The Legacy Engine Journal | Entry 7
April 12, 2026
Why “How many volunteers do we need?” is the wrong question
Most volunteer fire department leaders can tell you how many members are on the roster.
Twenty-five.
Thirty-two.
Forty-one.
That number gets repeated in board meetings and budget conversations as if it represents capacity.
But in most departments, the roster count is not the number that determines sustainability.
The number that determines sustainability is simpler — and more uncomfortable:
How many people actually carry the operational load?
Roster Strength vs Operational Strength
A roster tells you who belongs.
Operational strength tells you who sustains.
The difference between the two is where most leadership blind spots live.
Because departments do not fail when the roster drops from 35 to 30.
They fail when the truly active group drops from 10 to 7.
The roster may still look “healthy,” but the system becomes brittle.
The Wrong Question
Most leadership teams ask:
“How many volunteers do we need?”
That sounds reasonable — but it hides the real problem.
Because volunteer departments do not operate on total membership.
They operate on participation distribution.
A 30-member roster can function like a 12-member department or a 6-member department depending on how participation concentrates.
So the better question is:
“How many consistently active members does our system require to function safely and sustainably?”
That is your sustainability number.
Why This Number Matters
Once you identify the minimum “active member” requirement for your department, every other leadership decision gets clearer:
- Recruitment goals become realistic
- Training structure becomes strategic
- Officer workload can be evaluated
- Burnout risk becomes visible
- Succession planning becomes actionable
Without this number, departments recruit blindly.
They celebrate roster growth without understanding whether operational capacity has actually improved.
A Practical Way to Estimate It
You do not need perfect data to estimate your sustainability number.
Start with the last 60–90 days of activity and ask:
- How many unique responders appeared on calls?
- How many unique members attended training?
- How many members carried administrative or maintenance workload?
Then notice the overlap.
In most departments, the same names appear repeatedly across all three categories.
That overlap reveals your active core.
You are not looking for a number to shame anyone.
You are looking for a number to understand reality.
The Participation Multiplier
Here is a leadership truth that almost no one states plainly:
Not every roster member represents equal operational capacity.
That is not a judgment.
It is a reality of volunteer life.
Some members may respond frequently but rarely attend training.
Some may train but cannot make calls due to work schedules.
Some contribute heavily behind the scenes.
Some are in seasons of low availability.
All of that can be honorable.
But it changes the math of sustainability.
So when leaders say, “We have 30 members,” the sustainability question becomes:
“How many of those 30 function as operational capacity?”
That is the participation multiplier.
And if leadership never estimates it, leadership cannot plan.
Why Recruitment Often Disappoints
Many departments recruit and still feel short-handed.
Why?
Because recruitment adds names to the roster, but it does not automatically increase the active core.
If the system is not designed to convert membership into participation, recruitment results in peripheral growth.
The department looks larger.
It does not function stronger.
This is why recruitment conversations that ignore participation distribution often become frustrating.
Leaders sense the disconnect but cannot describe it.
The sustainability number gives language to what leaders already feel.
A Leadership Decision Lens (Seeded, Not Sold)
Once you estimate your sustainability number, a new question emerges naturally:
“If our department requires X consistently active members, what decisions increase the probability of sustaining X over time?”
This is where leadership moves from hope to design.
It is also where departments begin to think in systems:
- What training model builds participation?
- What culture broadens engagement?
- What leadership behaviors improve retention?
- What expectations reduce confusion and fatigue?
This is not about predicting the future perfectly.
It is about planning intelligently instead of guessing.
The Quiet Reality
Volunteer departments do not collapse because leaders lack dedication.
They struggle because leaders often lack visibility into participation structure.
The roster number is easy.
The sustainability number requires honesty.
But once leaders name it, they can design around it.
And design is what changes outcomes.
Leadership Reflection
If your department lost two of its most active members next month, would your system still function — or would it strain immediately?
—
Dr. Tom McKellips writes on volunteer department sustainability, leadership decision frameworks, and participation modeling in the fire service.
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