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??Volunteer fund raising, tax dollars, saving lives and property??
I don't know about the rest of you guys but I'm sick and tired of working my ass of doing fund raising events.
As if it isn't enough that we answer the call, train like the paid departments (no offence intended) and still have to work to raise money to buy gear, apparatus, building supplies and the list just goes on and on. Who pays the price you and your family. Don't get me wrong I love getting out there and helping people but you hear of these billions of dollars of bail out money being spent. Then you find out it went to pay for some bank presidents’ salary. It literally makes me sick to my stomach.
My department DONATED an 85' Grumman engine to a needy department in southwest Virginia and now we are looking for a replacement. We have specked out the truck and it's in the neighborhood of 400K., but guess what we can get a loan at 7% interest. We aren't talking about a luxury vehicle hear we are talking about a vehicle that is made to help save lives. Every time I think about this my blood just boils. Then on the other hand you have departments that have plenty of money, so they have to think of creative ways to spend it so they can justify the request to some pencil pusher next year.
Comments?
Am I alone out here on this one, I certainly hope not.
As if it isn't enough that we answer the call, train like the paid departments (no offence intended) and still have to work to raise money to buy gear, apparatus, building supplies and the list just goes on and on. Who pays the price you and your family. Don't get me wrong I love getting out there and helping people but you hear of these billions of dollars of bail out money being spent. Then you find out it went to pay for some bank presidents’ salary. It literally makes me sick to my stomach.
My department DONATED an 85' Grumman engine to a needy department in southwest Virginia and now we are looking for a replacement. We have specked out the truck and it's in the neighborhood of 400K., but guess what we can get a loan at 7% interest. We aren't talking about a luxury vehicle hear we are talking about a vehicle that is made to help save lives. Every time I think about this my blood just boils. Then on the other hand you have departments that have plenty of money, so they have to think of creative ways to spend it so they can justify the request to some pencil pusher next year.
Comments?
Am I alone out here on this one, I certainly hope not.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by BIVFD 216 on
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Believe me our department has plenty of pride, half of the membership didn't want to ask the County fire & rescue office for any help (including me). But the cost of appuratus has went through the roof and keeps climbing so you do what you have to do.
Also there comes a time when I feel that you can ask to much form the community in which you live. They pay there taxes, but like you said nothing is free.
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We are funded by the county government, what money we can raise during fund drives and donations. The county allocates each county department $38,000 a year, has recently picked up our fuel tab and insurance premiums. This really has helped a lot but there is another department within our County/City that has a contract with the county and receives around 150k - 200k a year depending on the amount of calls that they run.
Our tax rates have reflected the increases we have received, currently the real estate taxes are .50 per $100 of the assessed value with personal property being 4-5 times higher. See link below.
http://www.co.bedford.va.us/Res/Taxes/index.asp
We used to be on a rotating appuratus list, which meant we would be eligible for appuratus replacement every fourteen years or so. But know the county said it will be on a as needed basis.
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We are currently working on improving our ISO rating. We have met the requirement for flowing 250gpm for two hours some time ago. Now we are just making sure that all the other paperwork (red tape) is in order before inviting them back for a consultation.
The department has had this in the works now for about a year, so hopefully we will reap the fruits of our labor soon!
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Permalink Reply by Christian M Hartley on
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You are not alone. Unfortunately, we live a society now where the fire department tends to be left out. For the price of a single Police Officer at industry standard salary, you could hire 15 paid-on-call firefighters. Or better yet, 10 paid-on-call firefighters and a part-time grantwriter to help out.
Bailouts are unlikely, but I think the legislators should help out with the fundraising, though. For those states where it would be legal I hope they all do like Alaska and hen a person is cited for seat belt violations they can choose to pay their fine to the police or any volunteer fire department. We have an auxiliary that takes care of our findraising, and just recently started talking about printing a deck of cards with out logo on the back and every responder and piece of apparatus on the fronts. You could also do trading cards, but I can't see a redneck FD card being worth a lot - at least as playing cards they'll get used. Oh, and as a personal jab, we are making the Joker cards into the administration.
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Permalink Reply by coryE56 on
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As jim said try the grant money circut my vfd has recieved 2 in tha last 3 months one for new scba's and a cascade system and one for a new brush truck. But I know where u are coming from with out them we are screwed
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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I stepped off of the department in 2002.
Yet; every year, I make 35 GALLONS of baked beans for the fish fry.
Every year, I help with the garbage, the dishes and the clean up.
Oh; and before trainer can say it, I do a certain amount of "politicking" on our department's behalf.
And that has paid off, too.
If you aren't in the community every day, fundraisers is a good way to gauge support and public opinion.
I realize that it sucks energy away from the business at hand, but we have to raise money for public safety so we can bail out more private businesses.
TCSS.
Art
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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I see, hear and feel each and everyone of your pain. Here is my take on the subject matter...
