"There is a serious danger that fire policy will be developed on the basis of work carried out in the context of the market place rather than being underpinned by research which has been subjected to full process of academic rigour and peer review" Professor D Drysdale (European Vice-Chair, International Association of Fire Safety Sciences) and D T Davis (Chair of the Executive Committee, Institution of Fire Engineers). Fire Engineers Journal 61, 10, 6-7

Muckett, A. (2000) Mobilising the Community Forging links, adding value: Bringing volunteers into the Fire Service to make communities safer, dissertation for BCC, http://www.fitting-in.com/muckett.htm

Senior Divisional Officer Martin Muckett MBA, MIFireE, MIOSH, DMS (Dist) Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service

Content

“Volunteering is a fundamental building block of civil society. It brings to life the noblest aspirations of humankind – the pursuit of peace, freedom, opportunity, safety, and justice for all people.

At the dawn of the new millennium, volunteering is an essential element of all societies. It turns into practical, effective action the declaration of the United Nations that “We, the People have the power to change the world.”

- The International Association for Volunteer Effort January 2001, the International Year of Volunteers.

About this Research:

This is research has been awarded the Brigade Command prize for “outstanding international research project” for 2000.

“It is a first rate study which contributes to the body of knowledge on volunteering and has the potential to make a far-reaching impact in the way in which volunteers are involved in the Fire Service.”

Justin Davis Smith, Director of the Institute for Volunteering Research

ABSTRACT

In June 2000, Government allocated £120m over three years in order to increase the involvement of volunteers in the UK. The Home Office holds the responsibility to achieve Government's three-year target to involve one million more people in their communities, including the public services.

In 2001 a BCC international project was published. The project was awarded the book prize from the Fire Service College as an outstanding international research. The report of the research achieved a distinction at Maters degree level from Coventry University.

Evidence from the research reveals that UK brigades are assisted, operationally and increasingly, in community fire safety work, by a wide range of voluntary organisations. There is currently, minimal involvement of individual volunteers recruited from the public to complement the work of the paid staff of the service. The 'Friends of the Fire Service' scheme operated in Merseyside is the best example of an initiative of this type.

Evidence from the Merseyside experience was then used to develop a practical guidance document for UK brigades. This guidance document has been published to assist those brigades that seek to involve volunteers to complement the work of paid staff. It includes advice on; identifying the role for volunteers; recruitment and retention, training supervision and support; and the legal framework for the involvement.

Martin Muckett MSc, MA, MBA, MIOSH, MiFireE.

Executive summary

This report describes a research project that explored how the involvement of volunteers in the UK Fire Service may be increased.

Previous research has concluded that volunteers in the Fire Service increased greatly the efficiency of Fire Services abroad. They have never been considered as a potential resource for the Fire Services in the United Kingdom (UK).

The Institute for Volunteer Research indicates that volunteers could add quantifiable economic value to the Fire Service as they do in many other public and private sector organisations in the UK.

Government believes that volunteering plays an important role in society by providing additional resources, binding communities together and nurturing democratic participation. In June 2000, Government allocated £120m over three years in order to increase the involvement of volunteers in the UK. The Home Office holds the responsibility to achieve Government’s three-year target to involve one million more people in their communities, including the public services.

Against this background, this research explored how the involvement of volunteers in the UK Fire Service could be increased. Four research objectives are considered; the extent to which volunteers are currently involved in the service; the drivers for and barriers to increasing the involvement of volunteers; the experience of other organisations in the UK and Australia; the way forward for the Fire Service.

Evidence from the research reveals that UK brigades are assisted, operationally and increasingly, in community fire safety work, by a wide range of voluntary organisations. The research also indicates that although UK brigades support paid staff to volunteer both in the workplace and the wider community, there is at present, minimal involvement of individual volunteers recruited from the public to complement the work of the paid staff of the service.

Experience from innovative UK brigades, the voluntary sector and the emergency services of Western Australia, demonstrate that the barriers to increasing the involvement of volunteers, recruited from the public to assist professional paid staff, can be overcome.

Evidence from the research was then used to develop a practical guidance document for UK brigades. This guidance document has been published to assist those brigades that seek to involve volunteers to complement the work of paid staff. It includes advice on; identifying the role for volunteers; recruitment and retention, training supervision and support; and the legal framework for the involvement.

Finally, this report further recommends that:

· Home Office develop a strategy that supports brigades who wish to involve more volunteers from the public [This has been done and includes the recommendation that UK brigades apply the practical guidance document to increase volunteers from the public].

· The service more accurately records the involvement of all volunteers.

· Home Office review progress against government targets for increased volunteers in the public services.

· The National Joint Council for Fire Brigades should change the term ‘Volunteer firefighter’ to more accurately reflect their status.

Future research is conducted into potential Fire Service support for mentoring schemes for the young.

Acknowledgements

The research project described in this report was completed over a six month period and during that time I have been given assistance by many people and organisations. Without exception, those who gave of their time, knowledge, effort and enthusiasm did so with professionalism and good humour.

Among the first to offer support were staff and colleagues from Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate and Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, who managed my absence from work and provided facilities to study.

Academic guidance was given by Professor David James, Dr Terry Shevels and Mr David Thomas from the Fire Service college, whilst Dr Davis-Smith, the Director of the Institute for Volunteering Research exerted academic and technical rigor to the work.

Easing my access to the mass of supporting literature and Information Technology for the project were staff from The British Library, the National Centre for Volunteering and Dr Martin Thomas and the staff of the Fire Experimental Unit. I am grateful for the persistent and consistent assistance provided by Jan Loxley and the staff of the libraries at the Fire Service College,

The research took me to numerous organisations, in the UK:

Merseyside Fire Service, Strathclyde Fire Brigade, Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade, West Midlands Fire Service and the Milton Keynes Safety Centre

In the Home Office:

The Active Community Unit, The National Community Safety Centre, Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate, Fire Policy Unit, Research and Development Section

In the wider community:

South Chiltern Volunteer bureau, Pontefract General Hospital, Camden Community project, The Red Cross, and Thames Valley Police.

In Australia:

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia, The Bush Fire Brigades in Western Australia and Victoria, Freemantle Volunteer Sea Rescue Group

Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the Country Fire Service of Victoria.

Finally, I would like to extend my personal gratitude to Tony McGuirk for suggesting the area of research. Also to Laurie Lavelle, Bob Mithchell and Jo Harrison-Ward, for facilitating and hosting my trip to the Australian emergency services and to Mike Read from the Fire Policy Unit, for his support for the volunteer guidance document. Throughout the project I benefited from the advice, guidance and professional encouragement offered by BCC tutors, David Thomas and David Harper, and from my mentor, Damian Smith, who allowed me to learn from his experiences.

Table of Contents

Executive summary

Abbreviations
List of Tables
List of figures

1	Introduction
1.1	Background to the investigation
1.2	A brief history of volunteers in the Fire Service
1.3	The aim and objectives of the research

2	Research methodology
2.1	Research strategy
2.2	Survey
2.3	Semi- Structured Interviews
2.4	Case studies
2.4.1	Observations
2.4.2	Questionnaire
2.4.3	Focus Groups
2.5	Evaluation workshop
2.6	Validation of research methodology
2.7	A Critique of the research methodology

3	Literature review
3.1	Methodology
3.2	Critical review

4	Investigation results
4.1	Survey
4.2	Semi- Structured Interviews
4.3	Case studies
4.4	Focus Groups
4.5	Questionnaires

5	Interpretation of results
5.1	The current involvement of volunteers in UK Fire Services
5.2	Drivers and Barriers
5.3	Overcoming the barriers
5.4	Key issues for practical guidance

6	Published Guidance for the Fire Service
6.1	Draft guidance
6.2	Evaluation workshop
6.3	Arrangements for dissemination

7	Conclusions
7.1	The current involvement of volunteers in UK Fire Services
7.2	Drivers and Barriers
7.3	What and how it is done
7.4	Key issues for practical guidance

8	Recommendations
8.1	Home office strategy to support brigades involve more volunteers
8.2	Fire brigades use the practical guidance to increase volunteers
8.3	Quantifying volunteers in the fire service
8.4	Reviewing progress
8.5	The definition of the term ‘volunteer’
8.6	Future research


References

Bibliography

Appendices
1	Research strategy – conceptual model
2	General letter from Home Office to brigades
3	Letter from Home Office containing questionnaire
4	Letter to Scottish brigades
5	Letter to Australian Council for Fire Authorities
6	Template of semi-structured interviews
7	Transcripts of semi-structured interviews
8	Questionnaire to volunteers
9	Summary comparative tables of questionnaire to volunteers
10	Focus group outcomes
11	The Universal declaration on volunteering
12	Draft Home Office strategy on Fire Service volunteering
13	Mobilising your community – a practical guide to bringing volunteers into the Fire Service to make communities safety.

List of Abbreviations

ACU	Active Community Unit, Home Office
BCC	Brigade Command Course
BITC	Business In The Community
CACFOA	Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association
CFA	Country Fire Authority, (Victoria State, Australia)
CIPFA	Chartered Institute of Public Finance accountants
CPA	Child Protection Act
FBU	Fire Brigades Union
FESA	Fire and Emergency Services Authority (of Western Australia)
FPU	Fire Policy Unit, Home Office
FSYTA	Fire Service Youth Training Association
HMI	Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate
HSE	Health and Safety Executive
IAVE	International Association for Volunteering Effort
IVR	The Institute for Volunteering Research
NCFSC	National Community Fire Safety Centre
NCV	National Centre for Volunteering
NJC	Nation Joint Council for Fire Brigades
RNIB	Royal National Institute for the Blind
RNID	Royal National Institute for the Deaf
RNLI	Royal National Lifeboat Institute
UK	United Kingdom
WI	Women’s Institute
WRVS	Women’s Royal Voluntary Service

2 Research methodology

2.1 Research strategy

Manstead and Semin (1998) point out the need to adopt a strategy which suits the type of research question.

In the light of empirical evidence (IVR 2000 and Coke 1996) that volunteers can add value to society and public service brigades, and that the government has additional expenditure over three years to involve more volunteers in community activities, including the public sector (Home Office 2000), the research question was framed specifically “To determine how Fire Services in the United Kingdom increase the involvement of volunteers?”

To make best use of limited resources, outlined by Hakim (1982) and address the question within Government’s time-frame for additional expenditure, an interpretative method of research was chosen. Each stage of data collection was followed by some initial analysis, the results of which were then used to inform subsequent data collection (Robson 1997 p18).

Due to the complexity of the data sources available, a hybrid interpretative research strategy was developed . This approach also enabled the author to learn from the application of a wide range of research methodologies.

To maintain the focus and direction of the study, the research question was explored by setting four research objectives:

1. To determine the current numbers of volunteers and the extent of volunteering in UK brigades.

2. To identify the current drivers for and barriers to involving volunteers in UK brigades.

3. To examine how the barriers may be overcome.

4. To develop practical recommendations for the UK Fire Service using 1 to 3 above.

The first application of the research objectives was to provide the focus for the literature search (primary data, e.g. BCC reports; secondary data, e.g. journal articles; and tertiary data, e.g. social science text books) gathered from a wide range of sources.

The research strategy, incorporating the four research objectives, employs multiple methods of data collection based on the complementary purposes model suggested by Robson (1997:290), in which a variety of qualitative and quantitative tools are used to analyse data from diverse sources to achieve multiple triangulation (Arksey and Knight 1999:22). This approach was selected because it is widely accepted (Robson 1997; Arskey and Knight 1999; Saunders et al 2000) that the use of the data from triangulated, complementary sources “enhances interpretability and assesses the plausibility of threats to validity” (Robson 1997 :291). A conceptual model illustrating how the objectives were achieved is shown in Appendix 1.

The model demonstrates which analytical tools were applied to the complementary data in order to help ensure valid and reliable findings The final stage was an element of action-based research by adopting a “Responsive Evaluation” (Robson 1997:177).

Responsive Evaluation is considered to be a significant feature of the research strategy. Its inclusion is an attempt to ensure the conclusions and recommendations from the research have both credibility and impact in the real world.

The research process was designed to be iterative; as such it reflects the interpretative philosophy in that data collection and evaluation are not rigidly separated. It is a framework that provided a focus for the research, which drew on data from five discrete research activities:

· Survey

· Semi-structured interviews

· Case studies

· Focus Groups

· Questionnaires

The following sections outline the research methods used for each of these activities.

2.2 Survey

A survey of all UK brigades was conducted in order to achieve the first objective of the study; To determine the current numbers of volunteers and the extent of volunteering in UK brigades.

The survey was based on a questionnaire. The design of the questionnaire was informed by questionnaires that had been used in two recent similar surveys:

1 A survey questionnaire used by the Institute for Volunteering Research in 1999, to determine the extent to which UK fire authorities supported volunteering.

2 A Survey questionnaire used by the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate which had been used to determine the extent of volunteering in the UK Prison service.

In addition to achieving the primary purpose of the survey, the questionnaire was extended to obtain data to support the other objectives of the research. The resultant survey questionnaire is shown at Appendix 2, was designed to gather data relating to:

· Volunteering amongst Fire Service staff, both work related and in the wider community

· Established voluntary organisations that brigades were working with

· Determining to what extent individual volunteers from the public were directly involved in the work of the Fire Service

· The management of volunteers

· Future plans to involve volunteers

The questionnaire was sent to all brigades in England and Wales by the Fire Policy Unit of the Home Office and to all Scottish brigades directly by the author.

2.3 Semi-structured interviews

To obtain data to achieve the second objective of the research, the author conducted semi-structured interviews with representatives of the key stakeholders of the Fire Service.

This method of data collection was selected for three reasons:

1 The author considered that any change in the Fire Service is most likely to be achieved when its key stakeholder’s needs and expectations have been considered. As others have observed, “Understanding stakeholders and how they are likely to influence an organisation… is a very important part of any strategy analysis” (Johnson & Scholes 1993)

2 Semi-structured interviews allowed a degree of focus to enable data relating to the research objectives to be gathered, whilst at the same time provided the flexibility for respondents to offer related views that could develop knowledge of the subject and/or identify new areas for exploration.

3 To optimise the author’s preferred learning style, which had been revealed from an analysis of cognitive style suggested by Allison Hayes (1993). This indicated that face to face discussions were likely to be an effective method for the author to gather data.

The list of stakeholder groups was identified through the author’s previous experience of working with the Joint Strategic Committees of the Central Fire Brigade’s Advisory Council and confirmed in discussions with course tutors.

The template for the semi-structured interviews was developed initially to ask questions relating directly to the four research objectives. The template was piloted with three people, one from the Fire Service, one from a related organisation, (the Health and Safety Executive), and the author’s technical assessor. Following the piloting some questions were refined, supplementary questions were added and standard prompts were also included in order to increase the standardisation of the data. The resultant interview template (shown at Appendix 6) facilitated the collection of data related to:

1. The definition of the term volunteer.

2. The voluntary activities that Fire Service stakeholders would consider acceptable.

3. Any perceived drivers for and barriers to volunteers in the Fire Service.

4. Any other relevant information

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the following individuals:

Jeff Breedon	National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association
Gareth Broughton	HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of the Health and Safety Executive
HMI Graham Meldrum	Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services (England and Wales)
Rab Coke	Assistant Firemaster, Operational Commander Strathclyde Fire Brigade (author of previous research)
Mick Donald	Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde
Ian Evans	Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre
Mike Fordham	Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union
Mike Larkin	Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy in the Community Fire Safety Team
Brian Murray	Firemaster, Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade
Tony Ritchie	Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive
Dr Justin Davis Smith	Director the Institute for Volunteering Research

The findings from the semi-structured interviews were used to inform the next elements of the research which were to gather data from the field, by means of case studies, focus groups and questionnaires to volunteers.

2.4 Case Studies

The purpose of conducting case studies was to collect data to achieve the third and fourth of the research objectives, ‘to examine how the barriers to volunteers in the Fire Service may be overcome’ and ‘to inform the development of practical recommendations for the UK Fire Service’.

In order to achieve an international perspective, case studies were conducted in the UK and Australia.

The reason for conducting case studies in Australia was that the initial literature review had identified difficulties in the cultural context of volunteering. During the semi-structured interviews, stakeholders of the UK service were dismissive of the notion that the often-quoted German experience (Coke 1996, Tucker 1994) had any relevance to the UK position. Australia was selected for three reasons:

1 There was evidence that it was culturally closer to the UK than geographically closer countries. (Hall 2001, Lavelle, 2000)

2 The large size of the fire authorities in Australia and the diversity in the density of the population, has resulted in the emergency services managing large numbers of volunteers who come from a variety of backgrounds and undertake a wide range of activities.

3 The size of the voluntary (non profit) sectors as a percentage of the UK are similar to that in Australia and therefore the experience of the Australian Emergency Service is likely to be relevant to the socio-economic climate of the UK.

Figure 2.4.a. The size of the non-profit sector

Source: John Hopkins nonprofit comparative study

The choice of case study subjects was determined by the data from:

· The initial literature review

· The Survey of UK brigades

· The semi- structured interviews with stakeholders

Table 2.4.a. below, shows the organisations which were finally selected as case studies, along with the reasons for their selection.

Table 2.4.a: Case study organisations

Organisation	Reason for selection
*In the UK:*
Merseyside Fire Brigade	The brigade is developing the use of volunteers as ‘Friends of the Fire Service’
Strathclyde Fire Brigade	Employs large numbers of ‘volunteer’ firefighters
Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade	Employs large numbers of auxiliary firefighters
Pinderfields and Pontefract General Hospital	Cited by the Government as a ‘shining example’ of how volunteers are involved in a public sector organisation.
West Midlands Fire Brigade	Have had a small volunteer group of retired firefighters to provide an ‘after the fire’ service for the victims of fire
Thames Valley Police	In 2000 began an initiative to increase the numbers of civil volunteers operating from Police Stations
The Safety Centre, Milton Keynes	The safety centre provides fire safety education, through volunteers, to groups of visiting schoolchildren. It was cited as an example of community safety best practice by the national community safety centre.
*In Australia:*
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA)	Largest single Fire Service organisation in the world managing in excess of 24,000 volunteers
Victoria Metropolitan Brigade	A large metropolitan area that has very busy volunteer fire stations.
The Country Fire Service	A large rural Fire Service that has conducted significant research into the future of volunteers in the Fire Service.

The case study approach enabled an examination of volunteers within varied cultural and organisational contexts (Morris and Woods 1991). In addition case studies are considered to be a very worthwhile way to explore and challenge existing understanding (Saunders et al 1997).

The case study strategy adopted reflected what Robson (1993, p-5) describes as an empirical investigation of a phenomenon with its real life context, using multiple sources of evidence.

The first step was to conduct a passive surveillance of documentary evidence on each case in order to determine the focus for closer examination and which of the following three independent methods should be used to source more in-depth data:

1 Observations; comprising face-to-face discussions with volunteer managers and others, supported by the collection of local documentation.

2 Questionnaires; to various groups of volunteers relating to their experience as volunteers

3 Focus groups; that allowed in depth discussion with groups of volunteers, whilst maintaining a sensitive approach to any local issues.

The methods applied in each case study depended upon the reason for the selection of the case study. For example, the Country Fire Authority was visited to gain an insight into the research that had been conducted and to access supporting local documentation. However, in Western Australia, focus groups were used to gain an in depth understanding from a variety of long established and evidently well-managed volunteer groups.

