Thanks for Being a Santa to Your Communities

On par with nationwide tradition, a recent holiday parade in the wonderful community of New Smyrna Beach, Florida ended with a colorful visit from Santa Claus. The excitement on the children's faces was remarkable. The sense of quiet appreciation on the faces of the adults was also noticeable. Perhaps the greatest sense of joy was present in Santa's response to his community. Santa filled a critical role of bringing holiday excitement in New Smryna Beach to its highest levels. As I reflected on this tradition and Santa's ever-present role in the holidays, I started thinking about the similarities to the Fire Service.

Firefighters across the country serve quietly and without expectation of recognition. Every firefighter I've ever talked to has taken great joy in their opportunity to serve. They are quick to say they get more out of the experience than the people they serve. They cite the meaning of the chance to help and the adrenaline rush that comes with the pager call as two of many reasons they enjoy being firefighters.

Communities across the country benefit throughout the year from the Santa-like service of firefighters. As dependable as Santa's presence at the end of every holiday parade, firefighters are there every time the pager calls. Firefighters respond whether it's the middle of family dinner or the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. Firefighters meet critical community needs by being an automatic part of what happens when someone dials 911. This automatic response brightens the community and the children and adults who are a part of it. The greatest joy this brings may be to the firefighters themselves.

Filling this need so naturally and joyfully makes firefighters "Santas" of sort in their communities. Thanks to every Fire Service member nationwide for being as much a dependable and critical part of life in your communities as Santa is to the end of every holiday parade!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from FlashPoint Fundraising!

Volunteer Firefighters: Treasures to be Cherished!

Iowa Public Television's Market to Market recently featured a great program on the tremendous impact of volunteer firefighters. You can view the whole program here.

Although the program focuses on volunteer fire fighters in South Dakota, the story is quite similar in our great state of Iowa and across the country. As the program explains, the calls to leave a warm bed in all kinds of weather just begin to explain "hundreds of hours of training and days of dropping projects at the office" that volunteer firefighters face.

In an era where commuting patterns, family size and activity competition have all changed, developing the core volunteer base of firefighters, who make up 72 percent of the nation's ranks (according to the National Fire Protection Association), is becoming an even bigger challenge.

The fire chief in Beresford, South Dakota said it best. The people who are able to be volunteer firefighters are gifts "to cherish."

In the program, Russ Heggen, a volunteer firefighter in Canton, South Dakota said, "If you want to have a good town to live in, you have to give something to it."

Are you interested in a unparalleled opportunity to train, learn, respond to emergencies and protect your good town? Stop by your local volunteer fire department and ask for more information. You are needed now more than ever!

What Seeds Are You Planting? Overcoming Misconceptions

Martin L. Novom, CFRE is one of several brilliant minds providing focused leadership to the philanthropic industry. In the popular industry text he edited, The Fundraising Feasibility Study: It's Not About the Money, he states on page 2, "I am still surprised at the frequency of telephone solicitations I receive from local police and fire fraternal organizations, which are generally conducted by companies that give back only a fraction of the revenue to these organizations."

You may read more about the Iowa impact of such perceptions and realities here. Like Marvin, I am still surprised at the number of times people comment on this perception of fire department fundraising when I start conversations with them about the focus of FlashPoint Fundraising.

This is a classic case of the challenge of perception being reality. The stories of fundraising efforts that provide maximum benefit to the people local fire departments serve aren't getting told often enough. Those stories include:

1. The Robins Fire Department hosts a pancake breakfast each May that includes amazing community participation. Most supplies are donated and all proceeds support education and equipment needs for this all-volunteer team.

2. The Waterville Fire Department hosts a smelt fire and car cruise event that provides significant support to this all-volunteer Northeast Iowa team and their coverage area of more than 100 square miles.

3. The Sigourney Fire Department conducts a successful annual direct mail campaign that has grown each year in its impact on the equipment and education needed to cover fire and EMS calls in their 110 square mile coverage area for this all-volunteer team.

These are just three examples of seeds the amazing men and women of the Iowa Fire Service are planting. With continued effort, these seeds will become strong trees that help overcome the negative community perception that comes with the impact of high cost telemarketing of fire department funding needs.

What seeds are you planting? Contact dawnsh@gmail.com to have your cultivation efforts featured in a future blog. Best wishes for your incredible calling!

