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.

--

XXX is a small, diverse community located approximately XX miles north, northwest of Minneapolis and twenty (20)
miles west of XXXX on U.S. Highway XX, MN Highway XXX, and MN Highway XXX.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BUDGET:
----------------------------------------------------------

City officials and department members did a risk analysis and determined that there is a serious need to purchase
some new equipment and replace some old worn out equipment to achieve compliance with NFPA and OSHA
standards.

The following items, due to age and wear and tear need to be replaced:
1. Powered extrication system to include pump, jaws, rams, and hoses.
2. Grass fire pump cans.
3. Grass fire turn-out gear to include helmet, goggles, gloves, boots, coat, and pants.
4. Wildland fire hose.
5. 1.5 inch fire hose.
6. 2.5 inch fire hose.
7. 1.5 inch fire nozzles.
8. 2.5 inch fire nozzles.
9. Firefighter gloves.

The following items need to be purchased to improve our fire service:
1. Thermal imaging camera w/extra battery, charger, and carrying case.
2. Air compressor w/fill station.
3. 4-gas monitor.
4. Portable generator.
5. Back-pack blower for grass fires.
6. Additional face pieces w/carrying bags.

Three of our members have requested training to be EMT-B certified so we are requesting funds to cover the training.
Six of our members have requested Firefighter training so we are requesting funds to cover the training.


PROJECT BUDGET:
--------------------------------

1 each - Powered extrication system @ $30,000
6 each - Grass fire bladder packs @ $225 = $1,350
21 each – Grass fire turn-out gear @ $690 = $14,490
5 each – 100 foot length 1 inch forestry hose @ $120 = $600
30 each – 50 foot length 1.5 inch fire hose @ $85 = $2,550
10 each – 50 foot length 2.5 inch fire hose @ $125 = $1,250
6 each – 1.5 inch fog nozzle @ $700 = $4,200
2 each – 2.5 inch fog nozzle @ $500 = $1,000
21 each – Pair firefighter gloves @ $60 = $1,260
1 each - Thermal imaging camera @ $10,000
1 each – Air compressor w/fill station $20,000
1 each – 4-gas monitor @ $1,100
1 each – 2 KW gas portable generator @ $1,100
1 each – Back-pack blower @ $400
8 each – Survivair face piece w/carrying case @ $530 = $4,730
3 each – EMT-B training @ $940 = $2,820
6 each – Firefighter training @ $700 = $4,200

Total Project Cost: $101,450
Grant Writer: $300
Total Grant Request: $101,750
City Share: $5,087 (5%)
Federal Share: $96,663 (95%)


FINANCIAL NEED:
-----------------------------

The area surrounding XXX is very diverse. The main street area is small with a few small businesses. There are a
few small industrial businesses surrounding town. Our rural area consists of farms and resorts and a lot of brush and
wooded acreage. The decline in tourism and the poor farm economy have dealt a vicious blow to the XXX area
budget.

Funding cuts from higher governments and the continuous increases in fuels, repair parts, and services has resulted in
major financial changes in the city budget. The city council tries to be fair in the disbursement of funds throughout the
community but all major purchases are continually being tabled due to lack of funds.

Without the assistance of this grant our firefighters will continue to operate with a shortage of equipment and old, worn
out equipment.

CITY BUDGET:
-------------------------
Revenues: $537,726
Expenses: General government - $141,180 (26%)
Police - $167,383 (31%)
Fire - $45,675 (8.5%)
Streets - $172,595 (32.1%)
Parks / Recreation - $3,933 (.7%)
Cemetery - $4,020 (.7%)
Water / Sewer - $2,940 (.6%)


DEPARTMENT BUDGET:
----------------------------------------
Revenues: $45,675
Expenses: Wages - $14,670 (32.1%)
Insurances - $9,045 (19.8%)
Supplies / Repairs - $14,083 (30.8%)
Phone - $917 (2%)
Garbage - $450 (1%)
Dues - $600 (1.3%)
Training - $4,800 (10.5%)
Misc - $1,110 (2.4%)


COST / BENEFIT:
------------------------------

The equipment requested in this grant will improve firefighter safety considerably. The equipment that is being replaced
will remove old, worn out, and unreliable equipment from the service. The new items of equipment that we have never
owned will help improve the service we can provide for our community. Lives will be protected better and the loss of
property will be reduced.

It is difficult to put a dollar figure on the impact of having this new equipment. Without this equipment there will be no
improvement in property loss and our firefighters will continue to operate at high risk.

A new extrication system will replace our twenty-four (24) year old system that is constantly in for repairs. The engine
on the pump is unreliable and many of the hydraulic seals are leaking. The jaws and rams no longer have the necessary
power to perform extrication.

Extrication will progress faster and smoother with a new system.

