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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 jerry baldwin on
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no sir you are not alone in this line of thinking. it seems that as volunteers we spend a lot of time doing things for a public or for a community that has no respect for us. it seems that we are invisable or don't exist to the community, that is of course until they need us because their house is on fire or because they have had an accident. it is a good thing that we knew we were getting into a thankless line of work when we joined up, now isn't it?
consequently, you may find it interesting to read my discussion regaurding the "soverign immunity" issue that is currently making it's way through the court system in my home state. it very well may set a precedent that is dangerous, not only in my state but others as well. and it could directly result in the injuries and deaths of good fire fighters and first responders. you have an open invitation to be added to my friends list. stay safe out there and God bless you and yours.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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Sounds like someone is close to burn-out....We are all in the same boat....some departments (our neighbors for example) have money coming out of their butts....they have Bingos and are the county center for the "Meals on Wheels" program which is funded by Uncle Sam....so they have the funds...we on the other hand have to fund raise and work the extras for the equipment we want/need...No-one ever said life was fair....Thank goodness for the grant programs....they do help if you can show justification and paperwork to support your request....Hang in there Brother...Stay safe and remember to keep the faith........Paul
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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I hear ya man, been there done that. 7% seems a little high; we got 4.5% check with the mfg on leasing. Federal money is a funny thing, its all in the way it’s written. I’ve seen depts. get it that need it but don’t deserve it, like look at this new truck ain’t it nice, but don’t have a clue on how to run it. And depts. that get it who buy a new truck every year anyways, it just sucks. We have ordered a new truck, 300 grand, we have to borrow every cent and stretch it over 10 years, and we have hopes of the state 0 interest loan program, but because we have bettered ourselves over the years, got some decent equipment, we will probably be denied, just not fair. So I’ll keep flippen cakes, frying fish and doing what I have to for the betterment of this community.
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Right there beside you man.....I'm the one doing the damn dishes.....where the hell did those probies get off to...?? LOl Paul
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Permalink Reply by BIVFD 216 on
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Our department has tried and is still trying to pursue grants. The only one that we have been successful with was a regional grant to standardize air packs. I'd say that we have applied for at least twenty grants over the past four years with very little success.
Some of that money also is going to departments who have the cash to lobby and pay professional grant writers to paint a picture of despair.
I guess we might as well face it, the citizens of your community are the ones who will actually pay the price.
The citizens that live in our first due pay the same taxes like everyone else and should have the same quality equipment and services.
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Dishes??? That’s usually reserved for the low men on the totem pole…..or the ones that should not be around the public….quietly snickering.
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Permalink Reply by roy yoder on
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on top of that i was talking to a chief last night and found that a fire dept can't charge for a call and bill the insurance any more. for an accident or a house fire. it used to be that you could charge for the call (about 500 for each) and he says that this includes charging for hazmat stuff that is used or damaged on a call. if someone knows more about this please reply. supposed to have been passed this year.
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Permalink Reply by FIRE BEAR on
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I can understand where your comeing from. My old dept was paid on call and we was working out of the towns genral fund. well we went to the township board and asked for a milliage and they told us it wouldnt pass but if we wanted to try for it go ahead so we did all the work open meetings at the station to show the town folks what we do and why we needed it. well long story short we got it and all at once the township board goes and gets 100% control over it we couldnt spend a dime with out going to the board and they decided that the town no longer needed a ALS unit so we was drooped down to 1st responder they said there wasnt enough of us to run a ALS there was 39 of us 27 was emt paramedics 7 were basic emt and the rest was going to school for basic so i guess even haveing the money dosent always help either now we no longer have a dept and they have given it over to another town and fired all the firefighters that was there so now im back home and on a vol fire dept and loveing every min of it no headaches
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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BIVFD, a few questions:
How is your department funded? Do you contract with the town you serve or are you part of a village? What is your annual operating budget?
Over the years we have raised our contractual amount with the towns we serve. In the mid 1970s, for every dollar received from the town we made $1.50 or more in fundraising. Today fundraising accounts for only about 10% of our budget, and we are seriously thinking of just cutting out the barbecues and bakes altogether.
NOW: This was done with a firm annual budget in place, with allowance built in for rising fuel, electric and apparatus costs. Some apparatus we have purchased outright (back when they were cheaper) but others were financed after a substantial down payment.
A gauge of how much a town pays for fire protection is its tax rate in terms of dollars per $1,000 of property value. In my town of 2500 people the rate is about $1.05 per 1,000; in contrast, I know in suburban Buffalo, NY the rate is $1.34 per $1000 for a municipality of 110,000.
It might be useful to find out what yours is, for the sake of comparison.
It may be that a lot of VFDs don't have an adequate operating budget and equipment replacement plan in place. It may also be that department presidents/chiefs/treasurers are either afraid or unable to stand up to the municipal folks and request increases. However, if a department has a bona fide 5 or 10 year budget plan in place, and a concrete showing of need for additional funds, a strong case can be made for a contract amount increase.
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Permalink Reply by Chief 29 on
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I am in total agreement with everyone who has replied so far. No one likes to spend the extra time fund raising but at this time it is the only way to survive. I don't know if anyone has been paying attention to the news lately but there are politicians nation wide making budget cuts due to the state of the economy. These cuts may or not effect you or your station directly but they effect the service as a whole.
We should be glad in these rough economic times of uncertainty that the public still supports us through our fund raising efforts. Through the hard work that you and your fellow firefighters put out there raising every nickel needed to survive in the high cost world of the fire service is were that big thing called PRIDE comes from.
When you spent 15 to 20 thousand for 10 new sets of gear, the recipients of those sets will be proud to have gotten them because the busted their a** to get them. When your 300 plus thousand dollar truck gets paid off you and you fellow firefighters can say that truck is ours and we got it on our own. Pride is the big word here.
I don't know to many companies that can survive on grant money alone. Don't get me wrong grant money has afforded my company some things in the past that we may not have been able to afford. When you get awarded a grant there is typically some type of money that you have to put towards the grant. We have had different grants were we had to put up anywhere from 5% to matching dollar for dollar. Grants are nice but are not the cure all.
I'm not telling you what or how to do it but look at your fundraising efforts like training. Fund raisers make your guys learn to work together through a group effort. Remember it's not just you washing the dishes at your spaghetti dinner. Someone prepared it, someone served it , someone cleaned it up and brought you the dish, after your done with it some one dries it and so on and so on. Structure fires don't normally get put out by one person, it is a group effort.
In ending. We are all in the same boat here. Nothing is easy or every one would be doing it. Nothing is free or every one would have it.Keep your heads up and keep busting your a** for everything you got because believe it or not you and your efforts are appreciated by many.
Happy New Year and stay safe out there in 09'
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Before I get slapped, probably by my daughter, I meant to say men and women
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The closest thing to a bailout we got is, as already mentioned, is the AFG or the lottery as its known in some circles. I don’t know the status of the incoming administration on this, but hopefully it will continue. I’m going along with Joe here on his questions. Another avenue is your ISO, do you know what it is? Can you improve? Do you know how it affects Joe taxpayer? Nothing better then to save the taxpayer a little money, right before you ask for an increase.
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