Final Pager Calls: Another Way to Honor Your Firefighting Family

Anyone blessed to spend time among the members of the Iowa Fire Service knows it's truly an extended family. Nowhere was this fact made more clear to me than in the aftermath of the sudden passing of my father, Gary D. Svenson in July 2005.

Dad had been a fire engineer (one of three who rotated 24-hours on, 48 hours off, drove first truck to city calls and warmed up the truck/gave directions on rural calls) for the City of Decorah from 1965 to his retirement in 1999. During that time, he was also Treasurer and proud member of the Decorah Volunteer Fire Department. He loved every moment and deeply appreciated those he came in contact with throughout his time with the Iowa Fire Service.

When Dad passed away, his firefighting brothers asked me if there was anything we needed or wanted for the funeral. When I was growing up, Dad often had me help him lower the flag to half staff at City Hall whenever a Veteran or fire fighter passed away. When we did so, we would talk about what that person's service meant and say thank-you prayers for them. I asked if they could fly the flag at half staff at City Hall the day of his funeral. They happily obliged.

I also asked if Engine 1 might lead the funeral processional as it had when my dear Aunt Sally Svenson had passed away eight years earlier. Dad had really liked that at her funeral. Again, they happily obliged.

I was overwhelmed at how much further the members of the Decorah Fire Department took our requests. As honorary pallbearers, our family never walked anywhere between the funeral home, church and cemetery where we weren't surrounded by members in dress whites. They all wore a narrow black band across their badges since "Gary wouldn't want them grieving too much." They were right!

These amazing human beings looked into getting Decorah's Old Engine 1 running from the junkyard where it sat in the hopes it would lead the funeral processional. The work needed was too substantial, but the gesture remains amazingly heartfelt.

It seemed like every fire truck in Winneshiek County was part of the funeral procession, which only seemed appropriate given how many times Dad had hid from those same trucks when they were spraying water during Nordic Fest parades.

As we turned the last corner before the cemetery, it was the site above that truly took my breath away and will be imprinted on my mind until the moment I leave this earth. Firefighter Darren Sander, who stood with the ariel, saluted the hearse and our family vehicles as we passed.

The icing on the cake came after the military salute had completed at the cemetery. With so many heroes in dress whites surrounding us, one last pager call for Gary D. Svenson came across their voice-activated pagers. Perfection doesn't even begin to describe the way the Decorah Fire Department honored their extended family member in his passing.

If you'd like to receive a digital audio copy of this wonderful way to honor your firefighting family, email me at dawnsh@gmail.com.

May the memory of the incredible heroes of the Iowa Fire Service always be alive among us!

Your Department's Development SOP

Your department has Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to avoid unnecessary risks, accident, injuries and unintended consequences. SOPs are updated as regulations and circumstances change, as well as in response to lessons learned. SOPs provide a baseline for strength in fire department operations.

How do you make sure that you expand your department's resources in the same responsible, organized way? How do you ensure all board responsibilities and your responsibility to the public in being entrusted with nonprofit work is honored at all times? What baselines exist for your fire fighting association and other philanthropic efforts?

The Larned E. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center and the Iowa Secretary of State's Office are among the leaders in an effort entitled Iowa Principles and Practices of Nonprofit Excellence. You can download this helpful 3o-page guide here.

What are you waiting for? Download your SOP for making your development efforts even stronger today. Consider requiring your members review the material and place it on your agenda for potential formal adoption. In doing so, you will take important steps towards the same nonprofit industry excellence you already apply to your fire service.

An Ongoing Mission: The Continued Need for Fire Prevention Week

Happy Fire Prevention Week!

Firefighters across the country are to be comended for your substantial forward progress in the last decades in terms of fire prevention education, strengthened building codes and fewer fire incidents. My late father used to say as a firefighter, he was involved in the only industry where the less business came in the door, the better off everyone would be. Although the fire calls have decreased, the 38 fire deaths in Iowa alone (as tracked by the Department of Public Safety as of August 31, 2009) underscores and solidifies that the need for Fire Prevention Week continues.

In an age where we are even more overwhelmed with information and "clutter" to cut through than in this 1969 Decorah Fire Department picture, what is the best way to get this critical message out?

