The National Volunteer Fire Council and Fire Corps will offer a series of live training webinars over the next several weeks. NVFC courses cover a range of topics of critical importance to the fire and emergency services, including recruitment and retention, grant writing, and transitioning from a volunteer to combination department. Five Fire Corps courses are being offered, including two new courses on forming collaborations and marketing a Fire Corps program.

Each webinar lasts approximately one hour. The courses are free, but space is limited. Register early to ensure your place. You can also find the upcoming course schedules at www.nvfc.org/trainingeducation/nvfc-academy-online-training.

NVFC Courses
Register for NVFC courses by going to https://nvfc.webex.com and clicking on the Upcoming Sessions tab under Live Sessions. If you have questions about NVFC courses, contact Allison Moore at amoore@nvfc.org or 202-887-5700.

Recruitment and Retention in the Volunteer Emergency Services
. This webinar focuses on recruitment and retention in the volunteer fire service, delves into the reasons why there has been a decline in the number of volunteers, and addresses recommendations and solutions to recruitment and retention challenges.

• Saturday, Sept. 10, 10:30 a.m. EDT
• Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2 p.m. EDT


Grant Writing for the Emergency Services
. This webinar educates volunteer fire and emergency services personnel on how write a successful grant narrative in an effort to secure funding for their local fire/EMS department and provides specific examples of award-winning grant narratives. Participants will also be introduced to a variety of funding opportunities, including government and private grants.

• Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2 p.m. EDT
• Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2 p.m. EDT


From Volunteer to Combination: Making the Transition
. This webinar examines the challenges faced by departments making the transition from volunteer to combination. Topics covered include merging departments, personnel conflicts, adjusting to the presence of paid staff, managing growth and increased call volume, and recruitment and retention.

• Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2 p.m. EDT
• Saturday, Sept. 17, 11 a.m. EDT


Fire Corps Courses
Fire Corps connects community members with their local emergency service department to conduct non-emergency tasks. Courses are available for departments wanting to learn more and start a Fire Corps program and for departments, program coordinators, and volunteers looking to expand and enhance their existing program. Two new courses have just been added!
Register for Fire Corps courses by going to https://firecorps.webex.com, selecting the Live Sessions option, and then clicking on the Upcoming Sessions tab. If you have questions about Fire Corps courses, email info@firecorps.org or call 202-887-4809.

FC-100: Introduction to Fire Corps
The session provides an overview of how the Fire Corps program is organized and introduces the benefits, depth, and scope of community volunteer activities in fire and emergency service departments. FC-100 also identifies the basic steps and components to building the infrastructure of a local Fire Corps program.

• Friday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m. EDT

FC-200: Starting and Implementing a Fire Corps Program
. This session teaches how to successfully grow a Fire Corps program along with avoiding and mitigating issues that slow or hinder healthy growth. Participants will learn about various volunteer management practices and be provided with sample documents and tips to help sustain and further their programs.

• Friday, Sept. 16, 1 p.m. EDT

FC-201: Achieving More through Collaboration. 
This session teaches the fundamentals of collaborating with other agencies and how fire and emergency service departments can achieve more through partnerships.

• Tuesday, Aug. 30, 1 p.m. EDT
• Thursday, Sept. 15, 11 a.m. EDT


FC-301: Fire Corps in Disaster Response. 
This session is designed to show how Fire Corps fits into a community’s disaster response efforts. Because Fire Corps teams already assist fire and EMS departments in their duties to keep the community safe, Fire Corps volunteers can also be used to start, improve, or enhance a fire department’s disaster response efforts.

• Friday, Sept. 16, 3 p.m. EDT


FC-400: Marketing your Program
This session provides information and activities that can be used to teach the fundamentals of marketing for the purposes of volunteer recruitment and promotion of local Fire Corps programs.

• Tuesday, Aug. 30, 11 a.m. EDT
• Thursday, Sept. 15, 2 p.m. EDT