2.4.1 Observations

The Observations were conducted against a common template which allowed the systematic collection of data. The template for the observations had five elements:

1 Material which provided a background to the organisation

2 Reasons why the organisation had involved volunteers in its activities

3 What ‘duties’ the volunteers were actually doing in the organisation

4 Had the organisation overcome any of the barriers that face volunteers in the UK Fire Service

5 Any other relevant material

Data from the observations were used in a number of ways. In the most part, by providing context for the analysis of other data sets and as a source of documentary evidence to support the achievement of the fourth objective of the research, which was to develop practical guidance for the UK Fire Service.

2.4.2 Questionnaire

A questionnaire (shown in Appendix 8) was used to elicit the views of volunteers from the various case study organisations.

The aims of the questionnaire were to twofold; firstly, to collect data relating to why and how volunteers were recruited for Fire Service type activities, what their experience of the voluntary work has been and why they have stayed. The second purpose of the questionnaire was to provide an indication of the reliability of adopting management methods from non-UK Fire Service organisations for the UK Fire Service.

In order to achieve both aims, the questionnaire was based on the questions that had been applied in a major national study of volunteering conducted by the Institute for Volunteering Research in 1997.

In order to confirm the reliability of the data and to identify statistical significance, the data from the questionnaires were analysed using quantitative statistical techniques using the software programme ‘Statistica’.

2.4.3 Focus Groups:

The author considered it important, where possible, to get a clearer understanding of why and how volunteers involved in the work of the Fire Service first of all were recruited and retained.

In order to gather data, focus groups were conducted using a white board or flip chart to record and agree the key issues where time and resources permitted. The organisations where focus groups were conducted were selected by purposeful sampling. Purposeful sampling allowed the author to “select groups based on the purpose of the study” (p 204, Krueger and Casey, 2000). The structure of the focus groups was adapted from that recommended by Krueger and Casey (2000) as suitable for conducting focus groups in existing organisations. The questions were developed in consultation with the Director of the Institute for Volunteering Research and were designed to give an insight into:

· Why volunteers gave up their time and effort to work as volunteers

· How they were recruited

· What made them stay

· How the experience of being a volunteer differed from their expectation

The data from the focus groups was analysed using the grounded theory approach as described by Pidgeon and Henwood (1996) which allows the analysis of qualitative data that is achieved from the type of data-rich but sometimes unstructured notions that often occur during a dynamic focus group discussion.

Once the comments from the focussed groups were consolidated, using grounded theory, the author adapted the long table (Kruger and Casey 2000) approach for further comparative analysis. The long table approach, described by Kruger and Casey (2000:132), allows the identification of themes, by cutting and pasting the responses from the focus groups into a consolidated table. This enabled the author to identify where there were patterns to the responses and where they were novel responses.

2.5 Evaluation workshop

This was a key stage of the research process. It was included because the author is particularly keen that stakeholders of the service have an opportunity to consider the research findings and how they might contribute to supporting the Home Office target for volunteers.

The purpose of the evaluation workshop was to provide what Robson (1993 p 176) cites as a “Responsive evaluation”. Robson cites Stake (1976) who provides the following 5 step model to achieve Responsive Evaluation of data.

1. Identification of the issues from the people involved during the semi-structured interviews

2. Use of documents to identify further issues

3. Direct observation of the work

4. Designing the evaluation based on 1 + 2 +3 above

5. Designing a participative evaluation based on the information above

The model in Appendix 1 shows how these five steps were built into the research strategy. This approach has allowed a rigorous and informed evaluation of the draft guidance to the service. In addition, it is considered by the author to increase stakeholder commitment to the findings.

The evaluation workshop was held in London and was attended by representatives of the stakeholders of the Service, volunteers and volunteer managers who had been involved.

2.6 Validation of research methodology

The research aims, objectives and initial methodology were presented to students of Brigade Command Course 2000 at the Fire Service College. Students were asked for their comments and any suggestions for improving the research project. This exercise was adapted from the Dephi technique (Saunders et al,1997) whereby students made unattributable responses to a request for ideas to improve the methodology. The responses from students resulted in the refinement of the methodology and consideration of additional texts and areas of study.

2.7 A critique of the research methodology

The multivariate approach to the project was adopted in part to facilitate an understanding of a wide range of methodologies. In addition, the qualitative nature of the data collection methods selected allowed the author to develop the management competency of building and maintaining relationships. However, because the methodology required the application of a number of techniques that were novel to the author, the process was somewhat slower than perhaps would have been the case with a more experienced researcher. In addition, the responses from both the survey and questionnaires were received much later than originally expected.

As a result, whereas the analysis from one stage of the research was designed to inform the subsequent stages, in reality the stages of the research overlapped. This meant that instead of having cumulative, complete findings at each stage of the research it became a much more flexible situation with the author having to rely on a feel for the data from earlier stages of the research informing the later. The result was that the material sought in the case studies by necessity, was wider than originally intended to ensure all sufficient data was available for the final analysis.

An unexpected result of the emergent, homogeneous, rather than step-wise approach to the study was that the final recommendations and practical guidance document for the service were the subject of an iterative approach. An approach which, although more difficult to administer, is considered by the author to have produced a more complete work.

4.1 Survey

The primary propose of the survey was to achieve the first research objective, “To determine the current extent of volunteering in UK brigades.”

The survey was conducted by a questionnaire that adapted questions developed by the IVR (1997), for a survey of volunteers in the public services in England. Additional questions were included to provide data to inform the three other research objectives.

The questionnaire, shown at appendix 2, was sent to all brigades in the UK the following table 4.1.a. shows the responses received:

Table 4.1.a: UK Brigades that responded to the survey

	UK Totals	Respondents Totals
	Number	Number	% of UK Totals
Number of Brigades	58	34	59%
Area in Hecares	24,123,730	15,790,964	65%
Population Covered	59,192,995	47,428,165	80%
Number of employees	62,619	37,454	60%

Brigades were asked to provide information relating to the extent of volunteering by brigade personnel, through joint arrangements with existing organisations and finally by members of the public who are directly involved in the work of the brigade.

4.1.1 The Voluntary work of brigade personnel

Brigades were asked to provide information relating to the types of voluntary activities their employees were involved with under the following headings:

· Voluntary activities carried out on duty, which related directly to Fire Service issues.

· Voluntary activities carried out on duty, which were not related to the Fire Service.

· Other voluntary activities, which the brigade supported, staff to be involved with when off duty.

The following tables show a summary of responses for each question.

Table 4.1.b: Voluntary activities carried out on duty, which relate directly to Fire Service issues.

Activity	Numbers of Fire Brigade Personnel Involved
Young Firefighters Association - Fire Cadets	189
Fire Awareness Child Education - FACE	95
Fire safe trust Counseling/ junior fire setters	39
UK Fire Services rescue team	51
Ceremonial	23
Firefighters badge Scouts	18
Crucial crew	6
Other	23
Fitting smoke alarms	7
Smoke busters	8
total	459

Table 4.1.c: Voluntary activities carried out on duty, which were not related directly the Fire Service.

Activity	Numbers of Fire Brigade Personnel Involved
Duke of Edinburgh award scheme	186
Attendance at fetes	100
Visits by scouts guides etc	54
Other visits	32
Road Safety Schemes	20
Mentoring young people	20
Princes Trust	14
total	426

Table 4.1.d: Voluntary activities, which the brigade supported, staff to be involved with when off duty.

Activity

School Governance

Justice of the Peace

Council Members

Fund raising for charity

Samaritans

Lifeboat crew

Air training corps

British legion

St Johns Ambulance

Beach lifeguard

Casualty union

Parent teachers associations

Work with the disabled

Sheltered workshop trust

Neighborhood Watch

4.1.2 Brigade involvement with established voluntary organisations

For this question, brigades were asked to provide the names of those established voluntary organisations which they involve in the work of the brigade. Respondents were asked to say which organisations were involved with the operational work of the brigade, and which were involved in the community safety work of the brigade. The following tables list the organisations involved in each of the areas of fire brigade work.

Table 4.1.e: Voluntary organisations involved with supporting operational duties

Organisation

Women’s Royal Voluntary Service

Red Cross Ambulance

Red Cross Fire victim support

Basic

St John’s Ambulance

Mountain Rescue Teams

Royal National Lifeboat Institute

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

RAYNET fire ground communications

Table 4.1.f: Voluntary organisations involved with supporting fire safety duties

Organisation

Crime and disorder groups

Fire Protection Association

Neighborhood watch

Age Concern

Royal National Institute for the Blind

Royal National Institute for the Deaf

Salvation Army

Other local community groups

Youth Clubs

Fire Liaison Panel

Home Helps

Tenants associations

Housing associations

Police Crucial crews

Help the Aged

Federation of Women’s Institutes

Social Clubs

The Women’s Institute

Residents associations

ROSPA

North Norfolk Volunteers

Lions Clubs

Rotary Clubs

Round Table Clubs

Age Concern

4.1.3 Members of the public involved directly by the brigade as volunteers

Brigades were asked to provide information about any members of the public who are involved with the work of the brigade on a volunteer basis. Again, respondents were asked to say how many were involved in operational and non-operational work. Summaries of responses are shown in the tables below.

Table 4.1.g: Members of the public involved directly by the brigade as volunteers

Question:

yes

(Includes nil responses)

Total

Numbers

Involved

Does your brigade deploy operational volunteer firefighters?

955

Does your brigade involve volunteers from the public to assist with non-operational Fire Service work?

134

Table 4.1.h: Operational work activities performed by volunteer firefighters

Activities:	Number of brigades
All first line emergency duties with no immediate back up	2
All first line emergency duties with immediate back up	4
Limited emergency duties with immediate back up	4
Limited emergency duties with no backup	2
Operational support roles (control, catering etc)	1
Other	1

Table 4.1.i: Non-operational work activities performed by volunteers involved directly from the public

Activities:	Number of brigades
Fireground catering	11
After the fire support for victims	9
Providing Community fire safety advice, in person	7
Providing Community fire safety advice, by phone	1
Fitting smoke detectors	5
Community fire safety education in schools/clubs etc.	3
Assisting as Young firefighter Instructors	1
Support at Community Events	1
Station Administration	1

4.1.4 Managing the involvement of volunteers recruited directly from the public

Brigades were asked to provide information about how they manage the involvement of volunteers from the public. There were three questions relating to the management of volunteers from the public:

1. Who manages the involvement of volunteers recruited from the public?

2. What types of support does your brigade offer to volunteers?

3. What other management actions are taken when involving volunteers?

Summaries of responses are shown in the tables below.

Table 4.1.j: Who manages volunteers

Who manages the involvement of volunteers recruited from the public?	Number of brigades
A member of staff primarily employed by the fire authority/brigade to manage volunteers	1
Other member of staff whose responsibilities includes managing volunteers	14
Volunteer manager employed by a voluntary organisation	2

Table 4.1.k: What support is given to volunteers

What types of support does your brigade offer to volunteers?	Number of brigades
Training	16
Regular Supervision and assessment	13
Social events	8
Payment of expenses	13
Provision of uniform	14
Provision of proof of Identification	10

Table 4.1.l: Other management actions for volunteers

What other management actions do you take when involving volunteers in service delivery?	Number of brigades
Written policy and rocedures	4
Provide a brief regarding their roles and responsibilities	2
Safety brief	6
Risk assessment	1
Instruction	17
Training	17
Mentoring	3
Supervision during training and at operational incidents	6
Screening for Child Protection Act requirements	7
Supervision and support	3
Health and safety considerations	4
Paging facility	1
Security vetting	1

4.1.5 Perceived advantages of involving volunteers from the public

Brigades were asked to list the advantages that they saw from involving volunteers directly from the public in the work of the brigade. The following table contains the responses from brigades.

Table 4.1.m: Perceived advantages of involving volunteers

What do you see as the advantages of involving volunteers directly from the public in Fire Service work?

Close/r involvement by and with the community

Relations enhancement

Stakeholder involvement

Efficient Resource deployment

Provision of service by the community

Low cost

Dedicated and committed workforce

Helps to bind the community together

Promotes community fire safety

Stimulating understanding of each others needs

Cost effective fire safety

Volunteers learn the fire safety message through self education

Promotes a good image of the Fire Service in the community

Gives the community direct contact with service personnel

Brings in a wide diversity of views and experience

Provides a better understanding of the Fire Service role within the community

Provides the service with a means of establishing further partnerships in the community

Reduction in Arson fires

Reduction in False alarms

Table 4.1.m: continued

What do you see as the advantages of involving volunteers directly from the public in Fire Service work?

Reduction in fire deaths and injuries

Expansion of Fire Service work

Involve members of the public who cannot join full time

Involvement of retired wholetime members

Relieve firefighters of non operational tasks

Achieves tasks that paid staff have not got the time to do

Reaching a wider audience in the community

4.1.5 Future plans

Finally, brigades were asked to say what new schemes they were planning for the future involvement of volunteers and how they could involve volunteers in the future if funding was made available. The following tables summarise the responses from brigades.

Table 4.1.n: Plans for new volunteer schemes

What, if any, new schemes is your brigade planning for the future?

Fire Cadet Scheme

Using existing voluntary organisations to help with home safety

Youth training program with British Red Cross

A very young firefighters scheme (primary school age)

Training volunteers to assist in community fire safety

Training Retired Firefighter to do Fire Cadets

Community safety wardens

Working with young offenders

Table 4.1.o: Aspirations for volunteer schemes

Are there any voluntary activities that you would like your brigade to become involved in if funding were to be made available?

Fire Cadet Scheme

Firefighter Scheme

Community Fire Safety

Fitting Smoke Alarms

Testing electrical appliances

Sprinkler trials

Mentoring schemes

Development schemes for offenders

Youth training schemes

Victim support

Community Fire Safety

Retained Station Administration

4.2 Semi-structured interviews

A total of eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted in the UK. The purpose of the interviews was to ascertain what the principal stakeholders (Johnson and Scholes 1993:175) of the service considered to be the drivers for and barriers against increasing the numbers of volunteers in the UK Fire Service.

Jeff Breedon	National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association
Gareth Broughton	HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE
Rab Coke	Author of previous BCC research work into volunteers.
Mick Donald	Volunteer Manager, DO, North Command Strathclyde Fire Brigade
Ian Evans	Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre
Mike Fordham	Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigades Union
Mike Larkin	Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy in the Community Fire Safety Team
Graham Meldrum	Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services
Brian Murray	Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade
Tony Ritchie	Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive
Dr Justin Davis Smith	Director, Institute for Volunteering Research

The interviews were taped and transcribed. This resulted in a total of 20,500 words. Full transcripts of the interviews are shown in Appendix 7.

The author’s tutor proposed that the grounded theory approach described by Pidgeon and Henwood (1996) would offer an appropriate tool for the analysis of the transcripts.

As a result each paragraph of the transcript was reviewed to identify recognisable concepts, these concepts were reviewed and refined as the process continued.

During this iterative process, common categories of concepts emerged, for example where one interviewee may use the phrase ‘without any financial recompense’ another may say ‘don’t get any money’ the author adopted the emerging category of ‘unpaid’.

Pidgeon and Henwood (1996) describe the expression of these refined concepts as ‘researcher categories’. The researcher categories were then tabulated to enable comparison of the responses to each question from all the stakeholders.

The tables in this section 4.2.1 below summarise the researcher categories that emerged from this process.
4.2.1 Summary of semi-structure interview results

Table 4.2.a: Stakeholder experience of volunteers

What experience have you had with volunteers in the Fire Service?
Name	Researcher category - Experience
Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association	National Officer over 8 years
Gareth Broughton HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE	Very little exposure
Rab Coke Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in Strathclyde Fire Brigade	Operationally in Teeside Fire Brigade and Strathclyde, fire brigade, I studied volunteer firefighters within Denmark, Berlin and Untied States.
Mick Donald Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde Fire Brigade	Nearly two years
Ian Evans Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre	As yet very little.
Mike Fordham Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union	To be honest at the moment, none.
Mike Larkin Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy Community Fire Safety Team	None
Graham Meldrum Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services	Well fairly extensive, West Midlands Band, After the Fire Service and the Fire Services Youth Training Association
Brian Murray Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade	About 18 months with auxiliary firefighters
Tony Ritchie Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive	None
Dr Justin Davis Smith Director Institute for Volunteering Research	None.

Table 4.2.b: Stakeholder perceptions of the definition of ‘volunteer’

How do you define the term volunteer?

Name

Researcher category - Definition

Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association

Unpaid

Gareth Broughton HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE

Unpaid

Rab Coke

Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in

Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Difficult to define

Unpaid

Mick Donald

DO Operations Strathclyde

Freely given time and effort

Ian Evans

Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre

Unpaid

Acting for the good of the Community

Mike Fordham

Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union

I think the definition would vary

Unpaid

Freely given time and effort

Acting for the good of the community

Mike Larkin

Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy in the Community Fire Safety Team

Unpaid

Freely given time and effort

Graham Meldrum

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services

Unpaid

Freely given time and effort

Brian Murray

Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Difficult to define

Contested views

Unpaid

Acting for the good of the community

Tony Ritchie

Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive

Unpaid

Freely given time and effort

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Director Institute for Volunteering Research

Unpaid

Freely given time and effort

For the good of the community

Contested views

Table 4.2.c: Stakeholder perceptions of how volunteers differ from retained

How do volunteers differ from retained?

Name

Researcher category - difference

Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association

Payment

Get more out of volunteers

Gareth Broughton HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE

Payment

Rab Coke

Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in

Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Little difference

Mick Donald

Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde

Payment

Commitment

Ian Evans

Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre

Payment

Mike Fordham

Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union

Payment

Less management control over volunteers

Mike Larkin

Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy in the Community Fire Safety Team

Payment

Graham Meldrum

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services

Retained still perceived as a ‘Job’ /

Volunteers freely given time and effort –“it appears to me they don't have problems getting volunteers in the areas where we would have problems getting retained firefighters.”

Less onerous for the individual

Brian Murray

Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Very little difference

Tony Ritchie

Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive

Payment

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Director Institute for Volunteering Research

Volunteers provide ‘added value’

Reflect ethnicity, gender and age

Table 4.2.d: Stakeholder perceptions of the case for volunteers

What is the case for the Fire Service to involve more volunteers from the Community to conduct its work?

Name

Researcher category - drivers

Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association

Harnessing the volunteers’ enthusiasm and commitment

Gareth Broughton HSE

None

Rab Coke

Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in

Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Adding value to the service by linking community (both internal and external volunteers)

Paid firefighters could broaden their role in society as credible role models.

Mick Donald

Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Adding value to the service by linking community

Paid firefighters could broaden their role in society as credible role models.

Ian Evans

Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre

Adding value to the service by linking community

Mike Fordham

Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union

Social cohesion by linking community

Paid firefighters could broaden their role in society as credible role models.

Mike Larkin

Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy Community Fire Safety Team

Social cohesion by linking community

Graham Meldrum

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services

Finite social resources for public services

Adding value to the professional job

Harnessing the volunteers’ enthusiasm and commitment

Paid firefighters could broaden their role in society as credible role models.

Brian Murray

Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Finite social resources for public services

Volunteers add value to the professions

Social cohesion by linking community

Harnessing the volunteers’ enthusiasm and commitment

Tony Ritchie

Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive

None

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Director Institute for Volunteering Research

Finite social resources for public services

Volunteers add value to the professions

Social cohesion by linking community

Table 4.2.e: Stakeholder perceptions of the barriers to volunteers

What do you see as the barriers for the Fire Service to involve greater numbers of volunteers across the whole range of their duties?