The continued outreach to thousands of Iowa students is an excellent start. The earlier and more repetitive critical safety messages are, the more likely they will be recalled and acted on in the event of the unthinkable. Kudos to the Sioux City Fire Department for coming up with an innovative way to demonstrate the unthinkbale destruction of fire to members of the public who haven't trained at least 24 hours on fire fighting this year. I hope their demonstration guests continue the story through the great power of social media.

As you all know, this week only means larger public awarenes around the mission your pursue the other 51 weeks of the year too. Thanks for the difference you make in protecting your community's life and property!

What new ways to cut through the clutter are working well for your department this Fire Prevention Week?

The Grandma Test: A Benchmark for Your Communications

This is our Grandma Holland. She 86, still works part-time over lunch at the school near her home and is the most matter-of-fact communicator I know. Grandpa Holland, her late husband, fretted ten years ago about buying a suit for our wedding. He worried he would pass away before the wedding and not get to wear his "investment." Grandma told him, "Gilbert, we're getting you a new suit. If that happens, then we're covered for the funeral."

Upon reviewing anything I have written, I ask myself if it passes the "Grandma Test." I visualize Grandma Holland when I do. I ask whether each sentence is direct enough. I remove extra words where I can. I look for industry lingo and try to explain it in more common terms.

With so much to accomplish each day, it can be difficult to keep this review process a high priority. However, it is my critical bridge towards greater understanding by my audience.

Communications opportunities abound. You may need to prepare for your department meeting, send a news release about Fire Prevention Week activities, schedule your next training session through your community college, submit a grant report, or develop a presentation for when your city council starts to plan next year's budget.

Do the communications on your plate right now pass the Grandma Test?

For more information on communications services available to your department, contact Dawn Svenson Holland at FlashPoint Fundraising today.

Your Department's Strategic Plan - a Bird's Eye View of an Even Better Tomorrow

Each year, you continue an even better training plan for your members. You adapt to changes in state and federal regulations. You exceed recommendations on the number of hours committed to scenarios like live fire training, school bus extracation, disaster drills and more. You work closely with partner organizations in your city, township, county, district or state to ensure access to important classes like Firefighter I, Firefighter II and Driver/Operator.

If you're involved in EMS services, your commitment to training excellence continues with helping your members move forward with training levels like First Responder, EMT-B, EMT-I and Paramedic. Although these training demand significant time and some financial investment, they pay positive dividends in safer operations, member satisfaction and excellent service.

Your department can plan for an even better tomorrow in terms of excellence through adding one component to your training commitment: strategic planning. One annual meeting with your officers and/or members that focuses on your goals for the next three years is an investment that will pay dividends that ensure your department moves forward and builds on your unique strengths.

Investing in an independent facilitator for your strategic planning helps ensure that all voices are heard and no particular personalities or issue dominate this critical discussion on how to make your department's future even better. Everything invested in strategic planning helps bring about a bird's eye view of where to take your department in 2010 and beyond.

To schedule your department's strategic planning session as you look towards 2010, contact FlashPoint President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

Thank a Fire Department Spouse or Partner

The brave men and women who are again gathering from across the country to fight the California wildfires deserve every one of the accolades they are receiving and more. There's a directly related component to those brave firefighters I don't think we stop to praise often enough.

The spouses and partners of firefighters enable their loved one's dedication through many unsung sacrifices:

• Reheating meals or rescheduling meal times all together
  
• Interrupting, postponing or rescheduling plans when the pager calls
  
• Going without precious full family time of which no one has enough
• Accepting and often embracing the risks that firefighters face every day, especially in dangerous situations like the wildfires

The immediate families of firefighters have enabled public service ever since the industry's earliest days. God bless them!

Little did my shy mother DiAnn Ehler know that her marriage to firefighter Gary Svenson would take her through the streets of downtown Decorah on her wedding night on the old Decorah Fire water wagon, as pictured above. She also simply smiled and got to work upon returning from her honeymoon to find every piece of furniture in her new home crammed into one room by the new members of her firefighting family. Thank you, Mom. You enabled the career Dad so deeply enjoyed.

The next time you encounter the spouse or partner of a firefighter, pause for a moment and thank them for their dedication. Their understanding enables all of us to be a little safer!

Building for Your Department's Future - Starting With a Firm Foundation

Long term financial sustainability for any organization or family starts with a firm foundation. For many nonprofits, that foundation comes in the form of an endowment. As they grow, endowments provide ongoing and increasing annual operations support for your organization.

