Thank a Volunteer Firefighter This Week

This week, a new special license plate identifying the men and women who serve as volunteer firefighters across the state will be available, and you may be seeing a few on the roads here on the Plateau soon as three of the first plates distributed will be headed toward the vehicles of personnel in Enumclaw and Buckley, according to Enumclaw volunteer firefighter Deborah Morrison.

Morrison contacted us Monday to let us know that the plates coincide with a proclamation from Gov. Chris Gregoire that this week, Jan 9 through Jan. 15 is 'Volunteer Firefighter Recognition Week.'

In her proclamation, Gregoire said the majority of the state's firefighters are volunteers who, ". . .deserve to be recognized for their willingness to provide courageous service without monetary compensation."

When not responding to emergencies, she said, ". . .these public servants are involved in numerous community programs."

According to a press release from the Washington State Fire Fighters' Association (WSFFA), it has worked for several years to have these license plates available for volunteers. WSFFA Past-President and special license plate project administrator T.J. Nedrow said, "We finally have a way at the state level that respectfully recognizes the thousands of volunteers – past, present and future – for their dedicated, unselfish service."

There will be a ceremony in Olympia Thursday at which the first 25 Volunteer Firefighter special license places will be distributed in a noon ceremony at the State Capitol Rotunda.

As the sponsoring organization, WSFFA was given the opportunity to assign the first 25 plates in numerical order. The Association board has designated each of the first 19 plates to individuals with long histories of service to the Association and the volunteer fire service in Washington. At the Jan. 12 ceremony in Olympia, these individuals will be recognized for their service and receive their license plates. 

The remaining six plates in this first group were offered to firefighters in an online auction that raised $1,820 for the WSFFA Benevolent Fund.
 
Once the initial revenues reimburse the state for producing the plates, further proceeds from the sales of these license plates and subsequent annual renewals will be directed to the WSFFA Benevolent Fund which provides funding for:
·         Line of duty death benefit
·         Catastrophic member benefit
·         National Fire Academy scholarships
·         WSFFA Annual Fire School scholarships
·         Out-of-department training and scholarships
·         Annual Washington State Firefighters Memorial event.
 
Applicants for Volunteer Firefighter license plates must currently be a volunteer firefighter for one or more years, or must have been a volunteer firefighter for at least ten years or and have documentation of service from the district or the appropriate fire service entity/jurisdiction. Volunteers are recognized in any one of multiple roles, including firefighter, tender operator, EMS responder, chaplain, photographer and fire investigator.
 
For more information on eligibility, see the license plate FAQ section online at www.wsffa.org.  Application forms may be downloaded from the Washington State Department of Licensing at http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/specialdesign.html.