Make Me a Firefighter program. Requirements: - Experience with performance of successful complex health and safety research studies for the volunteer fire service, for both the USFA and the fire service in general; - Existing mechanism to deliver outreach, information, and training targeted toward the more than 20,000 volunteer fire departments in the United States, specifically utilizing existing NVFC web-based training program; - Experience with the development and delivery of materials targeted specifically to the volunteer fire and EMS services at all levels - firefighter/responder to organizational leadership. This would include the Retention and Recruitment in the Volunteer Fire Service - Problems and Solutions. As well as other reports developed in partnership with USFA including the Study of Emerging Health and Safety Issues in the Volunteer Fire Service, the Health and Wellness Guide for the Volunteer Fire Service, and the Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations for Volunteer and Small Combination Emergency Service. The NVFC has a long history of performing successful complex safety research studies for the volunteer fire service in support of both the USFA and the fire service in general. These studies have resulted in the publication of related texts or manuals and other outreach deliverables. Recent volunteer fire service-related USFA projects that were completed by the NVFC include the previous study which is being updated by this current project - Retention and Recruitment in the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services - Problems and Solutions. Additionally, the NVFC worked in partnership with USFA on the following research which developed the following USFA/NVFC reports - Critical Health and Safety Issues in the Volunteer Fire Service, Health and Wellness Guide for the Volunteer Fire Service, and the Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations for Volunteer and Small Combination Emergency Service Organizations. The NVFC, their staff, and members have tremendous experience and credibility among the U.S. fire service for their over 40-year history of producing materials, development of outreach programs, and studies in support of the volunteer fire/EMS service, including those involving volunteer firefighter/EMS responder health and safety. NVFC members serve on numerous national-level consensus standards committees dealing with firefighter and EMS responder health and safety. The NVFC possesses unique experience, qualifications, expertise and resources based on its successful work with USFA in recent studies which cover all aspects of volunteer fire/EMS service health and safety. The NVFC has comprehensive web based initiatives which provide national level information on volunteer firefighter and emergency responder recruitment and retention, including their Make Me a Firefighter and National Junior Firefighter Program. Some of the information contained on these websites are proprietary to the NVFC. The NVFC is the only national-level organization with a long-term history solely focused on the volunteer fire service which has produced many successful initiatives supporting that constituency. NVFC is the only organization capable of performing the tasks to satisfy this requirement. This notice is NOT a request for quotation (RFQ) for competitive quotes/proposals and no solicitation document exists for this requirement. However, parties interested in responding to this notice shall submit technical data, sufficient to determine capability in providing the same services. All capability statements received by the closing of this notification of this synopsis will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Based on the above information, the only known organization which can provide technically acceptable services is the NVFC. Submit capability statements (using PDF, MS Word, Excel attachments) to Kim Logue, Contracting Officer at Kim.Logue@fema.dhs.gov. Statements are due by 11:00 a.m. EST on July 4, 2019. Primary Point of Contact: Kim Logue Contracting Office Address: DHS/FEMA/NETC Building D 16825 South Seton Avenue Emmitsburg, MD 21727 Place of Performance: Contractor's location Classification Code: B537 NAICS Code: 813920