GM Awards Grant to NVFC to Focus on First Responder Roadway Safety

October 19, 2021

General Motors (GM) awarded the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) a $125,000 grant to provide training to the fire service on electric vehicle response and roadway incident safety as well as outreach to the public on slow down, move over messaging. Elements of the projects will be in partnership with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association (CVVFA).

Through the grant, the NVFC will work to positively impact vehicle and road safety for volunteer first responders as well as road users who need emergency services. The project will include three primary components:

• Partnering with the NFPA to train responders on electric vehicle incident response
• Partnering with the CVVFA’s Emergency Responder Safety Institute and the Federal Highway Administration to encourage emergency responders to take traffic incident management training
• Implement a slow down, move over public awareness campaign

“We appreciate the support of General Motors to help us increase the safety of our responders on the roadways,” said NVFC chair Steve Hirsch. “Each year, hundreds of firefighters and EMS providers are killed or injured responding to or returning from an incident, or while at the scene of a vehicle crash. This grant will enable us to educate firefighters and the public to make the roadways safer for all.”