The Fall semester begins, and my workload has doubled in size. Adding to my research has slowed, but I got better news to report. In May, I stated one of my goals was to start a Fire Camp to recruit Junior Firefighters. Well with the help of a lot of experts and my peers, we have put together a draft of a proposal for a county-wide camp. This was not an easy task and required lots of research. It is still a work in progress, and as the project moves forward I will provide more details on the steps taken to form a camp. I know there are several departments out there that are interested in forming their own camps, so as I go through the learning curve, I’ll share what I learn.

The listing of fire departments is growing and I have completed more counties. However, I will point out that since I have started the list, several departments have either merged, shut down, or are voluntarily shutting their doors. This raises the question if merging is beneficial. That’s something I plan to look into as I finish up projects. I will also clean up the fire department list after I list the departments in the remaining counties. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you have.

With the summer semester in full swing, I decided now is a good time to set my goals and plan out what I hope to accomplish by the fall semester. More specifically, what do I plan on doing with this website?

You may have noticed I continue to add to the list of fire departments. I plan to work through it county by county a little at a time. But where do I go from there? How do I continue to work with recruitment and retention? What have I not researched yet?

There is a lot of ground to cover and so many different rabbit holes I could jump through. Some seem wider than others and look like a better fit. Women are a minority in the fire service, junior firefighters can be a path to the future, and veterans can find a home in their local fire department. Tying all of these possibilities together and doing something to initiate these possibilities seems to be a calling.

Getting a unified junior firefighter recruitment camp or program together is so important to me. But in order for recruitment to begin, fire departments need a junior firefighter program in place that can work for their department and accomplish the end goal of getting juniors interior certified at the age of 18. It’s a struggle for me to remember to not put the cart before the horse so to speak. I want to hit the ground running, but at the same time in order to be successful, I must be patient.

Part of my patience is doing more research and looking at other states and programs out there. How can Pennsylvania incorporate different aspects of successful programs and make it our own? How can we encourage more women to join the fire service?

As I have said before, recruitment is about going directly to the community and the people you are looking for. If I want to recruit women, I should recruit them directly. It goes back to marketing and how the fire department is presented. If I want women to join and advertise by saying, “Firemen Wanted,” I could indirectly make women feel as though only men are wanted. That is not the case, but wording makes a difference. Saying, “Firefighters Wanted,” presents a more inclusive title and doesn’t present an underlying message. Being aware of underlying message’s words and sayings have can make a difference in the effectiveness of any campaign and make more women feel welcomed.

Recruiting veterans into the fire service is not something I thought of, but is something that the National Volunteer Fire Council, (NVFC), is working on. Pennsylvania has military bases throughout the state. Working with our military residents and recent veterans is an opportunity fire departments could work on. The NVFC has had positive results and say that veterans are given a sense of belonging. NVFC is a great source for recruitment material and ideas.

I have several saved articles on Facebook related to all of my research. My goal is while catching up on reading them, I hope to add to my website with new information and resources. I realize my website is hard to find, so I am considering starting a Facebook page to draw more information and resources to departments and organizations that need it. It will also help people find my website.

Whatever this summer brings, I hope to continue to move forward and use my resources to help. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact me or comment on my website.

As I reflect back over this semester and on my research it is hard to believe how everything has come together. I started this semester not sure on what I would research or what would become of my research. I knew I wanted to do my research on something relating to my major. The idea of researching the volunteer firefighter shortage came after scrolling through my Facebook news feed. I saw articles based on the Pennsylvania shortage popping up. Growing up, the volunteer fire department was something that really mattered to me, and going through this project, I have found my passion for volunteering again.

The past two weeks I worked on ensuring my website is easy to navigate. Maggie mentioned that the tabs were kinda confusing, so I changed my tab name to better reflect that information for retention and recruitment could be found there. I struggled with my header tab labels, but I think I am satisfied with them. I also edited my web text to make my sources clearer and stand out a little better.

My website has grown from a blank generic site, to some very unique and full of information. No longer do I have just a blog and an annotated bibliography, I actually have information and videos and resources departments can use. I hope to keep adding to my website and show how departments can implement the ideas I have found.

As far as my actual web design goes, I knew I wanted a website that is easily navigated and looks professional. This design I think achieved my desired look with a pop of color. Its very customizable, so I can make it my own and stand out. I have slowly added more pictures as well, adding visual appeal.

I greatly appreciate all the feedback from my professor, peers, friends, and mentors. All of your feedback have encouraged me to continue with my research and feed my passion. it has inspired me to try and recruit more junior firefighters and I am excited to see what this summer holds. Through suggestions and comments, I have created a better web design and have focused on making and presenting clear and concise arguments. I know there will be challenges ahead, but through all of your support i will be able to make an impact.

The project I most enjoyed and think was the biggest challenge was the video podcast as I was pushed outside of my comfort zone. I have given several speeches and presentations before, but I think in the beginning I was more nervous about the vodcast than any of the speeches I have given. I am happy with the end product, and might do more in the future. The project I didn’t like was the video, but only because I really miss the editing software I am used to using. Apple has an app called iMovie and it is amazing, I could do so much with it. Unfortunately, it is not compatible with Chromebooks. I like making videos, I just did not like adobe spark as much as iMovie. Overall, all the projects I have done make me consider other sources as valuable. I have started looking at videos, facebook pages, fire company websites, workshops and podcasts as resources. I have come to see the value in multi-media and that there are reliable sources in modern form. I have come to see my projects as resources to others.

