WINNING NARRATIVE 2008



Project Description
* Please indicate which of these Target Capabilities your request outlined in this application will satisfy. Check all that
apply:
* 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.

INTRODUCTION. The City of XXX, Minnesota (pop. XXXX) is located approximately XXX miles southwest of
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Located in a highly agricultural area, their department covers 76 square miles in their
primary response area and assists in protecting numerous other communities and townships through formal mutual aid
agreements with XX other fire departments. When considering the population of their primary response area, they
currently protect approximately XXXX residents in addition to resident’s numerous homes, businesses, barns, farm
buildings and more.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & BUDGET

RISK ASSESSMENT. The fire department leadership and members have conducted a comprehensive risk assessment
and determined that its most pressing personnel problem is the need to replace poor turnout gear, SCBA’s and their
Cascade System. The existing PPE and associated equipment poses risks to their firefighters and affects service to
the public.

PROBLEM STATEMENT. The XXX fire department’s personal protective gear has seen its share of wear. Of their 24
active firefighters, none have adequate PPE when called upon to fight a fire, nor is their PPE NFPA compliant. This is
the department's fifth application to FEMA to replace this equipment.

Turnout gear. Most of the department’s sets of gear are 15 years old or older. This older gear is a mixture of suits
from different time periods and they don’t fit firefighters correctly, with 90% of the pieces worn, tattered, and with burn
holes. The fire department is unable to send any one firefighter to a fire scene with fully compliant gear. None of the
gear meets the newest NFPA standards mandating that turnout gear be resistant to hazardous materials, be made of
materials that are resistant to temperatures, and that they have integrated retrieval harnesses.

SCBA’s. The XXX Fire Department purchased their existing SCBA’s (then used equipment about 10 years old) from
XXX about 20 years ago. Therefore, the department’s SCBA’s are approximately 30 years old and
do not meet NFPA standards. The existing SCBA’s will not pass testing and this puts their personnel at risk each time
they are faced with an incident requiring the use of respiratory equipment. The last time the XXX Department had
training they were told that none of their SCBA’s were safe, because they were not working properly.

Fixed Compressor/Cascade/Fill Station. The XXX Fire Department purchased their existing system used from another
department about 5 years ago. Their existing model is currently not working and will not fill newer style bottles.
Therefore when awarded this grant, the XXX Department will need an updated system that will be compatible with
the new PPE to create greater interoperability within the department.

The XXX Fire Department’s gap creates non-compliance with MN Statute 182.653 requiring employers to furnish to
each of its employees conditions of employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are
causing or are likely to cause death or serious injury or harm to its employees.

PURCHASE NEW TURNOUT GEAR. The XXX Fire Department proposes to address their safety risk and improve
firefighter response by purchasing 24 new sets of turnout gear. This activity would outfit 100% of their active
firefighters with NFPA 1971 compliant turnout gear and would include the newest safety features referenced in the
NFPA standards.

PURCHASE NEW SCBA’S. To address their safety risk and improve firefighter response, the department also
proposes to purchase 15 new, NFPA compliant SCBA’s, with PASS device and a spare cylinder. Although the
department has 24-seated positions in their vehicle fleet, they would typically have 15 active, on-duty firefighters
requiring SCBA’s at an incident scene.

PURCHASE FIXED COMPRESSOR/CASCADE SYSTEM/FILLING STATION. To address interoperability with the new
equipment, we propose purchasing a new stationary 4 bottle 6000 PSI compressor with a 2 cylinder NFPA approved fill
station.

The XXX Fire Department has obtained estimates of the costs for each item. The project costs are as follows:

COMPLETE SETS TURN-OUT GEAR - 24 @ $1578 each----------$37,872
SCBA’s – 15 @ $4910 each-------------------------------$73,650
COMPRESSOR/CASCADE/FILL STATION---1 @ $26,650
TOTAL EQUIPMENT COST----------------------------$138,172
GRANT PREPARATION---------------------------------$500
TOTAL PROJECT-----------------------------------------$138,672
TOTAL PROJECT COST--------------------$138,672
10% LOCAL MATCH--------------------------$13,867
FEDERAL SHARE------------------------$124,805

If granted these funds, the XXX Fire Department will purchase the new PPE and equipment according to the grant
specifications. The PPE and equipment will be put into operation and used immediately upon delivery replacing
outdated, obsolete and well-worn equipment currently used by their firefighters.

In regard to the training requirements, the XXX Fire Department is NOT requesting funding for training purposes, as
this expense is budgeted annually and personnel attend training annually to meet NFPA 1001 standards.