Name

Researcher category - Barriers

Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association

Inability of the service to supervise and motivate people who are not tied to the rank structure or pay.

Gareth Broughton HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE

A lack of understanding about the role/contribution that volunteers can make.

Rab Coke

Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in

Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Traditional Fire Service culture resistance to change

Resistance from national politicians

Mick Donald

Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Fear of job losses

Traditional Fire Service culture resistance to change

Ian Evans

Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre

Professional fear it will dilute their professional status.

Mike Fordham

Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union

Resistance from the unions over job losses

Health and Safety of volunteers

Mike Larkin

Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy in the Community Fire Safety Team

Industrial relations problems

Traditional Fire Service culture resistance to change

Graham Meldrum

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services

Industrial relations problems

Brian Murray

Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Volunteers seen as not professional, dial a peasant, misunderstanding what volunteers can do

Professional fear it will dilute their professional status.

Tony Ritchie

Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive

Potential industrial relation difficulties by diluting status and threatening jobs

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Director Institute for Volunteering Research

A lack of understanding about the contribution that volunteers can make.

Professional fear it will dilute their professional status.

Lack of resources to manage volunteers properly

Table 4.2.f Stakeholder perceptions of the work volunteers could do

What type of Fire Service work do you think volunteers from the public could be employed to do?

Name

Researcher category – Type of work

Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association

Community Fire Safety

Assisting Young Firefighters schemes

Gareth Broughton HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE

Community Fire Safety

Fire safety publicity

Station admin work

Rab Coke

Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in

Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Community Safety

Mick Donald

Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Fitting smoke detectors

Giving fire safety advice

Ian Evans

Head of National Community Fire Safety

Giving community fire safety advice

Mike Fordham

Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union

After the fire.

Safety Centers

Community safety

Mentoring schemes

Fitting of smoke detectors

Mike Larkin

Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy Community Fire Safety Team

After the fire support to victims

Community fire safety work

Educating the public

Graham Meldrum

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services

Community fire safety initiatives

Community safety initiatives

Liasing with local schools

After the fire support to victims

Supporting Fire Service events such as open days

Helping out at fire stations

Maintenance on fire stations

Raising money for community fire safety

Young Firefighter's Association,

Brian Murray

Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Community fire safety initiatives

Community safety initiatives

Liasing with local schools

Helping out at fire stations

Maintenance on fire stations

Tony Ritchie

Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive

All and any work of the Fire Service provided everyone agrees.

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Director Institute for Volunteering Research

All and any work of the Fire Service -

Must be a (negotiated) clear line between what volunteers do and what paid staff do

Table 4.2.g: Stakeholder perceptions of the Potential management issues

What do you think the potential management issues are when employing volunteers to carry out non- emergency Fire Service work?

Name

Researcher category - management issues

Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association

Training of volunteer supervisors

High quality management needed

Gareth Broughton HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE

Integration with paid staff

Control their role

Specifying that and agreeing some form of contract

Rab Coke

Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in

Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Insurance, Litigation, Holidays, Training, Protective gear

Mick Donald

Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Overcoming the resistance of people in the organisation to this change

Ian Evans

Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre

Controlling their actions

Recruiting the right people

Mike Fordham

Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union

Overcoming the resistance of people in the organisation to this change

Controlling their actions,

Reflecting badly on the brigade

Mike Larkin

Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy Community Fire Safety Team

Lack of control over what they are doing

Graham Meldrum

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services

Channel their enthusiasm

Control their actions

Recruited to a high standard

Trained to the right standard,

Ensuring the safety of the public particularly children

Agree role

Brian Murray

Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Health and safety training

Cost of supervision volunteers aren’t free

Control over what they do and say when they are representing the service and how it will reflect on the brigade.

Tony Ritchie

Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive

Training

Volunteers are less reliable

Control their actions

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Director Institute for Volunteering Research

Integration with paid staff

Control their actions

High quality management needed because volunteers have no ties.

Table 4.2.h: Other thoughts of stakeholders

Do you have any other thoughts regarding the increased use of volunteer in the Fire Service?
Name	Researcher category – additional issues
Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Fire Services Youth Training Association	Don’t give uniforms
Gareth Broughton HM Acting Principal Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE	No
Rab Coke Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in Strathclyde Fire Brigade	No
Mick Donald Volunteer Manager, Strathclyde Fire Brigade	Don’t give uniforms
Ian Evans Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre	No
Mike Fordham Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union	No
Mike Larkin Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy in the Community Fire Safety Team	An area for expansion People are wanting to play a more active role in their community
Graham Meldrum Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services	No
Brian Murray Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade	No
Tony Ritchie Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive	Don’t give uniforms
Dr Justin Davis Smith Director Institute for Volunteering Research	An area for expansion It’s on the Governments agenda People are wanting to play a more active role in their community

4.5 Questionnaires

The purpose of the questionnaire was twofold; firstly to collect data relating to the views of volunteers in the UK Fire Service and secondly to compare the views of volunteers in the UK Fire Service to volunteers in the Fire Service in Australia and volunteers from the UK voluntary sector.

Results from the questionnaires were compared to the results of the UK national volunteering survey, which was conducted by the Institute for Volunteering (1997).

Questions were sent to ten different volunteer groups that had been selected by the literature review and survey of brigades.

The table below shows the groups and the numbers of questionnaires sent and received. In Australia, questionnaires were given to volunteer groups immediately before focus groups were conducted. This resulted in the high return rates for Australian groups of volunteers.

Table 4.5.a: Response rates for questionnaire to volunteers

Group number	Respondent Group	Questionnaires sent (n)	Questionnaires returned (n)	Percentage returned (%)
1	Fire Services Youth Training Association	20	20	100
2	Friends of the Fire Service	20	7	35
3	Red Cross – victim support	20	6	30
4	Volunteer’ firefighters – Scotland	40	14	35
5	Volunteer firefighters – Australia	10	10	100
6	National Health Service volunteers	20	16	80
7	After the Fire Service	20	7	35
8	Smoke Busters	20	9	45
9	Bush Fire Brigade – Australia	15	15	100
10	State Emergency Service – Australia	13	13	100
	totals	198	117	66

The responses from the questionnaire were entered onto an MS Excel™ spreadsheet and consolidated into the following groups for analysis.

Table 4.5.b: Consolidated groups for questionnaire analysis

Group 1 – Fire Service employees in the UK
Respondent group		Number of responses
Volunteer’ firefighters – Scotland		14
Fire Service Youth Training Association		20
total respondents (n)		34

Group 2 – Fire Service Volunteers in Australia
Respondent group		Number of responses
Volunteer firefighters – Australia		10
Bush Fire Brigade – Australia		15
State Emergency Service – Australia		13
total respondents (n)		38

Group 3 – Volunteers from the public in the UK Fire Services
Respondent group		Number of responses
Friends of the Fire Service		7
After the Fire Service		7
Smoke Busters		9
total respondents (n)		23

Group 4 – Volunteers from other UK organisations
Respondent group		Number of responses
National Health Service volunteers		16
Red Cross – victim support		6
total respondents (n)		22

The results from the questionnaires were compared to the results from the national survey of volunteers in the UK voluntary sector, which was conducted by the Institute for Volunteering Research in 1997. Summary tables of the responses are shown in Appendix 10.

The data from the questionnaires was then entered into Statistica. With the assistance of the author’s tutor, tests were run which confirmed both the integrity of the data and it’s reliability.

The data was when tested to identify significant differences between the four groups:

1 Fire Service personnel in the UK

2 Fire Service personnel in Australia

3 Volunteers from the public involved in UK Fire Services

4 Volunteers from other voluntary groups in the UK.

The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) which test revealed that apart from four specific areas, there were no statistically significant differences between the form the individuals from all the groups.

The four areas where significant differences were found, were in the responses to the questions relating to:

· The experience of volunteers against their expectations

· What volunteers find important about their voluntary work

· How important it is that volunteers efforts are recognised

· The ages and genders of volunteers from different groups

The following tables summarise the responses for each group of volunteers, in each of these statistically significant areas.

Table 4.5.c: The experience of volunteers against their expectations

How does your experience of the voluntary work compare to the expectations you had before? Note: Average scores from Likert 0-5 scale	Fire Service employees in UK average	Fire Service volunteers in Australia average	Volunteers from public in Fire Service average	Volunteers from other UK Organisations average	UK National Survey average
The work itself	4.29	4.39	3.65	4.09	not reported
Training	3.91	4.50	3.19	4.06	not reported
Supervision and support	3.85	4.46	3.57	3.89	not reported
Working conditions	3.53	4.28	3.68	3.71	not reported
Recognition of effort	3.59	3.94	3.59	3.89	not reported
Relationships with paid staff	4.27	4.15	4.18	3.81	not reported

Table 4.5.d: What volunteers find important about their voluntary work

How important are these reasons for you to do voluntary work? Note: Average scores from Likert 0-5 scale	Fire Service employees in UK average	Fire Service volunteers in Australia average	Volunteers from public in Fire Service average		Volunteers from other UK Organisations average	UK National Survey average
I meet people and make friends through it	3.94	4.03	3.96	4.14		4.31
It’s the satisfaction of seeing the results	4.76	4.11	4.65	4.18		4.63
It gives me the chance to do things I’m good at	4.00	3.89	4.27	3.27		4.06
It makes me feel less selfish	2.76	3.61	3.57	3.73		3.84
I really enjoy it	4.76	4.68	4.65	4.45		4.65
It’s part of my religious beliefs	2.71	2.68	2.70	3.64		4.02
It broadens my experience	4.09	3.97	4.09	3.73		4.26
It gives me a sense of personal achievement	4.38	4.31	4.26	3.95		4.78
It Gives me the chance to learn new skills	4.29	4.18	3.74	2.77		3.71
It gives me a position in the community	3.00	3.55	3.17	3.14		3.23
It gets me out of myself	3.29	3.34	3.17	3.41		3.88
It gives me the chance to get a recognised qualification	2.74	3.61	2.39	1.50		2.48

Table 4.5.e: How important it is that volunteers efforts are recognised

How Important is recognition to you?

Note: Average scores from Likert 0-5 scale

Fire Service employees in UK

average

Fire

Service volunteers

in Australia

average

Volunteers from public in Fire Service

average

Volunteers from other UK Organisations

average

UK National Survey

average

How important is it that you receive recognition form the people you help?

3.56

4.14

3.70

3.14

3.13

How important is it that you receive recognition form the organisation you do voluntary work for?

3.50

4.03

3.83

3.09

3.30

Table 4.5.f: The ages and genders of volunteers from different groups

The age and gender differences between the groups of volunteers	Fire Service employees in UK	Fire Service volunteers in Australia	Volunteers from public in Fire Service	Volunteers from other UK Organisations	UK National Survey
Age – Years	39	42	43	56	not reported
Male - %	89%	77%	61%	18%	50%
Female - %	11%	23%	39%	82%	50%
Ethnic origin – White	100%	100%	100%	100%	not reported

Statistica was then used to calculate the probability of these results occurring by chance. It is generally accepted (Robson 1993:351) that there are three levels of statistical significance, which correspond to the numerical value of probability. Probability values greater than .05 are considered not to be significant, probabilities between .005 and .001 are considered to be significant whereas values less than .001 are said to be highly significant.

The following tables show the specific aspects in each of the four question areas that were identified as being statistically significant, together with the probability rate and assumed level of significance.

Table 4.5.g: The significant aspects of volunteer’s experience

How does your experience of the voluntary work compare with the expectations you had before you started?	Probability of the variance between the groups occurring by chance	Level of significance
The training provided	.000973	Highly significant
The working conditions	.000214	Highly significant
The supervision and support from the organisation	.000525	Highly significant

Table 4.5.h: The significant aspects of what volunteers feel about their work

People do voluntary work for all kinds of reasons, how important are these things to you?	Probability of the variance between the groups occurring by chance	Level of significance
It makes me feel less selfish as a person	.000131	Highly significant
It’s part of my religious beliefs or philosophy of life to help	.000589	Highly significant
It gives me the chance to learn new skills	.027294	Significant
It gives me a position in the community	.002732	Highly significant
It gives me the chance to get a recognised qualification	.000000	Highly significant

Table 4.5.i: The significant aspects of how volunteers feel about recognition

How important is it that you receive recognition for the voluntary work that you do?

Probability of the variance between the groups occurring by chance

Level of significance

From the organisation you do the work for

.003098

Highly significant

From the people you help

.008859

Highly significant

Table 4.5.j: The significant aspects of age and gender difference between groups

The age and gender differences between the groups of volunteers

Probability of the variance between the groups occurring by chance

Level of significance

Age

.000007

Highly significant

Gender

.000001

Highly significant

These significant differences were explored more closely using Microsoft™ Excel spreadsheets and charts. The following bar charts show, in detail, how the responses from each group of volunteers vary.

Figure 4.5.a: How experience of training varies between groups

Figure 4.5.b: How the experience of supervision and support varies between groups

Figure 4.5.c: How the experience of working conditions varies between groups

Figure 4.5.d: How the importance of feeling less selfish varies between groups

Figure 4.5.e: How the importance of satisfying beliefs varies among groups

Figure 4.5.f: How the importance of opportunities to learn new skills varies between groups

Figure 4.5.g: How the importance of status in the community varies between groups

Figure 4.5.h: How the importance of getting a recognised qualification varies between groups

Figure 4.5.i: How the importance of recognition from people they work with varies between groups

Figure 4.5.j: How the importance of recognition from people they help, varies between groups

Figure 4.5.k: How the average ages of volunteers vary between groups

Figure 4.5.l: How the age profiles of volunteer s vary between groups

Figure 4.5.m: How the gender profile of volunteers varies between groups

Transcripts of semi structured interviews.

Key:

Bold = Question

* = Hesitation

Jeff Breedon, National Officer of the Youth Fire Services Youth Training Association

London 27^th October 2000

What Experience have you had with Volunteers in the Fire Service?

*Through doing youth work with predominantly Young Firefighters Fire Services Youth Training Association have been working with volunteers just over 8 years now, obviously for the last 3 years I was National Officer I’ve been all over the country working with and supporting the volunteers for various youth schemes throughout the country.

What is your Definition of the Term Volunteer?

In many many ways I see it as unpaid employee which might sound a bit harsh and a bit cruel, but I think anybody who volunteers to do something for you, you've got to treat them as you would an employee * they've got rights and responsibilities * and aspirations, just because you don't pay them doesn't to say that you can forget about their needs as well, after that, a volunteer is simply saying ‘go on I'll do that for you.’

*How do you see Volunteers as being Different from Retained Personnel?

I suppose very much going back to what I've just said, volunteers don't get paid for it * I really believe in what I’ve seen throughout the country when somebody volunteers to do something they do it because they really want to and you tend to get a heck of a lot more out of them because of that as opposed to the job's worth, am I getting paid for this, do I get time off for that? * I think the other thing which people do need to bear in mind about volunteers is, I keep using the word volunteer, is when they walk in the door to do a job for you they've volunteered to do it and you should never ever forget ever forget that they have the ability to volunteer could walk back out again.

What Do you Think the Case is for Increasing the Deployment of Volunteers in the Fire Service - Why do you Think we should use more Volunteers in the Fire Service

The only real reason I can see is because of the commitment the enthusiasm and the like, having said what I did about with volunteers you get, you definitely get more commitment, a lot more enthusiasm, equally I think you have to be very careful with volunteers on scene as a cheap way of job done. That's the other side of the argument, you've got to be very careful that people don't see it as * this is another cost cutting measure.

What Type of Fire Service Work do you Think Volunteers could be Deployed to Do?

*Obviously we would be insisting on young firefighters at training schools and I think there's a role for volunteers to be employed or deployed in Community Fire Safety, passing on the message of the very basic message of just fire safety in the home. Within the Young Firefighters, we believe that everything sticks, in the training, we teach of 14, 15, 16 year olds to spread the fire safety message.

I get concerned with bits of thought things like that, that's comes in , that goes back to what I was saying about people seeing as a cost cutting measure I think it's got to be, it's all got to be added value work that they do.

What Do You See as the Barriers to Involving Greater Numbers of Volunteers across the range Fire Service duties

I think one of the biggest problems is the, I'm lost for words now, is the supervision of these people * The Fire Service doesn't have people who are trained to supervise volunteers, they're trained to supervise supporters, you know the rank structure discipline all the rest of it. It's not something we have found with young firefighters, not everybody can adapt so there is a supervision angle there coupled with that, there is a question of continuity, I suppose going back what I said earlier about having the ability to walk back out of the door or to just not turn up * you've got to be very careful whatever you ask volunteers to do isn't a life and death type of thing, where if it doesn't get done today fine, it's not a major problem.

What do you Think of the Potential Management Issues with Deployed Volunteers to Carry Out Non Emergency Fire Service Work

I’ve just covered that, or I thought I had. It's the supervision of, the supervision and… that's all.

Have you Got any Other Thoughts on the Increased Use of Volunteers in the Fire Service

I think, the scope for a lot of this type of work that's been done, as well as Iknow that you were talking before about ‘in house’ volunteers, I know that a lot of the counselling of young fire setters that goes on is done by volunteers, * I'm not sure about other Brigades, but I know that Tyne & Wear operate a, they've got their own critical incident debriefing team, some of that’s done on a voluntary basis. I suppose with a slightly tongue in cheek * you've got to be very very careful that you don't attract the anoraks of this world who would possibly volunteer for all the wrong reasons, they want to wear the uniform, or a look alike uniform * more that than they want to do the job.

Any Other Comments?

I've got 2 quick things to * what Jeff was saying * and that is that I think you have to be very careful that you don't abuse - by trying to get volunteers to do too many activities, and I think it should be kept as being that there are good causes within the Fire Service rather than general duties, because I think that would be an abuse of people's good nature and I think you'll just burn it out and end up then you'd end up with nothing.

Thank you - Could you Just Give Us Your Name, Position and ?

My name's Phil Mather I am the Training Officer for the Fire Services Youth Training Association, which is a seconded post from Greater Manchester Fire Service.

Thank's very much Phil

OK Jeff, Can you Just Run Over the * again the Question About Management Problems that you Get Volunteers in Terms of Their Commitment, Control etc.?

Yeah, well as soon as, with the volunteer as opposed to an employed person do have by there very nature that they are not employed, they do have a different * level and accountability, responsibility, when you employed, then you've got to be accountable, if nothing else, to get your paycheque at the end of the day, with a volunteer it, it comes back under the your lead through goodwill therefore the accountability is’nt the same

Gareth Broughton

HM Acting Principle Inspector of Health and Safety in the Fire Unit of HSE

London 17^th October (Pilot)

What experience have you had with volunteers in the Fire Service?

very little exposure, I mean I don’t meet them very often.

How do you define the term volunteer?

I think there are two subtly different things, there are volunteers in the Fire Service and there are volunteers. A volunteer I think is * somebody who does something for free * but might do it from an informed consent of view * I think the Fire Service, a volunteer is actually an employee, * who is just called a volunteer.

How do you see volunteers in the Fire Service being different to Retained personnel?

Well at the moment I think that the difference is in * the equipment levels * but also in terms of pay * because I think they are really just retained people who are paid a retainer.

