Inside

This toolkit is designed to help you and your company prepare for either a large or small Home Day event—whatever fits your needs. We recommend that Home Day events be held by the FAMA/FEMSA fall meeting in October so we can discuss our successes at the meeting. You can also download the complete Homeday Toolkit in pdf format.

Letter from the GAC co-chairs Checklist Calendar (pdf) Sample invitation letter 1
for a member of Congress whom you know Sample invitation letter 2
for a member of Congress you do not know General guidelines
for visiting with congressional members and staff FAMA/FEMSA
membership list (PDF) 2010 TOP FIVE
Legislative priorities Suggestions/options for
Home Day activities General guidelines on giving gifts to Members of Congress and their staffs

HANDOUTS

BROCHURE
Ten Key Facts about the Fire Service and Industry MAP
FAMA/FEMSA Member Companies HANDOUT
FAMA/FEMSA GAC Top Five Goals FLIER
MAP Firegrantdata.com

Letter from GAC co-chairs

The FAMA/FEMSA Governmental Affairs Committee invites all FAMA and FEMSA member companies to organize a Home Day event this year. In this collaborative effort, we will present a unified voice on our fire service message to members of Congress.

The concept behind Home Day is simple: FAMA and FEMSA member companies organize occasions to engage their representatives and senators (and their staff) in Congress. These events may be as complex as a multiple company event held by several local FAMA and FEMSA member companies to which all congressional members are invited, or as easy as an individual company scheduling a one-on-one visit to their local congressional offices. You might want to schedule your Home Day event on a weekend or during a congressional recess as noted in the calendar. Doing so may increase the likelihood that your representative or senator will be able to attend in person.

The purpose of this Home Day toolkit is to help you and your company organize a Home Day event that best suits your needs and resources. The information in the toolkit has been gathered from a variety of sources and provides much useful guidance.

As business leaders involved in the fire and emergency equipment and services industry, we are unified in our concern for ongoing federal support for the safety of first responders and the vitality of our businesses within the community. We cannot assume that the strong congressional support we have enjoyed in the past will continue in an era of federal deficits and significant changes within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

To reinforce this important message, it is vital for your company to establish relations with your congressional delegation—both the representative from the district in which your company is located as well as the two senators from your state. If you already have a relationship with them, now is the time to renew it, as Congress will be making important decisions on FAMA/FEMSA priorities in the coming months. We therefore strongly encourage all members to visit their local congressional offices or invite members of their congressional delegation and staff to your facilities to view firsthand the importance of your company to your congressional district and state.

Potential partners for helping you organize a Home Day event include:

Other FAMA and FEMSA member companies in your area.
The GAC’s alliance partners, including the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) .
Local fire departments.
Local government officials, including mayors, city-council members, county administrators, and EMS directors.
State and local economic development agencies and boards.

We want to continue to stay in touch with you about Home Day 2010. Further, we would like to hear about your Home Day successes. Tell us about your Home Day 2010 by e-mailing us at info@fama.org or info@femsa.org. Thank you.