FINANCIAL NEED

To provide you with a snap-shot of the XXX Fire Department’s financial capacity, they’ve provided the following City
budget and Fire Department budget information:

2008 CITY OF XXX BUDGET
General Government------------------------------------------$71,983
Police Services-------------------------------------------------$2,165
Fire Protection--------------------------------------------------$12,540
Streets/Highways/Water/Sewer------------------------------$66,024
Sanitation-------------------------------------------------------$800
Parks/Recreation----------------------------------------------$3,350
Miscellaneous------------------------------------------------$972
Other-----------------------------------------------------------$3,600
Total City Budget--------------------------------------------$161,434

2008 FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET
Officers wages/Relief Assn.------------------------------$14,246
Heat/Lights/Water------------------------------------------$2,800
Training------------------------------------------------------$1,500
Minor Firefighting Equipment----------------------------$2,780
Other Materials/Supplies/Services------------------------$9,900
Equipment Outlay/Capital Improvements---------------$10,000
Total Fire Department Budget-----------------------------$41,226

The funding for replacing the requested PPE and equipment would need to come from the budget of the XXX Fire
Department. Although the department tries to save for equipment, they simply do not have enough financial capacity to,
at any one time, replace the ever-increasing expense of the equipment they need to alleviate the risk they’ve identified.
As most rural departments, the XXX Fire Department has a piecemeal approach when items are beyond repair. This
is where an interoperability issue occurs. “Since we don’t have the financial capability to purchase new equipment for
everyone, we get what we can, wherever the price is best.”

Although the department has requested additional funding from the city, they too suffer from state cut backs to local
governments. The cities in Minnesota have had their Local Government Aid slashed in recent years, requiring any
additional funding burdens placed on local property taxes. Unfortunately, like most other rural communities, the XXX
community is experiencing declining population, with the largest population being in the 60+ year-old category, and the
younger population migrating to larger communities. This means that property tax base is in decline too and the city is
prohibited from increasing rates at thresholds that would ensure adequate funding for items that the fire department
needs to enhance services and ensure safety.

LIMITED TAXING ABILITY. The median value of a house in XXX is $22,500. This is about 18% of the statewide
median value of a house in Minnesota, which is $122,400 (2000 Census). This huge difference in value means that we
are much less able to generate funds for fire department improvements through a property tax levy.


COST/BENEFIT

INCREASED CASH MATCH. The XXX Fire Department has been able to set aside a 10% match to go toward this
project. Considering their meager budget, these funds may not be available next year.

IMPROVED SAFETY STANDARDS. This award will enable the department to supply 100% of their personnel with the
gear necessary to ensure safety and to provide mission critical services to their service area.

BENEFITS OTHER DEPARTMENTS. By purchasing the new equipment, the department will be able to fully contribute
as a member of their mutual aid group. This grant will benefit our 24 firefighters plus those 198 additional firefighters for
a total of 222 firefighters.

COMPLIANCE WITH SAFETY STANDARDS. The advantage to replacing this outdated, obsolete and worn equipment
would bring the department into compliance with NFPA 1971, Minnesota Statutes 182.653, and OSHA 1910.156 (e).

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. Although the XXX Fire Department is not located in a county that protects critical
infrastructure of the state, they must provide services in a highly agricultural area. Changes in the agricultural industry
create an increasingly hazardous environment and additional risk to firefighters. Good-quality equipment is essential for
all of these situations.

Within the XXX Fire Department’s primary service area there are large fertilizer plants and grain elevators where
fertilizers are stored. In addition, these facilities store large tanks (1,000 to 2,000 gallons) of anhydrous ammonia, a
highly hazardous chemical. Many local farmers also store several large tanks of anhydrous ammonia directly on their
farm sites. The potential for explosions is great and resulting incidents require equipment that will function appropriately
to reduce deaths and injuries and provide our personnel with safe gear. XXX has sizeable oil, petroleum, and propane
distribution lines in their primary service area including Northern Boarder Pipeline (natural gas). Local farmers store
large amounts of LP (liquefied petroleum) on their farm-sites, many having 15,000 to 18,000 gallon storage tanks.

Wildland Fires. Over the past three years the vast majority of the department’s calls were to fight vegetation fires.
XXX is located in a highly agricultural area and surrounded by thousands of acres of public land owned by US Fish
and Wildlife Service and the MN Department of Natural Resources. It is not unusual for these agencies to call upon
local departments to assist with fires on public land. With the requested equipment, the department can safely and
effectively participate in such large firefighting incidents.

OPERATIONAL OUTCOMES

MEASURABLE RESULTS. The department will be tracking the impact of this grant over the next three years as they
measure it's positive impact on their community.

PERSONAL SAFETY IN DAILY OPERATIONS. This award will have the greatest impact on the daily operations and
safety of department personnel and will fill the capability gap the department currently has. The NFPA compliant
equipment purchased through this grant will greatly enhance the safety of the personnel volunteering for the XXX Fire
Department.

FOCUS ON MISSION. Our department is very dedicated to protecting lives and property through fire fighting
capabilities. The up-dated compliant equipment will help us to meet that mission and keep us up-to-date to provide
those services to the public.

ALLEVIATE STRESSES ON DEPARTMENT BUDGET. The increasing cost of equipment places demands on our fire
department that are increasingly disproportionate to the resources we possess as a small department. This award will
help alleviate some of the financial stresses on our budget and allow us to focus our limited financial resources on our
day-to-day operations.

PROTECTION OF LIVES AND PROPERTY. The self-confidence of our personnel as a result of purchasing this
equipment, will in turn result in better protection for residents and the community.

IMPROVE INTEROPERABILITY. This grant would help the department address interoperability problems within their
department, as well as those interoperability problems with their mutual aid partners. By funding this application, the
department’s professionalism and safety will be enhanced, making them a better mutual aid partner.

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

Thank you for your consideration.
XXX Fire Department