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Volunteer Fire Departments Can Now Benefit from New Fundraising Programs

By Kurt Bradley, CHIEF Grants Consultant
Originally Published in Firehouse Magazine, October 2004. Reprinted with permission.

Is your department in need of equipment that will help your first responders be more responsive? Do your firefighters need new turnout gear, like coats, pants and boots? How would you like to purchase a new communications system for your department?

These examples of new equipment purchases and other departmental necessities are now within reach of volunteer fire departments (VFD) with the help of some new community based, fundraising programs offered by CHIEF, a national supplier of public safety equipment and apparel.

Recognizing the increased need for VFD funding, CHIEF introduced two new initiatives – CHIEF Grants and CHIEF Direct – to connect departments with dollars – at no cost to fire service professionals.

Linking National Dollars to Local Departments
In 2004, there will be $1.2 billion in grant monies available to law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency services, and local and state governments. Has your department applied for a piece of those funds?

During the last several years, the U.S. Government has changed the manner in which grants are applied for, awarded, and evaluated. This system has become known as "performance grants" to eliminate wasteful spending, through accountability and to recognize those agencies that are implementing and producing the results that they stated they would achieve, if awarded funding. The result is a rather arduous, involved process for public safety agencies in applying for these grants.

These changes in the national grant writing system made CHIEF recognize the need for a free consultation service aimed at assisting fire, EMS, and law enforcement departments to obtain critical funding. This program was kicked off in conjunction with the opening of the application period for the 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP) offered by the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP).

"Properly researching and writing a grant is a time-consuming process and public safety professionals' primary responsibility is the protection of and service to their citizens. This program is here to help make the grant writing process more effective, more productive, and most importantly, more successful," adds Kurt Bradley, a retired police lieutenant and certified grants consultant.

To see what grant money is available to your department, visit www.publicsafetygrants.com and you can be connected with a consultant who is on hand, 12-hours a day, five days per week to help start the grant application process for your department. This site will help visitors quickly locate federal-government opportunities that are currently open and available to them, as well as provide grant training, research, tips, news, events, and frequently asked questions.

Hassle-Free Community Fundraising at Your Fingertips
CHIEF Direct is a unique, community-based program that provides hassle-free outreach and fundraising support to Volunteer Fire Departments. CHIEF Direct donates 10 percent of all its sales to the customers' local VFD of choice. The site offers collectibles, home safety items, recreational items and personalized gifts via its web site or through catalog purchases. To maximize the program's fundraising potential, departments just need to connect their community to www.chief-direct.com or to a catalog for product selection.

So, how can you get this program working for you?

  1. To get started, make sure your department is on the list. Go to www.chief-direct.com and click on Department Search to verify that your Volunteer Fire Department is listed. When community members place orders, they are asked to select the volunteer fire department in their city when they checkout. If no department is available, they are asked to select one from a surrounding area.
  2. To start driving your community to www.chief-direct.com/dept, you can download flyers that can be personalized with your department's name. Once printed, you have an official flyer that you can start distributing within your community. You can also 'Save' the file to a disc and take it to a copier store for printing large quantities.
  3. Another way to drive people to www.chief-direct.com is by placing banner links on your web site. It is really easy to place these ads on your home page, which makes it even easier for your community to begin donating. Visit the site to see the selection of banners and implementation procedures.

Since many fire service professionals manage busy schedules, the program also offers a service where it will conduct a direct mailing for your department. All you need to do is supply CHIEF with your community's mailing list and they will distribute postcard mailers or catalogs at no cost to the department.

Both programs – CHIEF Grants and CHIEF Direct – are specifically designed to drive additional fundraising opportunities to the local volunteer fire departments at a time when funding is more critical than ever due. Now, with just a visit to your computer, both programs can start linking dollars to your department within minutes.

The new CHIEF, www.CHIEFsupply.com, is owned and operated by BHC, a diversified public safety corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. With 20 distribution centers nationwide and more than 60 years experience, CHIEF is a nationwide source of equipment, supplies, and apparel to America's first responders.

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