EVERYDAY HERO CT UNVEILS VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER RECRUITMENT VIDEOS
Written, Directed, Produced by a Hebron Volunteer Firefighter,
PSA Issues Serious Call to Action
April 2, 2018 | Cromwell, CT – The Everyday Hero CT volunteer firefighter recruitment campaign, in partnership with Hebron volunteer firefighter and New York City-based cinematographer Matthew Troy, today launches “See You Out There,” a recruitment public service announcement that brought some Hollywood to Connecticut last August during three days of production. The PSA can be seen beginning today via social media and other online platforms, television, and various partnerships. Designed to increase awareness and visibility for the volunteer firefighter shortage in Connecticut, 30-, 60-, and 90-second versions of the PSA include captivating footage and visually groundbreaking moments as well as feature fire personnel from 16 different departments, including at least one from every county in Connecticut.
“From start to finish, the production of this PSA was an undertaking like none I’ve ever witnessed,” says Everyday Hero CT program manager Fred Dudek, retired chief of the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company. “Lots of folks have made volunteer recruitment videos in the past, but none have had the great fortune to partner with Matthew Troy to produce something of this caliber that was then brought to an even higher level by Matthew’s passion for volunteerism and the fire service.”
The Everyday Hero CT program is proud to release the PSAs and the members of the steering committee are excited to see the impact it will have throughout Connecticut – from changing the way people regard their local fire departments and their neighbors who volunteer to igniting (no pun intended!) people’s passion to step up and lend a hand.
“It has been a dream come true to be at the helm of this production,” says Troy. “This is the proudest production of my career thus far – it is different from anything we’ve ever seen from the volunteer fire service before.”
Highlighting volunteer firefighters operating at various emergency scenes and performing some of the many skills they possess thanks to the professional training they receive, the PSA illustrates that volunteer firefighters come from all walks of life. They’re male, female, teachers, business owners, retirees, mothers, fathers, students, and more. And, they want more members of their communities to answer the call. The video ends with a plea: “So, what are you waiting for? Are you ready to make a difference? Are you ready to join our team? Your community needs you. We need you.”
Connecticut has more than 300 fire departments staffed by over 26,000 firefighters, 83 percent of whom are volunteers and are professionally trained. Volunteer firefighters can be called upon 24 hours per day, seven days per week to abandon the warmth and comfort of their homes in the middle of the night or during a holiday celebration, leave the fun of family gatherings on sunny summer afternoons, enter burning buildings, rescue stranded hikers and struggling swimmers, extricate victims from automobiles, and more. Volunteer firefighters save their communities millions of dollars every year.
The majority of fire departments throughout the state are experiencing a volunteer shortage. Local fire departments need volunteers of all skill levels and abilities, people willing and able to respond to emergencies whenever called upon, as well as support personnel such as fire police, administrative assistants, and more.
About Everyday Hero CT
Everyday Hero CT, a program dedicated to increasing the number of volunteer firefighters throughout the state. A partnership of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association (CFCA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the Everyday Hero CT campaign is a Volunteer Workforce Solutions (VWS) initiative designed to address the shortage of volunteer firefighters in Connecticut. It is helping achieve a viable and sustainable volunteer firefighter workforce for fire departments throughout Connecticut. Everyday Hero CT is funded by a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded to the CFCA by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop a model to enhance the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.
# # #