Think your fire association might want to look into an endowment fund? Consider starting that conversation with your local community foundation. They will be happy to share with you the unique tax advantages of the Endow Iowa program. If you establish your endowment through your community foundation, your donors receive credit for 20% of their donation off their Iowa income taxes in addition to the applicale federal deductability.

Potential donors/sources that may help get your endowment opened include:
1. Current members
2. A designation by your current members of all or a portion of any incentives or call reimbursement arrangement you may have with your city, county or township
3. Retired members
4. Your largest regular donors

To discuss options for communication pieces, campaign plans and more for starting your endowment, contact FlashPoint President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

When They're Lined Up, Share Your Numbers!

Many fire departments host yummy breakfast, lunch or supper events at their stations as a primary annual fundraiser and opportunity to connect with the community they serve. If your department isn't doing so already, use this opportunity to showcase and quantify your impact on the community.

Your impact piece should be clear, concise and an absolute maximum one page in length. Depending on your available resources, the format of your "report" piece made available at this event might be:
1. A postcard
2. A brochure
3. A "cowboy card" (size of one brochure column printed front and back)
4. A one page bulleted summary printed on your letterhead

Some information you might consider sharing on your report:
1. Open with a statement of thanks to your community (for paying taxes that support your operations, attending your event, etc.)
2. The number of volunteer hours given by your members in the last year (estimate this conservatively if you don't currently have a way to track it), including time devoted to training
3. The value of that volunteer time (any volunteer work for any organization is worth at least $11/hour)
4. The number of calls you responded to in the last year, broken out by categories like fire, rescue, medical, storm watch, etc.
5. A quick highlight of any major events and/or major equipment purchases in the past year
6. A general statement on what you plan to do with the proceeds from your fundraising meal
7. An invitation to the community to consider becoming members of your department. The parents asking the most questions when you show off the equipment to their kids are among your best places to start those conversations

To learn more about professional communication services available for your department, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

The Extended Family of Firefighting

On July 19, 2005, Roger Hamilton and his family had scheduled a well-deserved and rare day off and out of town. In addition to the regular family schedule demands, Roger's time working for the Winneshiek County Hospital and volunteering for the Decorah Fire Department left precious little uninterrupted family time. Unfortunately, that day would be no exception.

As they prepared to leave, Roger heard the details of a 911 call come across his personal radio equipment that he simply could not ignore. The address and age details of an unresponsive man matched exactly with his firefighting brother, Gary Svenson. They'd shared many moments together over the years, including the moment pictured above at Gary's retirement celebration in 1998.

Roger worked directly on this call, as did another firefighting brother, Steve Vandebrink, was working the Winneshiek Medical Center Ambulance that day. They worked much longer than their training told them they needed to, just in case it could make a difference. The heart attack Gary suffered was fatal. If quality emergency response would have been the only predictor of fate that day, there's no doubt in my mind Gary Svenson would have lived to be 200 years old.

Roger, I could write for the rest of my life and not truly express what comfort it has brought me over the last four years to know how automatic your response was when you heard that call. It has also brought me great comfort to know two of Dad's firefighting brothers fought so valiantly to try to save him. I know you both wouldn't have it any other way. God bless you, Roger and Steve for being the selfless, giving, incredible human beings you are. You demonstrate the true heart of the extended family of firefighting.

The extended family of firefighting has thousands of stories just like Roger and Steve's. Please use the comment button to share yours. And make sure you send them the link. The pure heart of firefighting and the extended family it creates simply must be celebrated more.

Another Response Time to Measure: Formal Acknowledgements to Your Supporters

You already closely track your response times to fire and EMS calls. You use this valuable information for improving your services, reporting to local government, etc. You already intuitively know how the slightest incremental response time improvements can make monumental differences in patient health and minimization of property impact in a working fire.

When is the last time you evaluated your response time to your supporters?

Perhaps Jane Doe down the street just dropped off her annual $25 check. Maybe the local grocery store just provided you with supplies for your pancake breakfast. Or your Auxiliary just provided food for a long, tough fire fight. Support, of course, takes any form that positively impacts your bottom line and provides assistance to your team.

