2019 Recruitment and Retention Achievement Award Application

HazMat Operations - Emergency
Decontamination Class

Driver Engineering Workshop
Practical Exercises for Large Diameter

Hose Relay Operations

Hose Testing Program









Special Recruitment and
Community Events

24-Hour Relay

ATFD Promotes Fire Safety at 24-Hour Relay Challenge

When participants in Abington School District’s annual 24-Hour Relay Challenge
aren’t walking for their team, they can gear up in firefighting apparel and learn some
life-saving skills compliments of Abington Township Fire Department (ATFD).

The 24-Hour Relay Challenge is a township tradition that raises money for Citizens and
Police Together — an Abington-based nonprofit through which citizen volunteers and
police support community projects within the township. Relay team members take
turns walking around the track while non-walking teammates participate in a variety
of activities. ATFD is pleased to take part in this community effort!

Department volunteers help suit up participants so they can experience the realities of
entering a burning building by crawling through a tent filled with non-toxic smoke.

“It was hard to see in there,” McKinley Elementary School student Jake Moss said after
last year’s event. He and a friend geared up in the firefighter uniform and worked their
way through the smoke house. “It really helped me realize that firefighters do what
many people cannot do for themselves.”

Throughout the demonstrations, ATFD volunteers were on hand to answer questions
and show off their unique skill sets that help keep the community safe.

“Being a firefighter is a great way to help the community and keep it a safe and
beautiful place,” Roslyn Fire Company volunteer firefighter Kevin Bryson said. “That’s
why I volunteer.”

Participants also learned how to use fire extinguishers by aiming and firing at a
controlled grill fire. “I believe that people who volunteer have a greater caring for
other people,” said mother Sue Cherry, who brought her son to the demonstration.
She hoped this would encourage him to sign up as a volunteer.

24 - Hour Relay

24- Hour Relay

Pre-National Night Out
Community Event

A.T.F.D. Participates in 17th Annual Pre-National Night
Out Block Party Celebrations

The Abington Township Fire Department (ATFD) converged on the Target parking lot
on Old York Road Aug. 8 to participate in the annual Pre-National Night Out Block
Party, where visitors were able to try on firefighting gear and talk with the
department volunteers who serve the community.

The event serves as a precursor to the National Night Out celebrations aimed at
heightening crime and drug prevention awareness, supporting anti-crime programs
and community policing efforts. This year’s Pre-National Night Out drew hundreds of
community members for a fun evening of games, food and education.

The ATFD invited event attendees to stop by their display and learn about the
different services the five fire companies provide for the community. Pre-National
Night Out not only afforded the ATFD’s neighbors the opportunity to see the
impressive array of equipment the department uses every day to respond to
emergency incidents, but allowed them to converse with firefighters about their
experiences and to answer questions.

“Pre-National Night Out gives firefighters the chance to teach the community fire
safety and prevention, while allowing us to showcase the various ways in which we
serve the township,” Fire Services Administrator David Schramm said. “We’re excited
to show our neighbors, friends, and newcomers what it means to be a volunteer
firefighter and how they can get involved.”

Pre-National Night Out Block Party

NAACP Unity Day
Celebration

Recruitment and Community Outreach at the
Willow Grove NAACP’s Unity Day Celebration

Abington Township Fire Department (ATFD) volunteers staffed a booth at this
year’s Willow Grove NAACP’s Unity Day Celebration - an annual fair
celebrating this community’s diversity and offering opportunities to both have
fun and learn for everyone.

Unity Day, like all community events, presents ATFD with a fantastic opportunity to give
away potentially life-saving smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, provide residents with
information on fire prevention and safety, and answer any questions the residents have
about the fire department. This event also presents an enhanced opportunity to recruit
minority volunteers into the fire service.

Fire Prevention Week
Activities

2018 A.T.F.D. Fire Prevention Open Houses a Hit!

Families from around the township took part in Abington Township Fire Department
(A.T.F.D.) Fire Prevention Week Open Houses in October. Kids – and their parents! - got
to climb in the fire trucks, try their hand at putting out a fire with a household
extinguisher, learn to stay low to escape smoke in the A.T.F.D. Smoke House, and watch
firefighters display the skills they use to save lives and property in Abington Township.
“We had a lot more kids than I’ve seen in a long time!” said Roslyn Fire Company Chief
Mike Ratka. “We enjoy it, and it’s good to see that the kids really get into this event.”
It’s not just the kids who learn something. Ratka said many adults are surprised that
Roslyn Fire and the other four township fire companies – Abington, McKinley, Weldon
and Edge Hill – are 100 percent volunteer organizations. Some adults and teenagers
even leave the event with a desire to become volunteers, he said. Teens can join
Roslyn’s Explorers program at age 14, become junior firefighters at 16, and then full
firefighters at 18. “We’ve got quite a few active firefighters now who started as Explorers
or juniors,” he said.

