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looking for a little wisdome. my dept.will be updateing our gear cause its a little past due.right now we have janesville pants and coats, metro 660 helmets and the cheapest boots known to man. the only item on my wish list is a traditional style helmet. whats good and affordable? thinking hiering a grant writer? is it better to go with one manufactuer and let them bid it head to toe? or mix and match. we are looking at thirty set so you can imagine what the cost will be! never done this before and dont want to get burned (sorry bad pun, didnt mean that). we are a small vollie dept and every dollar counts. so let me know what you think. thanks, brian
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fire dept pics 199.jpg, 2.2 MB -
fire dept pics 198.jpg, 2.2 MB
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Permalink Reply by brian white on
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great advice jim, thanks !
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did you write the grant your self or did you use a, " grant writer for hire"?
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thanks guys, all the imput is very helpfull! has any one ever used a grant writer for hire? met one at the FRI show in chicago. are they worth it? can they get you more for your money or does their fees cancel out any savings?
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Permalink Reply by Marvin Hawk on
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Just a couple of thoughts for you to mull around. All PPE material comes from two or three manufacturers who then sell in to Janesville, Globe, Puritan, Fire Dex, etc. So you need to try all of the available sets and decide as a dept which you feel most comfortable in. Also don't be afraid to get bids from several vendors for complete sets it is usually cheaper by the set, though this may lessen your choices as most vendors stick with one or two companies; IE you may find that you want a Cairns helmet but the vendor you are dealing with only carries the Bullard or Chieftan line. Also let them know you are buying 30 sets, you should get a better price that way.
Also a lot of the vendors will help you with the grant writing so you may want to check on that to. Another way to save money is to check with neighboring departments to see if they need to buy PPE, the more the merrier.
Also in about three years if you do replace all 30 sets I would consider starting to replace sets on an average of 5-6 a year as in the long run this will allow you to replace all sets without having to bust the budget; not to mention this will allow your members to have a backup set for those times when the primaries tend to get soaked through.
On a separate note, years ago an old and wise fire instructor stated that the cleanliness of a station says a lot on how the company will fights its fires. From the looks of the pictures you included I would say that your community is getting it's money worth.
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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Our state has a volunteer assistance program that provides gear at reduced prices. Hopefully you have a program like that in your state. I'd make the coats and pants the number one priority, then add boots and helmets if the budget allows.
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