firedog Across America
Circuit City has a new service called firedog. firedog is having a contest called firedog Across America. Here is how the contest works:
1) Tell firedog Your Story Tell firedog your personal story about how a local firehouse has demonstrated service to your community. If your story is chosen as one of 10 finalists, you will receive a $10,000 home “techover” from firedog and your fire station will receive a $20,000 donation.2) America Votes
Once the 10 finalist firehouses have been chosen, the stories will be posted on firedog.com and America will vote for their favorite.3) The Best Part, Everyone Wins
All of the finalist firehouses win. For every vote cast for a finalist firehouse, that finalist firehouse will receive a $1.00 donation (total donations based on voting for all 10 firehouses not to exceed $250,000). After 16 days, the station with the most votes will be the national grand-prize winner and receive an additional $100,000 donation!
Cool! I'm going to make sure our constituents know about this program and hopefully they will enter their story and win our department a donation.
Advertising on Emergency Vehicles?
A Salem, MA selectman brings up the possiblity of advertisers sponsoring emergency vehicles:
The official Wal-Mart police cruiser? The Home Depot fire engine?
The additional revenue would be nice, but I'm not sure this is a good idea. The article lists some of the drawbacks. These include hurting the image of the emergency services, forcing the emergency service to choose which advertisers are appropriate, and safety.
Residents Working to Dissolve Fire District
Some residents on Long Island have had enough of their fire district (from Newsday.com via Firehouse.com).
A group of Gordon Heights Fire District residents, exasperated at paying Long Island's highest fire taxes, have begun circulating a petition to dissolve the district - a move experts called unprecedented in New York State....
While Gordon Heights fire officials called the push for dissolution rash, petitioners say average fire tax bills of $1,344 - nearly four times higher than one neighboring district - demand a radical solution.
...
Gordon Heights is a small, predominantly black neighborhood nestled between Coram, Middle Island and Yaphank. Its fire department, which protects fewer than 900 homes, has a $1.48-million budget, a fleet of 20 vehicles, a 24-hour emergency medical staff and three secretaries.
$1,344 for a fire tax bill - Holy Smokes! I guess if I was paying that much I would be upset too. The bill my dad pays to the fire district he lives in is probably around $25 per year.
I'm not sure that dissolving the fire district is the answer, but certainly working with the district board to reduce the fire tax would be appropriate.
Wing Eating Relay for Charity
Here is a fundraiser that I would love to get involved in (from the Greenwich Time).
Using a technique that gave them their lead in a Buffalo-wing-eating contest, firefighters splattered the two dozen wings from their bucket onto the middle of their table at Sundown Saloon.Thrusting the wings into their mouths, the fast eaters seemed oblivious to the Buffalo sauce that smeared onto their faces. When they were done, another table of firefighters began racing to the bottom of their bucket of 24 wings.
The firefighters were competing in a relay eating race against the police in a charity event to benefit the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund.
Sounds like fun and I like wings. Mmmm.
Choctaw Nation Donates to Fire Departments
Check this out from the Durant Daily Democrat:
“The Tribal Council and I understand that rural fire departments are responding to numerous wildfires, depleting their budgets rapidly,” said Chief Gregory E. Pyle. “The Choctaw Nation has been offering free fuel and supplies at the Tribal Travel Plazas for the fire departments, but now we are extending our assistance to include a monetary grant to the volunteer fire departments who are working in our area.”...
“The Choctaw Nation is blessed to be financially able to give back to our communities,” said Assistant Chief Mike Bailey. “Providing a financial boost to the budgets of the many volunteer fire departments in our area is the right thing to do.”
Kudos to the Choctaw Nation! Hopefully, other agencies in Oklahoma and Texas follow their example.
Hurricanes Affect NIFC Suppression Fund
Last year's hurricanes will have an impact on the upcoming fire season (from KCBITV.com).
BOISE - The Bush Administration has had high praise for the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise for its recent response to Hurricane Katrina.But the cost of that support could have a significant impact on how wildfires are fought this year.
Hurricane relief has cost a big chunk of change -- $103 million -- from the approximate $700 million emergency fund the Forest Service will be using for wildlife suppression this season.
"The money's gone," said NIFC spokeswoman Rose Davis. "What we need to do now is manage what money we have as wisely as we can."
If the fires in the southern plains are an indicator, this fire season could be nasty.
Firefighters Drag Engine to Raise Funds
Some firefighters in London, U.K., are raising some money by using their muscles (from the BBC via Rescuehouse.com).
A team of firefighters will be giving a show of strength on Thursday when they drag a fully-laden fire engine through the streets of Bolton.The firefighters from London are raising funds for the dependents of Gtr Manchester firefighter Paul Cross who was killed travelling to work.
Sounds like a fun event for a good cause.
Fire Departments Charge Fees
This article from Firehouse.com discusses the practice of fire departments charging fees for services.
On October 24, the Hastings, Michigan fire department joined the growing ranks of units that charge their residents for designated fire services. Its City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance to charge non-metro area residents for emergency calls, as well as to bill regional inhabitants who repeatedly issue false alarms or commit illegal fire-provoking acts. While such a process is hardly unprecedented, it still remains an exception and not the rule across the national landscape....
Yet this phenomenon is hardly relegated to The Wolverine State, says Chief John Sinclair, the EMS chair of The International Association of Fire Chiefs. Shrinking budgets, a more highly paid labor force, tax payer initiatives that limit taxes and increased competition for funding have forced both fire and police departments with unfunded mandates. Rather than reduce their services, agency heads nationwide have opted to increase “the rate, the number, [and] the creativeness of programs people are charging for”.
Many of the fire departments I'm familiar with have been charging fees for a number of years. These are all volunteer departments however, and they simply cannot afford to provide service without recouping some money to cover the costs.
Is this a widespread practice? Let me know. Thanks.
New Station the Result of Hard Work
Congratulations to the Blaine Volunteer Fire Department on their new station. This is an amazing project - check it out (from WBIR.com):
The $80,000 Blaine Volunteer Fire Station Number 2 was paid for and built by the people who live there. There were no grants, no government help, just gifts of time and money."Completely fundraisers and donations," says Indian Ridge Resident Shirley Irwin. They had bake sales, fish fries, spaghetti suppers, turkey shoots, and yard sales. It all added up.
"Once you pull together, you can do anything," said Irwin's son Dewayne, who helped head up the fundraising and building efforts.
It's remarkable that they did this without any grants of government assistance. Good for them. Job well done.
Assateague Ponies
If you’ve never heard of the Assateague ponies, now is your chance. Firehouse.com has an article about the ponies’ annual swim.
It took the ponies about five minutes to cross the 200-yard channel from Assateague, Md., a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean, shortly after 8:30 a.m., Shotwell said.The ponies were then herded through town to a corral on the carnival grounds, where they will be sold at auction Thursday.
Yearlings and younger are sold to thin the herd and raise money for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which cares for the ponies.
I’ve heard of some interesting fundraisers, but this is the best one in the country. Here are a couple of extra links to learn a little more:
Assateague Island National Seashore
The Ponies of Chincoteague and Pony Penning
