The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the association representing the volunteer fire, emergency medical, and rescue services, has received a grant for $25,000 from the Motorola Solutions Foundation, the charitable arm of Motorola Solutions.

This is the seventh consecutive grant the NVFC has received from the Motorola Solutions Foundation to support training initiatives.

NVFC has said it will use the grant to prepare first responders across the US to serve their communities in a safer, more efficient manner through online and in-person training courses.

The grant will enable the NVFC to develop a new course as well as offer existing courses in its catalogue for free to the volunteer emergency services community. The training covers critical topics including health, safety, preparedness, leadership development, and retention and recruitment, among others.

NVFC chair Steve Hirsch said: “Training is consistently the number one resource that our members request. With the varying schedules of volunteer firefighters and limited resources of departments, online training is a pivotal tool in enhancing the knowledge and awareness of responders on an array of topics that will increase their safety and effectiveness.

“We are grateful to the Motorola Solutions Foundation for supporting the NVFC and our efforts to provide greater training access to our nation’s volunteer firefighters, EMS providers, and rescue workers.”

Karem Perez, executive director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation added: “The Motorola Solutions Foundation is proud to partner with organizations like the NVFC that share our values and passion for driving positive change in the community.

“We believe in the work that the NVFC is doing and look forward to seeing their continued impact.”