National Volunteer Week: Thank You Fire and Emergency Service Volunteers!

April 23, 2024

It’s National Volunteer Week, and the NVFC extends our thanks to all of the volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, rescue workers, and support personnel who make our communities better every day. This is a great week to recognize the work of the volunteers in your department as well as plan initiatives for supporting your membership and recruiting more volunteers. Here are some resources to help.

National Volunteer Week – 10 Ways to Recognize & Retain Your Volunteers – Watch this recorded NVFC Roundtable Talk to get ideas for recognizing your department’s volunteers and enhance volunteer retention during National Volunteer Week and beyond.

Make Me A Firefighter Department Portal – Register for free to access this portal to help with volunteer recruitment. Post your department’s volunteer opportunities, create customized outreach materials, access ready-to-use PSAs, plan your next recruitment event, and more.

NVFC Membership – For just $21 per year, NVFC members get a plethora of benefits, including an AD&D policy, access to the First Responder Helpline, all training free in the Virtual Classroom, the Volunteer Voices members forum, and much more. Departments can show their appreciation for their members by purchasing memberships for their personnel so they have access to all of the benefits.

Recognition Ideas – This list of recognition ideas from the Fire Corps program can help you thank your operational and non-operational volunteers.

Psychologically Healthy Fire Departments – This toolkit and training will guide you through ways to better support your personnel and create a healthy, successful workforce. You can also pledge your commitment to have your department added to the national webpage.

President’s Volunteer Service Award – This national award provides an opportunity to honor your outstanding volunteers and recognize the impact they make.