Fincastle, VA – Botetourt County Emergency Services will be one of 20 departments in Virginia to participate in a statewide study on volunteer recruitment and sustainability.  The federally-funded program will develop a model to achieve and sustain adequate levels of fire and emergency service volunteer staffing.

The Volunteer Workforce Solutions (VWS) program is led by the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association (VFCA), which identified the need to address the continuing downward trend in volunteer staffing levels. Funding was secured via a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) FEMA grant.

Research shows that staffing volunteer fire departments is consistently the #1 issue facing fire departments in Virginia. The VWS program will work to identify and address recruitment and retention challenges facing volunteer fire departments, while helping elected officials effectively plan their future emergency response systems. The VWS study will test and identify the most effective volunteer recruitment strategies.

Botetourt residents, businesses and visitors are protected by over 100 volunteer personnel and supplemental career staff who collectively respond to more than 4,500 calls annually. Twelve volunteer Fire Departments and Rescue Squads respond to citizen needs at a moment’s notice every day.

Botetourt’s latest recruitment campaign, “Do You Have What It Takes?” kicks off this month. Botetourt resident and volunteer firefighter, Zach Beckner, will share his knowledge and passion for service via Facebook and Twitter. Folks are encouraged to visit Zach online to gain a better understanding of the sacrifices and rewards of being a volunteer. He may be contacted at (540) 473-2098, FFZach on Facebook and FirefighterZach on Twitter. Citizens may visit http://www.yourbces.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities.