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CONGRESS TO CUTAFG AND SAFER GRANTS? YOUR ACTION NEEDED!

The International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the Congressional Fire Services Institute, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and the National Fire Protection Association all joined together in a unified voice to express outrage at recently proposed cuts to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing forAdequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs. Our organizations call upon Congress to restore funding to these programs. Your support in amplifying our message would be invaluable

Here is a link to their full statement: https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/ 1gr/fire-groups-statement-on-afg-and-safergrant-cuts.pdf

ODD HOURS, NO PAY, COOLHAT

The National Volunteer Fire Council is proud to work in collaboration with John

Deere, Hold Fast Features, and Vignette on the volunteer fire service documentary Odd Hours, No Pay, Cool Hat The film (https://oddhoursfilm.com/watch) is now available nationwide and can be rented or purchased via iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

This film aims to expand the visibility of volunteer firefighting and increase recruitment across the country. The trailer can be seen at https://vimeo.com/812127020/ead44de435.

Volunteer First Responder Housingact

Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY02) introduced the VolunteerFirst Responder Housing Act, legislation to expand eligibility for qualified volunteer emergency responders to participate in certain federal housing assistance programs.

Specifically, this bill would expand eligibility for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program. The Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program assists approved lenders in providing loans to low and moderate income households to build, rehabilitate or improve a home in eligible rural areas. The income limit for the program is no more than 115 percent of the median household income. The Volunteer First Responder Housing Act would allow volunteers to participate in the loan program even if their income exceeds the maximum allowable income level by up to $18,000. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program is an existing program that gives law enforcement officers, teachers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians a 50 percent discount from the list price of a home located in a revitalization area. The full text of the bill can be found at https://t.ly/E8EBQ.