So i just got done reading a forum and its comments about fundraisers and read alot of good ideas and thoughts. I heard from some people that have sufficient funding and then some. I also heard from some who's firehouses are barely getting by. I have to admit that my station is one that is just getting by. We just implemented a system where we are actually going to start charging for calls. We all kinda got laughed at when other departments found out that we didnt charge for them. Anyway, billing aside, One of the points that I really liked is that we all kinda let ourselves get into this crappy position of volunteering our time, working for free, and still have to do the fundraisers and all that good stuff while risking our lives for the community. One of the writers stated that you dont ever see a townworker doing a fundraiser for a snowplow and god how true is that in my town. We cant even get out townworkers to come and help sweep up the mess after an mva. Anyway finally to the point, fundraisers. I think they can be a great thing if they are well planned. If your gona do em, make sure you have a committee that knows how to run a fundraiser, that has some business connections, and that wants to give a little bit of extra time to your department (something that is getting harder to find on my department.) So it sounds like some of the bigger departments out there have the proper funding and thats awesome. But for those of us who dont, something has to be done and honestly I think fundraisers are only a bandaid for the situation. We need to raise awareness of what we do to the community and the people that are in charge of it. Make sure they know how many calls your department goes on, what kind of work you guys do, where all the money goes, why its not enough. anyway you get the idea.