What is the case for the Fire Service to involve more volunteers from the Community to conduct its work?

I think it is very difficult, because I think operationally * you probably can’t have volunteers operationally, not in the trues sense of the term, because * operationally you need to have mastered a certain relationship because you are a discipline service. You need to actually fight fires, carry out rescues in a disciplined way and in a professional way * and * the way you do that is to * require people to do things and to exercise control. Some sought of managerial control, and exercising that managerial control you fall into the position of * becoming effectively their employer, * whether you pay them or not. * As I would understand it in * terms of * the courts interpretation of what the employee is, so * you know its one of those sort of situations where * operationally I think it would be very very difficult, but I think non operationally I think in terms of support roles I think in the end there is scope.

What type of Fire Service work do you think volunteers from the public could be employed to do

Well I think associated with * community Fire Safety * and fire safety publicity. It might also be possible for them to do * admin work * you have that kind of support, sort of work * certainly that takes place in the police. I mean there is some sort of * there are some police stations where they have staffing at the * front desk is done by volunteers. * Whether they are true volunteers as defined, by the grey book, I could not say, but I suspect they may well be, so I think that sort of scope of work.

Do you see any Health and Safety Issues there with that sort of?

Well yeah there are. There are because * you know they are going to probably use VDU’s for example, so you know if you are going to be using a VDU, its a workstation so there is a Health and Safety implication to using it.

What do you see as the barriers for the Fire Service to involve greater numbers of volunteers across the whole range of their duties?

Well I think the Fire Services needs to identify * where it could actually use volunteer support and I don’t think it has every really done that so I think that is the first barrier is identification of where it could be used. I think the * you know if you look at in the sort of broad sense I think * you know other sub barriers are * some are sort of * Health and Safety. I would not say they are barriers but I * think * the situation is that Brigades need to * recognise that when they actually take on volunteers, that they also have some responsibility for them in terms of Health and Safety. So if they are going to take volunteers on, as they take on any other worker, they have actually got to bear in mind the Health and Safety responsibilities that they absorb * and they will respond to those appropriately. * which might be difficult because there are some criticisms of that the Fire Brigades actually being able to respond to those responsibilities for * non volunteers.

What do you think the potential management issues are when employing volunteers to carry out non emergency fire service work are?

I think the two key ones are * culture making sure that * volunteers are fully accepted into the organisation, which is always going to be difficult when you have got a uniform culture I think * because these people have been non uniformed employees. * I think the other thing is in terms of control because you have actually got to * have a good understanding of what a volunteer can do for you, how many days they are going to turn up. When they are going to turn up, when they are not going to turn up and what work they are prepared to do, what work they are not prepared to do. * So * you know control and specifying that and agreeing that as some form of contract is * not easy * so I think those are the two key issues.

They’re necessary

They’re necessary, absolutely, yeah.

Do you have any other thoughts regarding the increased use of volunteer in the Fire Service

Yeah, I mean I think, I think you know in terms of * my view and Health and Safety’s view is that you know it’s neither a positive nor a negative sort of view. * if you going to do it than you have got to do it properly which means you have got to actually take into account Health and Safety responsibilities by taking the people on * and you have got to explore those and you do those by the traditional methods of risk assessment, risk management. * I mean there is actually some guidance from Health and Safety on some of these sort of areas, but not a lot I have to say. It is not an area where Health and Safety have greatly been involved * but perhaps you know in the future will be certainly Health and Safety sort of changing it’s approach I think in these sort of areas * probably large due to modernising ?.

Presumably the Health and Safety should be involved in all volunteers of this work

Well I mean that’s a possibility I mean one of the difficulties I think may be it’s a difficulty that I should have mentioned earlier actually. One of the difficulties I think is * is ownership of information, I mean Health and Safety’s an organisation which is largely based on information and information management * and * there are some real issues over who owns that information and its availability to the public. Its availability to audiences you know outside of Health and Safety and HSC * some of it is you know might be * confidential, commercially confidential, some might be politically confidential, so there are some difficulties and some barriers there.

Finally, would you take part, would you be prepared to take part in a Workshop to evaluate the conclusions of recommendations of the Research?

Yep

And would do you think your organisation would be willing to be identified with information to the Fire Authorities on the use of volunteers in the Fire Service published under the auspices of the active community unit Home Office

I think Health and Safety would be yes I mean I think * I think Health and Safety wouldn’t see it so as taking a leading part, but would be happy to be consulted.

Thank you very much

Rab Coke

Assistant Firemaster Presently Commander Central Command in

Strathclyde Fire Brigade

Glasgow 31^st October 2000

What experience have you had with volunteers in the Fire Service?

I think really two-fold my first experience as an operational officer within two brigades * dealing with volunteers in an operational capacity one in Teeside Fire Brigade prior to coming to Strathclyde, and secondly in Strathclyde fire brigade itself who have a number of volunteer fire stations. But may be mainly secondly * as part of my BCC project thesis, I studied the use of volunteer firefighters, international prospective for their use * operationally within Denmark, Berlin and Untied States.

How would you define the term volunteer?

I think that is one of the most difficult terms to define there is no real answer to it. Every country had a different view of volunteer and in fact, for example in America there are volunteers in some States, communities are very much like a retained and they call them all sorts of names, from minute men, call men, volunteers, part-time firefighters whatever. Many of the countries, even Denmark and Berlin and the States volunteers are paid they are not totally volunteer * they be paid in kind, money or something by the community so is one of the most difficult terms to define and I don't think I really even came to an answer of what a volunteer is, except that in each country the volunteers themselves and mostly their Officers said * albeit they were volunteers they were still professional firefighters. * Very much like their counterparts who if you want to make a career out of the fire service.

How do you see volunteer firefighters as being different to retained firefighters if at all?

I think ten years ago and pre that time they were very different. * They were there to basically to protect as they do now the local community, with very little support very little finance and I think very little attention from management at that time. I think now because of *modern methods of risk assessment and better management and both finance at least at Strathclyde we have been able to close the gap between volunteer and retained and virtually in some of the communities that we serve in Strathclyde you can just about say volunteer and retained are much the same except that volunteers probably go to less fires they probably protect a smaller community and less risk for, I don't know if it is less money, but the gap is closing in my opinion in the operational sense in the West coast of Scotland.

What is the case for involving volunteers from the community in the Fire Service?

I think that is a good question and I think it depends on the area you where to look at. Having looked at volunteers in international prospective they are made much more use of in other areas due to the culture in the main, to be honest with you, and the politics secondly. I think in this country there is a case to use volunteers operationally, yes, * I think there is a very good case in small communities to use volunteers * people in that type of area wish to volunteer and do something for the community and there stations become a community focus, not just for the fire service but all sorts of use. I think there is less of a use, my own personal opinion now, having had four years to think about the whole subject and the prospective of using them in a urban scenario as operational firefighters we've a different culture, different politics and we have different financial systems and I don't think it personally it would work out. However, I do think there is a case to use volunteers in the wider prospective for fire safety, community use * working with other volunteer organisations and maybe thirdly the use of our own people i.e. people in the fire service whether it be support staff or serving firefighters to use their good skills, because they do have good skills, good citizenship skills in other areas * for the good of the community.

Can we just touch on that last point you made. What do you think the benefits are for a fire brigade to encourage its own workforce to do volunteer work in the community?

I think the fire service itself would become less introverted I think we’ve made great moves in this area over the last number of years. * Its joined up working with other organisations * its good partnership skills we can't survive alone * it forms part of best value in the best sense, government thinking and I do think personally the fire service has a lot to offer other organisations firefighters do have good citizen skills, leadership skills and we have a lot we can pass on to other organisations.

What type of Fire Service work do you think volunteers from the public could be deployed to do?

Other than operational tasks in the whole communities I think there is probable an area community safety and I take the word fire out of community safety for the moment because I think the fire service generally is getting more involved in community safety * and I think there is an area there were we could use volunteers to assist us.

What type of Fire Service work do you think that volunteers from the public could be deployed to do?

Apart from using volunteers in an operational scenario such as in the small communities I think there is an opportunity for the fire brigade, fire service in general to use volunteers to enhance the community safety work in general. I take fire out word or phrase community safety because we are getting involve in all community issues than we ever did before and I don't think we have the finance to immediately employ a number of community safety, community fire safety officers in the short term therefore I think it incumbent for us to use the best resources out there and perhaps one way to enhance it, not take over but enhance it as to us a number of volunteers from anything from administration work through to using qualified people who wish to give up some of their time to enhance community work.

Moving on the identifying the barriers what do see as the barriers to involving greater numbers of volunteers across the broad range of fire safety duties?

* I think * that's in two parts really. I think in one way the barriers have been broken down and in general the fire service excepts that volunteers are necessary and retained people are necessary. * I think there is still a long way to go due to the culture of the British Fire Service in the use of …the employment of volunteers in other areas and that's not just down to fire service culture and I think it is down to the public in general and the country in general. As I found it myself if you have a cultural volunteering then it is more excepted and there is a far greater degree of volunteering in Denmark, Holland and Germany and in the States in comparison to that of the U.K. so I think there are a great deal of barriers to be broken down not just individually with the workforce but with peers and politicians I think it is a national problem rather than an individual problem.

What do you think the potential management issues when deploying volunteers to carry out non-emergency fire service work?

I think there are a lot of things to be thought through * it is not something can be entered into lightly * the question as a volunteer, employee, well I would consider yes a volunteer is an employee and if that's the case the you have a whole host of employment issues which has to be contended with. * By employing organisation such as insurance, litigation, holidays I mean you can go on and on, people have to be insured etc. training, protective gear I mean that is just of the top of my head in a couple of seconds you have to treat the volunteer as and employee basically and they have rights the same as anybody else. It is something that has to be thought very carefully through.

What about the professional workforce?

Well I think that the professional workforce are changing now and the fire service from a more reactive force to a proactive force and I think this is something they have to contend with as well obviously there are fears everybody will not like change they have to be convinced the change is necessary and I think if the workforce see this is an enhancement to their jobs and they can gain something from it then they will except it but I think that is down to management to assist the selling of this. * I think close work is to be carried out with this and the representative bodies at the same time and the employees with are the Councillors as in are own area here.

Do you have any other thoughts regarding the increased use of volunteers in the fire service?

Not really other than I don't think they are suitable for urban areas other than working in the fire service and making better use of community safety or administration work in retained stations and obviously in operational sphere and I think that should be investigated more and more and work carried out BBC students to investigate fires as this is something we have not really touched upon in the fire service.

Just a couple of quick questions about, the evaluation workshops and whether or not you in would, principle would be able to attend that?

Should be should be in principle yes.

Another thing one of the final outcomes of this work it to try and produce some guidance for the service * and again in principle do you think your brigade would be happy to put their name by that?

Yes, I see no problem there.

End

Mick Donald

DOII Operations and Technical Service - Tech Service based at North Command, Clydebank Strathclyde

Glasgow 31^st October

What experience have you had with volunteers in the Service?

The majority of the volunteer experience I have come across has been since I have come to this command * nearly two years ago. Prior to that *I have been wholetime at Glasgow city centre and * the environs round about there so volunteers weren’t something one came across * to a great extent I was aware of people out of the brigade that did voluntary work even from the very elderly buses for the blind * was it the clapping dog organisation things that help people who work with youth organisations certainly people coming out of the brigade was quite a novelty for them * but I can't thing of anything at that time as I say coming from North Command and leading the volunteer aspect was something new and as I mentioned earlier, getting involved in the early stage with the planning and preparation of the new buildings and concept was a functionary as opposed to the policy making * the aspect operational volunteers * people who come along and give up their time in the event of a fire get paid a very small amount of money for the time * when it could be operationally

How do you define the term volunteer?

* someone who gives * not necessarily through their own choice though obviously it has to be their own choice as opposed to being pressured under though a volunteer can be coerised*they don’t need to be the person who makes the first move I’d be quite happy if somebody in a fire station get somebody to volunteer for a task which isn’t necessarily their job by either using a bit of peer pressure amongst his cohorts or indeed by using a kind of authority of * to put pressure as I say to come forward when perhaps they should have * the volunteer section is somebody who will always do it for nothing * I don't think that has to be the case I think that going through another time their experience of knowledge and their efffort* some are actually volunteering more than just themselves their putting their family and friends into the frame at the same time because very often things evolve through nature and not peculiar to one person

How do you see that volunteers are being different to the Retained if they are at all?

* I think the difference is that the retained see it as being financial, financial is a kind of rewarding thing which in the busy station is undoubtedly is less so in the quieter units were they could if fact find themselves just meeting their own costs. The volunteers I think do it because they have a concern about the local community * they want to give a better service to the community than the brigade could perhaps for under legislation, the history of a lot of our units is that they were set up because people had a concern about fire and perhaps death in their community and as a result they felt * the brigade whichever one it was at the time, was letting the community down and that they could do something walk away on a first aid basis * and by providing themselves they gave the brigade an option to provide some equipment to them that meant * they could act a first aid strike of an incident until such time as the retained or the wholetime go them.

What do you think the case is for the Fire Service to involve volunteers from the Community in Service?

*I think there are possibilities I have got concerns about total volunteers *coming into the Fire Service carrying all operational duties without appropriate training equipment supervision that we give them. *Things like fire cadets I think could be * operated by volunteers from outside the fire service with the assistance the support and some cases the finance from the brigade to run these schemes I don't think it is essential that something like fire cadets and junior firefighters have to be * supervised educated from the uniformed side I am fairly happy that people given a grounding the way the fire service works the politics of it and general hierarchy within the fire service that * reasonably intelligent civilian could * give a good return to the community and the kids that are involved.

What type of Fire Service work do you think volunteers from the public could be deployed to do?

My first thought would have to be to say it would be related to you know like these organisations * that even as I am speaking they could move into things like the provision of smoke detectors both in terms of advice on the defecting of them * basis fire safety advice and the home on a door to door basis perhaps. The provision of open days on people to man stands, that might be fire safety based whether it would be recruitment based * my reservation would be people coming into the sharp end where we would be prejudicing their safety by exploring something that they don't have the training, equipment or the detailed information they become involved in. There are people out there the Walter Mittys of this world who like a uniform saw a volunteer option in the fire brigade would come and say I want to be a firefighter I’m sure the brigade has had them, either in the brigade or either out of the brigade and you know these are not the kind of people you want, but they're the minority I think.

What do you see as the barriers to involving greater numbers of volunteers across a broad range of Fire Service duties?

* Identifying those duties in the first instance I think there is going to be a real resistance from within the organisation for people not to want to give up jobs which are either historically * through choice become part of their role. That is not to say people higher up the tree shouldn't be saying that is not necessary to be a uniformed, we have done that with control we have done that with * community fire safety people * basically they are civilians and haven’t got any real fire service background so there is no any barrier to bring people in providing they are identified with the jobs.

I think the natural resistance of people in the fire service were traditionalists were in the main they don't like change on non-fire brigade people having constructive part to play the way a fire brigade operates no matter what the task or the role I think that would sit badly with a lot of people, saying that things are changing, brigades are changing, people in them are changing so * perhaps it is time that we started opening a door a bit further to * people from the volunteers minded community *it would be ideal I can imagine a lot of people in the brigades would like to say, well we’ll have volunteers in to clean the stations or volunteer cooks we'll have volunteer van drivers I think that is inappropriate that's not why people would want to volunteer they time. They want to get something from it financially certainly in terms of who they feel about themselves what the feel they are giving back to the community and the organisation * the jobs there ought to be justifiable and of some merit to the person that is taking part in.

Things like a number of brigades have retained control operators * Isle of Man I think it is their control room only operates when the bells go and it is retained people that man it * I don't see that it will be an enormous quantum leap for bigger brigades to have volunteer control operators a wee bit akin to….like the AFS they seem to operate quite happily within the AFS, I don't see a real reason why they couldn't take some constructive part technology has moved on a lot would be trained on saying that, there are an awful lot of bright people out in the world who can handle a computer, some more than I do.

What do you think the potential management issues are when deploying volunteers to carry out non-emergency Fire Service work?

*Assuring the right bodies are happy with that, that they don't see it as being a cheap means of achieving something their members currently do or could potentially do. * As I say overcoming the resistance of people in the organisation to this change or this kind of dilution of their duties or an in surge of people who they don't perhaps perceive as being as well qualified either as experience or through training to do something which they feel might be better done by a uniformed * person

Last Question

Have you got any other thoughts regarding the increased use of volunteers in the Fire Service?

I'm trying hard to think of places they could operate and I keep coming back to almost saying it does matter whether it's the fire service or not the role a volunteer perhaps best operate is in a non-frontline environment obviously, places like the various headquarters were they could carry out administrative roles it would be easier I suspect of the brigade both the accept on handling unsupervised. * The idea taken unqualified, untrained people on to a fire ground * sits fairly uncomfortably with me but on saying that I am also conscious that at major fires particularly in this command where we go the forest fires a lot of the people who do turn out are indeed volunteers * from local communities who are just concerned about the potential danger to their property of indeed the forest round about.

I think the quantum leap people like I have to make * are like these area * urban areas have a different outlook on life are not as mercenary perhaps not as self-centred and they’re more giving over the thing. *I think there more likely to come across and become a volunteer. I'm not sure how in an urban environment and other environment whether we would get a great demand * from volunteers of some sought role in the fire brigade, would you want people to come along as a volunteer mechanic, a volunteer storeman I suspect not, I think the attraction of the fire brigade is, that it is a blue light service they see a firefighter, fire engines people in uniforms as being the attractive side * I 'm not sure that is the part they are going to play they would be as amiable to it.

End

Ian Evans

Head of National Community Fire Safety Centre

3^rd November 2000

I am part of the Senior Management Team of the Fire and Emergency Planning Directorate and * I am also * part of the HM Fire Service Inspectorate * I have been in post a Grade 6 Civil Servant. My professional discipline is part of the Government Information and Communication Service of which I have been part of for over 20 years. I have been in post in this job since September 1998.

What experience have you had with volunteer in the Fire Service?

As yet very little directly but the process of working on the Community Fire Safety Tool box and developing guidance on community net works and partnerships, has certainly brought to light a lot of information about what is happening in volunteering across the board. That includes what’s happening in the Home Office in active community those sort of areas and other examples of Brigades activity. So I think my knowledge is developing but at the time when everybody else is acknowledging activities, also developing quite fast as well so we are in a very much, * we are all moving forward together really.

How do you define the term volunteer?

* That person within the community who is acting for the good of the community without payment.

How do you see volunteers as being different from the Retained Service, if at all?

Well certainly the issue of payment and fee * a volunteer I would see as if you take the analogy with hospital workers and other community groups as somebody who is very much a lay person, they are not trained formally other than perhaps to the extent of understanding some of the basic information that they might be * asked to be aware of, but there is not a formal training or * management process.

What do you think the case for involving volunteers in the Service is?

I think if we are going to make a difference in the community then clearly it’s a big task. * potentially we need to mobilise all networks in the community to be, not just to be aware of Fire Safety amongst all the other issues that concern the community and there are many others. * There is an excellent model in things like Neighbour Watch in the crime field. * I think increasingly there could be much more awareness in safety, home safety, community safety areas generally and I think by tapping into willingness and awareness * then that does offer a lot of potential to, you know to be the eyes and ears in the community, but I think there is obviously you know has to be care in terms of who is involved and the training, the issues you know there, but * it’s really just sort of getting creating in a much greater * force * building capacity I think is the buzz word you know for Brigades.

