Generational conflict, alcohol use and brotherhood: an exploratory survey of a rural career fire department in the Midwest

PurposeThe purpose of this article was to identify factors impacting burnout, resilience and quality of life in rural career firefighters. In addition, sources of stress and the impact of generational differences were explored.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted at a rural career fire department.FindingsThe findings of the project indicate that the firefighters had high levels of compassion satisfaction (CS) and relatively low levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout; displayed moderate to high psychological resilience and the majority felt moderate to high organizational support, but there was a noticeable minority who did not feel supported by the department. Findings indicate that organizational support is significantly related to both burnout and resilience. The majority of the men (88.3%) reported moderate to high risk for alcohol-related problems and over three-quarters (78.6%) reported binge drinking behavior in the past year. Qualitative findings highlight generational differences and chain of command challenges as primary stressors.Originality/valueThis is a unique study in that it focuses on a rural career department. What was found were issues similar to those facing urban career fire departments.