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Organization Spotlight - Winter 2008

National Volunteer Fire Council

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) serves as the voice of the over one million volunteer fire, rescue, and emergency medical responders across the nation. The NVFC supports America's fire and emergency services through legislative advocacy, innovative programs, and invaluable tools and resources.

One program administered by the NVFC, in partnership with other organizations, is Fire Corps, which connects local fire and EMS departments with the community they serve. Like the Medical Reserve Corps, Fire Corps is a program under the federal government's Citizen Corps initiative. Through Fire Corps, community members volunteer to assist their local fire and EMS departments with non-emergency tasks, from conducting fire prevention and life safety education to helping the department with fundraising, apparatus maintenance, administrative tasks, and more. This helps increase a department's capacity and services while making citizens better prepared to handle their own emergencies as well as those of their neighbors. More information about Fire Corps, as well as how to find a local program, is available online at www.firecorps.org.

Another key NVFC iniative is the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program. Every year, about half of all on-duty firefighter deaths are caused by heart attacks, making heart disease the number one cause of line-of-duty firefighter fatalities. The NVFC launched the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program in 2003 to promote fitness, nutrition, and health awareness within America's fire and emergency services. It is the nation's only heart attack prevention and awareness campaign targeted at all firefighters and EMS personnel, both volunteer and career.

The NVFC trade show booth offers free screenings for heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and body composition, as well as cooking demonstrations, and valuable information to help first responders and their families get heart-healthy. The Heart-Healthy Firefigher Program also includes a Resource Guide, Cookbook, fitness challenge, printed and electronic newsletters, and more. The NVFC brought together leaders from the fire service, health fields, and government to serve as an advisory panel to help guide the direction of this groundbreaking program. The Medical Reserve Corps is a member of this Work Group. Learn more about the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program at www.healthy-firefighter.org.

In July of 2007, the NVFC launched the National Junior Firefighter Program to help fire and EMS organizations nationwide develop, grow, and promote programs that encourage youth participation within the organizations. Supported by the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation and Spartan Motors, Inc., this program also serves as an incentive to the junior firefighters by allowing them to track their hours of participation to receive rewards at certain milestones. The National Junior Firefighter Scholarship and Grant Program, sponsored by Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation, provides $100,000 in scholarships to outstanding junior firefighters and grants to their departments. The 2008 deadline for applications is May 15. Learn more at www.nvfc.org/juniors.

In addition to these programs, the NVFC advocates for the volunteer fire and emergency services on Capitol Hill, working with lawmakers and government officials to support the interests of volunteer first responders. The NVFC also develops tools and resources that meet the needs of the volunteer emergency services, including a comprehensive retention and recruitment guide, the invaluable Cost Savings Calculator that allows departments to calculate their equivalent monetary value to their community, a guide to safe emergency vehicle operations, and much more. Learn more about the NVFC and all of its programs and resources online at www.nvfc.org or call 1-888-ASK-NVFC (275-6832).

Last Updated on 4/23/2009