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WSFFA’s 2008 Volunteer Fire Service License Plate Effort

WSFFA's efforts to secure a license plate for the volunteer fire service have once again been thwarted by the Washington State Legislature. Unknown to all but the 07 Legislature was a proviso in the 2007 State Budget extending the moratorium another two years.

Our investigation has uncovered that the Legislature was insomuch unable to deal with issues surrounding upwards of three dozen new applications being submitted with the lifting of the 2004 imposed moratorium. This combined with the rumor of some law enforcement folks concern over 'more' special plates to deal with.

What's next? Unfortunately the WSFFA can only patiently wait for the end of the moratorium in June 2009. At that time you can bet that the WSFFA will be standing at the counter ready to turn our application in.

Interesting isn't it? The Washington State Council and law enforcement memorial plate are alive and well but our state elected policy makers are oblivious to this simple unmet desire of Washington's volunteer fire service. You might remind them when you see yours that we've been waiting since our first effort back in 1989.

WSFFA’s 2007 Volunteer Fire Service License Plate Effort

The WSFFA’s efforts to secure a license plate for the volunteer fire service is now in full swing. Some of you might recall the efforts undertaking in 2003-04 to secure a motor vehicle plate was thwarted by legislation halting special motor vehicle license plate applications for 2 years. That moratorium will be lifted in June of 2007.

The WSFFA and members of the fire service community have been working diligently behind the scenes. WSFFA administration has complied three designs that are now being offered to the membership for consideration and selection. Littlerock Fire Rescue [Thurston County Fire District 11] personnel have stepped up to the plate to spearhead the signature effort needed to satisfy the 3,500 needed. If you care to assist in this effort send us an email with a Subject of “Signature Help” to secretary@wsffa.org.

The winning design was #2 below and was officially announced at the 2007 WSFFA Conference.

Frequent Questions:

How much does it Cost?
The cost of the plate has been set at $20 over the cost of applicable motor vehicle fees and assessments.

What does my $20 go for?
Ten dollars of your contribution will go towards the establishment of a Firefighter Memorial on the State Capitol Campus. The remaining ten dollars will returned to the WSFFA. The revenue will ultimately be awarded to member fire departments by way of Heart Health grants. The WSFFA Board of Trustees had recommended that revenues [$10 & $10] derived from the sale would be directed to a State level F/F Memorial and WSFFA Health program. At two WSFFA conferences the delegates in attendance affirmed the Board’s recommendations. National statistics have shown that the largest contributor of line-of-duty deaths has been related to heart and health problems.

Who can get the plate?
The plate will be available for all registered motor vehicle owners in the state of Washington. The WSFFA considered restricting the plate to only active volunteer firefighters. This was determined this be unattainable with current WSFFA membership confirmations so the plate will remain available to all Washington registered vehicle owners.

When can I get my plate?
2009. First we need to gather enough signatures to qualify. The goal is 3,500 signatures. The next step will be to submit our application to the Dept. of Licensing. Once approved the 2008 Legislature will be required to pass legislation to which the governor must sign. The earliest that would occur is 2008 with plates then manufactured and available in the Spring of 2009.

For additional information: Contact the WSFFA office at 1-800-340-8023 or (360) 754-3312 or email secretary@wsffa.org

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