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PUBLIC RELATIONS
If the services of your department are recognized only in the worst of times, requests for public assistance in funding the purchase of a new piece of equipment may fall on deaf ears.
The Egremont, MA, Volunteer Fire Department wanted to replace its 1955 pumper due to its lack of water carrying ability.
Egremont, a 14-square-mile rural town with a large resort complex, dairy farms, and a saw mill, had no functional hydrants. Therefore, the fire department, responsible also for the protection of a small village on top of a 2,200foot, heavily forested mountain range, had to rely on hauling water or on long difficult hose lays to combat a working fire.
In addition to the aging apparatus, the fire department had two pumpers, a tanker, and a brush truck; total water carrying capacity was 2,850 gallons.
With $11,000. of our own money to contribute toward the purchase of a new pumper/tanker, we went to the Town Meeting, certain that the townspeople would back our request and fund the balance of the cost.
We were wrong.
Both fire stations and all the equipment, except one pumper, had been purchased with virtually no tax money. Most of our funding came through fund letters, pancake breakfasts, chimney cleaning details, and an annual carnival.
Photo by Don Victor
When we recovered from the shock, we analyzed the reasons for our defeat. First, we had not convinced the voters that the 1955 pumper was unreliable, and that to properly protect both the town and the working fire forces, a modern pumper was desperately needed.
Second, we had not defined the effect of the purchase on each home or business owner’s pocketbook. There could actually be a savings/financial payback if the town lowered its ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating.
Third, although the fire service is not like “any business,” like any business, the well-being of a department can depend on a good public image.
Therefore, we decided to hold our weekly practical training sessions in areas where we would be more visible to the townspeople. We also painted the fire station, sealed the engine room floors, and stayed in the station during storms and periods of high fire danger. We further enhanced our public image by distributing Tot Finder and Rescue stickers.
A very successful fund-raising steak dinner, spearheaded by local businessmen, enabled us to replace 20-year-old breathing apparatus. This dinner not only gave us a morale boost, but gave us a chance to talk to the voters on a one-to-one basis.
To help make the public more aware of the condition of the apparatus that we were trying to replace, every time it had a pump or mechanical failure, we sent an article to the town paper. Also, a local businessman/writer composed a fund raising letter that increased our revenue from $5,000/year to $8,000/year.
We then set about making preparations for lowering our ISO rating and possibly netting taxpayers an insurance savings. We talked with Chief Leo Hurme of the Princeton, MA, Volunteer Fire Department, who helped to reduce his community’s Class 9 ISO rating to a Class 6. Based on Chief Hurme’s experience, we:
- Revised the specifications for our new truck to better meet ISO requirements.
- Spent the $11,000 already collected for the new apparatus on 4inch hose and fittings. This enabled us to have a 2,000-foot above ground horizontal “hydrant” system. We have since added another 1,000 feet of 4-inch hose.
- Developed plans for a series of ponds and rivers to be equipped with frost-free draft hydrants. To date, we have nine draft hydrants installed.
- Compiled figures showing what a new truck would cost each taxpayer. For a homeowner with a $100,000 house, the cost for the new truck would be about $25/year for a five-year period. However, if we could lower his in-
- surance costs by 15%, we could save him about $50/year the first five years and $75/year thereafter. We now had a financial payback plan in hand.
We were now ready for the next Town Meeting.
Prior to the meeting, our department was able to elicit the support of the finance committee and selectmen.
At the meeting, no voters asked for details about our insurance reduction plans.
After the meeting, we ordered our new pumper/tanker.
With the cutbacks of city services to cope with such tax limiting propositions as 2 1/2 and 13, fire companies need to preplan their management and budget strategies. We have an obligation to not only protect civilian life and property, but our lives as well.
Photos by Don Victor