Why do you think the Fire Service should encourage their work force to do voluntary work?

* I suppose really for the same reasons by sort of, by having active community involvement you become just so much more aware of * what is, what opportunities there are. * You can’t make it a, you can’t compel people, it would be wrong to sort of * make it a sort of requirement, but I think its, *I think the fire * apart from anything else the Fire Service demonstrates constantly that it is doing that in many respects. The Firefighters do commit themselves to a lot of community activity in many different ways, so perhaps they’re closer to realising there’s the many other organisations.

From your point of view what type of Fire Service work do you think volunteers from the public could be employed to do in the Service?

I think the simple business of * encouraging personal awareness of Fire Safety in the home. I say simple because I know that the issues, the wider issues are not simple but the prevention issues are relatively simple and they’re things that people can do with minimal training and awareness and they’re just in many cases common sense, and I think that is the strongest appeal for any sort of volunteering activity where people can. Their biggest contribution basically is that they are of the community and they have perhaps the personality in the approach that would lend themselves to you know sharing this information.

Do You think its appropriate for volunteers from the public to give Fire Safety advice, specific fire safety advice?

Yes I think so it’s * it’s right for people to * to give sort of basic advice, we ask families to do it in our fire action plan, we ask them to involve their families and their extended families and neighbours, so its really an extension of that.

What do you see as the barriers for the Fire Service involve in greater numbers of volunteers across the whole range of their duties?

I think the Fire Service will rightly be concerned to ensure that there is the right quality of people that * there is. What training and awareness there needs to be is done properly, that there is communication and that firefighters themselves are fully aware of what is being done and why, and that there is the right contacts at local level, because if the Fire Service is engaging itself more at community level it is * important that the different elements are working together.

What do you see as the potential management issues when dealing with when employing volunteers to carry out non emergency fire service work?

The fact that there is not the same control * you can’t just call up volunteers, or you may not be able to call up volunteers in the same way that you could do with page dial for although you may have other resources you can turn to. * the whole issue of * ensuring people are the right people and the communications issues * I think they are going to be the important ones.

Do you have any other thoughts regarding the increase use of volunteers in the Fire Service?

I think it is important that we * see the wider picture as much as possible so that is community safety in home safety. * it would be * I don’t think it is a help to have a lot of people going around with lots of different badges on. I think * if you look at things like Neighbour Watch, Neighbour Wardens, * that there are a number of initiatives now to bring people * to get people active in their community literally and * you know we should be looking for the wider approach, it’s not to say that everybody can do everything but the important thing is to have the right people in the right place.

Finally, would you be prepared to take part in a Workshop to evaluate the conclusions of this Research?

Yes, I would

Would your organisation be willing in principal to be identified with any information to this service published under the auspices of active community unit from the Home Office

Yes they would

-END-
Mike Fordham

Assistant General Secretary Fire Brigade Union

Manchester 7^th November 2000

What is your experience of volunteers in the Fire Service is?

To be honest at the moment it is pretty limited in I would think its only around the use of volunteers in the main in Scotland as Firefighters, or training at a Firefighters role, I should say in their own community. * Personally although we call them volunteers I have never seen them a lot different from retained firefighters and how they’re remunerated. * But we have had some considerable involvement in recent times because of the Health and Safety issues and the employment position of the volunteers and equipment they’re provided with etc.

The only other contacts in recent months is when you contact staff being on the Fire Crew Review Task Group would look at the issue of fire covering remote and rural areas and * obviously in doing that your having some work carried out by En Tech * that look again at the volunteer position in the main in Scotland and how fire cover is provided by the volunteers and the arrangements that volunteers have got recruitment have got where the appliances are sited, etc. So in the main fire service concept it’s really been around, as far as what we’ve understood as being volunteers in that sense of the word.

What is your definition of a volunteer, how would you define volunteers?

I think the definition would vary. Typical trade union political answer I suppose * the definition of volunteer and I think to be quite honest I think most people in society including politicians would give you a different definition of it. I mean I think there’s an understood practice that I’ve grown up in, all that’s what 50 years of what we have known as the voluntary * sector of British Society * people that do work for Charity organisations, now a days going to the shops on the High St and sell goods sort of thing and the Oxfam shop or whatever. Very very clearly a line of the volunteers I understand that was voluntary work and everything else.

There is the one that is akin to our own job of course and that’s the light boat organisation which again very strange and I think it certainly stands out every time I see their advert in the newspaper of their duties, surely a voluntary organisation so there that concept of it, there’s no doubt also that in recent times there has been a view which * has come across particularly to the trade unions of * Government moves call it that to trying to introduce the concept of volunteers, i.e. people that are not paid into many of the public services education, health being the two big ones that we have got personal knowledge of and that’s personal knowledge, from me own life, sort of thing rather than me role as a Trade Union official. * But I am sure you are aware of that, that change.

I think when you say what is a volunteer, a volunteer is clearly someone who is doing something at their own issue not being forced into doing it, chosen to doing it. They are either not being paid at all for it or only getting an expense based system. *

In my view until recent times it has been clearly understood dividing line between that, but that’s probably a dividing line in your head not a dividing line that I have ever seen written down in anywhere and that’s probably purely experiential rather than as I say being aware of anybody’s policy in respect of it. So yeah you know I see volunteers in sort of different ways but it’s purely through experience rather than policy or someone telling me.

Mike, what do you understand as the difference between volunteers and retained service?

In, I think it depends whether its in concept or in fad, I mean in reality in fact the only difference is the remuneration, * but that again I suppose that depends thinking about it to some extent on the measure of it, because, I think the expectation of the Brigades, the expectation of the public* is probably the same, sorry the expectation of the public would say whether its volunteer or retained because to them its * some sort of red fire engine, its some form of crew that are going to turn out if they’ve got a problem, so I am pretty sure they’re not going to differentiate between whether its a volunteer or retained.

As an employer therefore the fire service would differentiate, would differentiate by first of all the conditions of service i.e. how we paid them and what remuneration we give them that differs but what I also learnt from the Scottish one which didn’t have a lot of knowledge of until recent times is also an expectation of how we treat them as the Fire Service in terms of the equipment we give them. In the main we all give retained firefighters the same equipment we give wholetime, professional firefighters. * We try within them the constraints that are put on we try and match training programmes and into what we expect from the professional or wholetime firefighter.

What we do with the volunteers to a certain extent was * leave them to their own device, they were not because they were not under a contract of employment they were, the Brigade sort of serviced them rather than control them if that’s the right terminology and I suppose that fixed the concept of volunteers and they volunteered to it and therefore they looked after themselves in the Brigade. But what really what we were doing is also in some ways allowing them to kill thems…I mean literately we could have allowed them in a position where they were going to kill themselves, because we are letting them carry out a job under our names, well the Fire Brigade or whatever we want to call ourselves, but we weren’t given the gear and the training to actually carry it out. So yeah I think there is a mind set difference between them as well as I what I call the legal contractual difference between them i.e. what we pay them.

But of course the dear old Health and Safety at work act doesn’t mean that differentiation, therefore we have had to grow up to it, but one of the things that come across more and more now, and its part of Best Value and everything else is what is the public expectation and I actually don’t think, I have never lived in a rural community, * but I actually don’t think the public will be making a conscious decision differentiating between their firefighter, whether its in the centre of Manchester where we are now, or whether it be in some remote rural part of Scotland, they get fire, they want that Fire Brigade to turn out. So * in their view its a Firefighter and they’ve probably no idea how they get paid or anything else to be honest.

What do you understand is the, what is the case for deploying volunteers or engaging volunteers in the Fire Service?

What a case from my own argument or what I think other people’s cases would be?

Well from your own point of view to start with.

From my own point of view I don’t, I qualify this by saying that you’ve raised something that I haven’t given a lot of thought to and not that everybody has to be quite blunt in the fire service in the last 2o odd years. * I don’t actually see a great role for volunteers, I do have concerns about, as I said earlier about this probably creeping moves towards replacing what I see as sort of professional public servants for want of a way of capturing it * with people that argue that volunteers but in some ways it just get them to do the same job but not pay them to do it, in other words, you have always got to employ them to do it. I certainly see a position as far as the firefighting is concerned and I mean Firefighting in its way stands as the emergency response we make.

I see that as not going at all towards the volunteer route in fact going in the exact opposite to that, I see everything we are doing on training, the qualifications, the fire cover review, the Fire Safety aspect, risk assessment is going to the concept of what have a firefighter all to the same role map. Different levels within that, obviously * but they would then be employed under different contract arrangements to fulfil that and I don’t see to be honest within that a role of volunteer, I don’t see anyway that should be excluded from the requirements of being safe and skilled at the job and I think to be quite blunt as a member of the public have got to pay the price for that and so be it you know its part of it. So I think in that concept the, even the view of the volunteer that we have now got in certain parts of Scotland and a few places within the rest of the UK. I think if anything all the moves that we are making in the Fire Service are actually going to take that part of volunteer out of it.

Now as to whether there is roles within the other aspects of our service for volunteers, * the initial thoughts on it is that I don’t see them, I really don’t see them. * I think there is a greater role for support when in certain parts of the Fire Service from administrative staff within local authorities etc., I think this is again part of what is going to happen to community fire safety. * but I don’t see particularly a role for volunteers within that, I do hold a view that its in the public services something to be proud of and something necessary for our society, and to be blunt, society has got to pay for it. So you know just in the concept without getting involved in the detail I don’t actually see, I can see in some other areas * health service is possibly where I can see roles within that, there are roles very clearly there where volunteers in what I call a social sense, assist patients and families of patients while they’re in hospital, but to give another example I don’t see in the same sense trying to creep into the education, reading exercise and all the rest of it. I think there it is being used as a support position or a replacement position for professionals and not in the way it ought to be. So I say that I do see a problems within that but I don’t all so want to be seen as sort of ruling out that there is a role for people within society including ourselves as Firefighters, in playing a role within the voluntary sector you know of society. I think there needs to be a great debate about whether, I don’t want to use the word demarcation, its a word from the past but its still its relevant to this, that there has to be a demarcation or an understanding of where the role of the paid public service want to go but the professional public service differs from what Government wants as a voluntary sector.

I think there are areas where the fire service can help society, play a greater role that’s not being big headed about it? Cos’ it sounds it, but also play a greater role within society. I think our members the firefighters generically can play a great role within there and I think that’s where we can bring people into that, but that’s not in the same way as actually bringing people into what I call an administrative job or a station cleaner or a station cook or whatever, I mean I wouldn’t want to see a volunteer cook on a fire station, if we shouldn’t have a volunteer cook why should we have volunteer administrative staff , the same criteria should apply in that way.

Where would you draw the line then between what a volunteer could do for the Fire Service? Or could a volunteer do anything for the Fire Service?

I think it’s more, quite honest, as to whether the Fire Service can find itself a role within the established voluntary sector. I don’t actually see, and I am not ruling out, I am not saying you know I am sure there are good ideas out there, and if they are not already feeding through they will feed through. But there may be ways that we can bring people into the Fire Service environment, yeah wev’e got to do that, everybody accepts that we have got to break down this cultural problem we’ve got and part of that is to bring people into our environment.

But its then what do they do within our environment, I mean there is areas for instance, where we could help them assist in a wider sense of society without sounding big headed about it. I think there are ways that we could do that, I mean drugs is a classic example it’s a view I have held for sometime and our colleagues in America hold a similar view, I think there’s a role where the Fire Service could play in the drug issue because in the main still Firefighters are pretty well respected, we have got it wrong, you know a simple message Firefighters don’t do drugs * it is a good one to go out with. Now we could use volunteers within that, we can actually take people with us that are, got a little bit training of drills, a little bit training of people we’re dealing with, they would be working with us as volunteers and we go out and sell a message on drugs so its not just a fit of smoke alarm in your house, but by the way while your doing it you don’t smoke bloody cannabis because it will set it of sort of approach, do you know its always simplistic. *

Now that’s a role we could work with volunteers as the Fire Service in a wider community * but we are using the volunteers in the wider community. But it’s just we’re not skilled people in all or parts of that, we will be using their skills and communication skills, their social skills to actually get a joint message across. Now that’s different then them volunteering to come in and volunteering to do my job, like squirting water, doing fire prevention advise.

(Tape finished ) From Notes:

What do you understand as the drivers for involving more volunteers in the service?

Retired people could be used for add on. For the core service the public should pay. The danger is that it creeps. It’s OK to have the WRVS sell refreshments.

What do you think are the barriers to involving more volunteers in the service?

The main barrier is that, unlike the other countries in the EU. Is that we have public sector brigades therefore they will be a cultural barrier.

Defensive barrier – FBU will head the defense to defend jobs. It will need very sensitive handling.

Health and safety is a barrier, to using volunteers for sharp end work.

But we could, if we think about it, find a role for volunteers.!!

What activities may they do?

Any activities that are not our prime work. I don’t for example see volunteers in:

§ Operations

§ Training

§ Giving fire safety advice

§ Doing supportive administration

But there may be a role in the wider society. Moving away from core activities and into a new role. E.g. look at a new role for volunteers.

A lot of firefighters would welcome becoming involved as mentors and positive role models for young people, thereby becoming more involved with society.

Extra to the core?

§ After the fire – there is probably a role to carry out those sort of duties.

§ Safety Centres

§ Community fire safety as part of the multi agency role

§ Mentoring schemes

Home risk assessments – No

There needs to be a clear understanding and agreements on the role of volunteers.

This is the sort of issue that should be fed into the newly formed Fire Service Implementation Group!!

-END-

Mike Larkin

Higher Executive Officer working in the Fire Policy in the Community Fire Safety Team

London 16^th October 2000

What experience have you had with volunteers in the Fire Service?

Its been probably through the * Young Firefighters Association and Princes Trust volunteers. Its basically running, well the policy support to those organisations * in terms of the young Firefighters * I have regular contact with the National Officer , Jeff Breedon * and I administer the grant that the home office pays to cover his basic salary.

And your Role in this latest Government initiative

* It’s supporting Mike Reid who is the Head of the Community Fire Safety Team * and put forward the Fire Services contribution to the volunteer initiative.

How do you define the term volunteer?

* I would define someone giving * their service to the community free of charge * in their own time evenings, weekends.

How do you see volunteers in the Fire Service being different from retained

* I think the immediate difference that occurs to me is that retained is as far as I am aware are paid * when they’re called out on a fire, shout. * whereas firefighters who are volunteering services are doing so free of pay, you know they’re not expecting payment for it, they’re doing it because they want to, to contribute to the community and they’re doing it in their own time, evenings, weekends, days off, that sort of thing.

Why do you think the Fire Service should use volunteers?

*I think because the Fire Service has by large a very good standing in the public, * in the public’s mind and eyes * they’re seen as a, as pretty much a heroic sort of emergency service, they’re not seen as a law enforcer * and I think that generally they’re very highly regarded and respected and * I think as a result of that the children in particularly become engage more readily with the Fire Service then they can with other emergency services and * I think that through the voluntary * work that brigades can do they have a very keen role to * play and make the community safer.

Why do you think the Fire Service should use volunteers within their communities to do its work?

Fire Service using volunteers? How do you mean?

No I mean in the case of Merseyside it’s an example of members of the public working directly to the fire service as volunteers.

* I suppose yeah. * I don’t know that much about the Merseyside sort of issue, we have only just received papers from Malcolm Saunders on it, but * I suppose but I saw it as more * being akin to a lot of hospitals have set, friends of whatever hospital * and * I suppose I saw it as a role that the Fire Service had in mind was assisting * victims of fire within their community and * it was really sort of underpinning the work that the service provides anyway. The Fire Brigade responds to the fire call and they put the fire out, they effect rescue and so on, but they obviously, the victim of the fire is sort of left really with an absolute wreck of a house, their house is destroyed and therefore I think that the Merseyside initiative, as I understood it, when I first heard about it was that * the volunteering network would be there to assist the person in sort of the following days, weeks months to try and sort their lives out as best they could. So I think that * if I had understood the Merseyside initiative that’s what they had got in mind and I think that * its an excellent idea to engage the local community to help * someone who has suffered a fire.

Thanks for that.

What type of Fire Brigade work do you think that volunteers could be employed to do?

Um well I’ve just mapped out one area where volunteers could * assist brigades in terms of follow up with fire victims * or wider sort of issue I guess I think that they could assist brigades or augment their personnel and staff numbers in terms of community fire safety work * as long as there were sort of suitable training * provided by brigades * I think that * volunteers have a role to play sort of lay visitor, things like that, and could have a role to play in spreading that the sort of fire safety message * to more vulnerable people in society where perhaps its not so easy for brigade personnel to get into various homes or institutions and establishments. So I think that there is a role there for the communities to play * to educating the public and sort of being an extra sort of level as it were or layer to the brigades and * service personnel to effect that role basically.

What do you see as the Barriers to involve in greater numbers of volunteers across a broad range of Fire Service Duties

I think my experience of the Fire Service is that * it is a fairly conservative organisation which* is perhaps * not that * receptive to new ideas or to change * and in certain* issues I could image that there would be resistance from within the Service particularly from the Unions * to accepting you know volunteers coming in, doing a particular performance of work. * Having said that I think that the Merseyside initiative that we have just discussed * I can’t imagine anyone would necessary quibble to much about volunteers coming in to provide sort of after fire sort of support * but as I said by and large I think it is * possible in certain areas where volunteering may be suggested a resistance from within the personnel of the unions.

What do you think would be the management issues that would arise, when you appoint volunteers to carry out non emergency fire service work

Um I would be ensuring that there is a level of control over what they are doing * I think you bring in volunteers, you have to ensure that * that they will be overseen or their work will at least be overseen * and that there would be a form of feedback from the people organisation receiving the service from the volunteers to ensure that they were happy with the service that was given by the volunteer and so on, so that will be sort of an initial response.

Do you have any other thoughts regarding the increased use of volunteers in the Fire Service.

I think that it is only that we have got to, we got to pursue it, we got to explore further because I think that * unlike the vast majority of other sorts of emergency services sort of help organisations in this country the Fire Service has been a little bit slow in the * volunteering arena and I think that there is an enormous scope for the Fire Service to * to play a role in the safety communities and generally and so on so I would very much * support any work that * the Home Office to do or you on your Brigade Command Course can do, we need to follow this issue further.

-End-

Graham Meldrum – Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services

London 27^th October 2000

What experience have you had with volunteers in the fire service?

Well fairly extensive starting right back from early connections with the Fire Service National Benevolent Fund and volunteers working for that but in particular in relation to my time as Deputy and Chief Fire Officer of the West Midlands Fire Service and in relation to that mainly in respect of community work within the service, but finding volunteers to do all sorts of things I mean for example, a great problem in West Midlands, such things as volunteers for people to go on parade and Remembrance Day parades for instance. People would volunteer to take part in civic duties who would take part on some royal occasions that we had and people to volunteer to take part in things like competitions and quizzes. Brigade and we again never really have any problem getting people to volunteer.

Probably that sort of volunteering the * combination of that is the biggest event which we decided to run in the * fire service to date, that's a public event which still runs today. probably 8 maybe 10 years ago* in Birmingham attracted up to 30,000 40,000 people to one day event and really run very much by volunteers and certainly in my day, until 1998, that scheme was still going but I mean that * was a question of getting probably up to nearly 300 off duty firefighters and sometimes their families, and people from the Control room and offices to volunteer to help us run a brigade event which was seen as, very much, a community event.

