E-Update Archive
May 3, 2007
In this issue:
- NVFC Spotlight: NVFC Asks President to Look Into DOJ's Handling of Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act
- NVFC Tips for Applying for Public Safety Officers' Benefit
- NVFC Urges Appropriations Committee to Preserve Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
- Join the NVFC and Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals (MSP) in "Sounding the Alarm for High Cholesterol"
- Have You Signed the National Seat Belt Pledge Yet?
- Firefighter Biking Cross Country to Raise Money for Burn Survivors
- Visit the NVFC and Fire Corps at Fire Expo 2007
- Calendar of Events
- Support Those Who Support the Voice of the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services
NVFC Spotlight
NVFC Asks President to Look Into DOJ's Handling of Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act
On April 19 the NVFC, in conjunction with other national fire service organizations, sent a letter to President Bush asking him to look into the manner in which the Department of Justice (DOJ) is implementing the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act. The law, which passed more than three years ago, was intended to provide a "presumptive benefit" to the families of public safety officers who die in the line of duty from a heart attack or stroke.
As stated in the letter, so far 40 "Hometown Heroes" applications have been processed, with 200 still pending. Of that 40, 38 have been denials and only two families have received the Public Safety Officer's Benefit (PSOB).
DOJ has argued that the reason a majority of the first determinations have been negative is because the fallen public safety officer had not been engaged in "nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical" activity, which the law states must have occurred within 24 hours of the heart attack or stroke in order for the victim's family to qualify for PSOB. If DOJ determines that a victim had not engaged in nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical activity while on-duty, they deny the benefit. For those cases where the physical activity threshold is judged by DOJ to have been met, they continue reviewing medical evidence and often request information not provided on the initial application.
The NVFC has been contacted by several families who were denied benefits, some of them after waiting for several years for a determination. In one particular case, a volunteer fire chief died from a heart attack that he suffered while in route to the scene of an emergency. According to a recent study by the New England Journal of Medicine, a firefighter's odds of death from coronary heart disease are 2.8-14.1 times as high during alarm response and 2.2-10.5 times as high during alarm return compared to during nonemergency duties. The NVFC believes that emergency response constitutes nonroutine stressful and strenuous physical activity and that this application and others like it should be approved.
The letter sent to President Bush addresses this issue, stating: "The families of these fallen public safety officers have contacted us and questioned whether the DOJ is truly granting a presumption that public safety officers who died in the line of duty met the requirements for the PSOB program. We have specific concerns that DOJ's interpretation of what constitutes 'nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical' activity is preventing public safety officers who die of stroke or heart attack within 24 hours of engaging in emergency response activities from qualifying for these benefits."
In addition to the NVFC, the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) signed the letter.
NVFC Tips for Applying for Public Safety Officers’ Benefit
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has developed a checklist to assist public safety agencies submitting Hometown Heroes Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) applications. The NVFC, in consultation with BJA, also compiled the following tips, which expands on major issues that the checklist addresses. PSOB is a one-time financial benefit to the eligible survivors of public safety officers whose deaths were the direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty. Under the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act, which was signed into law on December 15, 2003, public safety officer deaths from heart attack or stroke can also be covered.
The checklist addresses common mistakes that agencies make when submitting applications. Whether or not the claims are Hometown Heroes, submitting incomplete or incorrect information can lead to delays in processing applications. BJA requests an extensive amount of information from agencies in order to verify that the public safety officer in question qualifies for PSOB. Whenever requested information does not exist or is unavailable for whatever reason, the agency should make a note of it in the application. Otherwise, BJA will assume that the lack of information was an omission and go back to the agency to request it.
Under Hometown Heroes, a public safety officer that dies from heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of participating in "nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical" activity while on-duty qualifies for PSOB. BJA depends heavily on information gathered from the submitting agency to determine whether or not the physical activity was nonroutine stressful or strenuous. Agencies should not assume that an activity will be considered nonroutine stressful or strenuous and should be as detailed as possible in describing the incident to ensure that BJA understands why the incident constituted nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical activity.
