Submit Your Nomination for IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor

Chantilly, Va. - The IAFC is now accepting nominations for the IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor through May 19. Since 1970, the IAFC’s most prestigious award has recognized the spirit of service, courage and heroism that is a proud tradition among the world's fire and emergency service. The program is named for one of the first fire chiefs in the United States, Benjamin Franklin. An inventor, statesman and humanitarian, Mr. Franklin was a prime contributor to the wealth of tradition that symbolizes the fire and emergency service worldwide.

Presented annually at Fire-Rescue International (FRI) by the IAFC and Motorola Solutions, the award honors a firefighter for their expert training, professional service and dedication to duty displayed in saving a human life. More than that, the program helps raise public awareness and support for the fire and emergency service.

All active firefighters, career or volunteer, are eligible for award consideration, whether the event occurred while on or off duty. They need only to be nominated by their fire chief for an incident in which they saved a human life.

Nomination Process

The chief must submit the nomination to the program coordinator via the nomination link. The incident must have occurred between April 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019, to qualify for consideration.

The 2019 nomination period closes May 19 at 11:59 PM ET. Winner and regret notifications will be issued in mid-June.

The public announcement of the winner will be made Wednesday, August 7. The award winner and their department chief will enjoy VIP treatment during FRI, August 7-10 in Atlanta, Georgia. The award presentations will take place during FRI’s general session, Thursday, August 8.

View past Ben Franklin Award for Valor winners.

Questions? Email BenFranklinAward@iafc.org.