Recruitment Marketing for Fire Departments.
Fire departments do not have a marketing problem; they have a recruiting problem, a community-trust problem and a budget problem, and marketing is how all three get solved. TMC Marketing has spent five years producing recruitment films, academy series and social content for departments in Southeast Wisconsin, including a 22% increase in applicants for the Kenosha Fire Department.
Marketing for fire departments, in one place
- TMC Marketing produces recruitment marketing, video and social media for fire departments and public safety agencies, including the Kenosha Fire Department, the Oak Creek Fire Department and Salem Lakes Fire & Rescue.
- The Kenosha Fire Department partnership has run for five years and includes recruitment films and the Rise of the 12 Strong academy series; applications rose 22%.
- Work for public agencies runs through a documented vendor process: written operating standards, a capabilities statement, government past performance and a 100% U.S.-based in-house team.
- Every deliverable is owned by the department: raw footage is retained by TMC Marketing, but finished films, photos and social content are the agency's property.
- Departments can start with a single recruitment film or run an ongoing content program; both are priced per deliverable, which fits municipal budgeting.
What Departments Are Actually Up Against
Every department we talk to describes the same three things. Each one has a marketing fix, and none of them require a marketing department on staff.
Applications Keep Falling
The candidates a department wants are in their twenties, they are on their phones, and they have never seen what a shift actually looks like. A job posting cannot compete with that.
Recruitment films that show the work honestly, cut for social and for the academy, reach candidates where they already are.
The Public Only Hears About You on Bad Days
Residents see the department when something has gone wrong. Referendums, budgets and trust are decided on what they believe the rest of the year.
Consistent community content: station life, training, prevention, and the people behind the trucks.
No One Has Time to Run It
The captain who volunteered to run the Facebook page has a job. Content stops the week things get busy, which is every week.
One team plans, films, edits, posts and reports on a schedule, with the department approving, not producing.
Procurement Wants Paperwork
Vendors who cannot produce a capabilities statement, insurance and references do not get past the purchasing office.
Government-vetted vendor with a published capabilities statement and written operating standards.
Departments We Work With
Kenosha Fire Department
A five-year partnership: recruitment films, the Rise of the 12 Strong academy series, community content and a 22% increase in applicants. Read the case study.
Oak Creek Fire Department
Specialized content production and strategic support for the Oak Creek Fire Department and the joint fire training academy in Milwaukee County.
Salem Lakes Fire & Rescue
Video and content work for the Salem Lakes department in western Kenosha County.
Every Channel a Department Needs
Most departments start with video, because that is what moves applications. The rest is there when you want it.
Video & Photography
Recruitment films, academy series, station and apparatus photography, shot on location by an in-house crew.
Learn More about Video & PhotographySocial Media Marketing
A steady feed of station life, training and prevention content, posted and reported on a schedule.
Learn More about Social Media MarketingSEO & AI Search Visibility
Rank for ‘firefighter jobs’ and department searches in your area, and be the answer AI assistants give.
Learn More about SEO & AI Search VisibilityWebsite Design
A department site that makes applying easy and residents informed, owned by the municipality.
Learn More about Website DesignPPC Ads
Targeted recruitment campaigns on Google, Meta and YouTube during open application windows.
Learn More about PPC AdsEmail Marketing
Applicant follow-up and community newsletters that run without a staffer managing them.
Learn More about Email MarketingOne Film, or an Ongoing Program
A Recruitment Film
One filming day, one finished recruitment film cut for the web, social and the academy, priced per deliverable. Most departments start here.
See video productionAn Ongoing Content Program
Monthly filming, weekly posting, recruitment campaigns during application windows and a report the chief can bring to council. One team, one invoice.
Talk to us about a programFire Department Questions
Do you understand how fire department procurement works?
Yes. TMC Marketing is a vetted vendor for municipal and county agencies, publishes a capabilities statement and written operating standards, and can provide insurance and references on request. We have worked through purchasing offices for five years.
Can you film on live calls or at the academy?
We film training, academy classes, station life and staged scenarios with the department’s approval and safety oversight. The Kenosha Fire Department’s Rise of the 12 Strong series was shot across a full academy class.
Who owns the footage?
The department owns every finished film, photo and post. TMC Marketing retains raw footage and project files, which is standard, and provides finished files in every format the department needs.
How is this priced for a municipal budget?
Per deliverable. A single recruitment film is a fixed price; an ongoing program is a flat monthly fee that can be scoped to the fiscal year. Nothing is bundled that the department has not asked for.
Do you work with police, EMS and other agencies?
Yes. The same recruitment and community approach applies to police departments, EMS, public works and municipal governments; our public-sector work also includes Go Downtown Kenosha, the city’s business improvement district.
Need More Applicants Next Cycle?
Book a discovery call and bring your last application numbers. We will tell you what a recruitment film and a content program would realistically change, and what they cost.
Schedule a Discovery Call