Any support for your department should be formally acknowledged within 48 hours of receipt. Without setting this internal deadline, it's too easy for the regular fire departments demands and expectations to get in the way of caring for your supporters. By acknowledging their support within 48 hours, you will demonstrate:
1. How important your supporters are to you
2. How highly you value their support
3. What a wise investment your supporters made in choosing you from among the endless line of requests they receive
4. That you know your Department will not keep moving forward without them

Formal acknowledgment may take the form of a personal note, typed letter or phone call from a volunteer member. The message should express your deep appreciation and comment on the direct impact their gift made. For example, let the grocery store know how much money you brought in from the pancake breakfast and remind them their direct role in making those results happen.

The time, effort and postage invested in making support response time your priority will pay off exponentially in terms of satisfied donors and stronger department operations.

To develop content for formal acknowledgement of your supporters, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

The Beautiful Volunteer Spirit and the Case For Firefighting

Like each flower in bloom during this summer season, each volunteer on your fire department brings unique, beautiful value to your team. For those volunteers who become lifelong members, their commitment to responding amidst the other demands of life is automatic. They and their families sacrifice precious moments like meal times together for the pager's call of others in need and a job to do.

There are currently more than 900,000 501 (c) (3) organizations in the United States. Like your fire department, all of these nonprofits are in need of continued and additional public support to keep moving forward. The honor of receiving their choice in supporting you requires a strong "case statement." Your fire department's development efforts will improve with a clear, concise written statement that quantifies your community value.

That case statement starts with your wonderful volunteers. If you aren't already doing so, start tracking the hours your volunteers give. Include training times and call response. Include station tours, special events and other community service functions. Ask your officers for estimates on the additional time they give. Include time given by nonmembers who may volunteer with any of the above. Once this estimate is assembled, a conservative dollar value can be given to demonstrate how many times over the investment of each of your financial supporters is matched by your volunteers.

While you're at it, if you're looking for ideas on how to continue recognizing and appreciating the volunteers who beautify your fire department's garden, this link is a good place to start.

For more information on developing your fire department's case statement and assigning value to your volunteer's time commitments, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland.

Do You Have a Map Book for Your Department's Funding Needs?

Your page comes in. Your blue light goes on. You arrive at the Station. Your map book comes out. You follow the directions they contain so your call response can be faster and more accurate. You update your map book when you can, perhaps even with handwritten notes to address construction issues or other traffic challenges. Your map book helps you get to know the nooks and crannies of your community as you use it for more and more calls.

Your Department's funding needs deserve their own map book. When you plan for your funding needs, you plan for your Department to move forward. Dedicating time and energy towards this effort can help you develop a document that includes:

1. Your Department's priorities for equipment and training for the next three to five years

2. Anticipated funding gaps for the same time period

3. An action plan with time frame to ensure your highest priorities are funded

4. Ongoing cultivation activities that ensure your supporters remain positively engaged with your Department

5. A process for effectively driving around your own funding "traffic challenges" and still arriving at your destination

This Development Map Book for your Department can be most effectively developed through working with an independent facilitator. This facilitator can help you find your funding compass through a meeting or meetings with your officers and/or membership, as well as assembly of your book.

In short, a Development Map Book for your Department keeps the focus on your priorities and arrive at your progress destination faster and more accurately.

To discuss what kind of Development Map Book planning works best for your Department, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

Let's Fill the Boot Even Higher in 2009

The historic connection between Jerry's Kids/MDA is decades long and hundreds of thousands of dollars in support deep. That rich tradition is alive and well in Iowa. Whether your Fill the Boot efforts come from Labor Day weekend activity, your community summer parade or another event, thank you for making a tremendous difference for the families impacted by 43 neuromuscual diseases.

The Hiawatha Fire Department was recognized at Wednesday night's Hiawatha City Council meeting for being the top volunteer fire department in Iowa in terms of MDA Fill the Boot fundraising. This team raised $13,018 in 2008 to rank 5th among all fire departments in Iowa! Hiawatha sets up at storefront and intersection locations the weekend prior to and the weekend of Labor Day to reach this total. A few thoughts on how Hiawatha made this achievement possible:

1. Incredibly generous supporters. To everyone who lives in or drove though Hiawatha during the 2008 Fill the Boot, thank you!

2. Amazing volunteers. A core group of members and families of Hiawatha Fire gave 123 hours of time over two weekends in 2008. Many make it a family project. For each hour they worked, $106.27 was raised for MDA. Thank you, volunteers!

