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Personal Messages Have More Impact
in Harrisburg!
Legislation
(HB1768) and to let you know that your voice was heard! With over 130 e-mails
sent...many State Representatives paid attention to them! Keep up the good
work, if you haven't responded to an Action Alert yet, your chance is
coming...stay tuned!
One of the best ways to get your point across to an elected official is to
personalize it. Give an example from your own life that shows how the issue has
affected you and why it is important to you and the other Fire and EMS Personnel
in your community. How does this affect your Department? What does it mean for
your neighborhood? What will it improve in your community? A personal example is
a great help in demonstrating the passion you have for the issue without having
to resort to overly-emotional language.
Your personal example doesn't have to be very long. Two or three sentences at
the beginning of your message should be enough to show the recipient why you
care so strongly about the issue. You can make your message stand out if you
take the time to fully explain your experience.
There will be times when the message you send to the recipient is based on
something that you have received from
PESLA.org.
Our messages will be pre-written and ready for you to send, but we would urge
you to take a minute and add your own words as well! Adding a personal element
to the message separates it from all the other messages the recipient receives
on the same legislation or topic.
In addition to separating your message from those of other Fire and EMS
supporters, showing your individual connection to the issue enhances the power
and meaning of the message. This allows you to go beyond "I support position X
on issue Y." If your issue is a real concern for Emergency Responders, then the
fact that you are an Emergency Responder can carry additional weight with the
recipient. If you are writing about recruitment and retention and are personally
affected by the cost of recruiting and maintaining a well trained staff, that is
something the recipient needs to know.
Taking a little bit of time to demonstrate and explain your passion about the
issue can be of great help in getting your point across to the recipient. Do not
be afraid to personalize your message. It can only help you in your efforts to
make a difference! We make it easy for you because we want you to be involved,
you need to make it personal because you want well deserved support from your
elected officials!
In the coming days, we will be sending Alerts regarding the Senate Bills that
recently passed supporting tax credits for Pennsylvania's Volunteer Emergency
Responders. Several senators took the lead on crafting and passing this
legislation and they deserve your thanks. These Bills now go to the House of
Representatives for consideration. Currently there are several different ideas
in the House about introducing new legislation that addresses some of the same
incentives proposed in the Senate. We believe that the Senate Bills are good
legislation and most beneficial to Emergency Responders, you can view these
Bills on our web site for more specific details.
We suggest that you take a moment to visit your Senator's Bio page at
PESLA.org. and send an e-mail thanking him or
her for supporting these Bills. We will be asking you soon to let your State
Representative know that you support the Senate Bills and their language by
sending an Action Alert and Message for you to send. Take a minute or two and
personalize the message! Your member of the House needs to hear that you aren't
interested in endless proposals, you want ACTION! We'll give you the tools to
make it happen...you just need to add your part and we can make a difference!
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