Each year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars selects emergency medical technicians, law enforcement and firefighter personnel to receive VFW Public Servant Awards. Local VFW Posts submit a candidate for these awards to their State VFW Department Headquarters. The department then selects a single candidate for each of the three awards and submit those to VFW National Headquarters.
The VFW National Emergency Medical Technician Public Servant Citation applies to any individual, who actively gives emergency medical treatment, provides rescue service or civil disaster assistance as a member of any public or volunteer company organized to give emergency medical care, provide rescue and civil disaster assistance to our nation's citizens.
The VFW National Firefighters Public Servant Citation applies to any individual who actively fights fires as a member of any public or volunteer company organized to fight fires and give assistance to our nation's citizens.