The Four Things Every Volunteer Needs in a Combination Department

September 22, 2026

By Walter A. Campbell

My introduction to the fire service came as the volunteer recruiter for Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department, a combination department in Silver Spring, Maryland. It didn’t take long for me to realize recruiting volunteers wasn’t just about filling seats. It was about helping people find where they belonged.

Since then, I’ve worked with volunteer, career, and combination fire and EMS departments across the country, and one lesson continues to stand out.

The better the relationship between career staff and volunteers, the stronger the department becomes. Strong relationships improve morale, strengthen recruitment and retention, and ultimately lead to better service for the community.

One thing I’ve consistently noticed is that new volunteers are naturally drawn to career staff. They’re looking for mentorship. They want to learn from experienced firefighters and EMTs. They want to become better responders. More than anything, they want to be accepted as part of the team. They want to know they’re viewed as real firefighters. Real EMTs. Real first responders.

Here’s what surprised me. As I started talking with career firefighters and EMS providers, I discovered they were looking for the same thing: trust.

They don’t care whether someone is paid or a volunteer. They care whether they can trust them. The patch on your shoulder doesn’t build trust. Your performance does.

When volunteers consistently show up, train, and demonstrate they can do the job, career staff begin relying on them. They know who they can count on when the tones drop. That trust isn’t automatic. It’s earned, just like it is with every new member who joins the department.

That’s why I don’t see combination departments as having a career-versus-volunteer issue.

I compare it to DC and Marvel. People have their favorites. I grew up a DC fan, although I’ll admit Marvel has had the better run of movies over the years. But nobody watches one because they hate the other. They’re simply different ways of telling the same story.

Career and volunteer personnel are no different. They answer the same calls, serve the same communities, and wear the same patch.

Unfortunately, I’ve also seen leadership create divisions where none were needed. Sometimes it’s different leadership styles. Sometimes it’s communication. Sometimes, it’s assumptions made on both sides. More often than not, the friction isn’t coming from career staff or volunteers themselves. It’s created when leaders unintentionally allow an “us versus them” culture to develop.

Relationships don’t divide departments. Leadership does.

Departments also need to be honest with prospective volunteers. If volunteer and career hiring are separate processes, say so. Volunteering can be an incredible way to gain experience and discover whether the fire service is the right fit, but it shouldn’t be presented as a guaranteed pathway to a career position.

At the same time, don’t discourage someone whose dream is to become a career firefighter. If your department helps launch that career, you’ve still made a lasting impact on the fire service.

The National Volunteer Fire Council’s recent recruitment and retention research confirms something many of us have witnessed firsthand. Department culture, mentorship, leadership support, and a sense of belonging all play major roles in whether volunteers stay engaged. Combination department volunteers also identified joint training and leadership development focused on managing combination departments as important ways to strengthen retention.

None of those recommendations are really about policies. They’re about people.

So What Does This Mean for Your Department?

After working with combination departments across the country, I’ve come to believe every volunteer needs four things.

A place to belong.

A mentor who invests in them.

Opportunities to grow.

Confidence that they matter.

When departments intentionally create those four things, recruitment becomes easier because people talk about your culture. Volunteers stay motivated because they’re learning and contributing. Retention improves because people stay where they feel valued.

When relationships thrive, everybody wins. Career staff gain partners they trust. Volunteers gain mentors, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Most importantly, the community receives better service.

Every combination department will have disagreements. The strongest departments don’t let those disagreements define their relationships.

Walter A. Campbell is a recruitment and retention strategist with Responder Max. He works with fire and EMS departments nationwide to strengthen volunteer recruitment and retention through practical strategies that help departments attract and engage committed members.