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.