I absolutely loved this research project and think it has been much more valuable than a research paper and has served as a source to others. I feel more prepared for college courses that are coming and I think I can manage my time better. This project has taught me patience and time management. Both skills I will need the rest of my life. Doing my research, I have changed as I have developed a strong passion for recruitment and retention. I hope to work with junior firefighters and recruit more females into the fire service. I have done the research, now its time to get out there and start using it and sharing it across my communities.

I think the effort and enthusiasm I have put into this project clearly shows through. As I said before, I have found a new passion and will continue working on this. I am proud of how I have showcased my work and started networking and implementing what I have learned. I really hope that I can help fire departments. I am proud of my A project, which is the fire department listings and the research survey. I did both as I wasn’t sure if I would get through the entire state by finals week. But I think both compliment my research and help put what I have read into perspective and add a call to action for visitors. Throughout my website, I have developed clarity and depth in my research. I look at multiple sides of the shortage and I am clear in ways to help. My A projects compliments the depth and clarity in my research by adding visitor inputs.

Looking at the Kearsarge Fire Department Page, I can predict that the page will be about how to become a volunteer firefighter with their department. I can see the have a title that pops out on the page, due to being a different color. The overall text is simple and easy, the utilize lists and hyperlinks. I selected this website, because I was about to write a post about becoming a volunteer and wanted to see what the department had to say.

After reading the page, I am more informed of what the Kearsarge Fire Department expects of their volunteers and the process of applying. This department makes it clear they are looking for volunteers in all areas, not just first responders, but also administrative support. They explain that upon applying to volunteer, applicants will be informally interviewed, background checked and voted on by officers of the fire company. Firefighters and EMT’s will be placed on probationary status until they meet they outlined training expectations. Junior Firefighters is also listed as an option for 17 year olds. They then have a button in red background color that stands out and says download application, with a short one question FAQ.

Overall, I think the web page is effective and clearly outlines expectations and the application process up front. Being clear and concise to potential applicants increases the amount of applicants likely to join and lessens the amount of new applicants leaving the fire service within the first year. Making my own website, I hope to use a style that comes off organized and acts as an outline when discussing recruitment and retention plans. Using bullet points and headers to create “steps” is a great option to make my website more effective, and it worked nicely for the Kearsarge Fire Department. I will point out that their membership requirements are the most I have seen thus far based on other fire departments and the state of Pennsylvania doesn’t require training for volunteers.

Our assignment this week is to come up with an outline for a podcast or vodcast. Since I have a Chromebook, I will be attempting a vodcast, which is a podcast but with video. I have been struggling with picking a single idea or focus out of all my research. There are so many directions I could go in. I finally figured out my topic focus after writing a scholarship essay. In my essay, I started talking about recruitment ideas and realized i was ranting and rambling a bit. What better way to put my ranting and rambling to use, by using it in my vodcast!

I decided to focus on recruitment for my vodcast. I will use the Disaster Dads podcast, Fireman’s Association of the State of Pennsylvania’s Strategic Plan, and Walter A. Morris’ article as my sources. All of these sources discuss recruitment and retention plans, and I will throw in my own commentary and ideas as I bring up theirs. I think I will structure my vodcast as a discussion. I may review each source and discuss its merits and how the idea can be used, or how I see it possibly being used.

I want my vodcast to move very freely and be an open conversation, as if the listener was right there. To achieve this affect, I plan on not using a script. Instead i will have a general outline just to serve the purpose of keeping me on track and so I do not get off topic as much. I plan on keeping this video cast as casual as possible, so I think the atmosphere that I will film it in is my dorm or outside. I am unsure of any neat places I could film it in without overly powering atmospheric sounds. If I film it in my dorm, I think I will put pictures of fire related stuff behind me on the wall, so it is nicer to look at than just a cement block. As far as atmospheric sounds go, I might get lucky and have the ambulance or engine responding as I am recording. The main message I want to get across to listeners is anyone can get involved in the volunteer service. If you do not believe me, listen to my vodcast, I hope to convince you otherwise.

I found a podcast by Disaster Dads. Disaster Dads is a group of dads involved in emergency management and are retired from the fire service. I decided to listen to Episode 41- Fire Camp for Girls. The description of the podcast episode really intrigued me and I wanted to learn more. My first impression is that the podcast will be about a summer camp aimed towards females and involve firefighting. The podcast platform was probably chosen as an easy way to gain a wide audience and share information about this opportunity. The audience most likely consists of parents and firefighters.

The Disaster Dads interviewed Cheryl and Sarah. Cheryl and Sarah are Arlington County, Virginia firefighters who are involved with the fire department’s summer camp program, Camp Heat. Camp Heat is a summer camp for high school females interested in the fire service. Cheryl and Sarah answered the Dad’s questions and explained how the camp started, activities, funding, and how to apply.