For Hometown Heroes cases, BJA requests information regarding the activities of the public safety officer for the entire 24 hour period prior to the heart attack or stroke. This does not mean that the agency must note every action of the officer during that time period. The agency should report what they know of the officer's activities. Even if the heart attack or stroke occurred while the officer was engaged in nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical activity, BJA requests that the agency account for the officer's activities over the previous 24 hours.
BJA requests records from the previous 10 years of an officer's medical history. This is not a requirement. An agency should supply whatever medical records they are able to collect and indicate on the application if additional records are not available.
Agencies and survivors should not hesitate to contact BJA directly if they have any questions. It is also a good idea to follow up with BJA after submitting information to make sure that it was received. The BJA Benefits Office can be reached at:
Benefits Office
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 Seventh Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
202-307-0635
Toll free: 1-888-SIGNL13 (744-6513)
Fax: 202-616-0314
E-mail: AskPSOB@usdoj.gov
Applicants are also welcome to contact the NVFC if they have any questions about PSOB or Hometown Heroes. The NVFC is happy to assist applicants in any way that we can. Contact:
Dave Finger
Director of Government Relations
National Volunteer Fire Council
1050 17th St. NW, Suite 490
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 887-5700, ext. 12
Fax: (202) 887-5291
E-mail: dfinger@nvfc.org
NVFC Urges Appropriations Committee to Preserve Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
On April 24, the NVFC sent a letter to members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security requesting that they not alter the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program to distribute funding using a risk-based formula. NVFC Executive Committee member and Cherryville, NC, Fire Chief Jeff Cash testified before the Subcommittee in March when the issue was raised, and Cash followed up with the letter to address the issue in greater detail.
"The AFG program was created prior to September 11, 2001, and was originally administered by the United States Fire Administration (USFA)," Cash wrote. "The focus of the program from the start has been to bring all fire departments up to a baseline level of readiness. Grants are awarded based on need, as demonstrated by applicants and assessed by panels of fire service professionals that review the applications. This process ensures that the grants go where they are needed most and that the funding is distributed without political consideration."
For several years the administration has proposed converting AFG into a formula-based program, similar to the bulk of DHS' first responder grant programs that use factors like population size and density, risk of terrorist attack, and economic impact to distribute funding. These factors decidedly favor large urban and suburban areas. AFG has traditionally been distinct from the formula-based programs because it distributes funds based on need. Large departments have received hundreds of millions of dollars through AFG, but small, rural departments, where studies have found need to be the greatest, also have access to funds.
"The NVFC believes that the AFG is the premier federal grant program providing assistance to fire departments with the most need," Cash wrote. "I strongly urge members of this Committee to oppose converting the AFG into a program that distributes money based on risk."
Join NVFC and Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals (MSP) in "Sounding the Alarm for High Cholesterol"
Heart attack is the leading cause of on-duty death among firefighters. Moreover, nearly 100 million American adults have high total cholesterol - a risk factor for heart disease. With statistics like these, the NVFC and Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals (MSP) are "Sounding the Alarm for High Cholesterol" to alert firefighters to the risks of high cholesterol and its role in heart disease. This important new program is an extension of NVFC's Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, which aims to reduce the number of firefighter and EMS personnel deaths from heart attack.
Education is the first step toward living a heart-healthy lifestyle. NVFC and MSP are challenging firefighters and EMS personnel to learn more about high cholesterol and its role in heart disease. Log onto the program's new web site, www.cholesterolalarm.com, to take the Heart-Healthy Challenge - a fun, educational quiz for firefighters and EMS personnel - and access other resources including family history mapping and risk assessment tools. Be on the lookout for more information in your fire station about "Sounding the Alarm for High Cholesterol."
*Certain markets are eligible to compete in the Heart-Healthy Challenge Contest. If you are in one of these markets, you will be notified when registering for the quiz. Participants MUST accept the terms and conditions in order to be eligible for the $1,500 grand prize.
Have You Signed the National Seat Belt Pledge Yet?
