NVFC Tells Congress and the President to Prioritize Volunteer Emergency Responders for COVID-19 Aid; Launches Survey to Collect Info on COVID-19-Related Challenges

March 20, 2020

The NVFC has asked the House of Representatives, Senate, and President Trump to make addressing the needs of volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services a priority as they develop legislation and policies to help the nation deal with the outbreak of COVID-19.

Specifically, the NVFC is asking Congress and the President to:

• Take such measures as may be necessary to significantly increase the production and distribution of PPE, including N95/100 masks, gloves, gowns, and face shields to health care service providers and emergency responders alike.
• Increase access to testing and reduce wait times for results for emergency responders so that they can be released from or entered into quarantine, as appropriate, based on scientific evidence in as short a timeframe as possible.
• Ensure that volunteer emergency responders and their families have access to testing and treatment, as necessary, for COVID-19 even if they do not have health insurance.
• Ensure that volunteer emergency responders do not experience a loss of income or employment due to responding and/or having to enter quarantine because of a service-related exposure.

You can use the NVFC’s Legislative Action Center to contact your U.S. Representative, Senators, and the President to tell them to make volunteer emergency responders a priority for assistance related to COVID-19.

The NVFC has also created a survey for volunteer and combination fire, EMS, and rescue agencies to report on the challenges they are facing related to COVID-19. The information gathered through the survey will be used to help inform discussions with policymakers going forward. Take the survey here.

As we continue through this period of uncertainty, NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch released a message of encouragement to the nation’s fire, EMS, and rescue personnel. Read the message here.