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.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

XXXX, Minnesota, is located 64 miles south of St. Paul, and 20 miles west of XXXX. The XXXX
Volunteer Fire Department covers a primary response area of 30 square miles. XXXX is a rural community with
a large industrial and agricultural base. The total population that we serve is 3,734 people. Our Fire Department is
comprised of 25 volunteers. We annually respond to 60 fire/rescue calls, and average 140 medical calls, giving us an
average of 200 total calls per year. Critical infrastructure in our response area includes state and local highways, a
state maintenance facility, a county maintenance facility, an airport, and railway. Unlike most other rural area in
Minnesota the community of XXXX is experiencing an increasing population. This means that our responsibilities
of the fire department and call volume are increasing.

The Problem: The XXXX Fire Department undertook a risk assessment analysis of its vehicle fleet and
determined its most pressing problem was a need to replace both a pumper and rescue vehicle with a new pumper
vehicle. The existing vehicles are both very old and unreliable jeopardizing both the safety to our firefighters and
impeding the quality of service to our public residents and business persons.

Pumper Need: The 1981 pumper in need of replacement and has been taken out of first line response due to numerous
factors; these include unreliability of the vehicle starting, difficulty of driving the vehicle, and occasionally the pump has
failed to engage causing a time delay in extinguishing a fire. We also are unable to respond with a full crew of four due
to the jump seat area not being enclosed which is a NFPA violation. Due to this vehicle being removed from first line
response we were forced to move our 1992 pumper into our primary response role which overloaded the duties of this
vehicle. Now aside from responding as our primary pumper on fires the 1992 pumper also is our primary response
vehicle to other emergency incidents outside of the fire spectrum. The problem with having this many response
possibilities with a first-out pumper is that we are at threat of not being able to efficiently complete vehicle extrications,
vehicle fire suppression, hazardous materials identification and mitigation, or first responder medical response because
this vehicle would be tied up at a fire. We have had numerous incidents in the past where this problem has been
presented; fortunately we have not had any loss of life or major property loss.

The 1973 Rescue Van is a cube van converted into a rescue vehicle. This vehicle was not designed to handle the
amount of weight from tools and supplies that are required of a rescue vehicle. Numerous attempts have been made to
distribute the weight properly in the vehicle but constant changes in the type of equipment we carry have made this
difficult. This vehicle is difficult to start and drive and emergency lighting is inadequate. The wheels have flat spots from
years of sitting of concrete and it is difficult to secure all of the supplies in the vehicle making it an unsafe vehicle to
operate. This vehicle also carries our portable air supply which sometime does not get to the scene due to this being
our fourth vehicle on-scene.

Purchase New Pumper: The XXXX Fire Department proposes to address its pumper and rescue need by
purchasing a new pumper vehicle that also would have enough room to store our rescue equipment. We are looking at
a truck package that includes a 2008 Pierce Contender chassis, 370 hp cummins motor, and an Allison automatic
transmission. Its fire fighting capabilities would include a 1000 gallon poly tank with a lifetime warranty, a 1500 GPM
mid-ship mounted pump with a Foam Pro1600 system installed. Large hose beds and pre-connects would also be a
feature of the truck allowing this vehicle to lay supply lines or set up for a fire attack. A 5000 watt generator would take
care of our on-site power needs. Larger storage compartments would be an added benefit to our department for both
fire and rescue response. There would be ample room for the tools on the current pumper to be moved over to the new
pumper. The biggest benefit of this increased storage space would be the room available for us to move the rescue
equipment and spare SCBA air supply off of the Rescue Van and on to the new pumper. Of course, we’d have it
outfitted with new hose, nozzles, and new ladders. Lighting features would be NFPA compliant and, of course, all
required safety features of a fire service truck would be met. This new pumper would be the primary response vehicle
to rescue calls, vehicle fires, and first responder calls along with responding to structure fires.

Training: We will not be requesting any training funds with this application. We have a Comprehensive Driver’s Training
course that all members must complete. This training is instructor-led and hands on. The training will bring 100% of our
firefighters into compliance with NFPA-1002, NFPA 1404 and NFPA-1851.

Proposed Budget:
New Pumper Vehicle - $290,000
5% Matching Funds - $14,500
AFG Share - $275,500

If granted these funds, the XXXX Fire Department would purchase the new Pumper vehicle according to the
grant specifications. This pumper would be put into operation and used immediately upon delivery replacing both the
1981 pumper and 1973 Rescue Van currently used by our department. This would also bring our department to a
higher level of safety for our firefighters, provide increased protection and reliability to our protection area’s residents,
and bring us into compliance with all NFPA standards related to fire department vehicles.


