First Due: Pflugerville Fire Department’s Mentorship Program

Across the nation, recruitment and retention discussions are happening throughout the fire service. The Pflugerville, TX, Fire Department (PFD) is addressing the recruiting aspect successfully with cadet classes that start off with 50 employees. The department gives civilians who have diverse backgrounds an opportunity for a career in the fire service. The PFD trains them to become certified firefighters/EMTs. There is no financial cost to the cadets. They receive full-time benefits.

With the recruiting process being addressed by the PFD, the next mission on its radar was retention.

Mentoring to retain
The PFD created a mentorship program to build a successful path for its new firefighters. The mentorship team is made up of six firefighters, who are led by firefighter/paramedic Michael Hernandez.

Throughout the cadets’ six-month training, the mentorship team meets with them once per month for a 90-minute lesson. The mentors discuss line-of-duty deaths (LODDs), the history of the department and of the fire service, and scenarios that they encountered during their time in the fire service. The mentors believe that this helps firefighters to excel in the fire service by increasing their knowledge and situational awareness.

The mentorship team covers LODD studies because factors that played a role in one LODD typically emerge in other LODDs, as evidenced by the fact that National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports contain similarities. New firefighters must know when they are in dangerous situations and understand that they shouldn’t hesitate to speak up, particularly when severe injury or death is imminent. The mentors want cadets to know when to use the fourth Firefighter Life Safety Initiative, which is empowerment.

The mentors understand that they don’t have the full story of each LODD. Case studies aren’t used to criticize but simply to engage in conversations and increase awareness. For example, two mentors attended the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation’s Firefighter Life Safety Summit in San Antonio and acquired details about the LODDs of Scott Deem and Derek Kozorosky. The mentors took the lessons learned and discussed how each firefighter’s department made adjustments after the event. The PFD has these same policies, so reinforcing why the department has these policies and why certain things are done can increase new members’ understanding.

Purpose = passion
The mentors teach the new hires about every aspect of the department. This includes open conversations about the stations, the number and types of calls and the district population. The hope is that the next generation of firefighters has the passion to continue the department’s high standards. A firefighter knowing his/her purpose is essential to the longevity of a career. Firefighters who know why they want to serve have the utmost compassion for their community. Overall, this is comforting not only for the firefighter but for the residents as well.

Lessons learned
Each meeting ends with scenarios that are lessons learned from the mentors. This allows for discussions about past cadets’ successes and failures and gives current cadets an opportunity to avoid those failures.

Scenarios are arguably the most important part of the meeting when it comes to building rapport with cadets. It allows the mentors to discuss the challenges that are inevitable in the fire service. For example, the mentors provided a lesson on mental health and the importance of reaching out to one’s brothers and sisters in the fire service. Rapport-building also can be as simple as what to bring and not to bring on the first day of shift work, with the mentors providing a packing list of essential items.

An investment
Academies are stressful for cadets, given the physically and mentally demanding challenges. Meeting with new hires gives them a chance to decompress while continuing to build their knowledge and leadership skills.

Investing in our firefighters today is the ultimate investment for the future.