Alberta volunteer firefighter Alison Archambault calls it her 害羞草研究所渟oul work.害羞草研究所�

But that doesn害羞草研究所檛 mean some more help at tax time wouldn害羞草研究所檛 be welcome too.

A tax credit for volunteer firefighters currently stands at $3,000, but Archambault, a volunteer in Redwood Meadows outside Calgary, said 害羞草研究所渁ny increase is appreciated害羞草研究所� to help with costs such as vehicle maintenance.

害羞草研究所淰olunteer fire departments in general are having recruitment challenges and retention challenges and (an) increase in the tax writeoff is just another tool to make being a volunteer firefighter more attractive and staying a volunteer firefighter more attractive,害羞草研究所� said Archambault, whose regular job is in public relations.

Others agree, and a push is underway to raise the tax credit after Canada害羞草研究所檚 worst wildfire season on record.

B.C. member of Parliament Gord Johns has been working with the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs to try to boost the credit for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers to $10,000.

A petition to the House of Commons got more than 16,000 signatures in support of the increase, and Johns害羞草研究所� bill to make the change passed its first reading in the house this month.

Johns said emergency services volunteers deserve a break from inflation and rising living costs.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e taking on more paid work to keep up with rising costs and they just can害羞草研究所檛 keep volunteering at this scale,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所淲e rely on them. They save taxpayers money. Retaining volunteer firefighters is a huge challenge with the increase in inflation and there害羞草研究所檚 been a huge decrease in the number of volunteer firefighters in the country.害羞草研究所�

He said there are 20 volunteer fire departments and search and rescue teams in his own riding of Courtenay-Alberni on Vancouver Island, and raising the tax credit would be 害羞草研究所渓ow-hanging fruit害羞草研究所� at little cost to public coffers.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 certainly going to let them know that Canadians actually care and value them and that they害羞草研究所檙e appreciated because they害羞草研究所檙e saving all local governments across the country money and provincial governments money,害羞草研究所� he said.

害羞草研究所滸overnment needs to seize this moment. It害羞草研究所檚 actually a very inexpensive way to support recruitment and show value to those firefighters and search and rescue personnel, and they deserve it. They害羞草研究所檙e putting their lives on the line for us.害羞草研究所�

Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, said 2023 was a very 害羞草研究所渢ough year害羞草研究所� for volunteer firefighters, after 害羞草研究所渢he most extreme wildfire activity ever.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淲e expect another tough year in 2024,害羞草研究所� he said.

McMullen said there were 156,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada in 2016, but that was down to 126,000 in 2022.

Increasing the tax credit would be a small step in countering the downward trend. 害羞草研究所淲e believe that it害羞草研究所檒l keep their morale up, which is needed now more than ever,害羞草研究所� he said.

McMullen said recruitment and retention could be facing pressure because of the range of risks faced by first responders, from injuries and increased cancer rates, to the mental health toll of facing emergency situations.

There are also less dangerous options for would-be volunteers, he said, such as local sports teams or youth groups.

害羞草研究所淲hatever the case may be, we have seen a reduction of individuals choosing to do the at-risk volunteering,害羞草研究所� he said.

The proposed hike in the tax credit is just one way the government could improve things for volunteers, McMullen said.

He said he also hopes the federal government will restore a program that ended in 2013 that allowed fire departments to apply for funding for specialized equipment and training.

He said the country would also 害羞草研究所済reatly benefit害羞草研究所� if there was a national fire adviser, giving firefighters a voice at the federal level like the U.S. Fire Administration.

McMullen said he and dozens of other chiefs were in Ottawa this month to bring their message to policymakers.

NDP MP Johns said there害羞草研究所檚 been a frustrating lack of acknowledgment on the issue.

害羞草研究所淓verybody害羞草研究所檚 connected in a rural community to the volunteer fire department,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚f (the government) wants to start showing Canadians that they害羞草研究所檙e serious about listening to rural Canadian needs, this is one thing that they need to do to actually demonstrate that they害羞草研究所檙e listening to rural Canada, and they害羞草研究所檙e not doing that.害羞草研究所�

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