Our old grass fire pump cans are heavy and clumsy and the hand pumps don’t work well anymore due to dents and
scratches. We are called to fight grass fires in remote areas that often require manpower on foot to reach. The new
bladder packs are lighter and more reliable which gives the firefighters the opportunity to work longer and safer. The
back-pack blower will be a great assistance in these fires because of the increased speed of attack it is capable of.

Our grass firefighting turn-out gear is discarded gear from DNR. This gear is old and shows serious signs of wear and
tear. This past summer a number of our firefighters ended up with bad blisters on their feet at a large grass fire
because the boots didn’t fit properly. New grass turn-out gear will provide greatly improved protection for our
firefighters and will help them be more efficient in the field.

Reliable fire hose is necessary in dealing with any kind of fire. Many of our hose sections still have the old brass
fittings. A number of sections of hose showed serious damage during our last hose test and inventory. To protect our
firefighters and to provide a constant effective fire attack we need to replace this old damaged hose.

During our last hose test and inventory we found that our nozzles need replacement. Teeth are missing on the spinners
and the valves themselves leak. Many of these nozzles are well over twenty-five (25) years old and are not worth the
cost of repairs. Firefighter safety and the amount of property loss depend on properly working nozzles.

The last time our members all received new firefighter gloves was when the local Jaycee chapter donated them. The
local Jaycee chapter is no longer active and there are no other service organizations to go to for replacement of these
gloves. Over the years we have purchased a few pairs here and there to replace gloves that were demolished or lost
but the majority of members are still using gloves that are many years old. We need to replace all of these old stiff and
damaged gloves to provide proper protection to our firefighters.

We do not have a thermal imaging camera of our own but we have trained with them and we have worked mutual aid
fires with departments that have one. Speed and accuracy are essential during interior attack and search and rescue
and these cameras provide this. The thermal imaging camera will also be used during missing person searches which
happen often in our heavily wooded area.

XXX Fire and Rescue is currently operating with a 4-tank cascade system for filling SCBA bottles. We have new
SCBAs, however, our firefighting capabilities didn’t improve much because our bottles are not filled to capacity. It is our
desire to become NFPA and OSHA compliant by keeping all of our SCBA bottles filled to capacity which will provide
better firefighter protection and make our interior attack and search and rescue more effective.

Even with the new SCBA units all of our firefighters are not properly protected. At this time the masks stay with the unit
and many firefighters are forced to share the same mask. We are requesting eight Survivair face pieces w/carrying
bags to help insure that our firefighters are not exposing each other to communicable diseases.

Carbon monoxide alarms are on the rise due to the increase in detectors in homes and businesses. A 4-gas monitor will
provide us with the tool to determine the need for evacuation and to assist us in determining the best plan of action to
resolve serious incidents.

Road side areas of incidents are normally well lit from the lights on the apparatus on the scene. The back side is
usually dark and can hide obstacles like clotheslines, swing sets, toys, and holes. Often times our extension cords are
too short to reach these dark areas. A portable generator will allow us to take the light to the problem areas and afford
our firefighters with scene safety. This generator will also provide lighting for off-road incidents involving ATVs and
snowmobiles.

XXX Fire and Rescue provides medical and rescue services to our service area. In an effort to improve that service,
three (3) of our current First Responders have requested training to upgrade to EMT-B. This upgrade will provide
faster and more thorough medical service to our community as the nearest ambulance is seven miles from XXX.

XXX Fire and Rescue has twenty-one (21) members. Six (6) new members need Firefighter 1 and 2 training and
three (3) members are due to retire in the next few years. Our policy for all new members is to complete Firefighter 1
and 2 training within the first year of membership and First Responder training within the second year of membership.
We are working toward NFPA training compliance.

This equipment and training is essential in providing proper protection to our firefighters. Our performance on the scene
depends on the quality and reliability of our equipment. Our old equipment is hampering our efforts and needs
desperately to be replaced. Our current financial situation dictates that this equipment will not be purchased without the
assistance of this fire grant.


STATEMENT OF EFFECT:
----------------------------------------
XXX Fire and Rescue is requesting AFG funds to help us achieve compliance with NFPA and OSHA. Our goal is to
provide equipment and training that will keep our firefighters safe during all emergency incidents.

Our department has missing links and weak links that will be corrected with the addition of this equipment. The positive
affect on our firefighters will improve our service to our community.

This equipment will have a significant impact on our ability to function effectively and efficiently during all emergency
incidents. It will improve our ability to protect lives and property in our community.

Our firefighters are very dedicated and work hard to protect lives and save property. Every year we respond to an
increasing number of calls with new challenges and this new compliant equipment will help us meet these changing
demands.

XXX Fire and Rescue would like to thank you for this opportunity to request funds to improve and upgrade our
department. Without this help these purchases cannot be made and our department will struggle to improve.

Thank you for your consideration.
XXX Fire and Rescue Department