E-Update Archive
November 20, 2007
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 | | November 20, 2007 | |
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In this issue:
Special Member Update: House Passes Tax Relief For Volunteer Firefighters and EMS Personnel On November 6, the United States House of Representatives passed the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax (HEART) Act, which excludes from taxable income all property tax benefits and up to $360 per year of any other benefit paid to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel by state and local units of government. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, passage of the HEART Act (H.R. 3997) will result in $994 million in tax savings for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel over the next 10 years. Read full article. NVFC Fall Board Meeting Features Prominent Speakers, Sees Reordering of Legislative Priorities The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) held its annual Fall Board Meeting from October 24-27 in Warwick, RI. Representatives from 43 state fire associations, corporate members, and special guests attended the meeting. The Board addressed a range of issues including legislative priorities, international relations, and NVFC activities. The Council also heard from prominent speakers, including representatives from several presidential campaigns, and presented its annual NVFC Lifetime Achievement Award. At the Chairman’s Luncheon on October 26, guests were welcomed by Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian and Chief Stuart Pearson, President of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs. Pearson spoke about the successful campaign in the Rhode Island state legislature to pass a law requiring installation of fire sprinklers in buildings. Other topics addressed during the meeting included a progress report on the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefits Act implementation and the NVFC’s expanding efforts in the international arena. During the meeting, the Board voted to reorder the NVFC's legislative priorities and make the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program part of the top priority, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. Previously, the SAFER Program had been on the NVFC’s list of monitored items. The reordered priorities are:
A full description of these priorities as well as the NVFC’s list of monitored items are available on the NVFC’s web site at www.nvfc.org. Several prominent guests addressed the Board during the Fall Meeting, including Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri; Fred Brower, Manager, Community Infrastructure Information, ISO; Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) representing Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and former New York City Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen representing Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign. Bill Webb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), spoke about CFSI’s role in educating Congress on issues of concern to the fire service. Judith Woodhall, Executive Director of COMCARE, spoke about a Vehicle Rescue Portal project created by her organization. The Portal is intended to serve as a comprehensive resource to aid in the effective response to and recovery of vehicular emergencies by providing emergency responders with low-cost access to interactive vehicle schematics and information useful in emergency response and extrication. COMCARE has asked the NVFC to Chair a Vehicle Rescue Advisory Board composed of various stakeholder organizations. The NVFC presented its annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Robert T. Bettenhausen during an Awards Banquet on October 26. This prestigious national award, sponsored by Scott Health and Safety, is given annually to recognize a volunteer firefighter whose remarkable achievements in the fire service and community exemplifies outstanding performance. Learn more about the Award and this year’s winner at http://nvfc.org/page/634/Awards.htm. The NVFC Board of Directors is comprised of one Director and one Alternate from 49 state fire associations. The Board meets as a whole twice a year. The 2008 Spring Board Meeting will take place April 2-6 in Washington, DC. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site at www.nvfc.org for more information. The NVFC gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors of the 2007 Fall Meeting: Amica NVFC Director Receives John M. Buckman III Award The International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) honored Jeffery C. Cash with the first John M. Buckman III Award for his leadership within the volunteer and combination fire service. Cash is the Fire Chief of the Cherryville (NC) Fire Department and serves as the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Director from North Carolina. The Award is sponsored by Provident Insurance and was presented during the VCOS Symposium in the Sun conference on November 4. Now in its inaugural year, the John M. Buckman III Award will annually recognize a volunteer or combination department Chief Officer who stands out on the local and/or regional level as a true professional and has demonstrated leadership, integrity, and outstanding moral values within the fire service. Chief Buckman, the Award’s namesake, is a past president of the IAFC, a founder of VCOS, and the current chief of the German Township Volunteer Fire Department in Evansville, IN. “Chief Cash is very deserving of this Award, and the NVFC is proud to see he is the first recipient,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “Chief Cash is a dedicated leader in his department, his community, his state, and on a national level. He exemplifies the leadership, integrity, and values that this Award represents.” The Cherryville Fire Department is a combination department that serves a community of 5,600 people and 4.2 square miles, with an average call volume per year of 1,000. Chief Cash is committed to the department’s vision of “Safeguarding our Community through Exceptional Service.” In addition to being a respected leader in his community, Cash is an active member of the North Carolina State Fireman’s Association, has served on the Board of Directors of the NVFC for over 10 years, and is a member of the NVFC’s Executive Committee. His leadership, dedication, ethics, and hard work have earned Cash much recognition, including the Cherryville Firefighter of the Year, Western North Carolina Fire Officer of the Year, North Carolina State Firemen’s Association Firefighter of the Year, and the Gaston County Heroism Award. New Documents Regarding Pandemic Flu Guidelines and Protocol Now Available The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) has released two new documents to assist emergency response organizations and first responders in preparing for a pandemic influenza outbreak. EMS Pandemic Influenza Guidelines for Statewide Adoption and Preparing for Pandemic Influenza: Recommendations for Protocol Development for 9-1-1 Personnel and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) are both available on the NHTSA web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov. The challenges of a pandemic versus an epidemic are expected to have a significant impact on all first responders, communities, and families. An epidemic is a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and extensively among many individuals in an area. A pandemic is an epidemic over an especially wide geographic area and comes from the Latin word, "pandemies" meaning "of all the people." EMS Pandemic Influenza Guidelines for Statewide Adoption and Preparing for Pandemic Influenza: Recommendations for Protocol Development for 9-1-1 Personnel and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) address such key challenges as determining authority in a pandemic, educating the public prior to an emergency, and ensuring that emergency services personnel are properly trained in advance of a crisis situation. For more information regarding federal planning and response activities regarding pandemic influenza, visit www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/federal. Registration Open for National Fire Academy Training Opportunities Registration for the second semester of the 2007-2008 National Fire Academy (NFA) courses is now open. The semester runs from April 1-September 30, 2008. Applications must be postmarked by December 31. Find courses and access registration forms. Calendar of Events Below is a list of events that the NVFC will be attending, as well as nationally recognized dates which the NVFC would like to acknowledge. Annual Apparatus Specification and Vehicle Maintenance Symposium NVFC Spring Meeting CFSI Dinner FDIC Firehouse Expo Fire-Rescue International 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 Corporate Members and support them with your business. Join the NVFC and support the voice of the volunteer. Find out more and join online at www.nvfc.org. To be removed from the NVFC E-Update list click here. | | |
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