National Volunteer Fire Council Offers Perfect Christmas Gift for Firefighters and EMS Personnel

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When shopping for Christmas this year, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) hopes that Americans will purchase gift memberships for their favorite firefighters and EMTs. The NVFC is a national organization dedicated to providing programs and resources for volunteer fire and EMS personnel, as well as career first responders. Their mission is multi-faceted, ranging from representing the interests of volunteer fire and EMS departments in the Congress to providing training and guidance on various topics of concern in the fire service.

One of the major focuses of the NVFC is to be legislative advocates for over 800,000 volunteer fire and emergency service personnel throughout the United States. According to Vern Losh, the NVFC California State Director, "They have a lot of strong lobbying efforts going on in the Capitol Hill, and anything that deals with volunteer firefighters on a national level, the NVFC can help with." In addition to their efforts in Washington, they also keep members updated on how they can personally help with the passage of important fire service legislation and give them explanations about the latest bills before Congress.

Another important aspect of the NVFC's mission is to provide fire and EMS departments, both volunteer and paid, with training information. One example is the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, the only national program in the United States aimed at saving first responders from heart attacks and heart disease. According to Vern Losh, "Almost half the firefighter deaths in this nation are related to heart attacks and heart related injuries and illnesses, and the NVFC was a pioneer in developing a heart-healthy program to help educate firefighters whether they are paid or volunteer to all the risks of heart attack in emergency services." As part of this, the NVFC offers departments a resource guide that will help them to set up physical fitness programs, and includes information on everything a department will face in doing this from obtaining funding to overcoming objections.

Other important programs that the NVFC offers include, Fire Corps, which encourages citizens to help their local fire department with things such fundraising, bookkeeping and vehicle maintenance, and the National Junior Firefighter Program, which assists departments in recruiting teenagers who are interested in participating in the fire service. The NVFC's Recruitment and Retention Program is an initiative aimed at helping volunteer fire departments overcome the growing problem of staffing shortages. In addition, the National Volunteer Fire Council offers the Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund for first responders whose homes have been impacted by state or federally declared disasters. The group also provides departments with information on grants and funding available to them through federal, state, and private programs.

The NVFC funds many of its programs through the sale of its memberships. The NVFC offers many options to fit the various needs of first responders, including a Personal Membership for individuals, which is priced at $30.00 per year. They also offer a Department Membership in which one representative from the agency receives the NVFC's updates and information and distributes it to the rest of the department, priced at $50.00 per year. Their newest offering is an All Staff Department Membership in which every member of the department joins for $10.00 each and the $50.00 department fee is waived. Corporate memberships and State Association Memberships also exist for those who provide support to the fire service community.

The National Volunteer Fire Council offers many benefits to its members, including:

• A $10,000.00 Accidental Death and Dismemberment Policy through VFIS Insurance (for Personal Memberships only). 
• Access to the Members-Only section of the NVFC website. 
• E-updates on the NVFC, Heart-Healthy Firefighters and Fire Corps. 
• A subscription to Dispatch, the NVFC Quarterly newsletter. 
• A subscription to The Pulse, the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Newsletter.
• Special discounts through "Working Advantage" for movie tickets, sporting events and various retail shops.
• Complementary copies of all of NVFC's manuals and resource guides.
• A personal membership card or certificate.

The NVFC is encouraging fire and EMS departments to purchase memberships for its volunteer firefighters and EMTs for Christmas in appreciation for the work that they do throughout the year. It also makes a meaningful Christmas gift for anyone who wants to thank their favorite first responder. For more information on how to purchase a membership, please visit www.nvfc.org or call 1-888-ASK-NVFC (275-6832).