NVFC Receives Federal Grants to Support Recruitment and Retention, Behavioral Health, Hazmat Training
October 6, 2026
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce it has received three federal grants. FEMA has awarded the organization an FY 2025 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant totaling just under $2.3 million and an FY 2025 Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant for just under $500,000, while the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has awarded a Supplemental Public Safety Training (SPST) Grant for $305,000. These grants will be used to fund initiatives that support the volunteer fire and emergency services.
“We are grateful to FEMA and PHMSA for recognizing the critical needs of the volunteer fire service and awarding these grants to enable the NVFC to address these needs and provide meaningful support to departments and responders,” said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. “Thanks to these grants, we can further our initiatives in the areas of recruitment, retention, behavioral health, and hazmat incident preparedness. This work will have a direct impact on department success and responder wellbeing.”
This is the fourth SAFER grant the NVFC has received and will enable the NVFC to continue critical volunteer recruitment and retention initiatives for the next four years. Staffing is one of the most significant challenges facing the volunteer emergency services, and the SAFER grant program provides funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, frontline firefighters available in their communities.
With this SAFER grant, the NVFC will conduct a marketing campaign to recruit new fire service volunteers, provide training to fire departments on critical recruitment and retention topics, and expand the tools and resources available through the organization’s signature Make Me A Firefighter campaign. Launched in 2015, the Make Me A Firefighter campaign provides resources and tools to help departments recruit and retain volunteers as well as a public database to connect prospective volunteers with their local departments.
FP&S grants are intended to reduce injury and prevent death among high-risk populations. Through the new grant, the NVFC will continue its efforts to reduce firefighter deaths, injuries, and lost work hours stemming from behavioral health challenges. The NVFC’s Share the Load Program and Psychologically Healthy Fire Departments initiative provide support, resources, and training to departments and individuals. The grant will enable the NVFC to expand these programs and strengthen the resilience and wellbeing of responders.
PHMSA’s SPST grant facilitates training hazmat instructors so they can then train those who respond to hazmat incidents in their communities. Through this grant, the NVFC will continue and expand its Partners in Training (PIT) Crew program, which provides train-the-trainer courses to help first responders gain the knowledge and skills they need to train others in their community on hazmat safety and response. Thanks to previous SPST grants, the program currently has a catalog of 15 in-person courses and five online courses available.
About the National Volunteer Fire Council
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire and emergency medical services. The NVFC unites and supports volunteer and combination fire and EMS organizations through education, advocacy, leadership development, and collaboration. Guided by professionalism and innovation, we provide the tools and resources needed to protect communities, advance responder health and safety, and prepare leaders for the future. Learn more and join at www.nvfc.org.
