National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) News

Academy Sports + Outdoors and Brooks have teamed up to support people who keep the world running with the launch of a special, limited-edition Brooks x Academy First Responder shoe collection. For every purchase, a donation of $10 is made to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and American Nurses Foundation, up to $25,000 each, to support the frontline responders who serve the communities. First Responder Collection Brooks’s purpose is to inspire everyone to run their path to a b...

Intelagard, National Foam, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up to support the volunteer fire service. Through a special giveaway program, nine volunteer fire departments will be awarded a Macaw® compressed air foam system (CAFS) backpack, nozzle kit, five gallons of Knockdown® firefighting foam, and four gallons of EasyDECON® DF200 to assist them in protecting their responders and their community. Each package is valued at $6,500. Served fire community &l...

Anheuser-Busch and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are teaming up for the third year to provide critical hydration to volunteer fire departments responding to wildfires through the Emergency Drinking Water for Wildland Firefighters program. The program is an expansion of Anheuser-Busch’s longstanding tradition of providing emergency drinking water and supplies for disaster relief efforts. Anheuser-Busch is continuing its commitment in 2021 by pledging to donate 1.5 million cans...

MSA and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are working together to provide the most innovative and up-to-date technology to help first responders improve their health and safety. That’s why three volunteer firefighters that are NVFC members will receive a personalized MSA Cairns® XF1 Fire Helmet in 2021. To be eligible to enter, applicants must be an active U.S. volunteer firefighter and a member of the NVFC. Members will have three opportunities to enter to win an XF1 helmet...

MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are teaming up for the 10th year to provide state-of-the-art personal protective equipment to better protect the volunteer firefighters who need it most. Through MSA’s and DuPont’s 2021 Globe Gear Giveaway, 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear along with four helmets to increase firefighter safety. This decade-long program has provided over $1 million worth of life-saving gear to date. Volunteer f...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has announced that they recognize achievement in the volunteer fire and emergency services through its annual awards program. Nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award, Chief James P. Seavey Sr., Health and Wellness Leadership Award, Junior Firefighter of the Year Award, and Junior Firefighter Program of the Year Award are due by January 29, 2021. The NVFC annual awards program features: NVFC Lifetime Achievement Award: Sponsored by ADT, this a...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in partnership with the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, launched the Psychologically Healthy Fire Departments (PHFD) toolkit to support firefighters and EMS providers and create healthy, successful departments. A new implementation toolkit is now available to help fire department leaders promote and foster health and wellbeing among their members. Maintaining a psychologically healthy fire depar...

The final three recipients have been announced in the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), MSA Security Incorporated and DuPont’s 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway. The White River (ON, Canada) Fire Department, New Baltimore Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company (Warrenton, VA), and the Central Hardin Fire Department (Elizabethtown, KY) will each receive four sets of state-of-the-art turnout gear and four helmets to increase the safety of their members. MSA Safety Incorporated, DuPont, and NVFC tea...

The International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, National Association of State Fire Marshals, and National Volunteer Fire Council urge governors and state health officials to make career and volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics a top priority level for COVID-19 vaccines. They are vital parts of the national public health system and should be treated at the same priority as other frontline healthcare workers and hospital staff. The nation’s...

The latest two winners have been announced in MSA Safety Incorporated’s and DuPont’s 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway. Douglas City (CA) Volunteer Fire Department and Cooper Landing (AK) Emergency Services will each receive four sets of state-of-the-art turnout gear and four helmets to increase the safety of their members. Providing turnout gear MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) team up each year to help volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear. With the...

Carbon monoxide (CO), also known as the ‘silent killer’, is especially dangerous because it is not visible and cannot be smelt or tasted. The only way to protect against this potentially deadly threat is with a CO alarm. In honor of CO Awareness Month in November, First Alert and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have partnered to create an online CO awareness and CO alarm training course for volunteer fire departments nationwide, supplemented by an alarm donation program f...

MSA Safety, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. In 2020, 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA. The latest recipients of MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway are th...

In their second year of partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), Anheuser-Busch has committed to donating more than 1.5 million cans of emergency drinking water in 2020 to volunteer fire departments across the country as they navigate unprecedented challenges. Summer Deliveries Over the summer, the first wave of deliveries totaling more than one million cans were delivered to 150 fire departments across 38 states to help ensure local volunteer fire departments had the resou...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Columbia Southern University (CSU) are pleased to award NVFC members Maggie Zimmerman of Breckenridge, MI, and Randy Cannon Jr. of St. Stephen, SC, as the recipients of CSU’s 2020 NVFC Scholarship.  Each scholarship will cover up to 60 credit hours towards one of CSU’s online degree programs. Maggie Zimmerman Comments Zimmerman volunteers with the Breckenridge Wheeler Township Fire Department and is proud to be its first female f...

Retention has long been a challenge for many volunteer and combination fire and EMS departments, yet little research has been done on the subject. volunteer fire service retention Thanks to support from a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has conducted a study to identify institutional drivers that cause volunteers to leave, the differing perceptions between leadership, current volunteers and former volunteers and what c...

