COFT Mar09.indd

REMEMBER! To ensure that you receive your tax forms back in a
timely manner and to avoid filing your taxes late, please be sure to send in
all completed forms and supporting documents no later than March 15, 2009.
Task Force Faces Many Tasks
Sure, you know COFT is involved
in administering the Volunteer
Firefighter Tax Credit Program, but
do you know what else the legislature
has delegated for COFT to do? We
have been given several important
responsibilities. Read on to learn more!
In 2004 the Oklahoma State
Legislature passed House Bill 2372
(HB2372) and created the Council
on Firefighter Training. The law
stipulated that a council consisting
of nine members appointed by
different fire service organizations
was to be created. The organizations
to appoint Council members were as
follows: Oklahoma State Firefighters
Association, Professional Firefighters
of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Fire Chiefs’
Association, State Fire Marshal
Commission, Oklahoma Rural Fire
Coordinators, State Department of
Health-Emergency Medical Services
Division, Oklahoma Department of
Homeland Security, and finally, two exofficio members from OSU-FST and Fire
Service Publications. With a diverse
group of Council members, COFT could
effectively address a wide variety of
issues. Upon creation of the Council
the legislature then delegated it certain
responsibilities.
First and foremost COFT aims
to develop a standard for Oklahoma
firefighter training—across the board.
According to HB2372, the Council is
responsible for “identifying firefighter
training needs and setting the
firefighter training goals for the State
of Oklahoma.” Regardless of whether
a fire department is paid, volunteer, or
combo, a training standard is essential
and advantageous. Throughout the
state, fire departments must be able
to cooperate with other agencies and
respond to mutual aid calls. In addition,
by having everyone employing the
same principles and training, it will
help ensure that all of our firefighters
return home safely from a call.
Moreover, it provides our emergency
responders with the background they
need to protect their communities. This
creates a safer Oklahoma for all.
Clearly, the task of creating a
standard is a tremendous responsibility;
in order to meet it, COFT has
established a standing committee
called the Training Task Force (TTF).
As outlined in COFT’s Administrative
Rules, the TTF consists of a wide
representation of agency types and
geographic locations from across the
state. Through these knowledgeable
and experienced committee members,
C
O
F
T
Training
Task Force
Committee
Members
COFT is rising to the challenge
of addressing firefighter training
needs. The TTF meets four times a
year, and as a result of TTF findings,
COFT has dispatched the Regional
Training Advisors (RTAs) to various
fire departments across the state to act
as training opportunity conduits and
information gatherers.
Management Systems (NIMS) courses
in the tax credit program. These
courses fulfill the yearly federal training
requirement for the $400 tax credit, and
they are an important component in
gaining essential interoperability skills.
The third task given to COFT
by the legislature is to administer and
maintain “incentive and recognition
From left to right, James Reynolds, Randy Carpenter, Carl Hickman, Jake Rhoades, and Richard Kelley.
With the development of an
Oklahoma training standard, obstacles
exist, and through unity we will
overcome them. In regards to training,
COFT is aware of the challenges many
firefighters face. Lack of funding and
time constraints have previously made
training difficult to acquire for many
volunteer firefighters. In partnership
with the fire service, COFT continues to
evaluate effective solutions and provide
necessary information to the legislature
about firefighter training needs.
However, COFT and the Oklahoma
Fire Service are not limiting their work
to only volunteer firefighters. Our
primary concern is promoting the
training needs of all firefighters who
make our state great, and we endeavor
to maintain the pride of the Oklahoma
Fire Service.
COFT’s second responsibility is
to work with the Homeland Security
Department’s Preparedness and
Awareness Division on firefighter
training and grants. You will be hearing
more about this at a future date, but
one way in which COFT is interacting
with Homeland Security is through
the promotion of National Incident
programs established for Oklahoma
firefighters.” The Volunteer Tax Credit
Program is one example of the ways in
which COFT is responding to the needs
for firefighter incentive programs.
However, our work in this area is
not limited to the tax credit program.