The motivation to do that was simply that people wanted to show what the fire service was like, what we could do and to bring the word or community fire safety to people in the West Midlands, which was * quite an amazing size of event and amazing how many people were willing to volunteer to take part in it.

The* in relation to * the organisations that we ran in the West Midlands when we started the Young Firefighter's Association, * with * totally run volunteer run organisation was formed in 1986 and* started with 30 young people and 4 or 5 instructors and now there's in the West Midland itself, the organisations got 300 youngsters and probably with * with 50 volunteer instructors but nationally, of course, has grown to between 3,500 to 4000 youngsters but that's how it started with * on a dark rainy night on Aston fire station with * 30 youngsters and *4 or 5 of us turned up to say right lets get this off the ground, and there's a big organisation with it's 2 full time national officers, so again it's just an example of where volunteers were involved but *

Also within the organisation we've an After the Fire volunteer service, and again that was interesting because they are, in the main, retired * members of the fire service who came back to help people that had fires, to help them after the fire and carry out practical assistance.

What is your Definition of the Term Volunteer?

My definition is somebody who is doing something that they want to do, simply because they want to do it , they want to do it simply that, and the sort of motivation is I want to do and don’t receive any monetary reward for it.

Do you see Volunteers as being different to Retained at all

Yeah in a fire brigade sense * I think if its in relation to operational duties which I haven’t had experience of, * young recruit volunteers but who, who have seen fire services like Australia, who do operate with volunteers, but I think there is an opportunity for us to look at the concept of volunteering, particularly areas where people have said we've got problems getting retained, because I think there is a difference being retained, which is a job, seen as a job, part-time job by most people, and volunteering which falls within the category of saying well I'm doing it because I want to do it, not paid to do it and it's just whether, I think, we could explore more the culture of volunteering the fire service being one that's a good example to us where it would appear to me and and again they don't have problems getting volunteers in the areas where we would have problems getting retained firefighters

The concept of volunteering, I think, appeals to a different type of person than being a retained firefighter. it would be interesting * to see if you would actually be more successful in that area saying right this is a volunteer fire brigade, it belongs to the community and you've got to make it work, and by, instead of saying right we need 15 people to make one retained pump operate you might actually be 30 or 40 people who are all willing to volunteer on the basis of they will do it when they can do it and out of that 40 yes you are probably going to get the cover that you need but it won't be guaranteed , its a different concept, a different approach but it seems to work in these countries I mentioned and the other services.

*Moving on the Identifying the Drivers For Volunteers. What do you Think the Case is for Increasing the Deployment of Volunteers in the Fire Service

Yes, I think the driver is leadership; leadership from the top is the main factor. You actually operate in volunteering in almost two levels really, the * the leadership and backing the concept that you’re trying to put forward to gain volunteers and the leadership of the volunteers that are going to do it will often come from fire station level or so I think it is always the two ends of your Fire Brigade you're looking at, it your going to do it, it very well may be an idea to come up through the fire station level as indeed was whole concept of the scheme which * I, as the Chief Officer, said yeah we'll do that it's a great idea lets get it going, if I had said no, then the person who came up with the ideas would not be able to proceed with it because he would not have got the backing, the facilities, the money , etc, but more important the facilities and the backing you can give as a Chief Officer, so I think , I think its that operates at two opposite levels within the service. The idea may well come from within the service and again, possibly from a fire station but we've got a brigade that welcomes ideas, encourages and nurtures people to come up with ideas, then, there will obviously be some good, bad and indifferent, but if you got an idea that seems its going to work really good it needs real leadership to drive through.

What do you Think the Benefits of Using Volunteers for Fire Service Work may be

I think volunteering is is a very good gauge of moral within the organisation, that's how, one of the reasons why we got a lot done from volunteering, but I always, as a Chief Fire Officer saw it as a good gauge of the moral of the fire service but for instance, you you as a Chie Fire Officer, you you will always get and we've got people saying to you the morale in my division and the moral of my station is very low, and your saying well how come that we've got 120 people in your division which is volunteered to give up their off duty days to come and run a muster day, and obviously the gauge is there’s nothing wrong with moral there's maybe something wrong with that Divisional Commander, its him you've got to be looking at. But the morale and a gauge that you as a Chief, and you lead very clearly, without anybody in between interfering, is how many volunteers can I get to undertake, whatever the task * that I want to do, how many people would come forward that's how I used to, always a gauge, and the gauge was of my success, nobody else's. If it was wrong, somebody said you've just asked for 40 volunteers to march on Remembrance Day which is a great cause in itself but we can’t get one, I would doubt my ability as a Chief Officer. I can't blame anyone else, I think it's a very effective measure of moral.

What Type of Fire Service Work do you Think Volunteers could be Deployed to Do

Well, I think obviously, I think it moves through the organisation we’ve talked about I think there's a lot of interesting areas that we could look at people being involved in within Community Fire Safety area volunteers, certainly in developing links with the community through the things like the and friends of the Fire Service, cracking idea * after the Fire Service again there's very good things to develop and * I suppose a whole raft of general things you could do to work with the community to promote.. from open days being involved with the local fairs and fetes, always being there as a part of the community when the community organising an event, we're there as part of that event, seen to be up front, the Fire Service is out of its station, its there, and in some cases it may be something totally non Fire Service we do people running the funfair for instance, your doing it and that's how you get into the community, you must build relations through your volunteers, and its a two way thing, you know, firefighters, Fire Service people volunteering and bringing people in to volunteer to work us.

Do you see * Catering, Fire Ground Catering as being a Potential Area for Volunteers

No, no I don’t, I think you've got to be very careful that you kill volunteering by trying to * people see you starting to use it and say well this isn't * something that's beyond the sort of normal duties, beyond, we're not developing community, this is the cheap way of getting something done and we're doing through volunteers, you will create climate of great now that's not to say that that's using Fire Service volunteers, but if you use people who are already part of another organisation, Salvation Arm in the West Midlands, WRVS, some people have got the links with, they are not seen as volunteers bv the service, they are seen as part of that organisation, how that organisation works is up to them. Non-commercial potential to provide what would be seen as peripheral services but you could kill your volunteering if you tried to step over that line and said "by the way we are now going to use you" would you support something, that is indeed the duty of the Fire Service.

For example “salvage work”, what can be done by volunteers groups, if you stepped over the line you would kill your other stuff and they'd maybe say we can't do this, you know,

Community Fire Safety is a Good Thing that They Could Do

Well, I think again you've got to be careful there how you actually prove that because I think that's where I come back to volunteering within the service. Because I think there your actually looking at people who are part of the Fire Service here are your duties who are then saying, yeah well I've got some time within those duties Saturday afternoon Sunday, I volunteer, I'm quite happy to do more for the service, you know, so that again you you actually get round to doing things within the service itself, which may well then spin over and * but again to get that balance of thing were people say yeah, you know, running a huge sort of public event can only be done, if we don't do it with volunteers we wouldn't manage to do it * running the service seems to be something that's * well in my view if you tried to do fire ground catering by using volunteers who were in the service people wouldn't do it right.

*What do you See as the Barriers to Involving Greater Numbers of Volunteers Across a Broad Range of Fire Service Duties?

Well I think the broad range of Fire Service duties, I think the* if you extended beyond what would be my concept of volunteering not doing the because I want to do it * I do the job because * it's something that I see is needed to be done, its not being done by the Fire Service cannot be done by the professional service can’t be done by the professional service then you could do it but if you tried to spread it along the whole of the, I mean it, I mean there's two parts there, if you tried to spread it along you can say, you know, the in an area where a rural area would give some more volunteer firefighters, well that's fine, you know, right across the range of fire service duties, you can then come in a say well we maybe change this local retained station that we're paying for to a volunteer service, you've got a problems and you cause it to become an industrial relations problem.

Volunteering since I’ve know it has never been seen, in my * experiences as any thing to do with industrial relations we ain't going to do that * right down to people volunteering the decorate the fire stations, they volunteer to do it and * except perhaps the unions, for instance wouldn't say that was the greatest idea under the sun, but, if that's what people want to do they've made the decision, then that's a volunteer job within the service they maybe come back off duty to do it, but they do it. So it's creating that sort of atmosphere and line where you never abuse it * that's the important, never abuse the people who wish to volunteer and never extend beyond what would be seen as voluntary work.

*What do you Think are the Potential Management Issues when Deploying Volunteers to Carry out Non-Emergency Fire Service Work

such as?

Health & Safety, Insurance, Funding

I mean when you say non Fire Service work you mean ?

Yeah Non-Emergency so when if you're getting * Volunteers from the Public to Come and Help you Fire Safety Visits by Co-operation of Crews * If one was to get in Volunteers from the Public to come and Help, what sort of Management Issues do you Think this would Creates

Yeah I think * I think the main thing is to say that certainly again my experience non of them have been difficult or insurmountable, but they are there * The one thing now a days is to abort this to not to get carried away by the enthusiasm because the one thing you get from volunteers is a great deal of enthusiasm and you have got to channel that enthusiasm and control it and not destroy it at the same time, so it's quite quite an art to sort of keep in all in balance, but having said that as we talked about with the YFA, obviously you have got a duty to the people with the volunteer themselves and the public with the volunteers will come into contact with to ensure that first of all the volunteers are trained to the right standard, recruited to a high standard and if they are working with children got to go through the processes which we talked about today to make sure that suitable people because it becomes your responsibility you cannot say Oh that person was a volunteer then your hooked so if you put somebody in whose got a record or child abuse then obviously your liable for whatever happens to my child that you have allow to come into contact with.

I think you've got to set your liabilities, you've got to go through a process of checking and recruiting in that sense, then training, equipping for example, YFA instructors needing the proper equipment to do the job and not to think that you can side-step any of your liabilities almost same as having employees within the organisation, but none of that is is a great problem * you know one of the areas we touched on again today, insurance and I always got the impression that when you discussed this sort of subject with some people and say they are looking for areas which were a problem and said Oh insurance, it will cost a lot of money, I said have you talked to the insurance - well no we just know it will cost a lot of money and you know we obviously just talked because they don't see it costing anything, they are quite happy, for instance the volunteers on a wide basis just put it in with your policy and they'll just write it in written into the policy is one person's opinion and there are people I've heard who are always trying to find a reason for not promoting the work of volunteers within the service, and all those reasons are reasons that we've said if your bringing anybody in to work for you on a voluntary basis you've got to protect them and that wants to be done properly. Not to be carried away by enthusiasm , I think I’ve done that, got carried away, you think well, we’ve got away with that but that was by the skin of your teeth and we should have closed these doors, but we thought that's great they've volunteered to do it.

*Do you have any other Thoughts Concerning the Increased Use of Volunteers in Fire Service

* Only I think that we can, I mean we can do more of it, I mean I think that we have not fully used people's willingness to volunteer within the Service and I mean that in all, first of all I mean there’s a number of people, the people who would who would say well I'm here to do my job for these hours but within that I'm quite happy to volunteer to take on the extra duty, I'm quite happy to be part of a technical quiz team, I'm quite happy to take part in a community fire safety work, there's a volunteer for all sorts or things and then you've got the people who you would be looking to to volunteer beyond that place, and say to them, well are you willing to come in next Saturday * and work on the Young Firefighters Scheme which is a whole group of those people and again I think in some areas there's been a great deal of success with that in others it seems we've still to break through now there's no reason, again coming back to how how many people volunteer, and may be able to find a reason except the leadership necessary to say we want you to do and you can only do it by leadership yourself of course because, I think, one of the big things is that as you create a culture an organisation of volunteering you, as the Chief Officer and, indeed the local officers have also got to be seen to be committed to the work so, if for instance you say right we've organised this * grand open day on a fire station on Saturday afternoon and the personnel on that station have given unstintingly of their own time and indeed the families provide the catering, baked cakes and the Chief Officer does not come up - don't expect them to do it next year, and be you know, quite clear that the reason they are not doing it next year is you because you didn't come up, so it creates.

As Chief Fire Officer of West Midlands it actually creates a great deal of work, not that it’s that hard work it’s just turning work * because we've loads of volunteer organisations, loads of obviously the YFA is one of them * and they were putting on displays and putting on their open days, presentation evenings, they have competition days, and if I was there I never missed one of them because those people that were running that were putting Saturday, Sundays, week days, they trained them now if I couldn't come to spend an hour with them on a Saturday afternoon, those people would stop.

Would that have a Read Across on to Social Events on Stations?

*Depends well I mean in terms of social events with a social social event, no, I think if it was a social event to do with the volunteering, raising money, perhaps presenting cheques that they have raised money for, a social event to sell, a YFA that we do, families evenings, you've go to be there. So by creating a culture of volunteering * really you yourself, as the person at the top of the organisation, have also got to understand you are going to be volunteering because you are also doing that outside your possibly, normal duties that you would do in the service.

But it doesn't work unless you are prepared to do it, and I would suspect that's the same in many of these overseas brigades where they get lots of volunteers, is led by people who say yeah when putting some events on I’ll be there, if your not there, its, a lot of these organisations it's the Chief Fire Officer or nothing. * You can almost not send a Deputy, and although that * I mean it was still appreciated people turning up at different levels different levels, at some point you are going to have to get involved with them, but the return is amazing because your getting untold hours maybe 10 or 20 of them happily giving up 8/10 hours a week, so it's a tremendous return but you've got to be prepared and say this will be something devote a considerable amount of time to but if you're, certainly as I was, very committed to the YFA's, the volunteers who worked the people that do the YFA, it’s not a burden to do it, was good fun to do but you I involved my family into doing anything else because I would never have been there but in the real situation.

Brian Murray

Firemaster with Highland and Islands Fire Brigade

Inverness 2^nd November 2000

What experience have you had with volunteers in the Service?

Well that’s about 18 months now I have been with Highland and Islands this is really my first experience with volunteers because the bulk cover of the brigade is made up of volunteer personnel over 900 of them.

How do you define the term volunteer?

Well in this brigade, it is interesting to be in this brigade, we term them auxiliaries whereas quite pointedly other organisations associated with us and by that I would include the HMI of Scotland and the Fire Department they still use the term volunteers, but we call them auxiliaries because there is a dilemma there whether they are volunteers or not in as much as we do have management control over them. We determine you know levels of training and when they turn out etc. But these people mainly started out as volunteers to help their community, they put their hand up and said that they wanted to work with the community, to protect their own community which in many cases is in very rural areas against fire. Later on the brigade has taken over these to manage them.

They’re certainly very many of them started of us volunteers without the payment and we only pay them for the actual work done, but how would you define what a volunteer is. In the true sense of it someone that they would actually put themselves forward to do it, they want to do the job.

I guess without payment

Without payment and certainly to start with it was without payment and even now it’s for very little payment. Payment does not drive payment is not a motivation for them to be part of the Fire Service because the pay is not a great deal.

How do you see volunteers as being different to the Retained Service, if at all?

The difference is less and less. The actual difference in this Brigade to a great extent is in the facts are fewer fires which in the past has meant less three men, less equipment, less protection. But we are never in the throes of planning to change that in as much as we are trying to get them the same level of protection ultimately the same level of training, * because essentially when we do call them out, at the end of the day they are required to fight fires or perhaps rescue people at road accidents, whatever depending on what their role is.

Why do you think the Fire Service should involve volunteers from the Community?

Well one of the greatest benefits we have from involving people from the community is that the degree of ownership that they adopt, they are very much, they understand the needs of their own community, and as I said before its very rural they know about the distances are from other areas, they know the damage that fire can cause and how long it is before that they will receive support. So they have a greater understanding of issues and take greater ownership of their own problems, and we find that their level of education is second to none. If you can get people to take on the role for other than for payment, then normally they do have this greater degree of their sense of duty to the actual job rather then to the payment. I think that is part of it, certainly the volunteers that we have and as I said they did start of as true volunteers or many of them started of as true volunteers. Their level of commitment is excellent and another thing is with many of the volunteers have linked into the community and we find that we have greater closer links with local communities and any where else either they’ll work, we work with the community councils on a regular basis, much of, a lot of the reasons for that is that the people in the units are linked into the community councils as well, so there’s another link there.

Looking at volunteering from your employees, perhaps the wholetime people at Inverness, do you think the Fire Service should encourage its own work force to go out into the community and do voluntary work?

Yes. That’s in terms of personal development and self development I would encourage them to do, I would be more than happy to encourage them to do voluntary work although in what fields I don’t know but any voluntary work where they’re helping others I would say it fits in nicely with the Fire Brigade job, but then again I suppose in many ways you take sport and such things and yeah I would encourage them to do sport because it builds up the team work. In terms of self-development an involvement with the community voluntary works great.

What type of Fire Service work do you think volunteers from the public could be employed to do?

Right. Well in the past we used the volunteers for fire fighting and now we are trying to make them ever more professional and safer so that’s in one way’s I wouldn’t like to give you that as the role that you would want to use volunteers for because we are trying to make them more professional. But, what we find is that many of these volunteers that are taken on for fire fighting in terms of the Fire Service or their auxiliary personnel the community sees to work that they do as excellent because they have got links with all, everyone in their community. In some respects the fact that they do fire fighting gives them a little bit of degree of credibility for when they’re in the public arena its certainly community safety, you could have them helping out at the Fire Stations. I am sure there is a whole host of areas that they could help supporting the Fire Fighters would be one role, I dare say even maintenance if they were so inclined maintenance or anything to do with the Fire Station. Community safety initiatives, local schools, because many of our rural, our area is very rural and that’s where we have our volunteers but I dare say even volunteers in the Towns or what have you to have a role to play with schools and community safety. But then you’ve still got to provide them with the training to equip them to do that and the credibility gap would have to be something that you would have to address, but I am sure it could be addressed.

What do you see as the barriers to involve in greater numbers of volunteers across the broad range of Fire Service duties?

I mentioned credibility gap but one of the main ways you would fill that would be through training so one of the barriers I see with volunteers and it is an issue that’s impacting on us is the time requirement because people are usually got well into volunteer for to help you but then if you then set minimum standards that require people to fill suddenly it can become a burden eventually. We in our own pace where using what we term as volunteers or auxiliaries for fire fighting. But ours they need to do more training, to complete more paper work as though that grows as a level of commitment that is actually required grows the volunteer element diminishes. So the greater requirements we put on them they are less able we find in some cases. On the other hand what we are finding is that as the training and equipment improves its attracting a different league of people. People that are wanting to, some people when they started of they were turning up to help us and they were willing to work hard for us to protect their own community. But as we have increased the requirement and we are giving them better equipment they then therefore need longer training, they need a bit of training. Some people that turn off because of the requirement, they want to be faithful and help you when they can and they are more than willing to do it and it is a great help. But others were turned off by that because it was not professional enough and so now as it becomes more professional we have got different people interested, so there is a bit of a balance to be struck between that.

I was just thinking of the barriers, you know the Government, next year is the international year of volunteers and the Government is trying to encourage organisations to get more volunteers to come and help, particularly in the public services, and you know do you think there is any sort of internal things in the service that might be stopping us as a service welcoming volunteers?

When we’ve got volunteers what we will have to do and whatever field they are in is properly trained and there will be a level of commitment demanded of them. Those demands have to be reasonable of that will turn off a number of volunteers, but depending on what you are using for them those demands will be greater or less, what else could put them off. Barriers, in some cases there could be expenses, but the expense should be minimal.

