Why Political Action is Important

Political action is the act of conducting and participating in the governmental process. The political action of Volunteers and chief fire officers is an important component of NVFC's legislative agenda. Without elected officials who are supportive of fire and emergency service issues, legislative victories will be much harder to obtain.

This section briefly covers some activities volunteers can easily undertake to become politically involved in their community and state. Political action can make the difference between getting support for fire service issues or getting opposition.

Getting Involved in Politics
Due to the escalating costs of campaigns today, politicians are relying on volunteers, rather than paid staff, to assist in putting together campaigns. To survive under these circumstances, campaigns have begun to recruit local citizens from within the candidate's community. These campaigns have also been turning to civic organizations, issue-oriented groups, students, senior citizen's and others. These groups have responded and eagerly assisted, knowing that if "their" candidate wins, they will have someone in office supportive of their issues.

Some Volunteers already have some campaigning experience and in fact, have been candidates themselves for elected office. The NVFC enthusiastically encourages every volunteer to participate in the political process. Fire service participation in the political process will only enhance the clout of the fire and emergency services in the Halls of Congress.

Outlined below are just a few examples of how volunteers can get involved in the political process. For additional ideas and suggestions, please contact the NVFC National Office.

If you're not registered to vote, register NOW! Click here to find a link to the office in your state that you need to contact in order to register to vote.
Contact your local Democratic or Republican party office and offer to assist.
Become active in a candidate's campaign. Contact the campaign and offer your time. Previous campaign experience or useful skills (secretarial, computer, driver, etc.), are in great need. This will make it easier for them to assign tasks. This is a great way to get to know a candidate and begin educating them of fire service issues. It is also a good way to find out if a candidate would support or oppose issues that concern you on both a personal and professional level.
Run for public office, such as the school board, city council, state representative or Congress. Many Volunteers have been known to move on to other career paths beyond the fire service. The NVFC has already identified several congressional members who served as fire officials.
Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper supporting a candidate and stating the reasons why. This alone could generate additional support for the candidate. Make sure editorials are clear and to the point.

For the NVFC to continue its efforts in working with elected officials and promoting the issues and concerns of the fire and emergency services, it is essential for all volunteers to get politically active. This enables the NVFC to better attract the attention of elected officials when it comes to fire service legislative issues. Remember, every individual contribution strengthens the voice of the NVFC when dealing with Congress.

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Why Political Action is Important

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