What Happpens next????

[falcon325]

Ok heres a question, that i'm sure has occurred to many of you but I'm not sure its been addressed here. If it has I apologize and hope someone can direct me to the thread that addresses it. I was looking over our hydro dates on our SCBA cylinders and noted that as a result of them being acquired through grant funds there are batches of them coming up for testing at the same time..ok no problem just part of operating.. heres the problem they will all also being coming to the end of their 15 year life within a year or so of each other as well. Which at TODAYS prices would be well over $60K in the next 6 to 10 years im sure the price will be much more than that .The question is where is the funding coming from to replace them? Sure its nice to be a successful grant recipient even nicer to be selected 4 times like my department . The down side is now we have all of this equipment that must be maintained and eventually replaced with no hope of a light at the end of the tunnel. Who is formulating a plan to ensure funding will be in place for the replacement of all the "goodies" we've acquired through these grants and have become dependent upon. My guess is "Nobody" so within the next few years all the NEW stuff we have will be OLD and we will be back to square one begging for table scraps and duct taping out stuff together to keep it functioning while facing higher prices and without a doubt less staffing than we have now ( anyone here have more people than they used to?) suggestions?

[LVFD301]

I would hope that most departments plan in advance for this. I know when we got airpacks, I took into account the cost of replacing the lighter bottles and instead used aluminium tanks, so I did not have the worry about replacing all those bottles in the future. Still better than the steel that we had.

[islandfire03]

AFG is not supposed to be a replacement for your operating budget. Replacement of those cylinders bought by federal funding should have been planned from day one. If they have a 15 yr life then you need to be putting away $$ every year for replacement.
Not trying to be Snarky with you, just explaining the facts.

AFG is a hand up: NOT a hand out that is supposed to replace your maintenance & replacement of equipment budget.

[ktb9780]

Sounds like a question that your taxpayers will need to address.

[BC79er]

Who is formulating a plan to ensure funding will be in place for the replacement of all the "goodies" we've acquired through these grants and have become dependent upon. My guess is "Nobody" so within the next few years all the NEW stuff we have will be OLD and we will be back to square one begging for table scraps and duct taping out stuff together to keep it functioning while facing higher prices and without a doubt less staffing than we have now.

You did when you applied, so it shouldn't be nobody. Grants are a helping hand up because you got in a jam once on a particular project, not a revolving door at the end of the life cycle every time. Part of the scoring in the financial section is how you're explaining how to take on the replacement of the grant bought equipment when it expires, so if you haven't been putting that in there you've been getting mighty lucky. That's the reason most SAFER apps get canned, the apps don't address the ongoing costs. That's why DHS is reviewing all apps for prior funding on the same projects, and pulling anyone that got awarded before for something. No matter how long this program goes on I don't see them funding anyone for the same thing again. All of our clients are advised to figure out how they're going to handle the replacement down the road. Granted long-range planning and analysis is another service we do for clients to make sure the money is going to be there, but just like retirement it takes a little bit early and often to make sure the whole enchilada is there by a certain date in the future.

[falcon325]

Of course the replacement and maintenance of items was factored in prior to the grants.But that was based on equipment and the economic conditions AT THE TIME. our crystal ball has been in the shop for repairs and wit the economic downturn and gambling introduced into the state the primary fundraisers ( bingos carnivals.. etc have virtually disappeared)

The reality of small town America is this.. Prior to the grants members shared turnout gear, we did the best we could with 6 air masks and those who didnt have one did the best they could without respiratory protection. Most hand tools were homemade, thermal imaging cameras were a dream, Attack and supply lines less than two decades old were unheard of, Rescue tools were salvaged junk that required more time in maintenance than in training. NFPA standards meant nothing when compared to the reality that a job needed to be done and equipment and funding necessary to do the job "to standard" were unavailable.

The POST Grant scenario has been a TEMPORARY fix to an ongoing problem. Our members are better equipped and better trained than ever. Time reserved for fund raising to replace equipment was spent getting Pro Board certifications and sharpening the point of our service delivery. Time well spent. My question Still stands "what happens Next?" Can anyone tell me what service is a greater priority to the American Public ?? Fire? Police? or EMS? Can anyone tell me the last time they saw a police officer holing a spaghetti dinner for a bullet proof vest or bullets? Volunteer EMS has pretty much gone the way of the passenger pigeon as well. The ONLY other agency of "Essential Services" that is left to fend for itself is the Fire Service. Suburban and Rural America cant fund a fire service "to standard" in its current configuration. So the only other alternative is to disregard the standards or fund the basic need. whats a bigger priority a library or vehicle extrication? park benches or fire suppression?, Whats next?

[admpaul]

Your going to have to use some past there 15 year life and replace them in batches. You do get a good discount when buying in volume. Talk to your vendors and see if someone else is buying some in your area and work a deal so your new bottles are in the order.

[BC79er]

Most of your questions are local ones. Feds don't get involved in such stuff, and one of the main reasons they got involved in the public safety grants game is because it's interconnected. If you don't handle something everyone around you is coming in to help, especially on major events.

Cops just have better marketing, and since most are full-time paid positions they are more in front of the community lobbying for funding. Invisible = underfunded.

Volunteer EMS is going by the wayside because the increased certification requirements, legal liabilities, and especially call volume have all taken more time out of the day than the average person can give. Volunteer fire will go away also, probably not in my remaining lifetime, but eventually it will happen. Service demands will outpace volunteer efforts, it's just the inevitability of the world. Some areas will be able to stave it off for longer than others, but eventually it's going to happen.

[Bones42]

Volunteer EMS here is going along just well. They have turned people away as their membership is full.

Volunteer FD is always looking for more members. We got out town to fund a bond to purchase 20 SCBA's a few years ago. Ya, they will all hit life end at the same time. We knew that when we bonded for them. We did not plan on bonding again for their end of life. We considered the issue when we got them and have a plan to replace them in small batches....yes, ahead of the mystical death date. It will hurt out budget. It will be a huge expense on our little budget. We know that. We knew that. We planned for that.

Just like real life....you have to plan for things in the future.