| A fire and rescue search team operating in severe flooding |
FEMA has announced that 17 counties in Georgia have received federal disaster designations due to the devastating floods and severe weather. When tragedies like this strike, we must remember that the firefighters and EMS personnel relied upon to respond are also victims. The National Volunteer Fire Council's (NVFC) Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund is designed to help first responders impacted by such disasters.
Volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel affected by the Georgia flooding or other state- or federally-declared disaster can apply for a stipend of $250 to help meet basic needs in the aftermath of the disaster. To receive a stipend, the first responder must be an active volunteer firefighter, rescue worker, or EMS provider, be from an NVFC member state as an individual or department member of the state association, live (or have housing) in a state- or federally-declared disaster area, and have incurred an uninsurable loss in excess of $5,000. Learn more and apply for disaster relief at www.nvfc.org/supportfund.
The Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund relies on the support of individuals and organizations to assist volunteer first responders in need. Click here to make your contribution to the fund. The NVFC donates all administrative costs associated with managing the fund, so all donations go directly to helping volunteer first responders in need.
Established in response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund has to date distributed almost half a million dollars to volunteer first responders in need.