Check out all the fun here! https://youtu.be/ag4WUcJxOqk

Local Scout Day

A.T.F.D. Participates in Local Scout Day

Several groups of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts visited the Abington Fire Company as part
of Annual Scout Day, an event organized by the township to introduce children to the
various departments and agencies that serve Abington Township. The young students
had the opportunity to take a morning off from school and tour the township building,
learn about Briar Bush Nature Center and the public works and waste water
departments, as well as visit with police and fire officials.

The ATFD participates in such events each year as a way to promote fire safety
practices and introduce young people to the firefighting service.

The ATFD is committed to fire safety education and hosts tours and also visits schools in
order to teach children how to prevent or escape from fires as well as introducing
them to the many volunteer opportunities the fire department has to offer members of
the community.

Talk the Talk

Talk the Talk:
Empowering Volunteer Firefighters to Recruit

In March 2015, Abington Township Fire Department (ATFD) launched a new program
designed to teach our volunteers how to turn any interaction into a recruitment
opportunity.

The Talk the Talk workshop, co-hosted by ATFD and local communications expert
Leza Raffel, taught participants conversational techniques that can be used to
quickly communicate the benefits of volunteering and successfully address concerns
or questions about obstacles to joining the fire service. For example, simply asking a
question, such as, “Have you ever considered volunteering with the fire
department?” is a powerful conversation starter.

The workshop also included a role playing exercise to demonstrate the importance
of non-verbal communication. Participants learned that something as seemingly
innocuous as eating at an event booth or turning their back to talk to a colleague
can keep potential recruits away, while making eye contact, smiling, and standing
up when people approach the booth sends a welcoming message.

Teaching members these communication skills obviously helps our department find
new volunteers. Just as importantly, empowering current members to participate in
one of the most important aspects of running a successful fire department helps our
retention efforts.





Physicals and Health
Screenings

Protecting the Firefighters
Who Protect Abington
Township





A.T.F.D. Recruitment DVD
Public Service

Announcements

Click here to
watch the
videos!

Branding Campaign

ATFD Branding Campaign for Recruitment Initiative

Abington Township Fire Department (ATFD) wants you to
“Gear Up. Get in the Action. Volunteer.”

The phrase is part of ATFD’s brand and look, created with input and guidance from
the volunteers who know the department and its companies best, and consistently
used ever since in all aspects of our recruitment campaign.

The slogan encapsulates in a few words both the excitement and the importance of
volunteer firefighting and has been successfully used to encourage more Abington
residents to volunteer at one of ATFD’s five companies. The words appear on a
collection of ATFD materials and publications, from posters and pamphlets to the
website and Facebook page.

The branding effort and associated changes weren’t just aimed at catching the
attention of prospective volunteers. They have also made it easier than ever for them
to sign up. With a direct volunteer inquiry form online, prospective volunteers can
have someone from their local station contact them with just a few clicks of the
computer mouse.

Visually, every pamphlet, poster, website page and Facebook post showcase actual
ATFD volunteers working at tasks important to them—whether that’s fighting a blaze in
the community, training for the next fire or rescue call, or maintaining the equipment
at their local station.

Crafting a recruitment campaign built around thoughts, feelings and photos of our
current volunteers is also important to our retention efforts. It shows each ATFD
volunteer how valued they are.

The catch phrase and materials were crafted for ATFD by The Communication
Solutions Group, based on the results of a focus group with ATFD volunteers.
Communication Solutions led the focus group discussion to learn what inspired
Abington’s 222 active volunteer firefighters to serve. Concepts gleaned from that
group were shared with the chiefs of the five companies. The chiefs from Abington,
McKinley, Weldon, Edge Hill and Roslyn decided that Gear Up. Get in the Action.
Volunteer. is the perfect summary.

Website:
AbingtonFD.org

Abington Township Fire Department Cultivates Web,
Social Media Presence

Anyone interested in learning about the service Abington Township Fire Department
(ATFD) and its five fire-companies provides – or in joining that service effort – can
gather information or contact the department through a website or Facebook.

ATFD’s Facebook page is constantly updated with new posts. It’s a source of ATFD
news, coming events, and photos of firefighters in action. It’s also a virtual place for
firefighters and the public to connect.

The recently updated main website, abingtonFD.org, now includes information about
volunteering, including testimonials from current volunteers. By clicking “Contact Us,”
those interested can find both a found number and a simple form that can be filled
out, resulting in quick contact from an active department firefighter. The website also
includes fire safety checklists and other information for families, and fun-yet-
educational activities for kids.

Each of the ATFD’s five companies also have their own websites, each reflecting the
unique characteristics of the companies and the communities they serve.

Click on the links from the main ATFD site, or go directly:

• Abington Fire Company, abingtonfire.net
• Edge Hill Fire Company, edgehillfirecompany.com
• McKinley Fire Company, mckinleyfire.org
• Roslyn Fire Company, roslynfireco.com
• Weldon Fire Company, weldonfireco.com



Social Media

Check out our Facebook Page HERE!

Recruitment Brochures,
Videos and Other
Publications

New Recruitment Video Highlights the
Volunteer Fire Life

Click Here to Watch the Video!

Legal Size Poster

Legal Size Poster