Maintaining emergency services in rural areas. Recruitment, retention and resignation of non-career firefighters in Sweden

This article focuses on the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) and non-career firefighters in Sweden as a specific but important part of emergency services and the public sector, and its role in maintaining public services in rural areas. Following urbanization and demographic changes, public services are unevenly distributed geographically and the services available to citizens vary between regions. Adding to this, many FRS report problems recruiting non-career firefighters and many organizations struggle to maintain local preparedness because of this. Our research questions therefore focus on push and pull factors that influence recruitment, retention, and resignation of non-career firefighters in Sweden, and challenges and opportunities for sustaining emergency services in rural areas. Based on a survey answered by almost 1000 former or current non-career firefighters in Sweden, a similarity with international studies is shown in that a sense of community and togetherness, and being able to make a difference for the local community is the driving force to be (come) a non-career firefighter. At the same time, many struggle with what we call a work-work-life balance. We therefore argue that the FRS needs to work on flexible solutions for employees, to overcome geography and flexibility constraints. Also, workplace factors of the non-career firefighting occupation need to be addressed, to understand why people resign from the FRS. • Non-career firefighters are important for maintaining emergency servises in rural areas. • Community, fellowship, and personal development are important pull factors for non-career firefighters. • Geographical, flexibility, and workplace factors are important push factors for non-career firefighters. • To recruit and retain non-career firefighters the profession needs to become more inclusive and consider a person's everyday life puzzle. • Gender equality is important for understanding why people resign.