NYSAFC Offers New Recruitment & Retention Skills Training

The dates and locations for the NYSAFC 2016 Recruitment & Retention Skills Training: Media Relations & Human Resources Skills program were announced recently. This 8-hour training will be held from February through May 2016. Each training is limited to 50 participants. There is no cost to attend.

This training will look at the problem of low staffing levels among volunteer fire departments and help officers develop skills to address the problem. Specifically, the training will help participants develop their media relations capabilities. Training will cover ways to utilize the media as a recruitment tool, how to promote a fire department in the local media, and tips for developing community-specific media campaigns for recruitment and outreach. Some participants will also have an opportunity to practice their media skills in front of a camera.

In addition, participants will explore some of the human resources issues within the fire house that can affect volunteer retention. This knowledge will help fire officers deal more effectively with problematic issues that may arise in the fire house and at the incident scene. Participants will be better able to build a cohesive, committed team and improve morale among their volunteer members. All participants will receive a free copy of the book Effective Fire and Emergency Services Administration, a $60 value, for future reference.

Training Sites & Schedule (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at all sites):

Dutchess County
February 20, 2016
Dutchess County 911 Center • 392 Creek Road • Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Registration Deadline: February 16, 2016

Chautauqua County
March 12, 2016
Chautauqua County Office of Emergency Services • 2 Academy Street • Mayville, NY 12757
Registration Deadline: March 8, 2016

Otsego County
March 19, 2016
Otsego County EOC • 140 Cty. Hwy. 33W • Cooperstown, NY 13326
Registration Deadline: March 16, 2016

Monroe County
April 16, 2016
Hilton Fire Department • 120 Old Hojack Lane • Hilton, NY 14468
Registration Deadline: April 12, 2016

Saratoga County
April 23, 2016
Clifton Park Fire Department • 38 Old Route 146 • Clifton Park, NY 12065
Registration Deadline: April 20, 2016

Clinton County
May 14, 2016
Clinton County Office of Emergency Services
16 Emergency Services Drive • Plattsburgh, NY 12903
Registration Deadline: May 10, 2016

Funding for this training is provided by FEMA through the Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.

Click here to download a registration form and flyer. For more information, contact NYSAFC Grants Administrator Sue Syzdek at (800) 676-3473 or via email.