Recently a bill was presented in both the US house and Senate entitled the SERVE act. SERVE stands for the Supporting Emergency Responders Volunteer Efforts Act of 2005. The bottom line is that the act is designed “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a $1,000 refundable credit for individuals who are bona fide volunteer members of volunteer firefighting and emergency medical service organizations.” This is an Act all Volunteers should be behind.
There have been a few attempts at a national effort to support volunteers, but to date the only thing we have gained is participation in the public safety officer’s benefit and the AGFP grants. The reason why we don’t have more support is the lack of unity and push from the community. It is time.
The entire text of the bill is available at http://www.theorator.com/bills109/s625.html What this all means is if you are a volunteer in a Fire or EMS you would get a $1000 tax credit. Whoever put the bill together took a good look at the current state of the Volunteer market and allows for departments that are already doing paid per call programs or other reimbursement programs.
There are currently bills in both houses, Senate bill S.625 and House bill H.R. 934. The National Volunteer Fire Council is covering the bill and does great work for all volunteers. ( http://www.nvfc.org/news/2005-tax-credit-leg.html ) The problem is, it will take an effort from all of us to get this bill passed.
The bills are currently in committee, and will stay there indefinitely unless there is support across the board. Everyone hears about lobbyists and their influence on public policy, but the truth is that motivated group of citizens can have just as much influence if not more.
There are 750,000 volunteer firefighters throughout the U.S. Volunteers save the country billions every year and provide a vital service. We all have a vested interest in seeing volunteers grow and expand. Those of us who are volunteers have a vested interest. The key is to put our numbers to use.
So what does that mean? That means that every member of every department needs to contact their Senators and Representatives to support the bills. This means writing letters, setting meetings and showing them that not only do we need this bill but so do they. Volunteer firefighters represent a significant voting block and this needs to be shown. The facts may sway votes, but they might not sway them as much as votes can.
Some groups provide template letters, but your words are more important. What I would suggest is writing a letter about the current status of your department. Include a patch from your department and an open invitation to talk to your monthly meeting. It really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you make an attempt. If we all work together, we may end up with a national effort to support volunteers.