US Fire Department Racing is a great supporter of the volunteer fire service. Thanks to USFD Racing, NVFC First Vice Chair Jeff Cash was featured on the April 21 episode of the radio program Full Throttle Racing with Kane to promote the volunteer fire service, how to volunteer with a local fire department, and the importance of junior firefighter programs. You can listen to the archived interview on the USFD Racing web site at http://www.usfdracing.org/usfdradio.html (archived as FTRWK Radio Show 04-21-2012; the interview starts at time 24:45). Also remember to ‘Like’ USFD Racing on Facebook to show them your support of their commitment to the volunteer fire service.
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A new resources is now available for junior firefighter programs. The NVFC’s National Junior Firefighter Program, with support from Tyco, has developed a recruitment video that departments can use to help generate interest in their youth program and educate youth and adults about the benefits of participating in a junior firefighter program. The video can be taken to school events, community organizations, or department open houses, or posted on the department’s web site.
Download the video from the NVFC web site, or find it on YouTube.
The following article was written by NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg for FireRescue1.com. It was published on 12/19/11:
Work together: Overcoming volunteer challenges in 2012
We must examine which practices are working and which ones
By Philip C. Stittleburg, NVFC Chairman
Published on FireRescue1.com
As another year comes to a close, I am glad to see there have been many successes for the volunteer fire and emergency services in 2011.
At the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), we have released many new training webinars, entered into promising partnerships, strengthened international relationships, and continued expanding critical programs such as Fire Corps, the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, and the National Junior Firefighter Program.
However, there have also been many disappointing hits to the volunteer fire and emergency services. For the second straight year, the number of volunteer firefighters has decreased.
The National Fire Protection Association’s U.S. Fire Department Profile Through 2010 shows there are 44,000 fewer volunteers in 2010 compared to 2009.
Perhaps even more troubling is that the aging trend we have seen in the volunteer fire service for the past seven years continues. In 2010, 51.2 percent of firefighters in communities under 2,500 were over 40.
The percentage of firefighters over 50 years old serving those communities has risen every year since 2000 and now stands at 28.7 percent.
Reinvigorate initiatives
While we won’t know the 2011 numbers until next fall, we must take this news seriously and reinvigorate initiatives to increase recruitment and retention.
We must examine which practices are working and which ones aren’t, identify areas where changes need to be made, and look outside the box for new approaches.
We need to focus on the root causes of these trends and work together to make the changes needed in the fire service to meet the new demands and continue to thrive.
Another challenge that faced the fire and emergency services in 2011 was in the area of legislation. The year actually started with some success.
Thanks in part to efforts from national fire service organizations including the NVFC, Congress provided $405 million each for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs in the FY 2011 appropriations. This represented a $15 million increase for AFG from the previous year.
AFG and SAFER are the most significant sources of federal assistance available to the fire and emergency services and play a critical role in ensuring that all departments meet a baseline level of readiness.
AFG awards grants to fire and EMS departments to fund basic necessities including training, equipment, vehicles, health and safety programs, and fire prevention and education programs. SAFER provides grants for the hiring of personnel and for volunteer recruitment and retention efforts.
Despite this early success, very little legislative progress benefiting the fire and emergency services has been made since.
Gridlock on Capitol Hill
One of the main obstacles to legislative advancements has been gridlock on Capitol Hill. While the NVFC has been working tirelessly to promote and advance legislation that will help keep the volunteer emergency services strong, the inability of Republicans and Democrats in Congress to put aside partisan differences and work together has made it difficult to get anything accomplished.
Unfortunately, this situation is likely to get even worse as we head into an election year.
We must unite as the nation’s first responder community to communicate with Congress regarding legislation affecting the fire and emergency services.
Ask your Representative and Senators to support legislation that will keep the emergency services strong. The NVFC provides an easy-to-use tool that enables you to take action.
Through our Capwiz alert service, you will receive a Legislative Action Alert when your involvement can make a critical difference. The alert will link you to a letter that you can send directly to your legislators from the online system.
Sign up for the NVFC’s Legislative Action Alerts and help make a difference at www.capwiz.com/nvfc. Learn more about all of the NVFC’s legislative priorities at www.nvfc.org/resources/legislativeaffairs.
