2006 try for a vehicle?

[jwfisher]

Starting to think the 2006 AFG Grant Application.

Looking for feedback from those of you who have much more experience than myself in the grant wrinting process.

This may be a question that has no definite answer.

My department has a 1978 Ford F250 mini-pumper that is in pretty rough shape. Considering the following information about my department, would we have a realistic chance of receiving a vehicle acquisition grant?

Rural Dept., 280 calls per year, member owned, $60,000.00 year contract money, fleet 1978 mini, 1986 heavy rescue, 1986 FMC pumper (village owned), 1996 KME pumper, 2003 MedicMaster ambulance, and we are in the process of replacing our current tanker because of severe mechanical failures. Our budget is always pretty thin, but having to replace our tanker will keep it thin for several years.

I realize there are many more factors to consider when writing a successful grant and the info. I supplied is only a small glimpse of my dept. I guess my main concern is the rest of our apparatus too up to date for the powers that be to even consider giving us a vehicle grant?

thanks

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

If you're thinking of replacing the mini-pumper with a brush truck/quick attacke and not something bigger, I'd say that's probably a decent request. It wouldn't be the most competitive application in the grand scheme of things once you take all of the vehicle applications into account (averaging 7,000 per year with less than 1000 awards per year since 2003), but it would be your best shot at any vehicle. According to DHS, only about 3 or 4 in 10 vehicle apps make it to peer review, so you have to pick the right one under the right conditions.

I'm not saying it to discourage you from putting in that application by any means. my only advice is to make sure you have it bulletproofed. All apps should be bulletproof, but with vehicles I try to always add some Teflon on top of it so nothing sticks to it either. With the competition in that category, every fraction of a point counts.