Hello,
I am from south east OH. I have been a volunteer firefighter for close to 25 yrs. (I can't count since I was 3 but that is another story.) My dept was founded in 1962 by a group of local men who built a truck in someone’s garage. We cover a 36sq mi area with a pop of close to 10,000, much of the area is rural. There has been a growth in the population over the last 5-10 yrs. It is amazing how many homes and businesses have been built here. The county has a 911 system serving 17 VFDs. We now have 2 stations, 2 engines, 2 tankers, a rescue/utility/rehab, a brush truck & a rescue/pumper on its way. Our call volume averages around 400 per year depending on severe weather & brush fires.

We have close to 40 members including Jrs & associate members besides certified firefighters. Our ISO rating is 5/9 (I think). We contract to the township to provide fire protection for a flat fee. We have a fire levy that was passed in the 80s for 1/2 mil. administered by the township to provide that fee. I know that tax is a dirty word to some people but if they realize that paying a couple of dollars a year to the FD is going to reduce the rates on their home owner's insurance they take it much easier. It is suprising how much support the community will give when they understand it is for their benefit. Proving to the citizens of your jurisdiction that it is worth the cost is up to the membership in your department.

In the past few years we have received a good amount of money in FireAct grants.

www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/grants

http://www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm

I have read several posts on FFN about departments getting $0 when applying for grants.
I have heard that one reason (FAG) applications are rejected is that they aren't properly filled out or are illegible. When applying for any grant, ALL the blanks & boxes should be filled in even if it doesn't apply to your department put an N/A in that blank. Use all the space for narrative and attach another sheet if you need to. Tell them why you need the money. Remember if it is a matching grant, some are, that your department will need to spend YOUR share of the money within the allotted time period. Make sure you can come up with that money as well.

Need must be demonstrated, explain how it will affect your department to better serve your area and help provide Mutual Aid for neighboring areas. PPE & SCBA (&training) fall under the FF Health & Safety category. On our grant we included paying for physicals for all our members and purchasing fitness equipment for us to work out. Different equipment falls into seperate categories. Make sure you apply in the proper section.

Give good cost estimates. If you don't ask for enough money to purchase 20 sets of PPE, the evaluators will know that because they are firefighters or work in fire service in some way. By the same token, they also understand that $75,000.00 is too much for radios & pagers for 20 members. If you have 40 ffs, there is no reason to ask for 70 SCBA units. To be more realistic your department may need 40 complete SCBA units & 40 spare cylinders. Do the research on the cost before entering figures on the application.

Review the application several times. Have someone else look @ it to check for errors.
File the application well before the deadline.

The Fire Chief and the president of the department are responsible to file grant applications. Meaning, that any firefighter cannot decide a grant is needed and apply on his/her own with out knowledge and consent of the FD and/or its officers.

Search for and research grants your department might be eligible to apply for or those your jurisdiction, township or county may apply for.
If your department runs first responders, there may be EMS grants available to recoup cost incurred in that area. If you respond to wild land fires you might be able to apply for grants through the Department of Natural Resources. My state has a surplus program. Find out if there is one in your state and if you are eligible to participate in it. We have obtained several vehicles such as a brush truck & first responder vehicles through that program as well as water tanks and generators, portable pumps and other equipment.

The good old fashioned way of getting money is working for donations. We have burned brush piles, filled swimming pools, covered events @ the fair and demo derbies, held auctions, bake sales, chili dinners, car washes & hire a fireman. We make applebutter to sell each year. We make & sell reflective address signs. It is a lot of work but keeping any organization moving forward does require time and effort from its members.