FINANCIAL NEED

XXXX Fire Department Budget
$4,900.00 Salaries Wages and Benefits
$5,550.00 Heat and Electric Utilities
$5,250.00 Telephone and Communications
$7,600.00 Insurance
$4,500.00 Training
$1,000.00 Fire Prevention
$1,000.00 Firefighting Equipment
$10,500.00 Repairs and Maintenances
$23,986.00 All Other Materials Supplies and Services
$12,000.00 Equipment Outlay Capitol Improvements
$76,286.00 Total Fire Department


City of XXXX Budget
$337,334.00 General Government
$224,397.00 Police Services
$201,914.00 Fire Protection Services
$328,103.00 Streets/Highways
$9,800.00 Sanitation
$0.00 Health
$90,643.00 Libraries
$159,268.00 Park/Recreation
$13,625.00 HRA/Econ Dev
$67,225.00 Airports
$0.00 Miscellaneous
$146,167.00 Interest
$99,236.00 Capital Expenditures
$1,677,712.00 Total Budget


Limited Local Budget. Our annual fire department budget is usually around $76,286. This has been adequate to meet
our usual yearly needs, although it is difficult to undertake some of the big ticket purchases needed by the department
to meet industry standards. In the case of this vehicle purchase, even if we spent every dollar of our annual budgets
toward the vehicle we wish to purchase with the FEMA grant, it would take us four years to pay for it. Thus, outside
grant assistance is essential.

We do have a vehicle replacement fund but the money set aside for that was used last year in the purchase of a
specialty vehicle. Our attempts to seek alternative funding for this vehicle have been unsuccessful in acquiring enough
money to even make a dent in the payment of a new vehicle. Therefore at this time we do not have any additional funds
set aside to pay for this vehicle other than the 5% matching funds. Our next vehicle purchase for a pumper would be at
a minimum five years away. We feel that waiting this long is unacceptable and does not promote efficient response to
emergency incidents.

Our City is in a budgetary crunch and we have been told not to expect additional funding for our department. The Cities
in Minnesota have had their Local Government Aid slashed in recent years, requiring the additional funding burdens
placed on local property taxes.

Recently we have held fundraisers through our department that have raised money toward replacing worn equipment of
the department. These events are all reliant on the generosity of local residents. We continually lose a little financial
ground each year as we try to replace equipment and the cost of new equipment goes up faster than our budget.
As you can see we have no ability to put money away each year for replacement of the needed equipment or other
large purchases.


COST BENEFIT

Safety: By receiving this grant to purchase this pumper vehicle, we can remove the cause of many of the problematical
conditions encountered both out on the road while responding to emergency calls and on-site while engaged in fire
fights or rescue scenes. As mentioned, safety concerns exist with both vehicles. The rescue van is unsafe to have out
on the road at all and the difficulty of driving our 1981 pumper put both our fire department personnel and other
motorists at risk every time out. On the incident scene, the poor condition of the pumpers equipment and occasional
problems with the pump impedes our abilities to handle the scene as efficiently as would be possible with upgraded
equipment.

Interoperability: Our problems with these vehicles impair our performance with Mutual Aid partners. This grant would
help us address those problems. Our outdated vehicle performance creates an unprofessional and unsafe atmosphere
while working on an incident scene with other departments. The 1981 pumper is our first out vehicle to rural mutual aid
calls, thus leaving the 1992 pumper at our fire station to respond to any emergency incidents in our primary service
area. As mentioned previously with the open cab over the jump seat area on the 1981 pumper we are only capable of
responding with two firefighters on this vehicle. This does not meet our basic response needs to a mutual aid call which
may require a sufficient amount of personnel to both operate the pump and complete fire ground operations. Many
times we are also passed on the highway by vehicles not realizing we are responding to a mutual aid call due to the
slow speed of this vehicle and its poor emergency lighting.


OPERATIONAL OUTCOMES

The XXXX Fire Department is seeking ODP/FEMA funding to help us get our department in compliance with
NFPA standards for fire department vehicles and equipment, to enable us to secure up-to-date modern equipment to
operate more safely in all the hazards and situations we respond to when assisting our citizens in our daily operations.
Personal Safety in Daily Operations: This award will have the most positive affect on the daily operations and the
safety of our firefighters and fill the gap that the department currently has. Our vehicles are old, poorly equipped, and
our pumper is becoming unreliable to address our mission, with safety issues arising each time we are called upon to
perform at an incident scene. This award will have significant impact on our ability to function safely while at an incident
scene.

Protection of Lives and Property: This equipment will have a huge impact on our department's ability to protect lives
and property in our community. Our department is very dedicated to protecting lives and property, serving our people
and we are the type of department that the FIRE Act helps each year.

Modern demands on our department are increasingly disproportionate to our tax revenues and the resources we
possess in a small community and fire department. With the funding of this application, the new compliant vehicle will
help us meet the growing demands on our department.

Measurable Results: We will be tracking the impact of this grant over the next five (5) years as we measure its positive
impact on our community. We will be able to do this through observing reduced response times, providing better quality
fire fighting and rescue capabilities on-site, while comparing it to what we are able to do at this point in time. If we
cannot make these purchases, the safety of our firefighters will continue to be at risk due to aging vehicles and poor
quality equipment. Without making these purchases, we will continue to experience gaps in our performance levels. Our
fire department maintenance program is very strict and we have monthly inspections on all equipment and equipment is
inspected after each use.

We appreciate your support and would like to express our appreciation for the opportunities this grant program
provides to departments like ours.

Thank you for your consideration.
XXXX Fire Department