National Volunteer Fire Council

Supporting Those Who Serve

Washington, DC   |  www.nvfc.org

Mission

To provide a unified voice for volunteer Fire/EMS organizations.  This mission will be accomplished by: Representing the interests of the volunteer Fire/EMS organizations at the U.S. congress and federal agencies; Promoting the interests of the state and local organizations at the national level; Promoting and providing education and training for the volunteer Fire/EMS organizations; Providing representation on national standards setting committees and projects; Gathering information from and disseminating information to the volunteer Fire/EMS organizations

Ruling year info

1982

CEO

Ms. Heather Schafer

Main address

712 H Street, NE Suite 1478

Washington, DC 20002 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

39-1274172

NTEE code info

Other Public Safety, Disaster Preparedness, and Relief N.E.C. (M99)

Community, Neighborhood Development, Improvement (S20)

Voluntarism Promotion (T40)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The NVFC seeks to provide a unified voice for the volunteer fire and emergency services at the national level, provide support for volunteer fire and emergency service organizations, and communicate relevant and timely information necessary for volunteer fire/EMS organizations to operate effectively while keeping personnel and their communities safe.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Fire Corps

Fire Corps is a program that connects resource-constrained fire/EMS departments with community members to assist in non-emergency roles. This allows first responders to focus on training and operational duties while at the same time increasing the department's capacity and services

Population(s) Served
Adults
Ethnic and racial groups

The NVFC National Junior Firefighter Program serves as an umbrella for junior firefighter programs nationwide to promote youth participation within the fire and emergency services community. The program is a powerful recruitment tool for departments and provides youth with valuable life skills such as teamwork, leadership, responsibility, and commitment.

The National Junior Firefighter Program provides fire/EMS departments with the resources, tools, and information to help develop, grow, enhance, and promote a local junior firefighter program. Youth can use the program to locate a local junior firefighter program, keep track of their hours of service, and find other resources as a youth participant in the fire and emergency services.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Students

The NVFC launched the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program in 2003 to combat the alarming trend of heart attack being the leading cause of on-duty firefighter fatalities. This is done through education, awareness, and resources. The Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program promotes fitness, nutrition, and health awareness for all members of the fire and emergency services, both volunteer and career.

Population(s) Served
Emergency responders

Every day, volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel put their lives on the line to protect their communities, but what happens when the tragedy strikes home? Many first responders are impacted each year by disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, and others. These men and women dedicate themselves to serving their communities. When their homes and families are affected by tragedy, they rely on the community to give back.

The NVFC Volunteer Firefighter Support Fund provides a stipend of $250 to volunteer first responders whose homes have been impacted by a state- or federally-declared disaster. The stipend helps these firefighters and emergency personnel meet their basic needs in the aftermath of the disaster.

Population(s) Served
Emergency responders

NVFC's Share the Load™ program provides access to critical resources and information to help first responders and their families manage and overcome personal and work-related problems. This includes the Fire/EMS Helpline, which offers free 24-hour assistance with issues such as stress, depression, addiction, PTSD, and more.

Population(s) Served
Emergency responders

The NVFC's Make Me A Firefighter campaign helps to bridge the volunteer recruitment gap through a national awareness campaign and through a makemeafirefighter.org that connects prospective volunteers with fire and emergency service departments. The campaign also provides local fire and EMS departments tools to implement a successful local recruitment campaign.

Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups
Emergency responders

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of training events conducted

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Work status and occupations

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Work status and occupations

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Increasing

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The NVFC is focused on improving the physical and mental health and safety of volunteer first responders, assisting fire/EMS departments with both recruiting and retaining volunteers to maintain minimum staffing levels, providing relevant training, increasing diversity, representing the volunteer fire and emergency service in regards to national codes and standards, and fostering the next generation of firefighters. We aim to provide programs, training, and resources that help volunteer fire departments and personnel, while providing a unified voice for the volunteer fire and emergency services at the national level.

The NVFC implements the following strategies to achieve our goals:

Advocacy: The NVFC advocates for the volunteer fire and emergency services on Capitol Hill as well as within standards-making organizations. We monitor legislation and standards, educate our members, and mobilize grassroots advocacy across all 50 states.

Education: The NVFC generates awareness of issues affecting the volunteer fire and emergency services through our outreach and training efforts, putting critical information in the hands of our members and constituents.

Resources: The NVFC provides award-winning programs and resources addressing issues facing the volunteer fire and emergency services such as volunteer recruitment and retention, heart-health, mental health, occupational cancer, and more.

The NVFC’s membership consists of 46 state fire associations and nearly 27,000 individuals. Our reach spans the country, allowing us to easily collect and disseminate information, serve as the voice of the volunteer at the national level, and function as the key repository of information and resources for emergency service organizations and first responders.

The NVFC has developed and continues to maintain several award-winning programs including the Heart-Healthy Firefighter program, the National Junior Firefighter Program, the first ever national volunteer recruitment effort – the Make Me a Firefighter campaign, and our Share the Load program providing behavioral health support to our nation’s selfless heroes. We have seen the number of line of duty deaths drop over the years, have helped numerous departments implement or improve health and safety initiatives along with recruiting and retaining volunteers, and have been credited with saving lives through our Share the Load program.

We will continue to advocate, educate, and develop and maintain programs and resources to support volunteer first responders.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person),

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    The NVFC polled its membership to understand what benefits would be most pertinent to their role. Online training was the highest rated resource among our members. The NVFC invested in a new online learning platform and developed a Webinar Series to fulfill the members' needs.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

National Volunteer Fire Council
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

National Volunteer Fire Council

Board of directors
as of 1/29/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Steve Hirsch

Kansas State Firefighters Association

Term: 2019 -

Kevin Quinn

Rhode Island State Firemen's League

Dallas Renfrew

State Firefighters' and Firemen's Association of Texas

Jeff Cash

North Carolina State Firefighter's Association

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 1/29/2021,

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 01/29/2021

Policies and practices developed in partnership with Equity in the Center, a project that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems within the social sector to increase racial equity. Learn more

Data
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.