# Building and Retaining a Volunteer Fire Department

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/fire-engineering-podcast-network-1075754/building-and-retaining-a-volunteer-fire-department
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/fire-engineering-podcast-network-1075754/building-and-retaining-a-volunteer-fire-department.md
Podcast: [Fire Engineering Podcast Network](https://stenobird.com/podcast/fire-engineering-podcast-network-1075754)
Published: 2026-07-21T21:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://fireengineeringpodcastnetwork.podbean.com/e/building-and-retaining-a-volunteer-fire-department/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/zid6yf76wyu77kec/FE_-_20260721_-_Professional_Volunteer_Fire_Departmentaa6m3.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/fire-engineering-podcast-network-1075754/episodes/building-and-retaining-a-volunteer-fire-department
Duration seconds: 5245

## Resource

In episode 100 of The Professional Volunteer Fire Department, host Tom Merrill speaks with Brandon Fletcher, chief of the Gilt Edge (TN) Fire Department, about building and sustaining a professional rural volunteer department. They discuss practical leadership, recruiting and retaining younger members, holding people accountable, and in-house and hybrid training. Fletcher shares how small departments can improve response times, develop training pathways, and ways to prioritize quality over roster size.

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## Transcript

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