| * Please indicate which of these Target Capabilities your request outlined in this application will satisfy. Check all that apply: | |
| Responder Safety and Health Firefighting Operations/Support Search and Rescue |
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| * Please provide your narrative statement in the space provided below. Include in your narrative, details regarding (1) your project’s description and budget, (2) your organization’s financial need, (3) the benefit to be derived from the cost of your project, and (4) how the activities requested in your application will help your organization’s daily operations and how this grant will protect life and property. | |
| 2007 FEMA Grant XXX FIRE DEPARTMENT On behalf of the XXX Fire Department, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. I know this Grant program has had a significant impact on improving firefighting and EMS Services throughout our country. XXX Township is located approximately XX miles XXX of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, off of County Road XXX in XXXXXX County. We are a rural fire department with 26 fire fighters. The XXX Fire Department provides primary service to approximately 5,000 citizens within the 36 square miles of XXX Township. Also, the XXX Fire Department has automatic mutual aid agreements with an additional five communities in four counties. These mutual aid agreements add an additional 250 square miles of response area and approximately 20,000 citizens, a regional hospital, and several businesses. XXX Fire Department is the primary responder for the XXXX which is a XX,000 acre park. In 2002 we responded to a major fire within the preserve that consumed thousands of acres of forest and required hundreds of firefighters from around the state including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. After a week we were able to gain control of the fire. Today, the threat is still there and we undergo planning and training to prepare for the next major event. The Township consists mainly of residential property on large wooded lots and very little commercial development. We have an elementary school that provides education for approximately 600 students and provide education to them. Eight miles of XXX County Road XXX bisects XXX and is a major east-west highway across the northern Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. This county road is a primary route between Interstate XXX at XXX, MN and Interstate XXX at XXX MN. It is commonly used by numerous trucks for the transport of various hazardous products. One of our critical infrastructures in our area is the William’s Pipeline which carries gasoline, jet fuels and other flammable liquids along the entire six miles of our eastern border with XXX Township. In addition, XXX Township is bordered by 2 major highways; Interstate XXX to the east and State Highway XXX to the west. These two highways provide major north-south routes across the State of Minnesota for the flow of commerce. XXX Hospital is located within the City of XXX, MN. XXX Fire Department and the XXX Fire Department have automatic mutual aid agreements for the response to incidents at the hospital. PROJECT DESCRIPTION We are asking for funds to purchase basic turnout gear for each firefighter to replace our worn-out and noncompliant gear that is served beyond its useful years. Our personal protection equipment is over 13 years old on average and does not comply with OSHA, NFPA, or other local and national standards. It is our hope to provide this basic equipment for our firefighters. If funding was received and we were able to purchase equipment we feel we would minimize our risk of thermal injury as well as fatigue. The equipment we have today is heavy, non-reflective, and cumbersome. The funds would allow 100% of our staff to have complaint gear. Thermal Imaging cameras are another important piece of equipment that would greatly enhance our search and rescue operations. The addition of a Thermal Imaging Camera would allow us to manage a fire scene more effectively. The Thermal Imaging camera will assist us in locating possible victims in smoke filled buildings and pinpoint hot spots that might rekindle. Also, because it detects heat, rather than light, it will help us to locate lost victims in our remote, rural areas. In addition, the Thermal Imaging camera can locate the fire source becoming a vital tool to help us detect the heat source through thick smoke, doors and walls, allowing firefighters to bring the fire under control. We are requesting two Thermal Imaging cameras; one for each engine. Each camera has been estimated to cost approximately $12,000 each; making the total cost $24,000. The following are the cost averages for the requested turnout gear and Thermal Imaging cameras we have from a few vendors we work with: Coat $800 Pants $600 Boots $150 Hard Hat $170 Nomex hood $40 Gloves $60 Safety belt $150 Total For Each Set $1,970 # of Firefights 26 Total For Turnout Gear $51,220 Thermal Imaging cameras $12,000 # of Cameras 2 Total For Cameras $24,000 Grant Request $75,220 XXX Fire Department 5% Grant Matching - $3,761 Total Grant Request $71,459 Total funds that we are asking for from USFA Grant Program are $71,459. This will provide the appropriate funds to help ensure the safety of our