@article {bnh-3085, title = {Improving volunteer recruitment and retention: Annual project report 2015-2016}, number = {221}, year = {2016}, month = {09/2016}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

This financial year, 2015-2016, has been a busy time for our team. Great progress was made across all three themes of the research project.

The Valuing Volunteers theme has concluded a very difficult and important component of the overall aims of this project by collecting data through the distribution of surveys to volunteers in the NSW SES and SAFECOM. A good response rate was received with the NSW SES through the strong efforts of Bill Calcutt who tirelessly marketed the research to all stakeholders. This research theme is just about to enter its final stage which will explore the issue of {\textquoteleft}values{\textquoteright} more deeply using Participatory Action Research.

The IRE program is undergoing final testing and evaluation, in total we have had six end-users directly participating in the program {\textendash} including: EMV, NSW SES, QLD SES, RFS NSW, RFS QLD, VIC SES. The research phase will conclude later this year, and the team will transition to an utilisation mode in cooperation with the CRC and end-users. The program has been consistently well-received by participants and end-users.

The third theme looks at the important issue of diversity and inclusion in emergency services, which are notoriously deficient in creating and maintaining inclusive cultures. The research will utilise an intervention approach to create and evaluate a process for diversity inclusion that is optimum for the emergency services environment, particularly with volunteers.

All three themes have designed pathways towards utilisation. All themes also benefit from very enthusiastic and create doctoral students who are basing their theses on elements of the work being carried out.

}, issn = {221}, author = {Michael Jones} }