Behind The Alarm: It’s Not a Personnel Problem—It’s a Leadership Problem
Welcome back to Behind the Alarm, where we dig into the challenges, culture, and realities of the fire service—especially the parts most people outside the station don’t always see. This week, we’re looking at one of the most misunderstood and under-discussed issues facing volunteer fire departments today: the leadership gap.
Ask any fire service leader—career or volunteer—what the biggest challenge is, and you’ll likely hear about budgets. Apparatus costs, grant cycles, gear replacement timelines… It’s always about money. But the late Chief Alan Brunacini once said, “If it’s just about money, we can figure it out.”
And he was right. We always do. Whether it’s squeezing life out of aging equipment or writing the hundredth grant request, fire departments have become masters of doing more with less.
But that’s not our greatest challenge.
The real test for any fire service leader—especially in the volunteer world—isn’t money. It’s not gear. It’s not even recruitment. It’s how we motivate, lead, and grow our people into capable, confident leaders at every level. And that’s something we don’t talk about nearly enough.
Stop Calling It a “Personnel Problem”
In many volunteer departments, we don’t have an HR office down the hall. What we do have is a personnel committee, a township board, or a few long-standing members trying to resolve issues that go far deeper than scheduling conflicts or paperwork. When conflict arises, morale dips, or someone walks away, we often chalk it up as a “personnel issue.”
But let’s call it what it often is: a leadership issue.
No set of bylaws or township policy can fix a lack of connection, direction, or ownership. You can’t write a rule strong enough to substitute for respect, mentorship, and accountability. These aren’t administrative problems—they’re cultural ones. And they demand leadership, not just a meeting.
Leaders Grow Leaders—Or They Don’t
In the volunteer fire service, leadership development is often overlooked because we’re so focused on just keeping the doors open. We’re asking people to give their time, their energy, and sometimes even their safety—for free. That’s no small thing. But if we’re only asking for their presence and not investing in their potential, we’re doing them and our departments a disservice.
Leadership isn’t about rank, and it sure isn’t about years served. It’s about influence, trust, and example. A seasoned member who quietly mentors a new recruit is practicing leadership. An officer who listens before they speak is demonstrating it. A chief who admits when they’re wrong is living it.
If we’re not actively building that kind of leadership in our departments, we’re setting ourselves up for frustration and failure.
The Real Cost
Let’s be honest—when we lose members, it’s rarely because of the call volume. It’s not the pager going off during dinner. It’s the drama. It’s the lack of direction. It’s the feeling that no one’s listening, no one’s learning, and no one’s leading.
And when leadership is missing, people disengage. Cliques form. Frustration festers. Suddenly, the “personnel problem” is ten feet tall and coming for the next officer meeting.
But the root cause is often simple: we didn’t lead. We didn’t invest. We didn’t mentor.
We handed someone a helmet and hoped they’d become who we needed them to be without ever showing them how.
Let’s Own It
We can’t treat these challenges like paperwork or protocol. They’re not just personnel issues—they’re human issues. They’re leadership issues. And they require every officer, every chief, every senior firefighter to step up and own their role in shaping the department’s future.
Because if we’re not intentionally growing leaders, we’re unintentionally growing problems.
This is our responsibility. It doesn’t matter if we’re a fully staffed department or a ten-person outfit running from a two-bay garage. Leadership is what will sustain us—or sink us.
Let’s stop passing it off. Let’s stop waiting for someone else to fix it. Let’s lead.
Thank you for reading this week’s installment of Behind the Alarm!
Check back next week as we tackle another topic from behind the alarm. Have questions or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you!
This article first appeared in Behind The Alarm, the newsletter of Fred R. LaPoint, Fire Chief Paramedic of the Stronach Township Fire Department, on April 14, 2025. Read the original.