DripDrop ORS (DripDrop Hydration), a globally renowned rehydration therapy company, announced partnering with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) to provide the nation’s volunteer firefighters with dehydration relief. DripDrop Oral Rehydration Solution The company pledged to donate 100,000 sticks of DripDrop Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) this summer to assist volunteer firefighters during extreme heat, wildfire season, and the COVID-19 pandemic. When this donation was met within...

MSA, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are helping volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. In 2020, 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters. The first 500 applicants also received a one-year NVFC membership, courtesy of MSA. The latest recipients of MSA’s and DuPont’s 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway are the...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) offers dozens of on-demand webinars, live virtual trainings, and in-person courses on a variety of key fire service topics. Until in-person trainings can be offered again, the NVFC is pleased to announce an afternoon of live, virtual training providing a condensed version of our popular in-person full-day course offerings focused on successful departments. The NVFC Virtual Leadership Symposium is sponsored by the Motorola Solutions Foundation. Fire an...

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is excited to bring to a new Virtual Classroom to enhance the online learning. The updated classroom provides a more user-friendly experience with updated content, design, and navigation. Trainings feature on-demand and self-paced courses delivered by fire and emergency service subject matter experts. Free course member benefit All Virtual Classroom courses are free for NVFC members. Non-members will pay per course, or they can join the NVFC for just...

DripDrop Hydration, a rehydration therapy company, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the association representing the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services, announces a new partnership to provide dehydration relief to the nation’s volunteer firefighters. The need has never been greater amid a wave of summer heat, wildfire season, and a COVID-19 pandemic that has pushed the healthcare system to the limit of its capacity. DripDrop ORS will provide a one-to-one ‘buy on...

6 part webinar series on firefighter cancer risk reduction. Join the VCOS and NVFC for a 6 part webinar series, where one will explore some of the most important information one needs to know when it comes to firefighter cancer risk reduction. The webinar will also discuss the importance of early detection and what to do when a firefighter has cancer. February 18: Exposure DocumentationExplore and learn about apps available for documentation that one can implement in one’s department. Th...

MSA Safety Incorporated, DuPont, and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have teamed up again to help volunteer fire departments obtain much-needed gear through MSA’s and DuPont’s Globe Gear Giveaway. 2020 Globe Gear Giveaway This annual program began in 2012 and has provided 507 sets of turnout gear to 108 departments to date. In 2020, another 13 departments will each receive four new sets of turnout gear and four new helmets to help enhance the safety of their firefighters...

The National Volunteer Fire Council has earned a 2020 Gold Seal of Transparency by adding information to the non-profit profile on GuideStar. Now, community members as well as 10+ million GuideStar users can find in-depth information about the organization's goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress. The NVFC shining a spotlight on the work we do to support the volunteer fire, emergency medical, and rescue services.

In their second year of partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), Anheuser-Busch has committed to donating more than 1.5 million cans of emergency drinking water in 2020 to volunteer fire departments across the country as they navigate unprecedented challenges. This month, the first wave of deliveries – totaling more than one million cans – will be delivered to 151 fire departments across 38 states to help ensure local volunteer fire departments have the resources...

On June 29, a bi-partisan group of 36 U.S. Representatives, led by Representatives Cindy Axne (D-IA), French Hill (R-AR), and John Larson (D-CT), sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administrator Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma asking that they, “…allow fire departments and EMS agencies to receive payments for providing treatment-in-place to their patients as well as providing these agencies with dir...

The Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award will honor 100 extraordinary local government volunteers, including firefighters and EMS providers, in communities under 5,000 in population. All honorees will receive a CivicCMS web site for their local government, and the top three will receive a cash prize to help with local volunteer recruitment and retention efforts.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to partner with TargetSolutions to provide additional operational training and education opportunities to the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue community at no cost. TargetSolutions is offering a cadre of 10 online firefighter continuing education courses to all members of the NVFC. TargetSolutions features more than 450 hours of fire department training based on NFPA codes and standards. The training catalog includes awareness and refresher l...

In response to the continuing effects of the worldwide pandemic, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) has postponed its inaugural in-person Recruitment & Retention (R&R) Experience. This two-day, interactive conference focuses on volunteer fire department staffing issues and will now take place September 17-18, 2021, in Cleveland, OH. Those who have already registered for the 2020 event can choose to defer their registration to 2021 or receive a full refund. Registration for the 2...

On June 26-27, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) held a virtual preview of the 2021 Training Summit. This two-day online training event featured keynote speakers and panel discussions, followed by breakout sessions to enable participants to ask questions and further discuss the themes that had been presented by that day’s speakers. In-Person Event postponed to 2021 The NVFC had originally planned to hold an in-person Training Summit in Orlando in 2020 but had to postpone the eve...

The spread of COVID-19 has more than just physical health implications. It also creates uncertainty and changes in lifestyle that can have an emotional impact. Firefighters, EMS providers, and rescue workers may be feeling the impact especially hard as they navigate the new realities of responding and maintaining operations during this crisis. NVFC invites all to join Jeff Dill, founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, for this free NVFC webinar on May 20 to discuss strategies and...