The National Volunteer Fire Council is calling for changes in the way federal funds for training are disbursed by DHS.
In a white paper on volunteer training released yesterday, the organization called the current disbursements unfair, stating that changes would help keep volunteer firefighters abreast of ever-changing methods and technology.
"Federal funds for training first responders are often spent on contractors or directed to state emergency management offices rather than being distributed to state fire training agencies, which have a proven track record of successfully delivering services to volunteer fire departments.
"In delivering National Incident Management System (NIMS) training, DHS has tended to pursue strategies for bringing together large groups of emergency responders at one time, including holding training on weekdays at centralized locations near transportation hubs, reimbursing for travel expenses, and paying for backfill."
The NVFC goes on to say; "This approach ignores the needs of the volunteer personnel, who would have to take time off of work and travel significant distances in order to participate.
"In recent years, the extent of federal assistance to state fire training agencies has been $24,000 annually, provided through NFA. State fire training agencies are not eligible to compete for funds under AFG or other federal programs that pay for firefighter training. Increasing assistance to state fire training agencies would be the single most effective way to encourage additional training of volunteer firefighters."
NVFC officials also noted that volunteers across the country are faced with a number of challenges when it comes to training.
"As the breadth and scope of what it means to be a firefighter has expanded, to varying degrees depending on the jurisdiction, the necessity for training within the fire service has grown. Unfortunately, a large number of volunteer fire departments are still operating with personnel who are not trained to a level consistent with national consensus standards for basic firefighter preparedness."
Firefighting just isn't the same as it used to be. Those donning gear and handling the nozzles are older as statistics show the average age has steadily increased over the past two decades.
But, that's not all that's changed.
"The role of the fire service has evolved over the years to encompass far more than traditional fire suppression. Fire suppression itself has become a more multi-faceted undertaking, as improvements in technology have revolutionized the way that firefighters attack a working fire," according to the document.
However, some fire chiefs don't see training as an asset, but a stumbling block for their departments as they struggle to keep members.
But, the NVFC pointed out: "Untrained firefighters responding to emergencies can be unsafe, dangerous, and inefficient."
Liability issues also need to be considered as a number of departments have found themselves in court.
Time and resource constraints as well as leadership issues are addressed as well in the paper.
