Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - [MSAR] H.R. 606, Volunteer Emergency Responder Fair Mileage Act of 2007

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Hal Sikes" <halsikes@hotmail.com>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [MSAR] H.R. 606, Volunteer Emergency Responder Fair Mileage Act of 2007
  • Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:21:51 -0700

This is a cross post from the SAR-L group that has direct bearing on ALL SAR personnel.

Colleagues, the US House of Representatives has
before it (and I am uncertain where in the
process it may be) the "Volunteer Emergency
Responder Fair Mileage Act of 2007."  It would
"amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
exclude from gross income mileage reimbursements
to volunteer emergency medical responders and
volunteer firefighters and to increase the
mileage allowance for charitable contributions
for the benefit of volunteer fire departments, and for other purposes."

It would be most helpful if you personally and
your organization ask your representative to
support it, and also suggest it be amended to
include SAR volunteers. Below is an example of a
letter I faxed on behalf of our state org.  You
may use it, but your own language is really best.

Also, fax it as mailed items take weeks to go
through the security measures and may not even survive (literally!).

The Honorable <Representative> <> < >
<1208 Longworth HOB>
<Washington>, <DC> < 20515>

Dear <Representative> < >,

The Volunteer Emergency Responder Fair Mileage
Act of 2007 greatly increases the ability
of Colorado's thousands of volunteer
firefighters, and EMTs with volunteer ambulance services,
to continue to saves lives and property by
decreasing their personal cost of volunteering. Using
their own vehicles to both respond to emergencies
and travel to required training, our state's
emergency volunteers are the only (non
law-enforcement) emergency personnel in many rural
communities.

Many volunteers literally pay dearly to
volunteer, yet continue because no one else can, or will,
answer that 9-1-1 call at all time of the night
and day. Fine examples are the volunteers of the
ambulance service and fire department in Holly,
which was struck just last week by a devastating
tornado. The work of unpaid firefighters and
ambulance personnel alone deserve the
support of H.R. 606.

Equally deserving are Colorado's (as well as
every other state's) volunteer search and rescue
(SAR) responders. As in other Western states, SAR
teams are another emergency service,
independent of a fire department or ambulance
service. The volunteers of Colorado's nearly 60
SAR teams commonly travel even further than
firefighters or ambulance volunteers (in their
personal vehicle), as they work in the most remote areas of their county.

I offer a personal example, my own: I traveled
4,420 miles in 2006 for SAR missions, trainings
and meetings. An enhanced mileage rate would help
me recover more of the many hundreds of
dollars I expended while I, and my teammates,
worked for hours - sometimes days - to save
the life of another.

The member teams of the Colorado Search and
Rescue Board ask you to support and cosponsor
H.R. 606, and to propose to Mr. Hayes an
amendment of language to include all volunteer
emergency personnel in all emergency service disciplines.

Cordially,
Howard M. Paul
President

_______________________________________________________
Howard M. Paul      hmpaul@ecentral.com    Alpine 631    KDØRSQ
President, Colorado Search and Rescue Board   www.coloradoSARboard.org
Member, Alpine Rescue Team (MRA); Evergreen,
Colorado   www.alpinerescueteam.org 



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page