In this issue:
- National Junior Firefighter Program Offers $100,000 in Scholarships and Grants: Application Now Available
- DHS Offers Assistance to Firefighters Grant Workshops
- New NVFC Membership Opportunity
- Recognize Your Volunteers During National Volunteer Week: April 27 - May 3
- FM Global Now Accepting Applications for 2008 Fire Prevention Grants
- National Fire Academy Training Opportunities
- Calendar of Events
- Support Those Who Support the Voice of the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services
National Junior Firefighter Program Offers $100,000 in Scholarships and Grants: Application Now Available
The National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) National Junior Firefighter Program is offering $100,000 in scholarships to outstanding junior firefighters and grants to their departments. The criteria and application are now available on the NVFC web site at www.nvfc.org/juniors. Applications must be received by May 15, 2008.
Sponsored by the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation, the National Junior Firefighter Scholarship and Grant Program will award ten $5,000 scholarships to junior firefighters who demonstrate commitment and dedication to their local program and the fire service. The departments of each scholarship winner will also receive a grant of $5,000. Learn more at www.nvfc.org/juniors.
The NVFC launched the National Junior Firefighter Program in 2007 to provide an umbrella for the thousands of local junior firefighter programs nationwide. Fire, rescue, and EMS organizations can use the National Junior Firefighter Program to start, expand, or encourage participation in their local program. Youth participants can use the National Junior Firefighter Program to find a local program as well as log in their hours of service to receive national recognition and rewards. The program is supported by the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation and Spartan Motors, Inc.
Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation brings together a wide network of stakeholders, including Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisees, crew members, and employees, to support the service and leadership of emergency response organizations – especially in times of crisis. The Foundation supports emergency responders by providing financial assistance, building capacity, developing partnerships, encouraging volunteerism, and honoring local heroes. Learn more at www.dunkinbrands.com/foundation.
Spartan Motors, Inc. designs, engineers, and manufactures custom chassis and vehicles for the recreational vehicle, fire truck, ambulance, emergency-rescue and specialty vehicle markets. The Company's brand names – Spartan™, Crimson Fire™, Crimson Fire Aerials™, and Road Rescue™ – are known for quality, value, service, and being the first to market with innovative products. For more information, visit www.spartanmotors.com.
Learn more about the National Junior Firefighter Program and the Scholarship and Grant Program at www.nvfc.org/juniors.
DHS Offers Assistance to Firefighters Grant Workshops
NVFC Collecting Successful Grant Narratives to be Posted Online
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is conducting a schedule of workshops around the country from now through the middle of March to assist fire and EMS departments in applying for funding through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (also known as FIRE Grants). FIRE Grants provide direct assistance to agencies to purchase equipment, apparatus, and training.
“Information will be presented on program changes, program priorities, eligibility requirements, and on the application process,” according to a message posted at www.firegrantsupport.com. “Also, general assistance in the writing of a competitive narrative for a department’s grant application will be discussed.”
For the second consecutive year, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is collecting successful grant narratives from past years and will post them in its AFG and SAFER Grant Narrative Resource Center as a guide for fire and EMS departments applying for FIRE Grants. In addition to the model narratives, the NVFC has posted a grant-writing guide created by DHS.
Applicants should use the posted narratives as a reference only and not plagiarize from them. DHS uses software to detect language recurring in multiple grant applications. Submitting an application that includes false information is a crime punishable by law.
FIRE Grant criteria is reviewed and updated every year based on recommendations from the fire service community. Applicants should review the grant criteria for FY 2008 once it becomes available in order to ensure that their narrative reflects current program priorities. The updated grant criteria will be made available when the application period opens in early March.
The NVFC is asking departments that have received FIRE Grants in the past to submit the narratives from successful applications to be included in the Resource Center. Narratives can be sent to:
National Volunteer Fire Council
c/o Dave Finger, Director of Government Relations
7852 Walker Dr., Suite 450
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Fax: (202) 887-5291 (Attn. Dave Finger)
E-mail: dfinger@nvfc.org
New NVFC Membership Opportunity
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is offering a new membership option in 2008. If every member of your department joins the NVFC, the cost for each member is only $10 and the department membership fee will be waived. Each department member will receive all of the NVFC’s extraordinary benefits, including a $10,000 AD&D life insurance policy through VFIS, subscription to the NVFC’s printed and electronic newsletters, access to the members-only section of the web site, discounts on NVFC publications, and much more. Contact the NVFC at nvfcoffice@nvfc.org to learn more about this new offer.