3. Resource allocation. Close tracking of funds raised during each shift at each location in 2007 allowed more effective allocation of volunteers in 2008 to ensure the most money possible was raised for the people served by MDA.

4. Cultivation. MDA District Director Teresa Cooper visits a Hiawatha Fire meeting to explain the project's value. Each volunteer and known donor receives a personal note. Key partners are thanked if time is available on the MDA Telethon.

A few ideas for Fill the Boot consideration in your community:
1. Setup a crowd connection at a popular community event - sporting event, summer parade, etc.
2. Ask your city for information on the intersections in your community with the most traffic. Find out what times the most traffic goes through those intersections and setup your Fill the Boot stations accordingly.
3. Consider collaborating with other community organizations like school service clubs, Rotary Clubs, etc. to ensure volunteer shifts are filled.
4. Creatively engage your members and/or local business community with challenge grants, mini boots in stores, small items to decorate windows with in return for a donation, etc.
5. Contact anyone you know who has been assisted by MDA efforts and offer them the chance to join in giving back.

By sharing more ideas, firefighters can have an even greater impact on Jerry's Kids in 2009. Together, we can Fill the Boot even higher in 2009 to benefit the people served through MDA! Your ideas in the comment section will make this happen. If your Fire Department wants to join or build on your Fill the Boot office, you may find your local MDA office by entering your zip code on the home page of http://www.mda.org. For more information on the state-leading efforts in Hiawatha, contact Josh Holland or Dawn Svenson Holland.

Take Your Department's Fundraising to New Heights

Non-profits and the fundraising industry as a whole suffer when isolated individuals and organizations behave without any ethical foundations. It appears there may be such a case in the public eye now. Today, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller filed a lawsuit against Public Safety Communications of Des Moines. The lawsuit alleges the firm misled the public by collecting $1.5 million in Iowa but only forwarding 10% or 20% of the proceeds to its non-profit clients.

You may have received calls at your Fire Department questioning the validity of telemarketing calls from organizations claiming to be raising money for fire department charities. Although it's frustrating that the public may associate your department with this kind of behavior, think of it as an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to excellence.

Between your job, your family, and/or Fire Department needs, you already have enough on your plate. How do you avoid firms that might conduct themselves unethically in working with you to achieve your fundraising goals? A few thoughts:

1. In accordance with the standards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), any percentage-based compensation agreement is unethical. You are owed the best work of the fundraising professional working for you regardless of his or her direct stake in the outcome.

2. Ask any professional you are considering working with for his or her thoughts on the AFP Code of Ethics and the Donor Bill of Rights. If you don't hear the same themes in these documents reflected in their response, find someone else.

3. Discuss fundraising costs in detail. Ask for information on fundraising costs for comprable clients. For example, if you're contracting for a capital campaign for a new fire station, ask for fundraising cost information based on other client capital campaigns. While client-identifying information is confidential, illustrative examples are not. General industry trends for fundraising costs will vary slightly by the type of campaign on which you are working.

4. Expect "not to exceed" quotes up front for fundraising services. Expect service agreements and contracts that confirm relationship expectations and costs in writing.

You already have the commitment to excellence you need to have a positive impact on the communities you serve. In the wake of these black marks for the fundraising industry, now is a great time to apply your high standards to those you work with on fundraising. In doing so, you will take your fundraising to new heights.
Your comments are welcome or email me to continue the discussion at dawnsh@gmail.com.

Focusing on Your Old Engine 1's: Back to the Basics on Grants

Old Engine 1 at the Decorah Fire Department (DFD) was synonymous with DFD itself: an example of a focus on the basics. It met the needs of the small NE Iowa community it served for decades. My late father (pictured here) drove this engine as the first out on all city limit calls for nearly all of his 33 years as a fire engineer for the City of Decorah.

Even the most reliable equipment like Old Engine 1 eventually needs updating. The current maze of limited city budgets, lower available grant funds, as well as state and federal programs are at best a challenge to navigate for the most basic fire department equipment and supply needs. During these challenging times, it is all too easy to review available grant programs and try to find equipment, supplies or programs to "backfill" into grant parameters.

What does your department really need? What absolutely needs to happen in the next year, 3 years and 5 years to keep your department, your members, and your community adequately protected? The answers to those questions are the building blocks for getting back to the basics, your "Old Engine 1's."

