On February 12, the National Volunteer Fire Council testified before the House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions in support of a proposal to provide volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel up to 14 days per calendar year of job protection while responding to a state- or federally declared emergency or disaster.

“Volunteer emergency responders who travel to a different part of the country to dedicate their time and energy assisting fellow citizens in desperate need of help don’t deserve to be rewarded for their efforts with a pink slip,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “The federal government should provide up to 14 days of job protection per year for volunteer emergency responders who respond in an official capacity to a major disaster.”

Legislation providing protection to volunteers responding to federally declared disasters passed the House last year. Subcommittee Chairman Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) is proposing legislation that would provide job protection for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel responding in an official capacity to state- and federally declared disasters.

John I. Alchevsky, chief of Cassville (N.J.) Volunteer Fire Company #1, also testified on behalf of the NVFC. He recounted the difficulty he has experienced trying to get time off of work to respond to major incidents.

“Over the course of 30 years of volunteer service, I have personally experienced and witnessed situations in which volunteer firefighters have either been prevented from or delayed in responding to an emergency or had to leave the scene of an emergency prematurely for fear of disciplinary action by their employer,” Alchevsky said. “From my perspective, the issue of job protection is a fundamental one for the long-term health of the volunteer fire service.”

The hearing addressed a variety of worker protection issues in addition to job protection for volunteers. The Committee is expected to produce comprehensive legislation dealing with each of the issues discussed at the hearing in the near future. Click here to read the full testimonies given by Stittleburg and Alchevsky.