Per COFT’s Administrative Rules,
we have established two standing
committees that are comprised of
diverse departmental and geographic
representation. These two groups are
examining incentive and recognition
programs. The first committee is
known as the Committee on Incentive
Programs, and it meets on an “asneeded” basis a minimum of two times
per year. While COFT recognizes that
volunteer firefighters are essential to
maintaining Oklahoma’s safety, the
incentive committee is also working to
develop programs that encourage paid
firefighters to obtain training.
The second committee is known
as the Committee on Recognition
Programs. This committee also
meets on an “as-needed” basis with a
minimum of two meetings per year.
This team is working on recognition
programs, such as a statewide
Voting Members
Richard Kelley – Chairperson
Keith Bryant
Randy Carpenter
Les Foughty
Bart Hadley
Carl Hickman
Randy Janoe
Paul Long
Jon Neely
Monty Powers
Patching Program, that will benefit all
firefighters. The Patching Program
would allow firefighters to earn new
patches displaying various levels of
training acquired, and it is expected to
inspire firefighters to acquire training
as well as assist in recruitment and
retention of firefighters. Stay tuned for
more information about the exciting
work COFT is doing in these areas!
It is March, and tax filing
deadlines are fast approaching! Have
you applied for your Volunteer
Firefighter Tax Credit? If not, please
submit your forms by March 15, 2009!
This date ensures that your credit
can be processed and returned in a
timely manner. Remember, if you are
applying for the $400 credit, you must
have taken a NIMS or other qualifying
Homeland Security course in 2008 or
early 2009! If you are a repeat applicant
and don’t have a qualifying Homeland
Security course but you have six points
of eligible training (as shown in our
Course Equivalency Table—available
at www.coft-oklahoma.org), you can
always switch to a $200 tax credit.
Don’t forget to sign your forms and
have your chief initial and sign any
Attachment S forms you submit for inhouse training. If there is a problem,
you can be sure that COFT’s customer
service team will contact you and help
you work through it, but these little
things can sometimes cause delays in
form processing and approval.
There are several upcoming
events that COFT representatives
will be attending, so if you are in the
area, please drop by and visit with
us! Along with OSU-FST, we will
be helping firefighters complete tax
credit forms on location. The events
are as follows: the Bob Smith Wildland
Round-up in McAlester (March 6-8),
NE Regional Fire School in Okmulgee
at the Greencountry Technology Center
(March 12-15), and NW Regional Fire
School in Enid at Gene Autry Vo-tech
(April 2-5).
Last month’s article mentioned
that a new COFT website was in the
works. Well, construction of the new
site is underway, and it looks like the
finished product is going to be great!
The new website will feature some
exciting features, such as a message
board where you can leave feedback
about any suggestions, concerns, or
questions you have! We will keep
you posted on our progress and look
forward to hearing from you!
Support
Jake Rhoades
Tom Smith
Bob Allen
Perry Brinegar
Gary Davis
Eddie Manley
Chris Neal
Eric Reynolds
Wade Anders
Don’t Forget Your Chief’s
Signature and Initials on
Attachment S
Without your Chief’s signature and initials on Attachment S we cannot
process your forms and must return them to you for the signatures and
intials. This can cause a significant delay. See below where your Chief
must sign. Each individual module must be initialed.
Chief’s Initials
Chief’s Signature
Tax Credit FAQ’s
Q. I need to submit my taxes ASAP! Can I claim the tax credit before I apply
if know that I will be applying later?
A. We don’t recommend claiming the tax credit before applying. Sometimes,
even when people think they are eligible for a $200 or $400 tax credit, there are
circumstances which prohibit form approval. In such cases, we will work to
overcome the trouble, but it is never a good idea to claim something on your taxes
before you are cleared for it! If you are concerned about receiving your form in a
timely manner, please make sure everything is filled out correctly and signed by
you and your chief! Also, for faster service, don’t be afraid to utilize our faxing
and e-mailing capabilities. We can get approved forms to you via fax or PDF file
format—just let us know!
____________________________
Q. Do I need to take a Homeland security course (NIMS/ICS/WMD/
CBRNE) each year I apply for the $400 tax credit?
