By Casey Jarmes | The News-Review
PACKWOOD – HF1002, a bill designed to help volunteer fire departments retain and recruit members, was signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds at the Packwood Fire Department on June 3, as the governor was surrounded by firefighters from Packwood and surrounding communities.
“Across Iowa, volunteer first responders are the backbone of our small towns,” said Reynolds. “You answer the call day or night, balancing service with family, jobs, and everyday life, often without expecting anything in return. Your courage and commitment makes all the difference, whether it’s a volunteer firefighter running towards and not away from the flames, a medical caregiver who is on hand when our neighbors are in need, or a reserve peace officer with the courage to wear the uniform and accept all the dangers it entails. These everyday heroes are true pillars of our society, and to honor our first responders and encourage more volunteers to join their ranks, we more than doubled the Volunteer First Responder Tax Credit from $100 to $250, and with the signing of House File 1002, we’re taking yet another important step to recognize and reward that service…This is about more than just dollars, it’s about valuing commitment, encouraging retention, and showing our appreciation for those who make our communities stronger.”
Reynolds signed the bill in Packwood in recognition of one of its fiercest champions, Senator and longtime member of the Packwood Volunteer Fire Department Adrian Dickey.
“It’s neat. You know, a neat event for the community of Packwood, a neat event for our department,” said Dickey. “We’ve got a great department, between our EMS and our firefighters. Sadly, just five days ago, we had a pretty tragic accident that we had to respond to, where a young gal lost her life, and it’s tough. That’s tough on our EMS, our fire department, you have to go through something like that. So this is kind of a nice, maybe part of the healing process. So the timing’s great, having the governor come here to Packwood. You know, we always say Packwood is God’s gift to Iowa, so having this here is a nice little treat.”
The Iowa Firefighters Association had worked for ten years to get the bill passed, the last five of which with Dickey’s help, before it was passed unanimously by the legislature.
“When I ran for the Senate for the first time five years ago, one of the major reasons was because of the fire service,” said Dickey. “I’ve been a volunteer firefighter for 33 years, and of the 50 senators and 100 reps at the capital, none of them are volunteer firefighters. None of them have the ability to understand what these men and women go through, and they needed a voice to stand up for the issues that they have.”
The bill allows departments to create length of service award programs for volunteer firefighters, volunteer emergency medical care providers and reserve peace officers. For departments with yearly revenue under $100,000, the state will match every dollar departments put towards award programs threefold, up to $500. The bill, passed after midnight on the final day of the legislative session, also appropriates $1.5 million from sports betting receipts to fund this program.
“I’ve always been an advocate for what I call the ‘true volunteer fire departments,’ departments like Packwood, you know?” said Dickey. “If they’re having a fundraiser to raise money for a fire hose, it’s a different level. They’re struggling to buy hose, or turn out gear, and they need a little more support than a department like Fairfield that has 10,000 people, who still help their department, but it’s just a different dynamic.”
Dickey explained that different departments will be able to decide the criteria volunteers must meet to receive the funds, for example requiring volunteers attend trainings or go to meetings to be eligible. “One of the problems in these services, when you’re doing it for free, it’s kinda hard from the fire chief to tell them to do stuff, because I’m doing this for free. It’s on my own time. This is a carrot that the chief can put out there as an incentive,” said the senator.
Dickey explained that 95% of Iowans rely on volunteer first responders and that, over the past ten years, the number of volunteers has decreased from 19,000 to 15,000. He stated that, if these volunteers were paid minimum wage, they collectively would be paid $100,000,000 yearly, and stated that the bill was a way to give thanks for all they did.
“We’re awfully proud of the efforts that he’s put in and what he’s done for the firefighters here in the state, in a lot of the small communities that a lot of times struggle to get volunteers. I think everyone’s real happy to have him be a part of our team,” said Packwood Fire Chief Jeremy Atwood.”
