Age factor impact on the Federal Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia

Relevance. Personnel aging without a sufficient influx of young workforce is a critical problem for the personnel policy of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) of the EMERCOM of Russia. The study aim is to analyze personnel age dynamics among the fire and rescue units of the EMERCOM FFS to assess the age factor impact by personnel category, as well as by Russian Federation region. Methods. A statistical dataset was compiled representing the FFS personnel characteristics from 2020 to 2024. Age dynamics was studied for various personnel categories, as well as by federal district or Russian Federation constituent. Results and discussion. The factor analysis of the EMERCOM FFS personnel characteristics revealed six significant impact factors, including age affecting two parameters – the average age and years of experience. Negative age dynamics was observed for the 2020 to 2024 timespan, showing the overall aging of the FFS personnel. Across personnel categories the average age varies from (32.96 ± 0.16) years for the engineering and inspection staff of the State Fire Supervision authorities (SFS) to (40.96 ± 0.34) years for the senior staff of the EMERCOM FFS personnel units. A statistically significant increase in the average age was noted for all the personnel categories of included in the study, except the SFS engineering and inspection staff. Despite the general negative trend, the following Russian Federation constituents showed a positive trend for age characteristics the Republic of Tuva, Astrakhan, Belgorod, Ryazan, and Tyumen regions. Moreover, the Republic of Karelia, Primorsky Krai, Vologda, Lipetsk, Rostov, and Tver regions are efficiently attracting young professionals to the EMERCOM of Russia conducive to a decrease in the personnel average age, despite the overall negative impact of ageing parameters. Conclusion. The study findings can be used to develop measures allowing the EMERCOM FFS of Russia to overcome the personnel aging and attract young professionals.