The best thing Fire Departments can do for their members, the citizens and property they protect is to selectively apply for the grants that fit with their department's needs. It's perfectly acceptable to NOT apply for grants that don't fit with your department's strategic plan and/or current community protection needs. In getting back to the basics, your "Old Engine 1's," you will be more sucessful in the grants for which you do apply.

To discuss options for grant focus for your department, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

Evolution And Building on Strengths

Throughout its history in the United States, the firefighting industry continues to evolve and build upon its strengths. In Colonial American times, insurance companies hired their own fire fighters. The firemarkers were the signals by which help was summoned from a particular insurance company in the event of a fire. This authenic United Fireman's Insurance marker from the Fireman's Hall Museum in Philadelphia hangs on the front of our home as a reminder of the history and evolution of firefighting in the United States.

As time moved on, firefighting became part of the public trust and an intregal part of local governments organized across our great nation. Over the last 233 years, the major evolutions of firefighting have included many positive developments.

• Increased public awareness of fire hazards brought fewer incidents and minimized risks to life and property
• Strengthened building codes and materials have decreased the frequency and severity of fires
• Detailed, frequent firefighter training has decreased injuries and risks for firefighters and fire victims
• Service enhancements including EMS level options have improved community connectedness and assistance given by local fire departments

In Iowa alone, there are more than 20,000 firefighters organized into 871 departments. These career professionals and volunteers serve 3 million Iowans each year in more than 40,000 emergency calls.

The various associations that exist to support fire departments in Iowa have an opportunity to continue to building on this history of evolution and strengths. This opportunity comes in the form of legally organizing as a non-profit corporation and obtaining 501 (c) (3) tax exemotion with the IRS.

Taking this step is an opportunity for local firefighters to formally confirm what they have been focused on all along: contributing to the greater community good through emergency response services. This also gives the incredible supporters of Iowa fire departments the opportunity to deduct their support from their federal and state taxes.

To start the process of your association becoming a legal non-profit, contact FlashPoint Fundraising President Dawn Svenson Holland today.

Honoring the Miracles in Our Lives

The Resurrection celebration of Easter Sunday provided the perfect backdrop today for a personal journey filled with miracles to come full circle.

Following my father's sudden passing in 2005, we tried to follow his example of good work with memorial projects. The final project we decided to implement was at the Iowa Firefighter's Memorial in Coralville. A visit to this special place honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and those who served ten years or more with in the Iowa Fire Service is strongly recommended. The City of Coralville and the Iowa Firefighters Association are to be commended for their partnership in this project.

My father, Gary D. Svenson, was an unassuming Christian servant who applied his skills positively and passionately with the Iowa Fire Service, as well as many other avenues. Dad's greatest joy came from his family. The first pages of his self-produced retirement book after 33 years with the Decorah Fire Department were dedicated to his pride in his brothers Carl and Dave Svenson. Together, these three Svenson brothers represent more than 100 years of dedication to the Iowa Fire Service. Stories like the Svenson brothers abound throughout firefighting in Iowa.

Not every idea in the original architectual plans could be implemented when the Memorial was built in the early 1990's. Thanks to wonderful input from Mike and Joan Reuman of Traer (volunteer treasurers/chairs of this project), we found the perfect project to implement from that original plan.

There are now two benches along the center line of the memorial site handcrafted by an Iowa company. Scott Coberly and the dedicated City of Coralville Parks team even managed to successfully take receipt of the benches in the middle of summer 2008 flooding.

In September 2008, I had the honor of witnessing the pride on my Uncle Carl's face when we let him know of this special project honoring him and his two brothers during the flood-rescheduled annual memorial service. Today, I had the honor of witnessing the same pride when we told Uncle Dave the news as we walked to the Memorial following Easter brunch at the Holiday Inn.

My dad was and my Uncle Carl and Uncle Dave are miracles in my life. I am awed and humbled by their dedication to fighting fires, promoting safety education and helping anyone in need. Throughout it all, they managed to make me feel like the luckiest daughter and niece in the world.

The Iowa Firefighters Memorial will forever be a special place to so many to honor the dedication of volunteer and career fire department personnel. They are miracles to their families and to everyone impacted by their work. On this joyous Easter day, may we all find new ways to honor and support the everyday miracles God grants in our lives.