A. Yes, you must take a relevant Homeland Security course for the year in
which you are applying and you must submit your certificate of completion
with your tax form. ____________________________
VFFP
Points
VFFP - Fire Behavior
VFFP - Safety & Organization
2 pts
VFFP - PPE / SCBA I
2 pts
VFFP - PPE / SCBA II
2 pts
VFFP - Hoses & Fire Streams I
2 pts
VFFP - Hoses & Fire Streams II
2 pts
VFFP - Ladders
2 pts
VFFP - Ventilation & Forcible Entry
2 pts
VFFP - Intro to Ground Cover Fire Fighting
2 pts
VFFP - Loss Control
2 pts
FFI
Points
Firefighter Orientation & Safety
2 pts
Fire Behavior
2 pts
Building & Construction
2 pts
Firefighter PPE
2 pts
Portable Extinguishers
2 pts
Ropes & Knots
2 pts
Rescue & Extrication
2 pts
Forcible Entry
2 pts
Ground Ladders
2 pts
Ventilation
2 pts
Water Supply
2 pts
Fire Hose
2 pts
Fire Streams
2 pts
Fire Control
2 pts
Fire Detection/Alarms/Suppression Systems
2 pts
Loss Control
2 pts
Protecting Evidence for Fire Cause Determination
2 pts
Fire Department Communications
2 pts
Fire Prevention & Public Education
2 pts
Emergency Vehicle Driver Training
Optional Modules - Please Print
Training Hrs
Year Taken
Chief’s Initials
2 pts
Training Hrs
Year Taken
Chief’s Initials
Q. What is the FEMA website where I can take an online NIMS
course?
A. The location of the online NIMS courses can be found at www.training.
fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp.
____________________________
Q. About how long will it take me to complete an online NIMS
course?
A. The approximate time
for most courses is 3 hours.
____________________________
Q. It is 2009; what if I did not take a NIMS course in 2008 but want to
apply for the 2008 $400 tax credit?
A. In order to help the many volunteer firefighters in this situation, we are
making an exception for the 2008 tax credit year. If you have previously
completed a $200 tax credit and a VFFP, FFI, or structural FF program and
have taken eligible continuing ed. courses during 2008, you can take and
submit a NIMS course in early 2009, and we will apply it towards your
2008 $400 tax credit. However, when you apply for the 2009 $400 tax
credit, you must take another, different NIMS course or refresher and submit
it with your application. The course you use for the 2008 tax credit will not
be eligible to use for the 2009 form, even though it was taken in the 2009
year. The cut-off date to use a 2009 NIMS for a 2008 tax credit is March 15,
2009.
____________________________
3 pts
Points
Q. What do I do if I have taken all the online NIMS courses available?
A. If you have taken all the online courses available, you have two options:
take another type of Homeland Security course (WMD/CBRNE) or re-take
a previous NIMS course as a refresher. If you retake the same online NIMS
course, you will not be issued a new certificate and completion date, but you
will receive a new e-mail that has the date you re-completed the course. You
can then submit the new
e-mail with your $400 tax credit form.
____________________________
Training Hrs
Year Taken
Chief’s Initials
Check our website
www.COFT-Oklahoma.org
or call 405-601-8862,
toll-free 1-800-308-5336,
fax 405-601-7996,
email [email protected]
for more information or assistance.
Q. What if I don’t know which NIMS I have previously taken or
have other questions about online NIMS or other Homeland Security
related training questions?
A. You can always contact FEMA directly at 301-447-1200, and they can
pull previous records and answer questions you may have about Homeland
Security training. ____________________________
Q. When do I need an Attachment S?
A. The Attachment S is used to verify courses taken in-house. Many times
in-house training courses are taught by OSU-FST certified instructors, and
therefore, thinking that OSU-FST will have the records, many applicants do
not feel the need to submit an Attachment S. However, in order to expedite
processing of your application, it helps to submit an Attachment S for all inhouse training completed. This way, even if OSU-FST does not have your
records, we can still process your form. If you submit a form listing in-house
training but lacking an Attachment S and OSU-FST does not have your
records, you can delay processing of your application! Sometimes, it pays to
be overly cautious and taking a few minutes to fill out an Attachment S can
save you weeks of processing time.