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Guide for Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Department

The Guide for Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Department offers ways you can increase the levels of diversity, inclusiveness, and equity in eight specific areas of your department or organization. The guide is meant to be a usable, practical tool that can start discussions in your department or organization. It is a document that you can sit down with and work through using the worksheets and checklists provided in the appendix.

Within each section, the guide provides a brief description of the topic area, a list of some of the expected benefits of making your department or organization more diverse or inclusive, “before” and “after” scenarios to help you understand those benefits more clearly, and implementation tips. The appendix contains a checklist for each section as well as some additional tools. The resources section suggests other materials you might find useful in creating or refining some of the documents or processes addressed in the guide.

This document was created by the National Workforce Solutions FEMA SAFER grant and the Council for Future Volunteer Firefighters.

download the guide (PDF) 

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Resources

About

The National Workforce Solutions is an initiative to assist combination and volunteer fire departments with the means to improve their ability to recruit, retain, and manage a diverse and inclusive workforce. The program has created and curated a variety of resources for combination and volunteer fire departments across the country. More about National WS

VWS is proud to partner with the IAFC’s Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS). Make sure to check out all the wonderful VCOS resources at VCOS.org.

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Jan 01, 0001

Navigating the Gridlock: Finding a Path for Volunteer Legislation

Between the challenges of this year’s presidential race and the fewest number of laws enacted in more than 40 years, partisanship and gridlock have become a hallmark of the 114th Congress. Despite these challenges, however, Congress has made some progress ...

Jan 01, 0001

Us Versus Them: Can We All Get Along?

“Can we all get along?” Those words were spoken nearly 25 years ago by Rodney King during the Los Angeles riots that followed the trial of police officers accused of beating King during his arrest. The quote is often misstated and ...

Jan 01, 0001

Kidde Announces Winner of Step Up and Stand Out Contest

MEBANE, N.C. - Kidde today announced the winner of the "Step Up and Stand Out" contest. The honor goes to Bob Love, assistant chief of North Hays County Fire Rescue in Dripping Springs, Texas. The contest is part of a ...

Jan 01, 0001

President`s Letter: Are There Other Ways?

Recently, while discussing the state of the fire service today with a friend (you know who you are), he suggested ...

Jan 01, 0001

VCOS Participates with the NVFC Recruitment and Retention SAFER Workgroup

The IAFC``s Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) has been invited to participate as a member of a SAFER (Staffing ...

Jan 01, 0001

Department T-Shirts: Just Wearing Them or Living the Mission?

According to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are over 1.1 million firefighters in the United States. ...

Jan 01, 0001

Engaging Younger Generations: What`s In It for Us?

As leaders of the fire service, we``re confronted with a multitude of challenges. These come in two predominate varieties: emergency ...

Jan 01, 0001

Company Officer Leadership: Slaying Two-Headed Dragons

(OK, one of them at least.) If you``ve been involved with combination departments for any length of time, you``ve witnessed ...

Jan 01, 0001

Asking the Right Grant-Funding Questions: A Look at Needs Versus Wants

As leaders of volunteer fire departments, we operate in different environments regarding budgets, sustainability and general day-to-day operations than our ...

Jan 01, 0001

One Company`s SAFER Story: How You Can Do It, Too

Fire departments charged with training and retaining emergency-service recruits continue to face existing and emerging challenges. With a plethora of ...

Jan 01, 0001

Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act: Restoring Important Tax Provisions

Congress has not yet restored recently expired tax provisions, including the Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA), that expired at ...

Jan 01, 0001

GIS Helps Virginia Recruit Volunteer Firefighters

In today’s fast-paced environment, the fire service is always looking for the quickest ways to produce the best results. The ...

Jan 01, 0001

Tax Armageddon Comes Early for Volunteers

Inside the Beltway, a new term will be repeated throughout the 2012 election season: “Tax Armageddon.” This doomsday-inspiring term refers ...

Jan 01, 0001

Pinnacles and Pitfalls of Recruitment: An EMS Perspective

Recruitment quite literally means engaging in the process of finding new employees, members or personnel. In and of itself, the ...

Jan 01, 0001

Retention and Recruitment Program Honored at 2011 VCOS Symposium in the Sun

Manchaca Fire/Rescue (MVFD) serves the areas just south of the city of Austin, Tex., to the Travis County boundary line. ...

Jan 01, 0001

IRS Exempts Volunteer Fire Departments from PPACA

Taxes and firefighters are two words that aren``t often said in the same breath. However, fire chiefs last year shifted ...

Jan 01, 0001

Company Officer Leadership: Best Bang for Your Buck

From a financial and staffing perspective, a combination fire department provides the best bang for the buck, but the management ...

Jan 01, 0001

VCOS Education & Training Opportunities

The IAFC’s Volunteer and Combination Officers Section offers many specialized opportunities for leadership training throughout the year. Here’s a quick ...

Jan 01, 0001

Chief Chris Barron Wins the John M. Buckman III Leadership Award

Chief Chris Barron is the 2012 winner of the John M. Buckman III Leadership Award, sponsored by Provident Insurance. Barron ...

