National Foundation for Public Safety

About Us

The National Foundation for Public Safety (NFPS) is     a  federally  registered - 501-(c)-3 - public not-for-profit corporation  comprised  of  people  who  have  a  demonstrated passion and expertise for helping others.

Serving on the foundation's Board of Directors have been    a number of senior public safety officials and professionals including retired fire commissioners from Chicago, New York and Washington DC and Chicago Fire Department Captain Victor Walchuk, as well as the  founder of the NFPS, Max Walchuk, a Chicago Fire Department Commander who by 31, had become an executive officer on the fire commissioner's headquarters staff.

He would go on to receive Chicago's coveted Osterman Award for  excellence in developing and administering an enormously successful public safety awareness campaign.

Walchuk  also  served  as  a  highly trained firefighter/         technical rescue specialist - assigned  to  an  elite Chicago   Fire Department  rescue  unit  as  a  master  underwater  search-&-rescue scuba diver  with  the  Air/Sea Rescue helicopter  based  rapid - deployment  dive  team.

As with all of his fellow firefighters, Walchuk responded      to scores of dangerous rescue missions where many lives  were saved that otherwise would have been lost. During  such an emergency, where a person was saved from  drowning, he was recommended for the award of valor.

Putting days-off together, Walchuk used his experience and expertise  to lead an NFPS aid expedition to deliver  badly needed technical underwater eqpt. (ChicagoTribune    & SportDiver Magazine) to rescuers during a large-scale disaster involving  the  shipwreck of a passenger vessel       in  the  Atlantic  off  the  African  coast  of the  Gambia.

He became the only American rescue diver  to  work with rescue teams and to dive with them during the emergency. As a result  of  his efforts on behalf of the more than 1900 African people and others aboard the vessel when it went  over,  the  distinction  of  Knight, of the  Order of  the Lion   and  Medal of Honor -- Senegal's  highest  civilian award --  was  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  West African country's   president  in  the  palace  in  the  port  city  of  Dakar.

Walchuk decided  to  retire  early  in 2003,  however,  neither did he hang up his dive gear - nor simply spend his remaining days taking the boat out to go fishing or use his experience to search for new spots to dive  for              recreation only.  He took the time to continue  his benevolent work on behalf of victims of emergencies and his  fellow  emergency  responders - and did so in a rather extraordinary way - as evidenced in the  donations   of massive fire trucks that  he  made  personally  to fire departments in need-in-communities,  and  missions  he conducted to help deliver aid during disasters. 

For example, in addition to the expedition he led to Africa,   as  NFPS Executive Director,  he went  on to  personally      lead and fund the foundation's aid  expeditions  to deliver    supplies to victims  in the epicenters of major disasters -including  several  major U.S. hurricanes  along  the  Gulf    Coast  ( See:  Chicago Tribune  Red  Eye  Edition ),  the       tsunami in South Asia,  and  a massive earthquake deep     in the heart of India (See: The India Tribune).

Walchuk  also set up highly successful administrative programs  that  enabled  the  foundation  to  honor             community requests  for  added  essential resources to       help potential victims and the responders who go to their    aid and  innovative programs encouraging preventative measures before emergencies strike.

This included developing the NFPS Your Safety Matters public education -&- awareness campaign and the program  to donate-and-deliver emergency response units  like the rescue fire truck (right)  that  the foundation is  currently readying  for  delivery  to  a  community  fire  station.

The NFPS greatly appreciates  such efforts,  and all those who's work is performed on behalf of humanity and, we thank those  who  have  contributed  to  help  victims  of emergencies and those who go to assist them.

If  you  or  your  company  are  interested  in helping the foundation,  contact the NFPS via the address or number listed  below,  or  simply  click  on  Contact.

A fire rescue truck (right) is readied in front of NFPS headquarters in Chicago to be assigned as a community's new rescue squad company - and will also serve as a major incidents unit attached to a national disaster response organization.                                                           >>

The National Foundation for Public Safety (NFPS)      is a federally registered 501(c)3 non-profit charity.

                                                                    NFPS Corporate Sponsor

Members of the CFD Air/Sea Rescue Team's Presidential Protection Detail

Firefighter/Rescue Divers with the Chicago Fire Department Air/Sea Rescue Division's special deployment team are trained to serve on the special detail to protect the President of the United States when he flies over the water when arriving or departing in or out of Chicago.

As a master rescue diver, Max Walchuk - who went on to found the NFPS and become it's executive director - served in the capacity as a diver-in-command and firefighter assigned to the helicopter deployment team. Shown from left to right in the photo above Firefighter/Divers Jeff Denis, Walchuk and Joe Estka, standing next to the Presidential Limousine - with one of the Chicago Fire Department air assets, a Bell UH1-H rescue-equipped helicopter on stand-by behind them - during a visit by the President to Chicago.

Estka joined Walchuk during NFPS missions involving deploying one of the foundation's large vehicles to bring aid to disasters, and, as firefighters, volunteered at the Pentagon and New York in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. 

See what's new at the NFPS:

Sponsor the donation of a community's            fire truck today!

Have you ever thought of having your company's name on a fire truck that is being donated to a community fire station? Now you can.

To speak with an NFPS representative about sponsoring the rescue unit below, click on Contact

This fire rescue unit is part of the                                          NFPS Your Safety Matters campaign                               to donate and deliver rescue fire trucks                                and ambulances to fire stations in                                         communities-in-need.