Join the 30,000 firefighters who have already pledged their commitment to firefighter safety by signing the National Seat Belt Pledge. The pledge was created in memory of Christopher Brian Hunton, 27, who was responding to an alarm on April 23, 2005, when he fell out of his fire truck and later died of his injuries. He was not wearing his seat belt.
Tragedies like that of Firefighter Hunton are needless and preventable. By signing the National Seat Belt Pledge, you can help ensure that no more firefighters die from this senseless and avoidable cause. The pledge is simple yet could save countless lives: "I pledge to wear my seat belt whenever I am riding in a fire department vehicle. I further pledge to insure that all my brother and sister firefighters riding with me wear their seat belts. I am making this pledge willingly; to honor Brian Hunton my brother firefighter because wearing seat belts is the right thing to do."
The goal of the Seat Belt Pledge campaign is to reduce firefighter deaths due to not using seat belts by 100% in 2007. About 30,000 firefighters have taken the pledge so far. Fire departments that can achieve 100% of its member’s signatures on the pledge receive a national certificate recognizing their commitment to firefighter safety, and the name of the department and leadership is posted on the National Seat Belt Pledge campaign web site. So far 30 departments have reached this goal.
With all of the dangers that firefighters face on duty every day, firefighters owe it to themselves and their fellow responders to make sure that injury or death from not wearing a seat belt is not among these concerns. To sign the pledge, visit http://www.trainingdivision.com/SeatBeltPledge.asp.
Firefighter Biking Cross Country to Raise Money for Burn Survivors
Michael Manning, a firefighter with the Germantown (OH) Fire Department, is raising money for burn survivors by riding a bicycle from Boston, MA, to San Jose, CA - a distance of 3,100 miles. "Feel the Burn '07" will take place from May 8 to June 22, or whenever Manning reaches San Jose.
"As a first responder yourself or as someone familiar with fire service, you know that often after we respond we never quite know what happens during a person's recovery," Manning said in a letter to garner support. "For that reason, I am making this ride to help burn survivors recover, renew, and return to life."
Manning hopes to raise $100,000 to benefit the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering anyone affected by a burn injury through peer support, education, and advocacy. To contribute to Feel the Burn '07 or to track Manning's progress, visit http://www.feeltheburn2007.blogspot.com/ or www.phoenix-society.org.
Visit the NVFC and Fire Corps at Fire Expo 2007
Planning on going to Fire Expo on May 18-20 in Harrisburg, PA. Then stop by the NVFC booth (S 20-26) for free health screenings, cooking demonstrations, and to learn more about the NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program and Fire Corps.
This year, the NVFC and Fire Corps are teaming up to provide both booths in one location. Take advantage of free screenings for three key heart disease risk factors - blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose. Then stick around for cooking demonstrations to learn how you can make meals that are both good for your heart and taste great. In addition, learn how you can increase your department's capacity and form stronger connections with your community through Fire Corps.
For more information on the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, visit www.healthy-firefighter.org. To learn more about Fire Corps, visit www.firecorps.org.
Calendar of Events
State Benefits Summit
May 3-5
Reno, NV
Arson Awareness Week
May 6-12
PARADE Meeting
May 18
National Fire Academy
Emmitsburg, MD
Fire Expo 2007
May 18-20
Harrisburg, PA
National EMS Week
May 20-26
International Fire and EMS Safety Stand Down
June 17-23
NFPA World Safety Conference
June 3-7
Boston, MA
Fire, Burn & Life Safety Conference
IAFC Missouri Valley Section
June 19-22
Hutchinson, KS
Firehouse Expo
July 26-28
Baltimore, MD
Fire-Rescue International
August 23-25
Atlanta, GA
NVFC Fall Meeting
October 24-27
Providence, RI
Support Those Who Support the Voice of the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services The NVFC relies on the assistance of its corporate and association partners to be able to provide a voice for the volunteer fire and emergency services in Washington. We encourage you to look at a list of our Sustaining Members and support them with your business.
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