Washington Ambulance is offering an Initial EMT Course, Tuesday / Thursday evenings, and Saturdays, July 30 – Nov. 7, 2024.

Contact Washington Ambulance: info@washingtonambulance.org, (860) 868-7913.

Click here to download the Flyer for more information.

Volunteer first responders lead busy lives, which can make it difficult to pursue personal goals such as higher education. However, with online education becoming more readily available, emergency services personnel are finding it easier to achieve their learning goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

To help more responders further their education with the benefits of online learning, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and Columbia Southern University (CSU) have partnered for the 16th year to provide scholarships to two NVFC members. Each recipient will be awarded a scholarship that will cover up to 60 credit hours towards any one CSU degree program of their choice.

Scholarship recipients will be able to select from CSU’s wide range of degree programs, including fire science, fire administration, emergency medical services, emergency management, occupational safety and health, organizational leadership, and many more. Scholarship recipients may pursue an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree. CSU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

To be eligible, applicants must be a member of the NVFC and be an active volunteer responder. View full criteria here. If you are not an NVFC member, join for just $21 here.

The deadline to apply is August 18. An NVFC scholarship committee will select the winners, and recipients will be announced in October 2024.

https://www.columbiasouthern.edu/tuition-financing/scholarships/safety-and-emergency-services/national-volunteer-fire-council-scholarships

Proposed Legislation: Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788)

Status: In committee. (Note: The reason we need to spread the word and make calls is because we don’t want the bill to die in committee – we want it to get to the House and Senate floors for a vote!)

Purpose: To establish a fund (like the 9/11 Fund) for firefighters who have 2 years in the fire service and have been diagnosed with (or have died from) diseases associated with PFAS. This fund would allow them to recover compensation if their claim is approved with awards beginning at $250,000 for cancer ($50,000 for other non-cancerous diseases) and increasing awards with years of service. For example, a firefighter with 10 or more years in the fire service who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer could potentially recover up to $1 million.

Reminder: Every firefighter is exposed to PFAS so when you’re encouraging your fellow firefighters to call their representatives – remind them that if they are ever diagnosed with one of these diseases, they will be able to apply for compensation. This is insurance for the future and their families. It is also a lot easier, less expensive and quicker than litigation.

Diseases Covered: As currently written, the fund would cover cancers of the kidney, testicle, liver, prostate, bladder, pancreas, breast, colon, and ovary; thyroid diseases; ulcerative colitis; AND any other illness or health condition, as the Secretary of Health & Human Services determines appropriate. This legislation allows for flexibility and would likely cover additional cancers not listed above.

Timing: Now! It’s an election year and we only have about 6 months left for Congress to pass legislation before the election so this is the time to make our calls and get this passed.

☎️ Action Items:

1. Call or email your US Senators and Reps today and respectfully urge them to pass this bill in 2024. This only takes 2 mins at most.

You can find the contact info for your 1 House of Representative here and your 2 US Senators here;

Call both their state office AND their Washington DC office. Also, good to email them as well.

For what to say, see script below in yellow.

5. Spread the word with the email and social media templates below – you can copy and paste the info in a new email, text or on social media. 

📧 ☎️Script to call or email your US Senators and Representative: 

If you are a firefighter: Hi – I’m a constituent from [zip code]. My name is ____________ and I am calling to strongly urge Senator/Representative _________ to pass the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788) in this election year. This would mean a lot to me and my family as I have been diagnosed with cancer or [other disease]. OR [ I have a lot of firefighter friends who have been diagnosed with cancer].

If you are a friend or family member of a firefighter: Hi – I’m a constituent from [zip code]. My name is ____________ and I am calling to strongly urge Senator/Representative _________ to pass the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788) in this election year. This would mean a lot to me and my family/community as my firefighter (mom/dad/sister/brother etc) has been diagnosed with cancer [or I know a lot of firefighter friends who have been diagnosed with cancer].

If you just want to support firefighters: Hi – I’m a constituent from [zip code]. My name is ____________ and I am calling to strongly urge Senator/Representative _________ to pass the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788) in this election year. Firefighters are there for all of us in our worst moments as first responders and we should be there for them. Far too many firefighters get cancer and this is one way to support them and their families like they support us and our communities.

CLICK THE LINK : Letter of Support for Firefigher PFAS Injury Compenstion Act



📬 Email For Fellow FFs, Family and Friends:

Re: Firefighter PFAS Legislation – Call your Senators and Reps!

