The proposed doctoral dissertation research focuses on volunteer fire departments (VFDs). The broader theoretical motivation involves questions of how social class, race, gender and voluntarism interact to shape the voluntary organizations and the experiences of their members. We will gather and analyze data on the organizational structures of VFDs, their members, and the effects of firefighting on volunteers and their families. The first component of the research design will employ questionnaire data to assess the demographic composition of VFDs. This information provides the means to determine the degree of homogeneity within the VFD ranks and the demographic similarities and differences between volunteer firefighters and the communities they protect. The second component uses interview data to illuminate the details and patterns of VFD participation. Firefighter interviews will focus on motivations, rewards, official and social activities and issues of danger and risk. Spouses of volunteer firefighters provide information on the positive and negative effects of volunteer firefighting on marriage and family life and the mechanisms used to cope with the demands of VFD participation. Prior research on VFDs has focused primarily on the individual firefighters and/or rural VFDs. The research findings will contribute a social structural dimension to VFD research, extending research to include the families of firefighters and shifting attention to suburban settings where VFDs are an important presence.