You don’t see any from the work force?

Certainly, the way services are growing our volunteers are such an integral part of the service that everybody knows that we will depend upon each other, but that’s the way that we have grown. If you are going over to it now, I suppose the concerns from me with the workforce are they professional, like I know that its contradicted, but are they professional enough to do the job, are they well enough trained, are they capable, are they doing the right thing for the Fire Service, and if the work force have any concerns perhaps the public would see those concerns, to make them viable you are going to have to fill that gap and once you have filled it suitably for the public to accept them doing whatever then perhaps hopefully you have addressed it for the rest of your work force. But, yes depending, I suppose it would depend on what role you adopt from for them and whilst I could see a role or when community safety, I could see some resistance until they are properly trained and you know they demonstrate their ability.

What do you think the management issues are when employing volunteers to carry out non emergency fire service work might be? That’s what the management issues for example, health and safety cost.

Health and Safety, that’s a big issue no matter where we have them, you know you have got to, considering we haven’t been working on looking at what areas we work in and are they trained to use whatever level of equipment they have. So that’s a management issue there is a cost element of it which will be an issue, but then that’s one you could exert control over. My biggest management concern would be that I have an individual representing the Brigade, now it does not matter whether they have volunteered or not its an element that they are representing the Brigade and it would be what degree of control do you have over how they’re portraying it, now the reason they might portray the Fire Service or give bad advice or whatever, could come from a grudge or extreme feelings, could be malicious, at the other extreme they just might be saying the wrong thing without even realising they are saying the wrong things. So I think that would be my greatest concern having, its not any degree of control over what you are saying its the degree of confidence over how they are operating on behalf of the Fire Service. Because whether they are volunteers or not they would be part of the Fire Service.

Tony Ritchie - Chair of the Local Government Association Fire Executive

London 1^st December 2000

Have you had any experience at all with working with volunteers?

Well * on a person to person basis no I have not had any experience with working with volunteers * but I have had experience of visiting brigades that have volunteers * and brigades who described themselves as having volunteers who aren't volunteers.

Well that's the Easiest Thing * Bearing in Mind that then what's your Definition of the Term Volunteer?

Well a volunteer is a person who volunteers to do a service for no financial reward, that would be my definition of it.

*Do you see * There's a Difference Between Volunteers and the Retained Service?

Yes, I think there is a difference and there is a difference between the volunteers and the retained service and I want to quantify that as well. The retained service are a dedicated group of men and women who fulfil a public duty but they do get remunerated for it, I mean the number of * retained personnel who I have spoken to over the years are rather sour that they don't get remunerated better for what they do so they expect to be remunerated. The qualification of that is of course that because they are employees and they are employees, they do get paid money, is that they are going to become part of the group of workers who will be affected by the European Directive on Part-time Working and my view is that the word retained will be redundant, or could go into history in the British Fire Service and we will move very quickly towards full* wholetime and part-time firefighters with equivalent rewards for part-time firefighters that wholetime firefighters.

What Do you Consider to be the Reasons, if Any for the Fire Service to Use Volunteers to Help it?

Well, I have to say that personally I can't think of any I mean I suppose, * in perhaps some of the more remote areas that * it may be appropriate to have volunteers help with the oncoming work that's going to be required on fire safety education and the whole area of fire safety but I think there are, I think there are great areas are fraught with risk of using volunteers to work directly * on the front line or near our front line with ** people in relationship to the fire service. We need to have to be sure whether they are volunteers or whether they are otherwise, that they are competent to be able to give the advice that is required of them in in, will have an effect on live and death situations and I think therefore that it is somewhat I an somewhat sceptical about the ability of * of* of of the service in the long run to be able to train people to a high enough standard who are not going who are not going to get any remuneration or any reward for it whatsoever and I would quantify that by talking about * the * about about the special constables, I don't know what role they play in the Police Force but I know they do not have a very high public perception profile for the role that they play and they are seen very much just as * surrogate traffic wardens rather then * surrogate police * police personnel so I would be very sceptical about using volunteers in the Fire Service at all.

*What do you Think the Key Barriers to the Service Actual Deploying Volunteers Would be - What are the Things that will Stop the Service from Employing Volunteers?

Well, I think there's a number of issues there, I mean, part of my reason was in my previous answer and I don't think people will be able to get a high enough competence * competence standard from volunteers * to be able to* employ volunteers, I don't think we should also underestimate the potential industrial relation difficulties that we'll have by trying to deploy volunteers as to what the union will clearly see as the expense, I'm not sure that I don't see it at the expense actually, but clear, they would clearly see it at the expense of * of of of jobs, * and I suppose the third one is is that even if you achieve both of those, the reliance of availability that would be available from volun volunteers, we as a service, get a massive amount out of our retained staff * far more than can be expected for a remuneration that is not commensurate with the hours they put in. Whether you would be able to, well I'm fairly certain you wouldn't be able to do that out f a volunteer staff in the main, I mean you will always get anoraks quite frankly, but in the main you wouldn't be able to, and * therefore, I think the reliability of, relying on a volunteer force would be * would be one that may place the organisation in some jeopardy at times.

Is* One of the * reasons put up by the Government to Try and Get more Volunteers is on a Social Aspects of it, the Social Inclusion Agendas to get the Service to Reach out to Communities Otherwise they Wouldn't , they Struggle to Get to

No, I think there's two aspects to using volunteers I mean using volunteers to either try and teach or provide the preventative to terror force in a life and death situation is somewhat different to using volunteers as * surrogate teachers in schools where any imput must, can only lead to an improvement. I have to say there is a propense, well propense is probably the wrong word, but a possibility that using them in the fire service could be detrimental, or probably as detrimental as it could be beneficial and, therefore, I think the direction in which the the resources for volunteers is going to go, and should be going, is into the areas where there is clear social deprivation, in areas like * teaching, * and social welfare and areas like that where they can in actual fact make * make a difference.

I Guess this next Question may be Redundant in the Light of the Foregoing Comments, but I'll ask it anyway

What Sort of Work do you Think Volunteers Could Do in the Service? You Mentioned Fire Safety

Well, they could do that * I would want to be absolute, I think that whatever work anybody does, whether it be firefighting of whether it be fire safety education or whether it be support work or control room work or administrative work, * you have to be certain of the competency of the person to be able to, to be able to undertake that, and even more than that that for large areas of the fire service you don't only have to be sure of their competency you have to be sure that the Health & Safety Executive for instance would accept that as a level of competency should, in fact anything go anything go wrong. Now I have to say that in my opinion that * that as dedicated as the retained are, there must be a question mark over their competency in a number of areas, they train 2 hours, as best 3 hours a week, for which they get paid, now how much training is a volunteer going to have to make themselves available for for no remuneration for individual fire authorities in particular, and the service in general, to be satisfied that their level of competency, whether it be in firefighting, fire safety education a whole range and raft of matters is one that we can accept, and I think that, I think there is a great barrier between what we will require and what, in general, volunteers are prepared to put in, or indeed able to put in.

In* West Midlands They have been running a Small Voluntary Scheme, I'm not sure, you may be familiar with that, After the Fire Service, it Employs Ex or Retired Firefighters to do to sort of Provide A Link between the Social Services and the People who have Had a Major Fire Do you Think that

Well I don't know if that was a slip of the tongue but you said Employes

O Yeah, Deploys Sorry

Deploys, deploys right, well I * I don't know is the answer quite frankly, I'm sure if the Chief Officer and the Chairman of West Midlands are happy with it then it's a good idea, * and as long as they're happy with the competency of the personnel their undertaking and the personnel are * are able to do it that's absolutely fine, I have no problem with that, * whether again, whether the Trade Union will have a long term problem with it, I don't know, but it was a small scheme, and I think you will always have small schemes, I mean you've had the volunteer fire brigade in Peterborough for many many years, but it is small in comparison with the overall provision of fire cover and fire fighting in the country, I mean my argument is, is that in my opinion, it would be totally impossible to replicate Peterborough on to every fire station, and it would be undesirable to replicate onto every fire station in this county and whilst you might get one brigade who says here is an example because we have been lucky we've perhaps got four or five people who have been tired who are anoraks enough in the fire service, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way, to want to continue this role, that's fine, but what happens when they want to retire and you want to get the next batch on and they're not so willing to be, there not so forth, there not so forthcoming, so I think the fraught danger with volunteers is the fact that they are volunteers and whether it be the fire service or people who sell poppies on poppy day, both very important, but all volunteers, I think you'll find that in actual fact volunteers are less reliable, are * more * that they come and go quicker than what would happen if you were, paid paid employees, the other area of course is, that annoys going to have to consider, is the cost and the ongoing cost of training * volunteers, I mean what happens is you go through the whole gambit of training a volunteer for four or five months and they do it for 2 days and don't want if, I mean you know I would suggest that you've probably got absolutely no comeback on them at that time where as if they're in some form of remunerated employment then, in actual fact you you can, within the training programme, have some form of recompense against them.

Last Question then - * Is There Anything Else that you Might Want to Say About Using Volunteers in the Service?

Well, only to say this, that there * there has been, the use volunteer is widely used outside the UK, ** I have to say I don't know so much about it, but I do know a bit about Europe in relationship to volunteers, and the only country where I know have got true volunteers as against the terminology volunteers, is Germany, and there, of course, they have thousands of volunteers, too many volunteers probably, I mean a Dutch, I asked a Dutch Fire Officer once while the Germans have so many volunteers, and he said "Ah you give the Germans a uniform and they'll do anything", you know, there may be some truth in that. But when you go through the term volunteers in Belgium and France and Holland and Portugal and Spain, they are the equivalent to our retained, and so therefore, that, it isn't as widely used as we are of the opinion that it is widely used the word volunteer particularly in western Europe, now what was the question now I've gone down that road? What are my experiences

No was There Anything Else you Would like to Mention About Volunteering

Well only to say that I think that it is * I think it is a concept in western Europe that isn't widely used * my view is, is that is that * that we've got the balance about right and that ** except in where * we should stick to remunerated people who work in the fire service because that is the best way we can ensure the competency and the commitment albeit in the part-time case* greater personnel commitment that perhaps the wholetime case.

-END-
Dr Justin Davis Smith

Director National Volunteering Research

London 26^th October 2000

What is your experience with volunteers in the Fire service?

Absolutely none.

What is your experience with volunteers not in the Fire service?

Well I’ve been involved in research into volunteering for the past ten years , I’m also a volunteer myself, I’m the chair of a couple of small charities locally and also the committee of the local neighbourhood mediation. So I’ve been involved both at national level policy making and thinking about volunteering but also acting as a volunteer myself.

In general terms, what is your definition of the term Volunteer ?

Difficult one there’s a lot of contested views about it. But I think there are three key elements to any definition; one is that the activity should be unpaid, though expenses of course should be refunded. Secondly that it should be freely given, you can’t force someone to volunteer it’s a contradiction in terms. Thirdly it should have some community benefit that can be defined. So it’s not simply sufficient for someone to be playing football and every time, not getting paid, not being forced to do it every Saturday afternoon that doesn’t make him a volunteer.

How do you see volunteers in the fire service as being different from retained firefighters?

Clearly there would need to be an understanding of the different and complimentary roles and the two type of workers. And that would need to be agreed with differences ironed out at local level, perhaps with some national guidance. Traditionally there has been hostility in a number of professions volunteers can’t work alongside paid staff. Most of the problems arise due to lack of clarity and lack of forward thinking as to what it is appropriate for a volunteer to do. It should be made very clear that volunteers aren’t there to cut costs they’re not there to replace paid staff but they’re there to provide something additional the concept of added value in this respect and it’s identifying what the added value is or could be that volunteers could bring that is the important thing. In my view it is about being more in touch withy the local community, being more representative of the community, in terms of ethnicity, gender or age. There are other things that volunteers can bring due to the fact that they are volunteering and not full time professionals.

What is the case for increasing the deployment of volunteers in the fire service?

There are a number of good reasons for doing so, one is that it’s recognised now that society can never deliver all it needs to do through paid professional staff, we just haven’t got the resources to meet all of societies needs whatever that might be whether it’s health care education fire prevention, therefore there is a very good argument on cost grounds for involving volunteers, now that is not to say that there should be a cheap option, but it is important to make the economic case as to why volunteers can provide good added value to the work of professionals.

But I think it goes beyond that and if fire service were purely to focus on the cost effective argument then it could store up problems for the future in terms of relations with paid staff. It’s about making the case of what volunteers can bring in terms of being more in touch potentially with the local community, building bridges between the fir authority and the community in which they serve. That is why we argue in terms of legitimacy and building strong democratic communities, volunteers have a very important role to play in a range of different professions.

What type of fire service work do you think that volunteers could be deploy to do?

Well I think the glib answer and the easy answer is all and any, if they were trained and it was thought appropriate and they were given the necessary support to enable them to do that. I’m sure they are examples of services around the world that are run almost entirely by volunteers, so there’s inherently preventing a volunteer carrying out any tasks. You can have volunteer brain surgeons, as you do, that are going overseas through ‘medicine sans frontiers’ and other sort of organisations like that. Emm but I don’t think that’s the answer I think the answer is to think it through and discuss with paid staff and union representatives and voluntary organisations and the volunteers themselves, to try and come up with agreed set of tasks that means that the volunteers are adding something different and complimentary and aren’t threatening position of paid staff.

And it maybe that different tasks are appropriate in different areas I don’t think it’s possible to come up with one set of tasks are always going to hold and that are always going to be in every area the things that volunteers should do and the things that paid staff should do. I think it’s going to differ according to different circumstances; it will depend on resources history, tradition the context within which the volunteers are finding themselves in. It’s up for negotiation that is the important thing.

What do you see as the barriers to involving greater numbers of volunteers in the broad range of fire service duties?

Again a number, off the top of my head a lack of understanding about the contribution that volunteers can make. Sort of professional jealously, not specific to the fire service of course, at the sort of blocking of the involvement of volunteers in the professions for fear that it might by diluting skills, diluting professional status.

Lack of resources the failure to recognise that volunteering isn’t actually free and that you do need to invest in order be able to involve volunteers, to recruit to train . And I guess, more fundamentally, a lack recognition of the role that volunteers can play and the lack of understanding about what can be done and what needs to be done if volunteers are to be bought into play.

What do you think that the potential management issues are when deploying volunteers to carry out non emergency fire service work?

There’s the issue of ensuring harmonious relations between paid staff and volunteers, which is absolutely crucial There’s the issue of classic management issues as regards to volunteers is how do you manage somebody who isn’t under contract, who doesn’t have to turn up, who doesn’t have to be there if they don’t want to. It’s a very difficult challenge; many people argue that it is actually harder to manage volunteers than paid staff. Because you don’t have that cash necklace linking to the place of work. Organisations need to think particularly carefully about how they are going to motivate people, how they are going to retain their commitment, how they’re going to ensure that they do want to be there. But also to ensure that they are producing a quality service, so the whole issue of quality control and appraisal and performance management is particularly challenging in relation to volunteering.

Do you have any other thoughts regarding the increased use of volunteers in the fire service?

Not really, not apart from to reiterate that it is clearly an area for expansion, there’s some evidence that there are some interesting things going on that could be replicated elsewhere. I think it ties in very much with not only the whole governments agenda about social exclusion and active communities but also a recognition more generally that people are wanting to play a more active part in their local community there perhaps aren’t prepared any longer to just sit back and accept the word of the professional, but they’re wanting to get involved they’re wanting to play an important part themselves and I think that volunteering is one way in which people can make a really useful and legitimate contribution to their local communities.

-END-

Brigade Command Course 2000

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT

I am conducting some research into volunteers in the fire service. I would be very grateful if you could please complete the following questionnaire and return it to me either by hand or by post to:

Martin Muckett C/O

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service HQ

Cambridge Street

Aylesbury

Buckinghamshire

HP20 1BD

Only One Hundred of these questionnaires have been issued, to encourage you to complete the questions, a prize draw has been organised.

1^st Prize Bottle of spirit of your choice

2^nd Prize £10 gift voucher

If you wish to take part in the draw, you should send the completed questionnaire (including your name and a daytime telephone number) to the above address before 13^th December 2000. The draw will be made and the winners notified on the 14^th December 2000.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Martin Muckett

Which group do you do voluntary work for?	Please tick relevant box
Fire Youth Training Association/ Fire cadets
Friends of the Fire Service
Red Cross - After the fire
Voluntary/Auxiliary Firefighters in UK
Volunteer Firefighters in Australia

About how often over the past YEAR have you generally done something for this group	Please tick relevant box
On 3 days or more a week
On 2 days a week
On 1 day a week
On 1 day a fortnight
About once a month
Quite often but not regularly
Just a few times
Once only
Help on a seasonal basis
Don’t know

How long had you been in the job/locality before you volunteered for this activity?	Please tick relevant box
Less than 6 months
6 months but less than a year
1 year but less than 2 years
2 year but less than 5 years
5 year but less than 10 years
10 year but less than 20 years
20 years or longer
Don’t know – can’t remember

How long have you been involved in this voluntary work?	Please tick relevant box
Less than 6 months
6 months but less than a year
1 year but less than 2 years
2 year but less than 5 years
5 year but less than 10 years
10 year but less than 20 years
20 years or longer
Don’t know – can’t remember

Did you become involved in this voluntary work for any of these reasons?	Please tick any relevant boxes
It was connected with MY needs or interests
It was connected with the needs or interests of other members of my family or friends
It was connected with my paid work
There was a need in the community
I wanted to improve things/help
I wanted to meet people make friends
None of these
Don’t know

Did you become involved in this voluntary work for any of these reasons?	Please tick any relevant boxes
Someone asked me
I offered to help
I started the group
I had time to spare
I’m good at it
I thought it would give me the chance to learn new skills
None of these
Don’t know

Was there any other reason why you became involved in this work?

