Date
2-28-2025
Department
Graduate School of Business
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Chair
Steward Huang
Keywords
decline, volunteer firefighters, combination departments, suburban, strategies
Disciplines
Business
Recommended Citation
Tieperman, Timothy J., "Retention of Volunteer Firefighters In a Combination Department" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6502.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6502
Abstract
This researcher embarked on a doctoral journey to study an existential problem impacting the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters in suburban Philadelphia, where he serves as municipal manager. The purpose of the study was to gain insightful answers to the specific problem of volunteer firefighters declining at a seemingly precipitous rate, especially in combination departments where paid and volunteer firefighters must work together to respond to emergencies in a timely manner. Using a flexible design multiple case study approach, the researcher studied two combination units located within the suburban collar counties of metropolitan Philadelphia. They were Upper Providence Township (UPT) and Phoenixville Borough (PB). The researcher interviewed confidentially 25 individuals from within this region, who interacted regularly with firefighters in these units and who represented diverse roles. These roles included a combination of municipal managers, active volunteer firefighters, elected municipal officials, volunteer fire chiefs, and leaders from nearby 501(c)(3) nonprofit fire companies. In each interview, the researcher asked a series of open-ended questions to three specific research questions. The first inquired about the current challenges impacting effective recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. The second queried how UPT and PB officials have handled this potential decline within their combination frameworks. The third probed the possible reasons why some neighboring benchmark companies appeared more successful in their recruitment and retention efforts. Following these interviews, the researcher compiled, coded, and graphed these responses and identified 12 major themes to help explain this decline. Finally, he offered some application strategies that suburban municipalities like UPT and PB could employ to help build a more robust and efficacious combination department.
