To apply for a grant, you need a grant writer.
Of course that costs money.
The Corfu Fire Department is a small volunteer department that provides fire protection, EMS and mutual aid to about 1600 people in the Corfu area, Genesee County and neighboring counties.
With 33 active volunteers, the department is one of the smallest volunteer departments in the area with an annual budget of $130,000 per year.
Two years ago, Corfu resident Rosalie Mangino-Crandall stepped up to the plate to volunteer her years of experience as a grant writer to the department at no cost.
Mangino-Crandall is CEO of Insights Grant Development in Corfu.
With thousands of other departments in competition for grants, the Corfu Fire Department thought the odds were against them this year since they were not able to secure a grant they applied for last year.
“After rewriting some things this year we made it much better,” says Bruce Fauth, Chairman of the Fire District.
So when the Corfu Fire Department learned that the grant they had applied for through The Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program was awarded to the Department this week they were excited.
The Corfu Fire Department was awarded $84,191 in federal funding that will go towards the purchase of 12 Self Contained Breathing Apparatus(SCBA) air packs.
“The condition of our current air packs are pretty dire,” says Corfu Fire Chief Brian Schollard.
“They all expire at the end of this year, their life expectancy is up after 10 years and ours have to come out of service.”
Schollard says each SCBA, mask and extra bottle costs about $7,000.
“Regardless, we were going to have to replace them all. Our Board of Fire Commissioners had ear marked money from the capital reserve to purchase the 12 SCBA’s”
(Left -Fire Chief/ Brian Schollard, Right-Bruce Fauth/Chairman of the Fire District)
Now the Department is a few years closer to replacing an almost 20 year old truck, Engine 43 will be replaced in 3-4 years instead of 6-7 years.
Schollard says it takes at least one year to spec a new truck, send it out bid, get the bids back, choose a bid and then get the chassis of the fire truck.
The new truck will cost between $350,00-$400,000.
“For as small as we are, this is huge,” says Fauth.
The Alexander Fire Department also received a federal grant for $92,994 which will replace 15 of their SCBA’s.
The AFG Grant Program provides direct funding assistance to fire departments, State Fire Training Academies and non-affiliated EMS organizations to enhance their response capabilities and more effectively protect the health and safety of both the public and emergency response personnel.