(Please specify)

Before you started helping did you, at any time, have any contact with a “volunteer bureau”	Please tick relevant box
Yes
No
Don’t know

Which of these tasks have you performed in the last year in this voluntary work?	Please tick any relevant boxes
Raising/handling money
Committee member
Organising helping run events
Visiting people
Giving advice/information counselling
Secretarial/ admin./ clerical
Transport (ing)
Other direct services
Representing
Fitting smoke alarms
Other Community fire safety work

How does your experience of the voluntary work compare to the expectations you had before you started?	Much better	A Bit Btetter	Much the same	Worse	Don’t know
The work itself
Training
Supervision and support
Working conditions
Recognition for effort
Relationships with service professionals

People do voluntary work for all kinds of reasons, how IMPORTANT are these things to you?	Very	Fairly	Not very	Not at all	Don’t know
Meeting people and making friends through it
The satisfaction of getting results
It gives me a chance to do things I’m good at
It makes me feel less selfish as a person
I really enjoy it
It’s part of my religious beliefs or philosophy of life to give help
It broadens my experience of life
It gives me a sense of personal achievement
It gives me the chance to learn new skills
It gives me position in the community
It gets me ‘out of myself’
It gives me a chance to get a recognised qualification

There can often be dissatisfaction with doing this kind of work, do you ever feel that:	Yes Definitely	To some extent	Not at all	Don’t know
Things could be better organised
You sometimes get bored or lose interest in it
You can’t always cope with the things you get asked to do
You don’t get asked to do the things you like to do
It takes up too much of your time
Your help is not really wanted
Your efforts aren’t always appreciated
Too much work is expected of you
The organisation isn’t really going anywhere
You find yourself out of pocket

People often receive RECOGNITION for the voluntary work they do, how IMPORTANT are these to you?	Very	Fairly	Not very	Not at all	Don’t know
That you receive recognition for the work you do from organisation that you work for
That you receive recognition for the work you do from the people that you help as result of the work

Do you feel you get enough recognition from the organisation	Please tick relevant box
Yes
No
Don’t know

Do you feel you get enough recognition from the people you help as result of the work	Please tick relevant box
Yes
No
Don’t know

Which ways have you been recognised for your voluntary work?	Please tick any relevant boxes
Long Service Award
Reference or testimonial
Awarded certificate by group
Awarded certificate by organisation
Awarded certificate by external organisation
Received verbal thanks from the group or organisation
Received written thanks from the group or organisation
Received verbal thanks from the people you have helped
Received written thanks from the people you have helped
Received gifts from people
Been recognised in the press
None of these
Don’t know

And finally a few things about you:

Which one of these best describes your current situation?	Please tick relevant box
Employed full time by the fire service
Employed full time by other than fire service
Unemployed and seeking work
Permanently retired
Out of work because of sickness or disability
Government work scheme or training scheme
In full time education
Looking after home or family
Other
Don’t Know

Are you aged between	Please tick relevant box
18 and 24
25 and 34
35 and 44
45 and 54
54 and 59
60 and 64
65 and 74
Or 75 and over

Gender

Please tick

relevant box

Male

Female

Ethnic origin	Please tick relevant box
Black (or African or Caribbean or other origin)
Asian (of Indian origin)
Asian (of Pakistani origin)
Asian (of Bangladeshi origin)
Asian (of Chinese or other origin)
White (of British origin)
White (of Irish Origin)
White (of other origin)
Other

I would like to be included in the prize draw

Name

Daytime telephone number

Summary tables of the questionnaire responses from volunteers

Results from the research questionnaire compared to the results from the national survey of volunteers in the UK voluntary sector.

Which one of these describes your experience?	Fire Service employees in UK %	Fire Service volunteers in Australia %	Volunteers from public in Fire Service %	Volunteers from other UK Organisations %	UK National Survey %
Connected with my needs or interests	35	29	30	27	42
Connected with my needs, interests of family or friends	12	13	4	5	45
Connected with Paid work	15	0	17	5	11
There was a need in the community	62	68	70	77	26
I wanted to improve things, help people	35	47	30	36	35
I wanted to meet people, make friends	3	37	0	18	25
Number in Group (n)	34	38	23	22	704

Which one of these describes your experience?	Fire Service employees in UK %	Fire Service volunteers in Australia %	Volunteers from public in Fire Service %	Volunteers from other UK Organisations %	UK National Survey %
Someone asked me to help	44	24	52	18	47
I offered to help	35	61	39	64	48
I started the group	21	3	13	5	4
I had spare time	12	39	22	41	21
I’m good at it	18	16	22	14	15
I thought it would give me the chance to learn new skills	38	66	22	18	15
Number in Group (n)	34	38	23	22	704

What type of work do you do?	Fire Service employees in UK %	Fire Service volunteers in Australia %	Volunteers from public in Fire Service %	Volunteers from other UK Organisations %	UK National Survey %
Raising, handling money	71	50	0	59	66
Committee member	56	58	35	9	36
Organizing, helping run event	79	58	30	18	55
Visiting people	53	39	30	5	20
Giving advice	68	55	57	23	17
Secretarial , admin, clerical	56	45	43	14	19
Transporting	53	45	26	18	26
Other direct service	29	26	13	18	18
Representing the organisation	62	39	52	18	21
Fitting smoke detectors	29	8	26	0	0
Community fire safety	65	45	52	5	0
Number in Group (n)	34	38	23	22	704

How does your experience of the voluntary work compare to the expectations you had before? Note: Average scores from Likert 0-5 scale	Fire Service employees in UK average	Fire Service volunteers in Australia average	Volunteers from public in Fire Service average	Volunteers from other UK Organisations average	UK National Survey average
The work itself	4.29	4.39	3.65	4.09	not reported
Training	3.91	4.50	3.19	4.06	not reported
Supervision and support	3.85	4.46	3.57	3.89	not reported
Working conditions	3.53	4.28	3.68	3.71	not reported
Recognition of effort	3.59	3.94	3.59	3.89	not reported
Relationships with paid staff	4.27	4.15	4.18	3.81	not reported

How important are these reasons for you to do voluntary work? Note: Average scores from Likert 0-5 scale	Fire Service employees in UK average	Fire Service volunteers in Australia average	Volunteers from public in Fire Service average		Volunteers from other UK Organisations average	UK National Survey average
I meet people and make friends through it	3.94	4.03	3.96	4.14		4.31
It’s the satisfaction of seeing the results	4.76	4.11	4.65	4.18		4.63
It gives me the chance to do things I’m good at	4.00	3.89	4.27	3.27		4.06
It makes me feel less selfish	2.76	3.61	3.57	3.73		3.84
I really enjoy it	4.76	4.68	4.65	4.45		4.65
It’s part of my religious beliefs	2.71	2.68	2.70	3.64		4.02
It broadens my experience	4.09	3.97	4.09	3.73		4.26
It gives me a sense of personal achievement	4.38	4.31	4.26	3.95		4.78
It Gives me the chance to learn new skills	4.29	4.18	3.74	2.77		3.71
It gives me a position in the community	3.00	3.55	3.17	3.14		3.23
It gets me out of myself	3.29	3.34	3.17	3.41		3.88
It gives me the chance to get a recognised qualification	2.74	3.61	2.39	1.50		2.48

What makes you dissatisfied about the organisation you volunteer for? Note: Average scores from Likert 0-5 scale	Fire Service employees in UK average	Fire Service volunteers in Australia average	Volunteers from public in Fire Service average	Volunteers from other UK Organisations average	UK National Survey average
Things could be much better organised	5.00	3.74	4.52	3.45	3.94
I sometimes get bored and lose interest	3.09	3.11	3.35	2.64	3.36
I can’t always cope with the things I get asked to do	3.53	3.39	3.57	2.55	3.34
I don’t get asked to do the things I like to do	4.03	2.89	2.82	2.59	3.23
It takes up too much of my time	3.22	3.16	3.00	2.59	3.37
My help is not really wanted	3.85	2.89	3.00	2.77	3.04
My efforts aren’t always appreciated	4.68	3.00	3.30	2.95	3.32
Too much work is expected of me	3.50	3.08	2.96	2.59	3.19
The organisation isn’t really going anywhere	3.06	2.87	3.13	2.68	3.38
I find myself out-of-pocket	3.44	2.97	3.39	2.64	3.38

How Important is recognition to you?

Note: Average scores from Likert 0-5 scale

Fire Service employees in UK

average

Fire

Service volunteers

in Australia

average

Volunteers from public in Fire Service

average

Volunteers from other UK Organisations

average

UK National Survey

average

How important is it that you receive recognition form the people you help?

3.56

4.14

3.70

3.14

3.13

How important is it that you receive recognition form the organisation you do voluntary work for?

3.50

4.03

3.83

3.09

3.30

Do you feel you get enough recognition?	Fire Service employees in UK %		Fire Service volunteers in Australia %		Volunteers from public in Fire Service %		Volunteers from other UK Organisations %		UK National Survey
Do you feel you get enough recognition?	Yes	No/ don’t know	Yes	No/ don’t know	Yes	No/ Don’t know	Yes	No/ don’t know	UK National Survey
Do you feel you get enough recognition from the organisation?	65	35	89	11	65	35	91	9	not asked
Do you feel you get enough recognition from the people you help?	88	12	76	24	74	26	73	27	not asked

How have you been recognised?	Fire Service employees in UK %	Fire Service volunteers in Australia %	Volunteers from public in Fire Service %	Volunteers from other UK Organisations %	UK National Survey
Long service award	3	29	4	32	3
Reference or testimonial	9	13	4	5	2
Certificate, award or medal	3	47	4	23	10
Thank you from the organisation (written or verbal)	47	37	65	45	96
Thank you from the people you have helped (written or verbal)

*Case Study*	*Observation*	*Focus groups*	*Questionnaire*
*In the UK:*
Merseyside Fire Brigade	Ö		Ö
Cheshire Fire Brigade			Ö
Strathclyde Fire Brigade	Ö		Ö
Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade	Ö		Ö
West Midlands Fire Brigade	Ö	Ö	Ö
Fire Services Youth Training Association			Ö
Red Cross Victim Support
Pinderfields and Pontefract General Hospital	Ö		Ö
Thames Valley Police	Ö
The Safety Centre, Milton Keynes	Ö
*In Australia:*
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA)	Ö	ÖÖÖ	ÖÖÖ
Country Fire Authority	Ö

Group		Location
1	‘Volunteer’ Fire-fighters in UK	Lockoilhead Fire Station, Scotland
2	State emergency Services volunteers	Munjarah, Western Australia
3	Fire Service volunteers	Roleystone, Western Australia
4	FESA volunteer training managers	Perth Training School, Western Australia
5	“After the Fire” Service volunteers	West Midlands Fire Service

What the key stakeholders said	What the survey said
· Adding value to the service by linking community	“Close/r involvement by and with the community” “Gives the community direct contact with service personnel” “Reaching a wider audience in the community”
· Positive Public relations for the fire the service, volunteers add value to the professions	“Promotes a good image of the Fire Service in the community “Provides a better understanding of the Fire Service role within the community”
· Harnessing the volunteers’ enthusiasm and commitment	“Dedicated and committed workforce”
· Increased diversity of workforce	“Brings in a wide diversity of views and experience”
· Adding value to the professional job	“Promotes community fire safety. Reduction in fire deaths and injuries, accidental fires, arson and false alarms”
· Finite social resources for public services	“Achieves tasks that paid staff have not got the time to do”
· Social cohesion by linking community	“Increased stakeholder involvement”

Volunteers perceived barriers	Description
Lack of Positive Marketing	The voluntary sector is not always seen as being free from prejudice, and accessible to all sections of the community
Not being aware of the opportunities to volunteer	Potential volunteers are not always aware of the opportunities to volunteer in particular organisations.
Uncertainty about the Law	In particular, potential volunteers are concerned about the impact that volunteering will have on state benefits.
Not having time to volunteer	They is a view that volunteering means given a substantial time commitment and limits the flexibility that modern lifestyles increasingly need.
Concern that volunteering will not be a positive experience	Potential volunteers are concerned that the management of organisations that they may volunteer is generally poor.
Recognition	Potential volunteers fear that if they give up their time and effort to volunteer, that they will not always receive the recognition for their efforts.

Perceived barriers from the Service	Examples
Traditional fire service culture being resistant to change	“ I think that there is still a long way to go due to the culture of the British Fire Service” (Coke, Appendix 6)
Resistance from national politicians	“Unlike other countries in the E.U., the government in the UK consider that the fire service is a professional, (paid) service” (Broughton Appendix 6)
Potential industrial relations difficulties by diluting status and threatening jobs	“ I don’t think we should underestimate the potential industrial relations difficulties that we’ll have trying to deploy volunteers as to what the Union see will clearly see as being at their expenses” (Ritchie, Appendix 6)
The health and safety of volunteers	“The Health and Safety at Work Act doesn’t make a differentiation….in (the HSE’s) view, a firefighter is a fighter” (Fordham, Appendix 6)
Misunderstandings about what volunteers can do	There is a “Lack of recognition of the role that volunteers can play and a lack of understanding about how volunteers can be bought into play” (Davis-Smith Appendix 6)

How Does your experience match with your expectations?	Fire Service employees in UK average	Fire Service volunteers in Australia average	Volunteers from public in Fire Service average	Volunteers from other UK Organisations average
The work itself	4.29	4.39	3.65	4.09
Training	3.91	4.50	3.19	4.06
Supervision and support	3.85	4.46	3.57	3.89
Working conditions	3.53	4.28	3.68	3.71
Recognition of effort	3.59	3.94	3.59	3.89
Relationships with paid staff	*4.27*	*4.15*	*4.18*	3.81

Non-operational work activities performed by volunteers directly form the public	Number of brigades That involved volunteers
Fireground catering	11
After the fire support for victims	9
Providing Community fire safety advice, in person	7
Providing Community fire safety advice, by phone	1
Fitting smoke detectors	5
Community fire safety education in schools/clubs etc.	3
Assisting as ‘Young Firefighter’ instructors	1
Support at community events	1
Station Administration	1

Factors	Source of evidence/data
The needs and expectations of potential volunteers	ACU paper on the barriers to volunteers Results of the questionnaire
The needs and expectations of the Fire Service	Survey of UK Brigades Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders
Existing guidance to the UK / Australian voluntary sectors.	Published guidance from the UK and Australian voluntary sector. Case studies of UK and Australian organisations

From ACU	From Questionnaire
Lack of Positive Marketing	Expecting good training
Not being aware of the opportunities to volunteer	Needing good support and supervision
Uncertainty about the Law, particularly regarding state benefit	Expecting good working conditions
Not having time to volunteer	The importance that their efforts are recognition
Concern that volunteering will not be a positive experience
Recognition

From Semi-structured interviews of key stakeholders	From Survey of existing management practices in brigades
High quality management needed because volunteers have no ties. Channel their enthusiasm	Written Policy and Procedures
Overcoming the resistance of people in the organisation to this change Agree role	Provide a brief regarding their roles and responsibilities
Specifying that and agreeing some form of contract	Controlling their actions
Controlling their actions, Reflecting badly on the brigade Volunteer should be trained to the right standard Training of volunteer supervisors	Training Instruction Regular Supervision and assessment Mentoring Social events Payment of expenses
Recruiting the right people Recruited to a high standard Ensuring the safety of the public particularly children	Health and safety considerations Safety Brief Risk assessment
Control over what they do and say when they are representing the service and how it will reflect on the brigade.	Security vetting
Legal issues such as Health and safety, Insurance, Litigation,

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1.1	Name of the brigade
1.2	Type of Fire Authority (County, CFA etc)
1.3	Name of contact to which queries should be directed.
1.4	Contact details:
	Telephone
	e-mail address

2.1	What type of fire service voluntary activities are personnel in your brigade are involved in while on duty? e.g. Fire Cadets	Activity	Approximate numbers of personnel involved



2.2	What type of non-fire service voluntary activities are personnel in your brigade are involved in while on duty? e.g. Princes Trust, Duke of Edinburgh award scheme



2.3	What type of outside voluntary activities does your brigade support personnel being involved in? e.g. school governor, JP.	(Please list)

4.1	Does your brigade deploy operational volunteer firefighters?	Yes YES	No	Number deployed
4.2	What work activities do operational volunteer firefighters perform	Work activity		(please tick relevant box)
		All first line emergency duties with no immediate back up
		All first line emergency duties with immediate back up
		Limited emergency duties with immediate back up
		Limited emergency duties with no backup
		Operational support roles (control, catering etc)
		Other (please list)
4.3	Does your brigade involve volunteers from the public to assist with non-operational fire service work?	Yes	No	Number deployed
		YES
4.4	What work activities do non-operational volunteers perform?	Work activity		(please tick relevant box)
		Fireground catering
		After the fire support for victims
		Providing Community fire safety advice, in person
		Providing Community fire safety advice, by phone
		Fitting smoke detectors
		Community fire safety education in schools/clubs etc.
		Other (please list)

5.1	If your brigade involves volunteers directly, who manages them?	Yes	No	Don’t know
	A member of staff primarily employed by the fire authority/brigade to manage volunteers
	Other member of staff whose responsibilities includes managing volunteers	YES
	Volunteer manager employed by a voluntary organisation

	Other ( please state)
5.2	What types of support does your brigade offer to volunteers?	Yes	No	Don’t know
	Training	YES
	Regular Supervision and assessment	YES
	Social events
	Payment of expenses	YES
	Provision of uniform	YES
	Provision of proof of Identification	YES
5.3	What other management actions do you take when involving volunteers in service delivery?	(Please list)
5.4	What do you see as the advantages of involving volunteers directly from the public in fire service work?	(Please list)

09-Nov-00	Air	Singapore Airlines -. Flight no. SQ0321. N class. 2
		Depart London Heathrow Apt, terminal 3 09/11/2000,
		Arrive Singapore Changi Apt, 10/11/2000, at 1855.
		Transfer flight

10-Nov-00	Air	Singapore Airlines -. Flight no. SQ0225. Economy cl
		Depart Singapore Changi Apt, terminal 2 10/11/2000,
		Arrive Perth, 11/11/2000, at 0130.

18-Nov-00	Air	Qantas Airways. Flight no. QF0802. Economy class. 2
		Depart Perth, terminal D 18/11/2000, at 1015.
		Arrive Melbourne, 18/11/2000, at 1640.

23-Nov-00	Air	Qantas Airways. Flight no. QF0432. Economy class. 2
		Depart Melbourne, terminal D 23/11/2000, at 1230.
		Arrive Sydney, 23/11/2000, at 1350.

24-Nov-00	Air	Singapore Airlines -. Flight no. SQ0232. Economy cl
		Depart Sydney, terminal I 24/11/2000, at 1320.
		Arrive Singapore Changi Apt, 24/11/2000, at 1800.

28-Nov-00	Air	Singapore Airlines -. Flight no. SQ0318. N class. 2
		Depart Singapore Changi Apt, terminal 2 28/11/2000,
		Arrive London Heathrow Apt, 28/11/2000, at 1510.

Brigade	Number of ‘volunteers’
West Sussex	2	Organisations: WRVS Red Cross RNLI Community groups Directly as individuals: Friends of the Fire Service After the fire service Milton Keynes safety centre Guides
Suffolk	3
Devon	7
Dumfries and Galloway	9
Central	10
Northern Ireland	10
Grampian	12
Wiltshire	15
North Yorkshire	18
Cambridge	20
Tayside	45
Strathclyde	256
Highlands and Islands	896
TOTAL	1303

Acknowledgements

Organisation

4 Investigation results

Table 4.1.a: UK Brigades that responded to the survey

Number of brigades

Table 4.1.o: Aspirations for volunteer schemes

Mike Larkin

Dr Justin Davis Smith

What experience have you had with volunteers in the Fire Service?

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum

Tony Ritchie

Dr Justin Davis Smith

How do you define the term volunteer?

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

DO Operations Strathclyde

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum

Tony Ritchie

Dr Justin Davis Smith

How do volunteers differ from retained?

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum

Tony Ritchie

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Table 4.2.d: Stakeholder perceptions of the case for volunteers

What is the case for the Fire Service to involve more volunteers from the Community to conduct its work?

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum

Tony Ritchie

Dr Justin Davis Smith

What do you see as the barriers for the Fire Service to involve greater numbers of volunteers across the whole range of their duties?

Name

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum

Tony Ritchie

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum

Tony Ritchie

Dr Justin Davis Smith

What do you think the potential management issues are when employing volunteers to carry out non- emergency Fire Service work?

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum

Tony Ritchie

Dr Justin Davis Smith

Do you have any other thoughts regarding the increased use of volunteer in the Fire Service?

Rab Coke

Mick Donald

Ian Evans

Mike Fordham

Mike Larkin

Graham Meldrum