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Discussion
Results revealed low levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, moderate levels of
perceived stress, and medium to high levels of compassion satisfaction. Study participants
averaged volunteering in just over two fires with no differences between women and men or by
age in the number of fires for which they volunteered.
Although these findings are limited due to the low number of participants, they are
consistent with other research that suggests how there is a high compassion satisfaction rate
within disaster volunteers despite stress, exhaustion, and other factors (Grove, 2015). Results
revealed that the satisfaction of helping others and volunteering during a crisis outweighs the
risks that can potentially affect the volunteer. It was also noted, albeit not statistically
significantly, that as the perceived stress level goes up, the number of fires volunteers choose to
work goes down, demonstrating that less stressed people might be more likely to volunteer.
Among other reasons, it would benefit the larger community for members to be less stressed,
since that might result in a greater number of volunteers in the event of a natural disaster.
Volunteers also want to feel supported during the time of their service. One participant
mentioned, “When I feel I am helping alone, it causes me to feel more stress and when I do not
see or get feedback regarding whether my efforts were helpful, I also experience a sense of stress
and futility.” Meaning, volunteers work more efficiently when they are consistently supported by
their own team and get recognition. Thus, the goal would be to make the volunteers’ experience
satisfying to them so that in the case there were to be another natural disaster, they would be
willing to return to volunteer again. If volunteers were provided the appropriate training before
they begin volunteering, they would be better prepared to identify when they felt stressed or