The problem is your community has never paid what is needed to fund a volunteer fire department. In this day and age when volunteerism is down, tax dollars should be funding the volunteer fire department's budget and not the auxillaries baked ham-bean supper or a pancake breakfast. Now I know many will say, I do not want increased taxes as the VFD membership are also taxpayers. I hear that... but creative funding needs to be persued like implementing a CIP program for big ticket purchases, using a grant writer to assist in big ticket items, lease purchase funding for apparatus purchases to reduce the impact, imply a small tax increase for your real costs, go after an impact fee for any new development, add a small surcharge fee for building or renovation permits, oil burner/alternative fuels permits should have an FD fee for inspections or simply start billing for some billable services, like hazmats. (Are you running a volunteer ambulance service? Then start billing the end users for transportation costs that most likely the user has insurance, ear mark the reimbursements directly back to offset that line item budget)
The most expensive line item on any Paid Fire Department's operating budget is Personnel/Benefits and I am sure these towns know how much it costs to go to a paid staff. Just seems ironic that in 2009, brother and sister volunteer firefighters will continue to keep these unfathomable "operating costs" down to their citizens, but are also the same people who are taking it in the back without the minimum funding needed to operate a real world "customer service oriented" organization.
The Police Department doesn't seem to have the same poor lacking operating budget and they are paid? The time has come for Volunteer Fire Chief's to step up and educate the town administrators or townspeople so they can submit realistic operating budgets.
Sorry the bake sale days are over.
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Permalink Reply by Chief622 on
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Your absolutely right. We provide a service of fire suppression and EMS. We dont get paid at my Department since it total volunteer. We should not have to do fundraisers. The money should all come from tax revenue. I know that my taxes would increase, but Fire/EMS service is a very good Insurance to invest in. The days of pancake breakfast and chicken BBQ shoudl be over. We already provide the service and put in crazy hours of training. We shouldnt have to work for our operating funds. Complete BS. The tax payers want the service when they need it, then pay for the levy to insure that they get that quality service when they call for help.
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Permalink Reply by Diamond Chief on
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Captain632, I'm with ya. We are a small dept. and hardly ever do a fundraiser anymore. It is just not worth the effort especially with two or three doing most of the work, which by the way is the same few that does the brunt of the work around the station. We are blessed with a private citizen who has been very generous the past few years when we were in dire need also. You have to constantly consider and evaluate needs versus wants. If the community wants more than what they have, show me the money!
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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As usual we tend to get a bit sidetracked with these discussions, he wasn’t bitchin about doing fundraisers, he’s bitchin about the Government handin out money.
I may take a little slack here….oh-well. I’m sorry but fundraisers are an important part of the volunteer fire service, if for no other reason then PR. You don’t have to do one every month, we do 2 per year, and it brings between 5-8 grand, that ain’t chump change, any more would be overkill. When I joined……well, today when you join you are handed a set of guidelines that tell you need X amount hours of training and are expected to help with 2 fundraisers, so it’s presented up front, this is all about commitment. Time is the issue, or not enough of it, it’s tough to balance everything needed and everything wanted especially today with so many requirements. So my advice; if you do 1 or 2 per year, and have a good public turnout, continue, make the time, it’s good for the department and good for the community.
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Thanks for getting us back on track Trainer, we do two beef and chicken dinners, a calendar project every year and a gun lottery or mail out every other year. The time inversted performing these fund raisers might as well be public relation events in comparison to what we actually take in. At 10k a year it would take a very long time to payoff a new engine at todays costs.
I have heard rumors of bank executives getting 700k + bonuses from these bail out packages. What single person is worth that, the bad thing is that we are out here scratching the ground trying to do something to improve the communites that we live in while these pencil pushers are vacationing at some five star resort.
I'm not asking for something for nothing but this country had better wake-up before the volunteers don't have the time or money to give to support services that everyone needs.
If they were to have an accident while on vacation or just passing trough I'm sure that they would be asking "please help me"!!
www.bigislandfd.com
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I think that it is important for departments who have less than 100 calls a year to do things that create comradarie within the fire department. Training would be number one for sure. But, how does the public gauge what they are getting for their tax dollars if they don't see you that much? Having open houses with demonstrations certainly harbors community involvement, but if you go to that trouble, then you need to set the jars out or serve a meal; something that will get additional dollars.
We set out recently purchased equipment at our fundraisers and our public is AMAZED at how expensive this stuff is. And that's why we have to educate them. And no; we can't go to Wal-Mart and get it cheaper. Yes; we buy our toilet paper there. No, ma'am. Turnout gear must come from a very specialized manufacturer.
In small communities, your fundraisers are THE social event for the older set. This might be the only time they socialize. They really appreciate it. It lets everyone look around and see people that they never knew that they had something in common with; helping their fire department. Common ground.
Could be the start of a new friendship and for the department, it could create some interest in a potential candidate for an opening on your membership roster.
The only downside is the amount of help you get. If you don't make it optional, then you should get 100 percent participation. Have worklists. Have someone watching for slackers. Run it like a fire ground.
Use the kids to clean off tables.
TCSS.
Art
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