zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

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OT: Tax deduction for a watch. Tax experts?

Here is the deal: I am a volunteer firefighter in my city and I'm also just finishing up my First Responder certification for the County Emergency Response Team.

As a first responder I'll be required to asses medical and trauma patients which include vital signs (checking for blood pressure and pulse). This requires having a watch with a second hand.

I am on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whenever I'm home and available. It's a strictly volunteer job, I get no compensation for it.

I know that I should be able to deduct all purchases that I make that are required for getting my volunteer work done (I have deducted my handheld and mobile radio purchases), however can I, or should I deduct $2k+ for a watch? Can I make the claim that I bought the watch because of the first responder thing? It's a bit easier with a two-way radio that has absolutely no use outside of my firefighting tasks (well I can listen to the weather broadcast at home) but it might be a harder sale to explain why I needed a Speedmaster to check someone's pulse on scene......