firefighters, XXX Township residents and surrounding communities. FINANCIAL NEED XXX Township is a rural community in northern XXX County. The local zoning ordinances require low-density developments (minimum lot size of 2.5 acres). While this promotes our rural atmosphere, it does not favor community water and sewer services. Therefore, XXX does not, and will not in the foreseeable future have a central water supply with hydrants. Without central water supply and hydrants, we rely completely on large capacity tankers and mutual aid for all our firefighting water needs. Furthermore, the lack of community water and sewer services restricts our commercial development potential, currently under 1% commercial property, limiting our tax base. Therefore, we are reliant on the residential property taxes for our funding. Also without local businesses, any substantial fundraising is difficult as well. XXX Fire Department budget for 2007 is $235,000. The break down of this budget is as follows: 59% Personnel Expenses Wages, Insurance, Training, Etc. 16% Vehicle and Equipment Maintenance Including all related expenses of insurance, gas, etc. 15% Building and Office Expenses Includes heat, phone, lights, building maintenance, etc. 10% New Equipment The XXX Fire Department has solicited local organizations and citizens for donations, however have not been able to get the necessary monies required to meet our needs. As of January 1, 2005 through today we have only been able to raise $2,100 for the Fire Department. We had to update our radios; for the required switch to 800 megahertz. Also due to a change in how 911 dispatches XXXX County some of our pagers became obsolete and needed to be replaced. These necessary upgrades used the majority of our funds, therefore leaving the XXX Fire Department without the necessary resources to purchase other equipment. The Township officials have worked with the Fire Department attempting to provide the funding to purchase necessary equipment and ultimately ensure the safety of the residents, as well as the firefighters; however the Township has also faced budget cuts. As you know, funding has been increasingly difficult for everyone since 9/11. COST/BENEFIT With new turnout gear, our firefighters will be protected, allowing each of them to provide a better service to the community. Each firefighter will know, and not wonder, if their current gear will protect them in a rescue operation going into a burning structure. Last year we tested for our Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating. This survey was done by Insurance Services Office (ISO), and is a complete analysis of the structure fire suppression delivery system provided in our community. When the auditor looked at our current gear he said that all of our gear was not OSHA or NFPA compliant, even including our newest sets of gear which are a few years old now. The Safety and lives of XXX’s firefighters and citizens are in jeopardy due to the poor condition of our Personal Protective Equipment. It would be an unnecessary tragedy to lose a citizen or firefighter because our equipment was in poor condition, how would we explain that to a grieving family. Our most basic, but most critical equipment is not completely functional. Just as our Township turns to the XXX Fire Department for help in times of need, we turn to you to help the XXX Firefighters comply with OSHA and NFPA standards. STATEMENT OF EFFECT At this time, our current gear is approaching 13 years old. The condition of the gear is unsafe and extremely worn. Many of the coats and pants are faded and have tattered reflective striping and shows signs of thermal breakdown. Gear is issued using old gear that is left by departing fire fighters, regardless of the size. It is not ¿fit¿ to the firefighter as it should be. When one firefighter leaves the department, the equipment becomes ¿gold¿ to others that have gear that is less functional. We are asking for funds to purchase complete sets of basic firefighting gear to include a coat, bunkers, boots, helmet, hood, safety belt, and gloves. Again, due to the budget cuts and increased service demands, our Township is unable to afford the $1,970 per firefighter for new NFPA and OSHA compliant gear. The Thermal Imaging camera would make search and rescue operations much more efficient with the ability to locate a victim much faster, which will increase the odds of a rescue rather than a recovery. We were given the opportunity to use a camera on one of our mutual aid calls from another department, allowing us to see first hand what a valuable and life-saving tool the Thermal Imaging camera is. My primary objective of the Grant is obviously to provide the necessary turnout gear for each and every member of the XXX Fire Department. This objective will ensure the safety of each firefighter and will allow the XXX Fire Department to continue serving our community, as well as the many surrounding communities, to the best of our ability. With new turnout gear in place the XXX Fire Department can allocate more money, and resources towards training and upgrading other equipment within the Department. The XXX Fire Department stands ready to respond to any and all emergencies as needed. Thank you for your consideration. XXX Fire Chief |
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