The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
new station needed desperatley
The Village just bought us a new truck, somethimg we needed badly. The only problem is our station is so cramped you can't even move. With 1 1500 gal pumper, 100 foot ariel, the rescue squad, and our reserve pumper is having to sit in the cities maitnance garage because we don't have the space. Our lockers are now blocking the cascade system, so we have to move one thing out of the way to get to the other. Our Village has a population of 1800 people, We are on the out skirts of some major cities, so when weve tried for grants were told that were not rural enough. With all of this i'm at a loss. If anyone can think of other sources please let me know.
- Attachments:
-
-
Picture 004.jpg, 2.9 MB -
Picture 002.jpg, 3 MB
-
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
-
Whats the funding for your department? Do you have a tax levied to the owners of all property and or houses? Need more imput. Grants for anything are becoming more difficult to come by, but there are always ways. USDA loans are fairly common and a great station improvement option.
-
Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
-
Cozy! Reminds me of our old fire house - we had five vehicles parked in a 2-bay garage.
We need more info - is your FD independent and contract with the town/village you serve, or is it part of a village government? Sounds to me like you're under the village since they just bought you a new truck.
Sounds to me like you were given a bum steer by someone claiming you weren't rural enough. Urban departments have gotten FEMA grants! What you will need is a set of plans for some type of solution, such as building expansion, new building, sub-station, etc. A grant application without these plans would probably be rejected.
Seriously, I'm thinking you should be asking the village about a new building - assuming that the FD falls under the village's responsibility. They must have a planning board.
Good luck, and be extra careful in that cramped fire house. We had a door taken off one of the trucks by another as it pulled out; we were fortunate that it wasn't a member who was injured.
-
Permalink Reply by Paula on
-
Yes the FD falls under the Village, but they have no money for this. On our tax levy the fire dept only gets about 30,000 a year. and this is split up in various ways, The fire reserve is what helped to get the new truck.We have sent the plans in the last 2 years and we keep getting the same awancer. If only you were one more mile out away from the other town.
-
-
So, is there another department nearby? If so, how close? Have you ever considered consolidating operations with the other department?
-
-
That is something that will never happen, diffrent towns grovermenial issues. And probably a bit of to much pride in what we have.
-
-
Well, I went ahead and Googled your fire department (found it on your profile) and it appears your district is bounded on at least two sides by city FDs. Yeah, you might have a problem. But your village fathers have to realize that they are getting a bargain for $30K. I'd be inclined to tell them that you have to sell the new truck to afford the down payment for the new fire house.
-
Permalink Reply by Mary Ellen Shea on
-
and I wouldn't give up on those grants either....keep plugging away at them, the money's there....sometimes it takes persistence and really well-crafted sob story.
Either that or write to Extreme Home Makeover. :)
Now wait a minute....that's not such a bad idea is it?
-
-
LOL they are in Warwick RI right now, by TF Green Airport doing a house as we speak.
-
-
so swing by and ask that spiky haired guy --Ty? to help out!!
I used to fly in to the TF Green "Airport" when I was a flight attendant. That's as much as I've ever seen of Rhode Island.
-
-
Hell if you blink more than 3 times on I-95, you missed RI. lol
Listen If I go see Ty it's going to be for my own home, nevermind the firehouse. :) Charity starts at home I believe the saying is. :):)
As for the post (to get back on task) your department needs to outline a priority list of needs vs wants for the department. You can have all the shiny new trucks you can afford, but keep in mind an addition for a firehouse is cheaper in some cases than buying a new truck to put in cramped quarters. Build that list and then stick to it. Apply to every grant out there you can, and keep applying. If worst comes to worst, find a professional grant writer and maybe they will have better luck. Don't give up hope, and eventually your hard work and dedication to the addition/new station will pay off.
-
Permalink Reply by Greenman on
-
Here's an idea...open a small not-for-profit business, such as a coffee house. While pursuing traditional forms of funding, including grants, bond initiatives, property tax increases/higher subscriptions fees, etc...Depending on how you're funded now, see if anyone associated with the department has the wherewithal to run a small business; it can be a FF, FF's spouse, board member, or just a concerned citizen. Use the proceeds to build a new station, or new addition to the existing station.
Think about it...A coffee house can be built, stocked and opened for a couple of thousand dollars in many areas. This can be quickly raised through traditional fundraising efforts (i.e. Fill the boot). Then use the profit stream from the coffee business to fund the Firehouse Build. With some good PR, a decent location (you said you were on the outskirts of some major cities), a lot of word-of-mouth, and maybe a billboard on one or two of the interstates near you you'll make lots of money for a new station.
Most folks would rather pay their money for a quality product to a worthy cause than to a giant corporation, like Starbucks. Consider using Firehouse Coffee as your coffee supplier. The key is finding the right person, or group of people, to manage the shop and get it going.
Once your department begins designing the new firehouse, include the Coffee house in the design (as I mentioned in a post in the "Drinking in the Firehouse" discussion) and continue to use it as a revenue steam for building and equipment maintenance, and when the department has enough give your profits to a Burn Center. Incorporate the Coffee business as a not-for-profit business owned by either the Department, or by an auxiliary organization depending what is allowed in your state and county, or by the department's bylaws.
I'm sorry if this rambled a little, but I hope it's an idea that'll work for you, or another department. why can't a Volunteer Fire Department be somewhat self-sustaining?
GM
-
-
atta boy GM....keep at the marketing......you have a killer idea and I hope it flies.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
