WINNING NARRATIVE 2003




The XXX Volunteer Fire Department is located XXX miles northwest of Minneapolis/St Paul along interstate highway XX in the heart of an agricultural community.
 

The project that you are requesting to be funded:
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XXX Fire and Rescue Department in making application in the Vehicle program area, for a Rescue Pumper, to acquire a new never owned NFPA 1901 compliant vehicle. 
 
 

How you plan to use the grant funds for each major budget activity as listed on the budget form?
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We decided that a quick response rescue pumper (mini-pumper) with storage for our extrication equipment, medical supplies, and other personal protective equipment would add flexibility, improve our service as well as improve the safety of Fire department members and the community with an apparatus that does more, with added reliability.


   
Why this program would be beneficial to your community and/or to your department?
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We are currently using a non-compliant 85 Chevrolet 4 door Brush truck as our so-called rescue unit; this is our most active apparatus it responds on all of our calls.  It is the first apparatus out for brush fires, medical, and rescue calls; it is the second apparatus out on most structure fires. 
 
We are desperately in need of a rescue apparatus that can serve as a pumper also, with the many trails, lake homes/cabins, and increasing State Forest areas we have in our fire district we have found that our main pumper is to large and heavy to go into many of those areas.   This has made us re-evaluate our apparatus needs. We have decided that a rescue/pumper apparatus will fill the void in areas that our main pumper could not reach, with added flexibility and reliability of the apparatus.  Since this apparatus is usually the first out on a call we need it to do more. 
 
 

Why this project cannot be funded solely through local funding?
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The State of Minnesota currently is experiencing the biggest budget shortfall in the state’s history of 4.2 Billion Dollars. In order to assist in balancing the deficit, the Minnesota legislature will be reducing the state aid to our city by 58% this year and eliminating aid all together next year. To further complicate this matter, the State is eliminating the authority of local communities to raise local property taxes and to issue bonds to maintain or fund new acquisitions or building projects. The shortfalls are so significant that it will be a challenge to our department just to maintain.
 
 
With the budget cuts and the number of trucks that need updating or replacing we find our selves very short on funds.  We have been spending much more for personal protective gear than we have in the past that has burdened our budget for trucks and other equipment. 
 
 
 
Any additional relevant information that you would like us to consider when evaluating your application:
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This grant would help us out greatly; we also have a 1974 international 1,300 gal tanker that is not functioning at the level that we need.  This is our quick response tanker (if there is such a thing.)  This apparatus makes trips to and from the scene about 2 to every 1 of our other tankers, and also has a pump for brush fires, which we currently can’t use. 
 
On our last brush fire we had the pump quit on us 3 times when we needed water in which case we burned about 150’ of hose and had some members of our department in danger so we have since taken its pump out of service. 
 
The Rescue Pumper would help fill the void in this area as well. 
 
If we receive an award from this program, we will be able to provide a higher level of safety to our firefighters as well as the citizens of our community and the transient population that travels up and down the freeway.   
 
Thank you for considering our grant application we hope to hear from you.