The following excerpt comes from the What Firefighters Want in 2023 digital edition feature “Are we at a fire service tipping point?” by Dr. Reginald Freeman. Download the digital edition here to read the chief’s analysis and see a full picture of how likely firefighters are to recommend a career in the fire service.
This year and last, FireRescue1 asked respondents their likelihood, on a scale of 1-10, of recommending a career in the fire service. The number of respondents who answered “10” was 50% last year – a great achievement, particularly considering the responses from our police and EMS counterparts.
However, this year’s “10” report is down to 35%. This could be a fluke, a drop rooted simply in a different group of respondents this year, but it could also signal the seemingly ever-increasing stress levels and staffing challenges facing firefighters across the country. (FireRescue1 will continue to track this number year over year.)
Download the What Firefighters Want digital edition to view the full breakdown of the 1-10 ratings.
We also asked firefighters to explain why they selected their 1-10 ranking. Here’s a sampling of each ranking response:
Download the What Firefighters Want digital edition to view the full breakdown of the 1-10 ratings.