FR Strategies

When “Doing More With Less” Stops Working in the Fire Service *By Andrew Holter, PhD, SHRM-SCP* *Firefighter • Paramedic • Organizational Psychologist* Every fire chief and city manager has heard the phrase “We’ll just have to do more with less.” It has become part of the vocabulary in public service, but in today’s environment, it’s starting to sound like a warning. Departments everywhere are stretched thin. Overtime is up, stress is rising, and younger firefighters are wond

The Fire Service Needs a Culture Redesign — And It Starts with Our People *By Andrew Holter, PhD, SHRM-SCP* There’s no question about it: the fire service is changing. We’re responding to more calls than ever, while struggling with fewer people who want or are able to stick around. Departments are doing everything they can to recruit, yet recruitment isn’t our biggest threat. Retention is. I’ve spent most of my adult life in this profession as a firefighter, a paramedic, a ch