Work without wages: the motivation for volunteer firefighters

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, The, July, 1993 by Alexander M. Thompson, III, Barbara A. Bono

Regarding internal structures of social integration, Perkins and Metz (1988) have argued that volunteer fire companies ". . . provide powerful sources of community solidarity and identity" (118). Following Kantor's (1972) methodology in studying commitment to communal life, Perkins and Metz catalogue integrating factors likely to be found within volunteer fire departments: encouragement of self-sacrifice to the well-being of the group (e.g., teamwork in response to calls for emergency intervention), opportunity for personal investment in the group (e.g., frequently scheduled training to maintain and develop emergency skills), regularized group contact (e.g., meetings, drills, fundraising efforts), rituals (e.g., parades, funerals, officer installation dinners), and organizational capacity to allow an individual to transcend the mundane through lore and tradition (e.g., retelling of heroic interventions in which past and present members have participated). Elsewhere, Perkins (1987, 344) pursues the more general work of Smith (1981) and Clark and Wilson (1961) to assert that the incentives for the volunteer firefighter are ". . . strongly based upon solidarity rewards- camaraderie, esprit de corps, departmental pride, and generally primary group interaction." Social integration within volunteer fire departments is no doubt intensified by the dangerous nature of the work, where all individuals essentially agree to place their very lives in the hands of their sister and brother firefighters. Dailey (1986) has also argued for the importance of organizational integration in successfully motivating volunteers in general, while Wells (1981, 557-9) has shown the significance of these factors for achieving a successful cooperative work environment. Table 4 indicates that over half the survey respondents averred that friendships with fellow firefighters provided a strong motivation for their participation, while only 2% replied that this was a source of no or minimal motivation.

Social integration is not limited to formal fire department activities, nor only to the individual's home department. For example, volunteer fire departments seek assistance from and offer assistance to neighboring departments well beyond the formal provision of mutual aid to particular emergencies. Volunteer firefighters also frequently respond, individually and collectively, to the welfare needs of their fellow members in times of personal hardship. Most volunteer firefighters have stories of needing assistance far from their home departments and gaining it without reservation from the local volunteer fire company.

Volunteer fire companies also offer a means for members to become integrated within their larger community at the same time that they provide significantly enhanced cohesion for the larger community. Weller (1973, 375) identified an important quality of the typical relationship between fire departments and their communities:

Traditionally, fire departments are commonweal organizations. Even though they provide services to specific clients, they exist for the general welfare. They provide that service whenever needed, always in the interests of people and against destruction.