News
NVFC Issues Policy Statements, Updates Legislative Positions at Spring Meeting
The National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Board of Directors adopted policy statements on several issues and updated the Council’s position on several pieces of legislation at the annual Spring Board Meeting, held March 31-April 4 in Alexandria, VA.
The Board adopted a statement advocating the right of volunteer, career, and paid-on-call firefighters to serve multiple organizations or communities. Career firefighters that volunteer during off-duty hours may be harassed by their union, which prohibits such activity. The NVFC believes that placing restrictions on what career firefighters do during their off-duty time violates the Constitutional right to free association, not to mention threatening the safety of the communities who depend on the services provided by “two-hatters.” In addition to passage of the statement, the Board voted to develop web-based resources to assist firefighters that receive pressure from their union to quit volunteering.
The Board also voted to encourage increased participation in the Firefighter Property Program (FPP), which allows local fire departments to acquire excess Department of Defense (DoD) equipment and apparatus. In order to take advantage of FPP, local departments must have an agreement with their state forestry department, which must have an agreement with DoD. Currently, only 24 state forestry departments have such agreements with DoD. The NVFC urges its state association members to work with their state foresters to implement agreements that would allow local departments to benefit from FPP.
In addition, the NVFC Board adopted positions on various pieces of legislation, including:
- The Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (neutral)
- The Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act (neutral)
- The Supporting America’s Volunteer Emergency Services Act (support, moved from Legislative Priorities to Monitored Items)
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Kimberly Ettinger
Director of Communications
202-887-5700 ext. 19
David Finger
Director of Government Relations
202-887-5700 ext. 12