I’m reaching out because I want to ask you a favor that only takes 2 minutes and would be helping firefighters who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families all over the country. 

⛔️ Did you know that the leading cause of death of firefighters on the job is not smoke or accidents – it’s cancer? One of the biggest reasons is because firefighters are exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals found in turnout gear and firefighting foam. Recently, the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788) was introduced in Congress to help firefighters and their families. If it passed, it would establish a fund to compensate firefighters who have been diagnosed with (or have died from) diseases associated with PFAS exposure. The minimum award for a cancer diagnosis if passed is $250K and could go up to $1MILLION.

☎️ My ask: Please spread the word and have everyone you know email or call their 2 US Senators and 1 US Representative and urge them to pass the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act now!  The more people that call, the more likely it is to pass. All you have to say is: “I’m writing/calling to urge Rep./Senator to pass the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788).” 

It would make a huge difference to me and other firefighters and their families who have been hit by cancer simply because they were serving their community.

Find you senators’ contact info here: 

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Find your representative’s contact info here: 

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

NY Post: 

https://nypost.com/2024/03/21/us-news/sen-booker-rep-soto-float-bill-to-compensate-firefighters-exposed-to-toxic-chemicals/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=mail_app

Full text of bill:

https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/PFAS%20Firefighters%20Bill.pdf

🛜 Facebook/Social Media Post:

‼️FIREFIGHTER PFAS INJURY COMPENSATION ACT – HELP FIREFIGHTERS – CALL YOUR SENATOR/REPS TODAY‼️

🚒 If you’ve ever had to call the fire department for a fire or medical emergency, you know how great firefighters are and how much they care about the communities they serve.

⛔️ However, did you also know that the leading cause of death of firefighters on the job is not smoke or accidents – it’s cancer? One of the biggest reasons is because firefighters are exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals found in turnout gear and firefighting foam. It’s terrible, but here’s one way we can help them and it only takes 2 minutes. 

☎️ Please call or email (or both) your 2 US Senators and 1 US Representative to ask them to pass the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788) (all the links you need are below). The more people that call, the more likely it is to pass! All you have to say is: “I’m writing/calling to urge Rep./Senator to pass the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788).” That’s it and you will have made a huge difference!

🧯If the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act (S.4013/ H.R.7788) passed, it would establish a fund to compensate firefighters who have been diagnosed with (or have died from) diseases associated with PFAS exposure. 

Find you senators’ contact info here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Find your representative’s contact info here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

NY Post: https://nypost.com/2024/03/21/us-news/sen-booker-rep-soto-float-bill-to-compensate-firefighters-exposed-to-toxic-chemicals/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=mail_app

Full text of bill: https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/PFAS%20Firefighters%20Bill.pdf

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had safe and uneventful travel home from the Spring Meeting

I wanted to update you all on some big news regarding AFG and SAFER. Next week the House of Representatives will vote on the S. 870, Fire Grants and Safety Act. This Amended version of S. 870 will reauthorize AFG, SAFER and USFA trough the end of FY 2028.

It is important that your representative hear from you to be reminded that we strongly support this bill. I have set up a VoterVoice Campaign that can be found here, for you all to reach out to your Representatives. Please share it with as many people as you can. I also have a Legislative Action Alert going out at 10am urging our members to contact Congress.

You may remember that S.870 passed the Senate by 95-2 in April 2023. Because this is an amended version of the bill, it will have to go back to the Senate again before it’s sent to the President’s desk. We have been working with Senate leadership and we are optimistic that we can get the Senate to pass the amended version of S. 870 fairly soon. The Amended version of S. 870 replaces the original text with the text of the House AFG, SAFER and USFA reauth bill (H.R. 4090) and combines it with a bipartisan nuclear licensing bill. Text is attached if you’d like to review the amended bill.

Also, other good news on the AFG and SAFER front, we got 123 Representatives to cosign a letter supporting our FY 25 funding request of $405 million for each program.

Thank you,

Ryan

Ryan Woodward
Chief of Legislative & Regulatory Affairs
National Volunteer Fire Council
712 H Street, NE, Ste. 1478
Washington, DC 20002
P: 202.887.5700
E: Ryan@nvfc.org

www.nvfc.org

Click here to download the text of the bill.