Leadership

The Firehouse Yak: Leadership & Retention Ideas for Volunteer Fire Departments

Oct. 8, 2024

Fire Chief Brandon Fletcher discusses top challenges in today’s volunteer fire service and how being a NFFF Memorial Weekend family escort has changed his view as a leader.

Peter Matthews,

Brandon Fletcher

Peter Matthews talks with Gilt Edge, TN, Fire Chief Brandon Fletcher about the challenges facing today’s volunteer fire service, plus an innovative program to help retain existing members.

Fletcher outlines some of the top factors that are impacting the rolls and operations of departments today, including a dive into volunteer-focused leadership, politics and personalities and how to keep members engaged, whether on calls or training. He digs into several challenges that he’s seen firsthand and has learned from others. He goes on to share a program he implemented that allows for grant funding to bring members to national training conferences that not only improves their knowledge and networking but serves as a reward for their dedication to the department.

Fletcher also talks about his experiences as a family escort for the annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, MD. He has had the honor of escorting the families of the fallen throughout the memorial weekend events for three years, and he explains how that has impacted him as a fire chief, ensuring that his members do all they can to stay safe.

Resources

About the Author

Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director

Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.

About the Author

Brandon Fletcher

Brandon Fletcher is the chief of the Gilt Edge Fire Department in West Tennessee and a 23-year student of the fire service. He is a second-generation firefighter who has a background as both a volunteer and career firefighter in the rural, suburban and airport/industrial settings. Fletcher holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee at Martin and is a graduate of the Texas A&M Fire Service Chief Executive Officer program. He is a designated Chief Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. Fletcher is a member of the Institution of Fire Engineers and NFPA's Fire Service Occupational Safety and Fire Officer Professional Qualifications technical committees. He is a hazmat specialist and serves as an instructor for the hazmat program at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, AL.