Taking the time to create a compelling and viral-worthy recruitment video may not be the top priority for fire departments, but it should be, especially for departments looking to increase their numbers.
There are several angles a department can take in these videos, but FireRescue1 Executive Editor Chief Marc Bashoor believes focusing on the impact of civilian volunteers and what their contribution means to the community is a good tactic.
“Challenging prospective members’ sense of belonging and purpose is one effective focus for recruitment videos,” he said. “Showing everyday people morphing into first responders in action is a great path to showing the everyday person that even they can make a difference.”
A good recruitment video will highlight the best aspects of your organization and the incredible work of your members, as well as pique the interest of potential academy candidates. Recruitment videos should showcase what it takes to actively pursue danger and the skill involved to do so safely and effectively.
In these 10 videos, fire departments compile drone footage, fireground video and photos into recruitment videos with inspirational voiceovers and rock-solid soundtracks. Try looking away – you can’t.
Does your department have a compelling recruitment video? Drop the link in the comments!
1. Phoenix Fire Department
In this recruitment video from the Phoenix Fire Department, after an introduction showcasing department members working in a variety of capacities, several individuals sit down and talk about what it means to be part of the department, and the rewarding nature of their jobs.
2. Stockton (California) Fire Department
Members of the Stockton Fire Department describe the unique challenges faced by firefighters and the satisfaction of working to better their community.
3. Minneapolis Fire Department
In this video, the members of the Minneapolis Fire Department drive home the fact that “you have to have the drive to serve your community, that inner feeling, even on their worst days – those are the people that are successful in the profession.”
4. Flower Mound (Texas) Fire Department
With the feel of a military commercial, and coming in at just under two minutes, the Flower Mound Fire Department recruitment video is stunning. Through graceful drone footage, coupled with a dramatic voiceover, the merits of the department are elegantly displayed.
5. Albuquerque (New Mexico) Fire Rescue
In what almost feels like a movie trailer at times, this Albuquerque Fire Rescue recruitment video uses eye-catching graphics, a frenzy of images and video clips and a heart-pounding soundtrack to showcase the organization.
6. Inman (South Carolina) Community Volunteer Fire Department
The Inman Community Volunteer Fire Department recruitment video depicts a mother cooking a snack for her children, getting sidetracked, and frantically calling the fire department after a grease fire breaks out in her kitchen. ICVFD members are alerted by the tones and spring into action. The dramatic ending asks the viewer, “Will you be a hero?”
7. South Metro (Colorado) Fire Rescue
In this recruitment video, the South Metro Fire Rescue Public Information Office takes viewers through the entire first week of the Fire Training Academy, giving viewers a first-hand look at what it takes to become a firefighter.
8. Los Angeles Fire Department
In this recruitment video, Steve Marquez describes his decision to become a paramedic in addition to his career as a firefighter for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and the courage it took to begin working as a flight medic.
9. Hoover (Texas) Volunteer Fire Department
Volunteers from the small town of Pampa, Texas, rush to the Hoover Volunteer Fire Department as a call goes out on dispatch, giving viewers insight into how resident volunteers are the crucial element in keeping the community safe.
10. Atlanta Fire Rescue
As life goes on at the Atlanta Fire Rescue station – one member on the computer, another cooking the crew dinner – the tones go off, and the action starts. As the camera follows the fire truck to its destination, Lt. Michael Roman describes his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter and what it took to get there.
Bonus: Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Western Australia
In “Girls on Fire,” a female firefighter recruitment video from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in Western Australia, five women discuss their experiences as firefighters, from their decision to apply to making it through the academy to what it’s like working in a historically male-dominated field, and how they juggle family life and their career in the fire service.
Bonus: South Carolina Recruitment: Volunteers from all walks of life wanted
In this South Carolina volunteer recruitment video from First Arriving, viewers watch as the shoes of civilian life are kicked off – from loafers to cowboy boots to high heels – and the boots of firefighting are pulled on. The video is a powerful reminder that firefighter volunteers come from, as the video puts it, “all walks of life.”
