| 1. |
- Lantz, Emelie
(författare)
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Non-career firefighters in rural areas - Exploring aspects contributing to retention
- 2022
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overarching aim of this licentiate thesis is to increase knowledge about the implications of working as a non-career firefighter in order to understand how challenges and commitment affect retention. Retention of non-career firefighters (for example volunteer or part-time firefighters) is a well-known, multifaceted challenge in several countries. These non-career firefighters account for the majority of Fire and Rescue Services staff, but it is a challenge to recruit and retain them. Non-career firefighters often serve in rural areas and are an important component of local community safety. Several factors have been suggested as underlying causes contributing to the complexity of retention challenges, mainly related to demographic changes. A fall in numbers of non-career firefighters may lead to fewer people having to undertake a higher workload to sustain local access to essential services. Due to the difficulties attracting and retaining non-career firefighters, it is vital to gain a better understanding of the factors contributing to sustainable retention. There is a volume of research about volunteer firefighters, but few studies cover the context of other types of non-career firefighters’ employment, such as part-time firefighters, in relation to retention. In Sweden, non-career firefighters mainly work as paid part-time firefighters in contrast to the internationally more common form of serving as volunteer firefighters. The service delivered by these firefighters is essential. Therefore, it is important to gain more knowledge of the firefighters’ experiences to be able to minimise barriers, strengthen commitment and work towards ensuring long-term retention. This thesis provides additional knowledge about the current challenges. Part-time firefighters share challenges similar to other non-career firefighters, such as the balance between principal employment, the service as a firefighter and family life. Further, the working environment affects firefighters` experiences of the job and has an impact on motivation and commitment. A lack of appropriate facilities, old equipment and a culture without feedback and support can lower commitment. The thesis results show that different employment types of non-career firefighters also share reasons to stay committed to the service. The papers appended show that cohesive groups are essential and contribute to continued commitment in the service, regardless of, for example, being a volunteer or a part-time firefighter. Another important factor contributing to commitment is the feeling of personal development. In other words, expanding a self-awareness and new perspectives in life.
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| 2. |
- Lantz, Emelie, et al.
(författare)
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Recruitment, retention and resignation among Non-Career Firefighters
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Emergency Services. - 2047-0894. ; 10:1, s. 26-39
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of literature about recruitment, retention and resignation among non-career firefighters. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review was conducted to identify factors associated with the recruitment, retention and resignation of non-career firefighters. The authors divided the results into three topics and four levels for further analysis. Findings: 27 articles are included in the review. Most research addresses retention at an organizational level and indicates a link between job satisfaction and factors such as supervisor support, recognition and close relationships within the workgroup. Further, a recurring reason that contributes to resignations seems to be family related (e.g. partner disapproval). Research limitations/implications: There is a lack of European and Asian research into non-career firefighters. The included research papers generally have low response rates and the sample is often mostly male and Caucasians from a limited area. Practical implications: The identified factors offer deeper understanding and can help practitioners in their pursuit of the sustainable retention of non-career firefighters. Originality/value: Because securing adequate numbers of non-career firefighters is important, there is a need to synthesize current evidence to identify and further understand which factors contribute to retention. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first systematic review to synthesize such evidence about non-career firefighters.
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| 3. |
- Lantz, Emelie, et al.
(författare)
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Serving the community while balancing multiple responsibilities : experiences of working as a paid part-time firefighter
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Emergency Services. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 2047-0894 .- 2047-0908. ; :1, s. 17-38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeThe purpose of this study was to describe experiences of working as a paid part-time firefighter (PTF) in Swedish rural areas.Design/methodology/approachAn inductive explorative design was used, based on interviews with 18 paid PTFs in Sweden. Data were analyzed using qualitative latent content analysis.FindingsThree themes emerged from the interviews and describe paid PTFs’ experiences. The findings provide insights into how firefighters share a strong commitment, how support plays a crucial role, and how training and call-outs contribute to their experiences. Paid PTFs’ experiences are nuanced, ranging from personal limitations and challenges to satisfaction and the contrast with ordinary life.Practical implicationsThe implications for fire and rescue service organizations are that they can encourage firefighters’ commitment and pride, as well as the commitment and support of their families and main employers. Further, highlighting the importance of support and facilitating flexibility when on call is crucial. Finally, acknowledging and promoting personal development and facilitating an inclusive culture are important factors for both motivation and satisfaction.Originality/valuePaid PTFs are under-represented in the literature, despite the reliance on them in Sweden, and this study begins to address the knowledge gap. To improve retention, it is vital to understand paid PTFs work situation: what motivates them, what barriers they face, and how those challenges influence their experiences.
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| 4. |
- Lantz, Emelie, et al.