Thing to remember
So what can we surmise from all of this? The critical thing to remember is that volunteers continue to be the backbone of our nation’s fire and emergency services.
What started 275 years ago with the founding of the first volunteer fire station in Philadelphia continues to be a strong tradition today. Volunteers make up 70 percent of the fire service, and communities across the U.S. depend on us to keep them safe.
Together we can work to increase our numbers, effect legislative change, and enhance the ability of the volunteer fire service to protect our communities. Let’s make 2012 a positive and successful year for the fire and emergency services.
Find tools and resources for your department and learn more about what the NVFC is doing to help the volunteer fire service thrive at www.nvfc.org.
The Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act (H.R. 376/S. 1911), which is supported by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), clarifies the treatment of length of service award programs (LOSAPs) under the federal tax code. The bill would raise the federal cap on annual contributions into an individual volunteer’s LOSAP, allow private, non-profit emergency services agencies to be treated as governmental agencies under the Internal Revenue Code and other applicable laws, and allow LOSAP sponsors the flexibility to elect to have LOSAP benefits become portable and guaranteed.
Contact your U.S. Representative and Senators today and ask them to cosponsor the Volunteer Emergency Services Recruitment and Retention Act! Click here to use the NVFC’s Capwiz advocacy tool to send a letter now.
Click here to learn more about the introduction of S. 1911.
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has made three of its popular training webinars available on-demand to members of the fire and emergency services. The webinars cover grant-writing, recruitment and retention, and transitioning to a combination department.
The webinars were recorded during the successful live online training sessions held earlier this year. The training was developed with support from the U.S. Fire Administration. The following webinars are now available:
Recruitment and Retention in the Volunteer Emergency Services
This webinar discusses the challenges of recruiting and retaining volunteers and how to overcome these challenges. Many fire and EMS departments across the nation are struggling to find and retain volunteer members. Yet with volunteers making up 71% of the fire service, it is critical that departments have enough members to effectively protect their communities. This webinar will help departments identify ways to attract new volunteers and maintain adequate staffing levels.
Grant Writing for the Emergency Services
This webinar educates volunteer fire and emergency services personnel on how to write a successful grant narrative in an effort to secure funding for their local fire/EMS department and provides specific examples of award-winning grant narratives. Participants will also be introduced to a variety of funding opportunities, including government and private grants.
From Volunteer to Combination: Making the Transition
This webinar discusses the challenges of transitioning from a volunteer to a combination department. Many departments across the nation are dealing with the transition process. This webinar will help departments navigate personnel issues, leadership, and best practices. Topics covered include merging departments, personnel conflicts, adjusting to the presence of paid staff, managing growth and increased call volume, and recruitment and retention.
Click here to access these three webinars as well as additional online training opportunities from the NVFC.
US Fire Department Racing (USFDR) has created the USFDR Tracks Program, a directory of race tracks in the United States that offer a discount ticket to firefighters. When you see the USFD Racing logo on a track web site, you know that they support firefighters.
The first two promoters to kick this program off are NASCAR driver Rick Crawford, promoter of Mobile International Speedway, and David Furia, promoter of Lakeport Speedway. These two tracks are also the tracks where USFDR drivers Derek Long and Jim Board have been cut out of their race cars after serious accidents. Their track safety crews are a great example why USFDR is working hard to honor first responders.
The USFD Racing team would like to thank Mobile International Speedway and Lakeport Speedway for their support, and they look forward to working with many more tracks that would follow their example by supporting the firefighters that support us every day. Learn more about USFD Racing at http://www.usfdracing.org.
The National Volunteer Fire Council offers on-site and online training opportunities through the NVFC Academy. Courses cover a range of topics of critical importance to the fire and emergency services, including health and safety, recruitment and retention, grant-writing, leadership, reputation management, Fire Corps, and junior firefighter programs.
For the on-site training, the NVFC will deliver the program or programs you choose at your fire department, fire academy, or other location. Twelve different courses are available to meet the needs of your department. Length and pricing vary. Click here to view a full list of on-site training opportunities.
The online training consists of both recorded and live webinars. Click here to view a listing of courses as well as the live webinar schedule.
Check out the Training and Education section of the NVFC web site at www.nvfc.org/trainingeducation for more information about training opportunities.
