News

Demonstrate the Value of Your Department to the Community

Published Date: 11.10.2010

As the end of the year approaches, many fire and EMS departments are working to secure funding for their department for their 2011 needs. Whether your efforts include promoting your department to city government, the community, or even applying for grants, one important factor for gaining support is to demonstrate the value of your department. There are tools available to help your volunteer or combination department measure the contributions of your volunteers.

According to Independent Sector, the national estimated dollar value of volunteer time is $20.85 per hour. This means that, on average, for every hour each of your volunteers puts in, you are saving the community $20.85. A state-by-state breakdown of volunteer time value estimates is available at http://www.independentsector.org/volunteer_time. You can use this information to let your community know how much the time contributed by volunteer first responders is saving the taxpayers.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) also offers a cost savings calculator to help members determine the specific cost savings their volunteer fire and emergency service department provides to the local community. Simply enter factors such as population and area served, apparatus, and equivalent salary figures to determine how much your department saves your local community. In additional to the calculator, the NVFC provides a PowerPoint template to help departments present the information to the municipalities who fund the department. Learn more about the Cost Savings at www.nvfc.org/csc.

Use these tools to help make the case for increased community and governmental support of your department. In addition to demonstrating the importance of your volunteer department in terms of protecting your community and keeping your neighbors safe, putting a dollar amount to the department’s contribution may help community members and government officials loosen their purse strings a bit more to help the department thrive and continue to provide life-savings and cost-savings services to the community.

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