Ralston Valley Case

ABSTRACT

Over the last several years, the Ralston Valley Volunteer Fire Department (RVVFD) has noticed a significant decline new recruiting volunteers and retaining current volunteers. It began after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, but within the last five years, there has been an alarming 55 percent reduction. The Fire Chief, Fran Holland, has asked a young volunteer, Rick Wyatt, who holds a marketing degree to create a marketing strategy to help increase the number of volunteers, increase active volunteer retention, and increase awareness of volunteer program in the community.

OVERVIEW

Ralston Valley Volunteer Fire Department (RVVFD)

Ralston Valley Volunteer Fire Department is located in the small city of Ralston Valley with a population of just over 100,000 people. Currently, there are 48 firefighters, which is down from 55 percent five years ago. Fran Holland has been the chief for the last three years.

Since the 9/11 attacks, there was a surge of interest in the recruitment of new volunteers and only a few of the remaining volunteers stuck around. Over time, RVVFD has found about half the recruits retired before three years. Those who remained usually stayed with the department until they were unable to keep up with the physical job demand.

Target Audience

RVVFD does not have a target audience or market strategy. Instead, they rely on fellow volunteers to hear about RVVFD through word of mouth during incidents when volunteers suddenly rush out from work or social events in response to a fire drill. The information provided in the case study revealed the following information about the new and current volunteers:

Demographic:

Men: 44

Women: 4

40 years and older: 50%

30 years and younger: 5

Psychological Demographic:

* Seeks excitement

* Interested in an entry level (without pay) firefighter internship

* Enjoys giving back to community

* Looking for a honorable hobby

* Seeks to be apart of a team

In addition, the majority of new recruits in recent years were in their 20ies or early 30ies. However, the reason for volunteer resignation was due to the physical demand of the job.

Rick Wyatt

Rick Wyatt has been working as a volunteer department manager at RVVFD for the past two years. He graduated from a local state college with a marketing degree and was asked by the Fire Chief to draw up a marketing plan to recruit new volunteers.

Training and Requirements

Volunteers must be trained for many different possible calls. These include car accidents, hazardous chemical spills, and terrorist attacks. The primary requirement to become a volunteer firefighter is the time commitment and willingness. RVVFD is open to anyone interested in Ralston Valley, but must meet the following criteria:

Age: 18 years or older

Must have a valid drivers license

Must pass a physical ability test to prove volunteers are in good physical shape

Drills/ Training: 2x/month second and fourth Tuesday of every month

*Volunteers must attend a min of 80% of drills

Expected Monthly Schedule/hours

Emergency/Fire response: 39hrs

Training and drills: 60hrs

Meetings: 48hrs

Fund-raising: 48hrs

Hours/week: 8.5

Total hours: 238hrs

Current Promotional Advertising

RVVFD holds at least four fund-raising events per year. They include annual activities, such as the chili cook-off, pancake breakfast, and booth rentals at the county fair. Depending on the financial needs, events like pie auctions, turkey