Jan 01, 0001

Affordable Care Act Call to Action

Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) and Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) worked together to introduce bipartisan legislation (H.R. ...

Jan 01, 0001

Tax Reform: Not a Nickel-and-Dime Issue

Since January, the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives and the Finance Committee in the Senate have ...

Jan 01, 0001

Affordable Care Act Causing Concern for Fire Departments

In discussing historic healthcare legislation on March 10, 2010, former House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated, "But we have ...

Jan 01, 0001

A Game without Rules

Imagine yourself playing on a football team in the NFL. However, imagine that there are no written rules. The coaches ...

Jan 01, 0001

Volunteers and the 114th Congress: Where Are We Now?

The first half of the 114th Congress is rapidly coming to a close and it’s been quite a session! Some ...

Jan 01, 0001

Emergency Response in POVs Poses Risks

As a young volunteer firefighter, still in high school, I can remember driving at high speed, flying along curved rural ...

Jan 01, 0001

IAFC Declares Support for National Fire Service Cancer Initiative

Fairfax, Va. - The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Board of Directors has adopted a position statement in support ...

Jan 01, 0001

Pilot Departments for National Recruitment and Retention Program Named

Fairfax, Va. - The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) has selected the departments that will participate in the IAFC's ...

Jan 01, 0001

Volunteer Recruitment Tips: Beyond Open Houses

It’s common knowledge that many departments are currently facing a shortage of volunteers. The fall season is often a time ...

Jan 01, 0001

Can Diversity Save the Volunteer Fire Service?

I don't need to recite the statistics; we all know the problem. We need to be honest with ourselves and ...

Jan 01, 0001

IAFC, VCOS, Kidde Home Safety Team Up with Country Music Star to Recognize Volunteer Firefighters

Country Music star and former first responder Craig Morgan joined representatives of Kidde Fire Safety, the International Association of Fire ...

Jan 01, 0001

IAFC, NVFC Release Report on POV Safety for ESO Responses

Fairfax, Va. - The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) today released a ...

Jan 01, 0001

The Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association Announces the Kick-Off of the Everyday Hero Recruitment Campaign

Cromwell, Conn. - Today, the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association (CFCA), in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs ...

Jan 01, 0001

IAFC Supports Bill to Protect Volunteer Incentives

Fairfax, Va. - The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) today applauded bipartisan legislation that would protect incentives for volunteer ...

Jan 01, 0001

The Making of a Volunteer in a Volunteer/Combination Department

Here's a deeper look at what volunteers are seeking through their service to their communities with your fire department.

Jan 01, 0001

IAFC Announces Gift to Firefighter Cancer Support Group

Clearwater, Fla. - The International Association of Fire Chiefs' (IAFC) Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) announced it will ...

Jan 01, 0001

Grassroots Recruiting: Increasing the Ranks with Decreasing Budgets

It will be no surprise to any of you that one of the primary chronic problems facing volunteer and combination ...

Jan 01, 0001

National Fire Service Organizations Address Volunteer Fire Service Concerns With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), ...

Jan 01, 0001

IAFC Asks IRS to Clarify Treatment of Volunteer Firefighters Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), has issued official comment (pdf) on the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) deliberations in ...

Jan 01, 0001

Volunteer Recruitment and Retention: Technology versus Tradition

With 80% of the fire service consisting of volunteers, recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters can present significant staffing and response challenges if not properly addressed. Most departments perform recruitment activities, but are th ...

Jan 01, 0001

From Passive to Active Recruiting: Recruitment Findings from Connecticut

Here are some key lessons learned from the Connecticut Volunteer Workforce Solutions Program.

Jan 01, 0001

SAFER Volunteer Workforce Solutions: Helping To Solve Recruitment and Retention Issues

The SAFER Volunteer Workforce Solutions (VWS) program continues to move forward in its effort to help solve the recruitment and retention issues faced by volunteer fire departments in the United States.

Jan 01, 0001

Retention Begins with You

Retention starts in the fire chief’s office. If you as leader of the organization fail to recognize the volunteers as ...

Jan 01, 0001

Perception, Politics and Professionalism in Volunteer Departments

The focus of every department is getting new recruits in the door. Get them in, get them trained, get them ...

Jan 01, 0001

VCOS Summit Update: Latest Progress and Next Steps

In March, the Volunteer & Combination Officers Section (VCOS) of the IAFC held a national Summit, “Constructing a National ...

Jan 01, 0001

Meet One of the World's Largest Volunteer Fire Departments

Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions on the planet—and protecting its most populous state is the New South ...

Training & Events

International Hazardous Materials Response Teams Conference 2025

  • Dates: 12 – 15 Jun, 2025
  • Location: Baltimore, MD
  • Address: Hilton Baltimore,

Held each spring, the IAFC's Hazmat Conference provides the latest classroom, hands-on and field trip-based training on what's new in hazmat, covering all aspects of hazmat, including transportation, safety, WMD, gear, terrorism, mass decontamination, bioterrorism and more. The hazmat exhibit floor includes outdoor demonstrations of hazardous materials gear and equipment.

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