Valor Awards Guidelines
VALOR AWARDS COMMITTEE GUIDELINES
March 19, 2007 The Board of Directors accepted the recommendation of the Valor Awards Committee Guidelines as follows:
THE AWARDS
MEDAL OF VALOR: The Medal of Valor will be awarded to individuals that voluntarily risk their own life to an extraordinary degree in saving or attempting to save the life of another person, or voluntarily sacrificed themselves in a heroic manner for the benefit of others.
UNIT CITATION: The Unit Citation/Commendation will be awarded to a team or organized group of two or more individuals that voluntarily assist others in emergent situations. The individuals must have displayed gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions.
AWARD OF MERIT: The Award of Merit will be awarded to individuals who voluntarily assist others in emergent situations with limited risk to themselves.
CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION: The Certificate of Recognition may be issued by any Board member to a recipient within that Board member's area of responsibility.
LETTER OF RECOGNITION: A Letter of Recognition will be sent over the CSFA President signature to recognize individuals that voluntarily assist others in emergency situations with little or no risk to themselves and have not qualified for Medal of Valor, Unit Citation, or Merit Awards.
AWARD VISIBILITY
To increase awareness of the CSFA VALOR AWARDS, MERIT AWARD, UNIT CITATION, CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION and LETTER OF RECOGNITION throughout California; the CSFA should publish the guidelines on how to make a nomination in the CSFA magazine once each year; the Valor Awards Committee should send letters introducing the awards and seeking nominations to the press and media organizations, fire agencies and similar organizations each year; and have a guideline for nominations available for those who inquire about the award.
CSFA officials, members and others should be encouraged to seek out and follow-up on incidents that may qualify for the Medal of Valor, Unit Citation, Award of Merit, or Letter of Recognition and those individuals who qualify for any of these awards should be nominated for consideration by the Valor Awards Committee.
RECEIPT OF NOMINATIONS
Copies of the nominations received in the CSFA office shall be sent by staff to all Valor Awards Committee members on the 15th of each month (more frequently if necessary); nominations received outside the office shall be sent to the CSFA office for distribution to the Valor Awards Committee; a copy of all nominations shall be kept in the CSFA office. Upon receipt of nominations from the CSFA office, the Valor Awards Chairperson shall send a letter to the individual who made the nomination acknowledging receipt of the nomination, a timetable for action and a request for additional information if necessary, a copy of this letter will be sent to the CSFA office; the closest Director will assist the Valor Awards Committee as needed.
COMMITTEE MEETING AND AWARDS CEREMONY
To improve the means of gathering information, to expedite the process of recognizing persons who perform acts of Merit and Valor and to improve coverage by the press and media, the Valor Awards Committee will meet quarterly.
The Valor Awards Chairperson shall budget for a one-day meeting in January and April, a two day meeting in July if required and a two day meeting at the annual awards banquet. The meeting at the awards ceremony shall constitute the committees' October meeting. Additionally, the cost of the committee member's assistance and attendance at regional Valor Awards presentations will be budgeted and utilized as needed.
CUT OFF DATE
Valor Awards nominations must be received by the CSFA no later than June 30th to be included in the Valor Awards Ceremony of the respective year.
The Valor Awards Committee, at their July meeting, shall evaluate all award nominations received and develop all plans for the Valor Awards Ceremony.
The Valor Awards Chairperson shall prepare a list of all Valor, Unit Citation, and Merit recipients for the year, indicating those who have previously been presented the Award of Merit, Unit Citation, and Medal of Valor; this list and the plans developed for the Valor Awards Luncheon shall be received in the CSFA office not later than July 31st.
A printed program containing all Medal of Valor, Unit Citation, and Award of Merit recipients for the current year, with only a description of recipients of medal of valor actions will be printed for distribution at the Valor Awards Ceremony and for a limited mailing as determined by the Board of Directors. The cost of this printed program will be underwritten by one or more sponsors.
PRESENTATION OF AWARDS
All nominees that qualify for a Valor, Unit Citation, or Award of Merit recognition who are unable to attend the Valor Awards Luncheon will be recognized locally by a member of the CSFA Board. Exceptions to this policy can be made on the recommendation of the Valor Awards Committee or the CSFA Board of Directors.
The individual submitting the nomination and the area CSFA Director will be notified by the Committee Chairperson; a narrative of the act, press release, a Medal of Valor, Unit Citation, or Certificate of Merit will be prepared by the Committee Chairperson and sent to the area CSFA Director for presentation at the earliest appropriate date. Every effort will be taken to make a personal presentation, if all else fails the Award will be sent registered mail.
COMMITTEE AND STAFF SUPPORT
The Valor Awards Chairperson shall be responsible for the safe keeping of all medals, dies, valor awards pins, the banner and other items required for conducting the business of the committee.
The Valor Awards Chairperson shall ensure that a sufficient number of medals are available and engraved with the recipient's names. Additionally, the chairperson shall be responsible for making sure that the medals, the banner, and other items essential to conducting the Valor Awards Ceremony are taken to the annual Awards Ceremony.
The Valor Awards Committee will develop a generic Letter of Recognition to be sent to those nominees deserving of this recognition. These letters will be sent over the CSFA President's signature.
CSFA staff member (s) will be assigned to the committee to assist with the above responsibilities. The staff person(s) will be responsible for printing and assuring a good supply of Certificates.
VALOR AWARDS CEREMONY FUND
In those cases where recipients desire to attend the Valor Awards Ceremony, yet are unable to due to lack of funds, the Valor Awards Chairperson shall notify the area Director so that they can seek funds to cover the recipient's expenses while attending the Valor Awards Ceremony.
NOMINATION GUIDELINES
The CSFA officially established its annual Valor Awards in 1967 to provide recognition for those persons throughout
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The heroic act must have been performed by a citizen within
There must be conclusive evidence that the person performing the act voluntarily risked their own life to an extraordinary degree in saving of attempting to save the life of another person, or voluntarily sacrificed themselves in a heroic manner for the benefit of others.
A personalized medal displaying the CSFA Valor Award logo is presented to the person performing the act or, in the case of death, to the surviving spouse or next of kin.
HOW TO NOMINATE
If during the eligibility period you become aware of an incident you believe worthy of nomination, please use the format below and include as much of the requested information or documentation as possible.
1. Name, age, position/title, address and telephone number of the person performing the act.
2. A complete description of the incident which led to the nomination, including: date and time of the incident; location of the incident; weather conditions; if a factor, and existing disability and/or the physical effects of the act upon the nominee; and the extent of injuries to the victim or rescued person(s) if pertinent.
3. If applicable, a copy of the investigating law enforcement, fire department, or other emergency agency's reports.
4. Photographs or sketches of the scene if it will assist in portraying the act.
5. Newspaper clippings and media accounts of the incident.
6. Your name, address, and telephone number.
Nominations are evaluated on a quarterly basis in January, April, July, and October by the CSFA Valor Awards Committee. A determination is made by the committee on whether the act performed warrants a Medal of Valor, Unit Citation, Award of Merit, or Letter of Recognition. Letters of Recognition are sent to the nominee following action by the Committee. The Award of Merit is presented throughout the year to all those nominees who have performed acts of merit. The Medal of Valor and Unit Citation may be presented either in a local ceremony or at the Valor Awards Ceremony as determined by the committee.
Submit nomination packages to CSFA Valor Award,
Click here for the On-Line Nomination Form
Click here to download the Valor Awards Committee Guidelines in PDF format.