WINNING NARRATIVE 2004



The XXXXXX Fire Department is located in the City of XXXXXX, in XXXXXX County in Minnesota, which is about 225 miles Southwest of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Please describe in full the project that you are requesting to be funded.
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The XXXXXX, Minnesota Volunteer Fire Department (XFD) in requesting $134,777.00 in funding for the purchase of twenty-one (21) complete sets of personal protective gear, which would include, jackets, pants, helmets, protective hood, gloves and boots. We are also requesting twenty-one (21) self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) with lightweight carbon cylinders and a compressor system with filling station.

How you plan to use the grant funds for each major budget activity as listed on the budget form
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The goal of our department is to properly outfit our entire 21 members with turnout gear that is fitted for each individual and meets current NFPA 1971 standards so that no member has any reservations as to the personal protection capabilities of their turnout gear. XFD is currently using protective gear that is 15 years old, due to the years of service and constant need of cleaning, the gear has become worn and tattered. This situation has the potential to give a false sense of security to our firefighter, thus presenting real personal dangers.

The new SCOTT’S Air Pack NxG2 SCBA units will be equipped with integrated Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) and Heads Up Display (HUD) which also serves as a redundant low air alarm. The new SCBA will also be equipped with SCOTT’S AV-3000 face piece and lightweight, ergonomically designed harness system to place the bulk of the weight on the hips instead of the shoulders. This harness design would greatly reduce the stress and fatigue experienced by firefighter during SCBA use. The SCOTT’S 2215 Lightweight Carbon Cylinders we requested are up to 12 pounds lighter than the cylinders currently in use. These new units would put the XFD in compliance with the NFPA standard 1981, 2002 and NPFA 1998.

The SCBAs and Integrated PASS devices are necessary because of O.S.H.A.’s 1910.134 Respiratory Standard and NFPA standards 1981 and 1982. Because the scope of fire fighting now includes being called out to meth labs and many types of infectious diseases the SCBA personal protection is more important than ever before. The PASS device also makes firefighters more aware of their situation and gives other department members the ability to help a firefighter in distress. These new SCBA's also become more valuable with the ever-growing threat of bioterrorism. XFD is currently using SBCA’s that are not in compliance with NFPA standards and are also 15 to 20 years old. The face pieces that are currently being used are old and in constant need of repair.

The new SCOTT’S Air Pack NxG2 SCBA units will be equipped with integrated Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) and Heads Up Display (HUD) which also serves as a redundant low air alarm. The new SCBA will also be equipped with SCOTT’S AV-3000 face piece and lightweight, ergonomically designed harness system to place the bulk of the weight on the hips instead of the shoulders. This harness design would greatly reduce the stress and fatigue experienced by firefighter during SCBA use. The SCOTT’S 2215 Lightweight Carbon Cylinders we requested are up to 12 pounds lighter than the cylinders currently in use. These new units would put the XFD in compliance with the NFPA standard 1981, 2002 and NPFA 1998.

As mentioned above, XFD request a compressor with a filling station. The compressor is a Patriot LE 5000 Simple Air compressor with a Revolveair filling station, which hold four cylinders. This addition would greatly improve our ability to quickly fill tanks in an emergency situation. With the numerous training activities with surrounding departments, our department would have the capability to fill an unlimited amount of cylinders.

Use of grant funds for each major category listed on the request detail form:

21 Complete Personal Protective Equipment sets @ $1,557.00 per set = $32,697.00
21 SCBA units @ $3,500.00 per unit = $73,500.00
10 Spare Cylinders @ $658.00 per cylinder = $6,580.00
1 Compressor with filling station = $22,000.00

Why this program would be beneficial to your community and/or to your department
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The benefit to the community would be that of having a better equipped and response ready fire department. The City of XXXXXX Minnesota, and the surrounding response area, has a population of approximately 930 people and is located in an isolated rural region in XXXXXX XXXXXX of the state. Our community is also home to part of Interstate XX, which carries many potential hazards considering the amount of transport traffic that regularly utilizes this major highway.

The main focus of the XFD is to provide immediate emergency services to our surrounding community. The ever-changing dangers and hazards that have surfaced across the area have placed out dedicated volunteers at greater risk for the unknown. I.e., farm chemicals, transportation of hazardous waste by highway and rail, meth labs, etc.

The major benefit to the department would be the additional margin of safety that this equipment would provide for our firefighters. This will benefit the department, because there were 3 firefighters injured, 1 firefighter was injured because the face mask didn’t fit properly and they suffered smoke inhalation, another firefighter was injured because the boots did not have steel toes, so he got a nail in his foot, the other firefighter sprained their ankle because her turnout gear did not fit her properly and she slipped off the truck, while at the fire scene. The additional safety benefits of the PASS devices and the new lightweight designed harness system would reduce the stress and fatigue on the firefighter.

The addition of the compressor would not only be beneficial to our department, but also to the surrounding departments for training and mutual aid situations. The entire program revolves around making our firefighters safer while doing the dangerous work that we do for the benefit of the community.

Why this project cannot be funded solely through local funding.
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XXXXXX is located in a rural region and is extremely dependent on the health of the agricultural economy. As the tax base continues to fade in response to the decline in ag-related business, the expectations for quality service from the citizens continues to increase. In addition to funding the fire department, the cities general fund must also strive to provide streets, parks, utilities, recreation and other services at the same levels people have come to expect. In addition to the eroding local climate, the State of Minnesota is currently experiencing budget cuts and the Local Government Aid (LGA) funding that the city receives from the state continues to be in jeopardy. The loss of any LGA funding would have a serious effect on the already tight city budget.

Any additional relevant information that you would like us to consider when evaluating your application
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The XXXXXX Fire Department is seeking ODP/FEMA funding to help us get out department in compliance with OSHA and NFPA properly and with up-to-date modern equipment so our volunteers are safe in all the hazards and situations we respond to when assisting our citizens.

The XXXXXX Fire Department works very hard to maintain the equipment and keep up with the training for the firefighters in spite of budget limitations. We have gotten by, for the most part, by replacing things on an “as needed” basis and as we could afford it. However, we currently find ourselves in desperate need of equipment in order to maintain the services we are currently providing.

We appreciate your support and would like to express our appreciation for the opportunities this grant program would provide to our department.

Thank you for your consideration.
XXXXXX Fire Department