Greenbelt, MD -- Volunteer firefighters whose homes and property were devastated by Super Storm Sandy are still struggling to get back on their feet. You can help these first responders in need by making a contribution to the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund. Donations are urgently needed as the fund is depleted and requests for assistance continue to come in.
The Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund provides stipends of $250 to help volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel meet expenses in the wake of a state- or federally-declared disaster. Volunteers must have suffered an uninsurable loss in excess of $5,000 and be from an NVFC member state as an individual or department member of the state association.
In the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, hundreds of requests for help poured into the NVFC, and the Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund has been able to provide close to $100,000 in assistance. The support meant a lot to the volunteers as they started to rebuild their lives. “A big thank you to NVFC for the check to help me in my recovery from Sandy,” said one recipient. “I truly appreciate the support as the entire first floor of my home was damaged.”
The ability to fill the huge number of requests was thanks in large part to donations from individuals as well as supporters including the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, Scott Safety, and California Casualty. However, the amount of requests following Sandy has depleted the fund. Make a donation to the Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund to ensure that future requests for assistance, either from Sandy or other large-scale disasters, are able to be filled so volunteers can get the help they desperately need.
All contributions made to the Volunteer Firefighters Support Fund go to providing assistance to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders impacted by disasters. The NVFC donates all administrative costs associated with the fund.
Click here to make a donation, or learn more about the fund here.