WINNING NARRATIVE 2003




The City of XXX located approximately XXX miles south of Minneapolis/St Paul in South Central Minnesota. We are an agricultural community.
 


Please describe the project that you are requesting to be funded.
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The City of XXX located in South Central Minnesota, has a vested interest in each individual within the fire department.  Their personal protection is vital to the continued service of our community.  The XXX Fire Department has identified an immediate need for additional personal protective equipment as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
 
The XXX Fire Department is a small volunteer department that provides structural and wild land fire suppression, rescue, and medical first response to the city of XXX and surrounding townships.  The department has XX volunteer firefighters, which includes one fire chief and one training officer.  We serve approximately 500 citizens within the primary response area, which covers just over 50 square miles in a rural setting.  The department also includes XX first responders and is in the process of implementing a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT).
 
The personal protective equipment used to protect each member of the department from injury has become inadequate and through use and aging.  The vast majority of these are well over 20 years old non-compliant and no longer meet current NFPA or OSHA requirements.  Most coats and pants have burn holes and are torn to the point of no longer being safe to be worn on a call.  We also lack the correct sizes for many of the volunteers, they may be wearing coats and pants that are too large for them, which makes it difficult for them to maneuver.
 
It is our goal to purchase personal protective equipment for each of our firefighters.  The items to be included are as follows: helmet, turnout coat, bunker pants, boots, gloves, protective hood, and self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) with integrated PASS device.  An extra air cylinder for each SCBA will also be purchased.
 
The XXX Fire Department recently purchased 4 new sets of turnout gear through various fundraising efforts over the last couple of years.  With the additional funding from the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program we will be able to outfit 100% of the active firefighters on the department.  This will result in maximum firefighter safety during an emergency.
 


How do you plan to use the grant funds for each major budget category listed.
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We currently have 6 SCBA for our department.  Our community has classified us as an exterior fire department under MN-OSHA laws and we need to acquire SCBA along with new Personal Protective Equipment to allow us to safely enter structures to affect the rescue of those that are 14 years and younger and our aging population of 65 and older.  By having this equipment our firefighters will be able to eliminate smoke inhalation and fire danger on the fire scenes.
 
The City of XXX Fire Department has compiled the following quotes for personal protective equipment.
 
ITEM------------------QUANTITY----------------------COST--------------------TOTAL
Turnout Gear
    (Coat & Pants)-------21 each---------------------------$925.00-----------------$19,425.00
Helmets------------------21 each---------------------------$200.00-----------------$4,200.00         
Hoods--------------------21 each---------------------------$34.00-------------------$714.00
Gloves-------------------21 pair----------------------------$34.00-------------------$714.00
Boots---------------------21 pair----------------------------$118.00-----------------$2,478.00
Scott Air-Pak 50-------10 each----------------------------$2,742.00---------------$27,420.00
  (w/face mask & I-PASS)
Extra Air Cylinders----10 each----------------------------$382.50-----------------$3,825.00
Extra Face Masks--------9 each----------------------------$175.00-----------------$1,575.00
---------------------------------------------------------------TOTAL COST-----------$60,351.00
 
The XXX Fire Department and the City of XXX are prepared to provide a 10% cash match of $6,035.10 towards the purchase of this equipment.
 
A 90% grant contribution of $54,315.90 from the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is necessary.
 
 

Please explain why this program would be beneficial to your community and/or department.
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Firefighters require the best personal protective equipment available because of the environment in which they perform their duties.  Injuries can be reduced and prevented if firefighters have and use good protective clothing and breathing apparatus.  All equipment should meet current applicable standards.
 
With a volunteer department it is crucial that all active firefighters be fully outfitted due to the varying personnel able to respond at different times of the day.  The health, safety, and welfare of the firefighters is enhanced with proper protective equipment that is compliant with recognized standards.
 
In a small community it is becoming increasingly difficult to retain and recruit personnel willing to commit to the training requirements and time obligations associated with serving on the fire department.  Therefore, we owe it to the volunteers to provide the maximum protection available.  Compromising such safety due to fiscal limitations increases the risk to the firefighters and community.  Full gear for all firefighters will ensure that such a situation is avoided.



Please explain why this project cannot be funded solely through local funding.
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The City of XXX lies in an agrarian region in South Central Minnesota suffering from major economic downturn in the agricultural businesses around our response area.  We live in a county where the unemployment rate at the end of February 2003 was at 5.9%, much higher than the state unemployment rate of 4.9%.  The medium household income of XXX is $28,125 close to $33,000 below the states medium household income.  The state of Minnesota is also facing a budget deficit and is cutting a considerable amount of funding to small cities across the state.  Any additional capital expenditure beyond the current debt service will impose undue financial hardship to the residents of this community.
 
The XXX Fire department along with the City of XXX while recognizing the fiscal constraints hindering the purchase of current NFPA compliant personal protective equipment, has been able to set aside approximately $7,000.00 dollars.  These funds have been dedicated to the purchase of the new personal protective equipment.  The opportunity to leverage these funds with the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program has proven to be very timely.  The successful award of FEMA funding will allow the XXX Fire Department the needed resources and capital to purchase personal protective equipment meeting the NFPA 1971 standards, without creating a financial burden beyond the means of the community.
 


Please provide any additional relevant information that you would like us to consider when evaluating your application.
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This application is for the XXX Fire Department, however the department is also a member of the XXX County Mutual Aid Agreement.  Through this agreement these communities support one another with equipment and personnel.  This new personal protective equipment will allow the XXX Fire Department personnel to support these other communities.  This agreement also ensures that the fullest possible coverage and service is available to all communities within the region.
 
The XXX Fire Department has the capacity to carry out and sustain the project with the current personnel and annual budget.  This project will not create any additional financial obligations to the department.