Technical Demonstration Key to Success
Back row left to right: John LeBlanc, Pat Vargas, Mark
Richardson, Andy Kellogg and Scott Arganbright. Front row left
to right: Kevin Eldridge, Dave Bramell, Steve Hanlon and D.J.
Noe. Committee members not pictured are John Allen and Dan Havicus.
Tracy, California (pop. 57,000) -- The Tracy Fire Department of Tracy, Cal., raised $138,000 within six months during 2001 to purchase seven Bullard MX Thermal Imagers. A creative campaign kickoff was the critical element of their quick and successful fundraising effort.
Capt. Scott Arganbright, who led the 12-member fundraising committee with the assistance of Capt. Andy Kellogg, explained that the group worked together to carefully plan each element of the campaign. “We planned what we wanted to do, and all the tasks were delegated according to each person’s talents,” Capt. Arganbright said. “We used every committee member to the fullest, doing public speaking, designing letterhead, delivering a PowerPoint presentation and working with the media,”
The campaign kicked off in March with a thermal imaging demonstration held at one of the firehouses. Political leaders and members of the media were invited to get a hands-on experience with the technology.
“When we started the demo, we transmitted to a TV outside the smoke-filled room, while the media and political people watched us do a search without a thermal imager in zero visibility,” Capt. Arganbright said. “It took five and a half minutes for firefighters to find the victims within the three rooms. When we used thermal imaging, we found them within 45 seconds.”
Leaders and media members were then asked to do the same exercise. “Even after our demonstration, it was hard for them to understand how important the cameras were until we put them in a smoke-filled room where they couldn’t even see the hand in front of their face. When we gave them a camera, they saw the victim right in front of them,” Capt. Arganbright said.
Leaders were immediately convinced that the fundraising effort should take priority, and they rallied to uncover funding for the project. Money came in from a variety of sources, including $69,000 from the City of Tracy, $40,000 from State Assembly Member Barbara Matthews, $21,000 from GWF Energy Corp., and $8,000 from a variety of community fundraisers.
In selecting the Bullard MX, the Tracy Fire Department was looking at the overall package that each manufacturer had to offer. “We looked at the product itself, technology, service, warranty, training materials and web site resources,” Capt. Arganbright explained. “We thought Bullard had a good total package, and we trust our distributor (L.N. Curtis) to be reliable.”
Asked to give advice to other groups conducting fundraisers, Capt. Arganbright provided three suggestions. “Get political leaders and media involved at the get-go. Plan a realistic demonstration at your initial event. And, when you’re planning, use the fundraising materials that Bullard offers on their website,” he said.
Funding Tip:
Tracy Fire Department gives us an excellent example of effective teamwork. Don’t attempt to do everything yourself. Build a team and assign responsibilities to team members. Use the individual skills and talents of team members to plan and carry out your campaign.