Recognize Your Volunteers During National Volunteer Week: April 27 - March 3
National Volunteer Week starts April 27, providing an excellent opportunity to recognize the work of millions of volunteers nationwide and promote the spirit of volunteerism among the general public. Use this time to recognize your volunteer firefighters, EMS personnel, and Fire Corps members and let them know how valuable they are to your organization. It is also a great time to reach out into the community to recruit new volunteer first responders as well as Fire Corps members, who offer non-emergency support to the department.
National Volunteer Week was created in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order to establish the week as an annual celebration of volunteering. Every year since, each U.S. President, along with many governors, mayors, and other elected officials, has signed a proclamation promoting National Volunteer Week. The Points of Light & Hands On Network offers a National Volunteer Week Toolkit with planning materials, sample media releases, and more, available online at www.pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nvw/tools.cfm.
Recognize the hard work and commitment of your volunteers by nominating them for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Both the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Fire Corps are Certifying Organizations for this national honor. To nominate a volunteer, email the NVFC at nvfcoffice@nvfc.org or Fire Corps at info@firecorps.org and include the nominee’s contact information, a detailed description of his or her service, and the number of hours volunteered. Learn more about the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
FM Global Now Accepting Applications for 2008 Fire Prevention Grants
$245,000 in Awards Made in 2007
Commercial property insurer FM Global is accepting applications for 2008 Fire Prevention Grants. Through its Fire Prevention Grant Program, FM Global awards grants that can have the most demonstrable impact on preventing fire, or mitigating the damage it can quickly cause.
FM Global awarded $245,000 in Fire Prevention Grants in 2007. These grants helped nearly 100 national, state, regional, local, and community organizations more effectively prevent fire – the leading cause of property destruction. The company has provided millions of dollars to fire service organizations and related agencies during the past three decades, which have helped bolster loss prevention initiatives such as community education, prefire planning, and arson prevention, to name a few.
“At FM Global, we believe the majority of property damage is preventable, not inevitable,” said Michael Spaziani, manager of the fire prevention grant program. “Far too often, inadequate budgets prevent those organizations working to prevent fire from being as proactive as they would like to be. With additional financial support, grant recipients are actively helping to improve the overall risk profile of the communities they serve.”
To learn more about FM Global’s Fire Prevention Grant Program, or to apply for a grant, visit www.fmglobal.com/grants.
FM Global’s clients include one out of every three FORTUNE 1000 companies and similar-sized organizations in more than 130 countries. For nearly 175 years, clients have worked with FM Global to develop robust property insurance and engineering solutions to protect their business operations from fire, natural disasters, and other types of property risk. FM Global ranks 578 among FORTUNE magazine’s largest companies in America and was named “Best Global Property Insurer” and “Best Property Insurer – North America” by Global Finance magazine. The company also is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best and ‘AA’ (Very Strong) by Fitch Ratings.
National Fire Academy Training Opportunities
The National Fire Academy (NFA) has vacancies in some of its second semester courses at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD. All vacancies are filled on a first come, first served basis and students must meet the Student Selection Criteria for the course. Learn more at www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa or contact the Admissions Office via email netc-admissions@dhs.gov or by phone at 301-447-1035.
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.
NVFC Spring Meeting
April 2-6
Washington, DC
CFSI Dinner
April 3, 2008
Washington, DC
FDIC
April 7-12, 2008
Indianapolis, IN
Fire Chief’s Station Style Conference
April 26-29, 2008
Phoenix, AZ
Fire Expo
Harrisburg, PA
May 16-18, 2008
Firehouse Expo
July 22-27, 2008
Baltimore, MD
Fire-Rescue International
August 14-16, 2008
Denver, CO
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.