The creators automatically grabbed listeners attentions by having an introduction mash up of sirens, a baby crying, and music. It sounded chaotic, but all fit together. Two of the Disaster Dads participated in the pod cast and the flow from the intro music to the introduction of the content and guests to the actual interview and closing was all smooth and well put together. I feel like the creator’s might be amateurs, but they really pull off a professional appearance. The only complaint I have is some connectivity issues with what sounded like Skype, the platform they were using to connect and record everyone’s voices.

I can use the information from this podcast in my research as evidence for an idea I have on how to gain volunteers in the fire service. What I have found in my research points to building community connections and young adults as answers to the volunteer service. If fire companies can get connected with high school students and get students interested in the fire service early on, we could have more volunteers in the fire service. This would be especially effective in building up junior firefighter programs. Junior firefighter programs could even become more intensive by training juniors to complete and pass Firefighter I at the age of 18. Camp Heat enforces this idea by giving girls a chance to experience firefighter life and get them more interested in joining the fire service.

When it comes to making my own podcast, I may steal the idea of a Skype or Face Time interview of an expert. I don’t know if I will attempt introduction or closing music as that seems advance, but I might try it. I also really want to discuss a day camp or something similar to camp heat with area high school students, as it seems like an awesome way to recruit volunteers and get the community involved.

Provided is a link to Camp Heat and the Disaster Dads Podcast

The video making process for this project was pretty straight forward. I have experience in making videos from FFA and taking a class in high school. I have made more extensive videos before, but did not have access to the software for this video. I really enjoy making videos and seeing my ideas play out. When I begin the process, I am never quite sure how my ideas will fit together. I always kinda start out freehand and just play around until I get something that works and fits together and sends the message I am looking for.

I have learned more about my topic after making my video. I think the shortage of volunteers really was put into perspective. 90% of the 2,400 departments are volunteer, that is approximately 2,160 departments. With 34,000 volunteers, that is about 14 volunteers per department. That is a scary thought when you consider the nature of volunteer departments. Most departments are not staffed 24/7 and volunteers respond as they are available. The number of volunteers actually available may be much less than 14, when you consider average work hours and holidays.

Since the midpoint of the semester has hit, I feel class and my progress through it is going well. I can picture what my project will end up being and I am slowly shaping up my website.

I am amazed at how much editing can change a photo. Seeing my classmate’s pictures they all look like a professional took them. I especially loved Miriam’s photos as she worked with angles as well as lighting and really used the CRAP principals we learned in class. Pathos, Logos and Ethos stood out in the photos. In a lot of the photos especially the ones relating to online dating held an emotional connection that really related to the topic. The emotional connection helped to add credibility to the author. When the pictures connect to the author’s topic, the overall website really comes together and connects to form a valid argument.

After learning about research and databases, I have thought about how I will evaluate information moving forward. I will first use a database to find scholarly articles, then move on to other sources like google and word-of-mouth. I will evaluate the credibility of the article’s source by looking at the source’s description. If the source is an industry journal or magazine, than it is more likely to be reliable information. To judge an author’s credibility, I will look at the article for an abstract containing a short description of the author’s background. If none is present, but the article sounds legitimate, I will google the author to determine their background and experiences.

The library presentation helped me to know the signs of a credible article and learn how to narrow down results to get the best information. The presentation also helped me think of different texts I could use. Graphs, statistics and call reports could all be relevant to my research, adding a different element to my overall presentation.

My current methods of constructing images and text stem from social media posts. When I write posts for Facebook, I try to make the post relevant to everyone. I make a point of avoiding conflicts and avoid sharing or posting anything that could be offensive. When I construct my own posts, I attempt to send an educational and uplifting message. I build the post by using positive words and sticking to the point of the message, while still letting my quirky humor shine through. I usually add humor by summing up the point of the text in one sentence that gives a positive and humorous take on the main idea. For instance, I wrote about a mouse that was in a classroom and closed the post by stating, “I don’t blame the mouse, who wouldn’t want to learn about fire alarm systems?”

My research question has not changed all that much. I may consider broadening my research to include information on the national volunteer firefighter shortage instead of sticking to just the shortage in Pennsylvania. If I do broaden my research, it will be due to lack of reliable sources for just the Pennsylvania shortage. I feel i can compensate by including information on how to become a volunteer if there is a lack of sources. Statistics on call volumes and such in Pennsylvania will also compensate and add a different take on the research.

I am curious at how departments can recruit and retain members. I am also interested in statistics on volunteer fire departments. I want to present my ideas on my research in an interactive and engaging way. My hope is that I can get community members involved and spurred to take action in ways to help departments. I may do this through video, interviewing volunteers and contacts I have in Pennsylvania. I am not positive on that though, so try not to get too excited.

I am feeling pretty good about the bibliography assignment. I am unsure about the annotation part, but I think it will help me remember what was in each source and add relevance. It will be a good way to have classmates check each other and make sure we all are staying focused. I am excited about being able to show progress in my research and seeing fellow classmate’s progress. Seeing other bibliographies can give me an idea of other sources to use for my own research. Overall, it will be a good experience and a learning curve.