(författare)
-
Serving the community while balancing multiple responsibilities – experiences of working as a paid part-time firefighter
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Emergency Services. - 2047-0894. ; 12:1, s. 17-28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe experiences of working as a paid part-time firefighter (PTF) in Swedish rural areas. Design/methodology/approach: An inductive explorative design was used, based on interviews with 18 paid PTFs in Sweden. Data were analyzed using qualitative latent content analysis. Findings: Three themes emerged from the interviews and describe paid PTFs’ experiences. The findings provide insights into how firefighters share a strong commitment, how support plays a crucial role, and how training and call-outs contribute to their experiences. Paid PTFs’ experiences are nuanced, ranging from personal limitations and challenges to satisfaction and the contrast with ordinary life. Practical implications: The implications for fire and rescue service organizations are that they can encourage firefighters’ commitment and pride, as well as the commitment and support of their families and main employers. Further, highlighting the importance of support and facilitating flexibility when on call is crucial. Finally, acknowledging and promoting personal development and facilitating an inclusive culture are important factors for both motivation and satisfaction. Originality/value: Paid PTFs are under-represented in the literature, despite the reliance on them in Sweden, and this study begins to address the knowledge gap. To improve retention, it is vital to understand paid PTFs work situation: what motivates them, what barriers they face, and how those challenges influence their experiences.
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| 5. |
- Lopez-Fernandez, Margarita, et al.
(författare)
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Metatranscriptomes Reveal That All Three Domains of Life Are Active but Are Dominated by Bacteria in the Fennoscandian Crystalline Granitic Continental Deep Biosphere
- 2018
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Ingår i: mBio. - : American Society of Microbiology. - 2161-2129 .- 2150-7511. ; 9:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The continental subsurface is suggested to contain a significant part of the earth's total biomass. However, due to the difficulty of sampling, the deep subsurface is still one of the least understood ecosystems. Therefore, microorganisms inhabiting this environment might profoundly influence the global nutrient and energy cycles. In this study, in situ fixed RNA transcripts from two deep continental groundwaters from the Aspo Hard Rock Laboratory (a Baltic Sea-influenced water with a residence time of <20 years, defined as "modern marine," and an "old saline" groundwater with a residence time of thousands of years) were subjected to metatranscriptome sequencing. Although small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene and mRNA transcripts aligned to all three domains of life, supporting activity within these community subsets, the data also suggested that the groundwaters were dominated by bacteria. Many of the SSU rRNA transcripts grouped within newly described candidate phyla or could not be mapped to known branches on the tree of life, suggesting that a large portion of the active biota in the deep biosphere remains unexplored. Despite the extremely oligotrophic conditions, mRNA transcripts revealed a diverse range of metabolic strategies that were carried out by multiple taxa in the modern marine water that is fed by organic carbon from the surface. In contrast, the carbon dioxide- and hydrogen-fed old saline water with a residence time of thousands of years predominantly showed the potential to carry out translation. This suggested these cells were active, but waiting until an energy source episodically becomes available. IMPORTANCE A newly designed sampling apparatus was used to fix RNA under in situ conditions in the deep continental biosphere and benchmarks a strategy for deep biosphere metatranscriptomic sequencing. This apparatus enabled the identification of active community members and the processes they carry out in this extremely oligotrophic environment. This work presents for the first time evidence of eukaryotic, archaeal, and bacterial activity in two deep subsurface crystalline rock groundwaters from the Aspo Hard Rock Laboratory with different depths and geochemical characteristics. The findings highlight differences between organic carbonfed shallow communities and carbon dioxide- and hydrogen-fed old saline waters. In addition, the data reveal a large portion of uncharacterized microorganisms, as well as the important role of candidate phyla in the deep biosphere, but also the disparity in microbial diversity when using standard microbial 165 rRNA gene amplification versus the large unknown portion of the community identified with unbiased metatranscriptomes.
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| 6. |
- Moberg, Christina, et al.
(författare)
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De unga gör helt rätt när de stämmer staten
- 2022
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Ingår i: Aftonbladet. - 1103-9000.
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- 1 620 forskare och lärare i forskarvärlden: Vi ställer oss bakom Auroras klimatkrav
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| 7. |
- Svensson, Anders, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Response times in rural areas for emergency medical services, fire and rescue services and voluntary first responders during out-of-hospital cardiac arrests
- 2024
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Ingår i: Resuscitation Plus. - : Elsevier. - 2666-5204. ; 17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To increase survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA), great efforts are made to improve the number of voluntary first responders (VFR). However, evidence of the potential utility of such efforts is sparse, especially in rural areas. Therefore, the aim was to describe and compare response times for emergency medical services (EMS), fire and rescue services (FRS), and VFR during OHCA in relation to population density. Methods: This observational and comparative study was based on data including positions and time stamps for VFR and response times for EMS and FRS in a region in southern Sweden. Results: In total, 285 OHCAs between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2021 were analysed. VFR had the shortest median response time in comparison to EMS and FRS in all studied population densities. The overall median (Q1–Q3) time gain for VFR was 03:07 (01:39–05:41) minutes. A small proportion (19.2%) of alerted VFR accepted the assignments. This is most problematic in rural and sub-rural areas, where there were low numbers of alerted VFR. Also, FRS had shorter response time than EMS in all studied population densities except in urban areas. Conclusion: The differences found in median response times between rural and urban areas are worrisome from an equality perspective. More focus should be placed on recruiting VFR, especially in rural areas since VFR can potentially contribute to saving more lives. Also, since FRS has a shorter response time than EMS in rural, sub-rural, and sub-urban areas, FRS should be dispatched more frequently.
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