EF&P Magazine, July/August 2003
Three Ways to Get Local Funding for Thermal Imagers:Community Fundraising, Grants, Budget Appeals
By Rebecca Scholer
Thermal imagers fundamentally change the way firefighters do their work. When used effectively, this technology can save lives, preserve property and keep firefighters safe on the job. Because thermal imagers are still relatively expensive, fire department leaders are often intimidated by the thought of raising tens of thousands of dollars to support these purchases. This article presents strategies and helpful tips for raising funds through three different avenues: 1) conducting a community fundraiser, 2) writing a grant to a local foundation or corporation, and 3) justifying the purchase as a budget item. These methods can be used in isolation or in combination to raise the funds needed. Regardless of the approach you choose, take advantage of the fact that the technology is so easily explained through a visual demonstration. And use the resources available to you through thermal imager manufacturers such as Bullard.
Community Fundraising in Four Steps
Within a period of 14 months, the Kingsport (Tennessee) Fire Department (pop. 44,000) raised the money to purchase five thermal imagers. Department leaders worked closely with the local Civitan Club to conduct a series of community fundraisers including a Christmas shopping event at the local mall, two horse shows and a buffet breakfast. The local Board of Mayor and Aldermen contributed additional funds to equip the department with a total of seven units, one for every front-line pumper. Critical to the success of this campaign was a focused team, a solid plan and excellent media coverage.
This section should assist departments in establishing a fundraising committee and conducting a successful fundraising campaign in the local community.
Step 1: Form A Team
Don’t attempt to do everything yourself. Establish a team, and assign responsibilities to team members. Use the individual skills and talents of team members to plan and carry out your campaign. Hold everyone accountable, and your project will be done professionally and on time.
Consider including the following positions on your team:
- Chairperson – Leads meetings and coordinates activities of all team members
- Co-Chairperson – Works side-by-side with chairperson to handle leadership and coordination
- Media Relations Coordinator -- Manages all interactions with media members
- Spokesperson Coordinator – Coordinates activities of presenters who appeal to potential donors
- Event Logistics Planner - Arranges all event logistics, including kickoff demonstration
- Promotion Coordinator -- Manages promotional elements of campaign
- Fund Manager – Sets up funding logistics and handles counting, depositing and reporting donations
Step 2: Plan Your Fundraiser
After the team is established, plan your fundraiser. Keep track of implementation activities at regular meetings throughout your campaign, reviewing progress and results to keep everyone focused on carrying out the plan. Critical planning steps at the first meeting include:
- Set dollar goals and timeline – Establish the number of thermal imagers needed and the amount of money required to buy them.
- Decide fundraising approach – Determine the potential donors you’ll target, and consider fundraising tactics that will motivate them. Don’t lock yourself into one source. Potential sources include the general public, civic organizations, small businesses, corporations, foundations, and local or regional government entities.
- Name your campaign – Choose a catchy name for your campaign, and plan to create materials that present your fundraising effort in a professional way.
- Set weekly meetings – Schedule regular meetings at a time that works for all team members.
- Set assignments – Make formal assignments to be carried out before the next meeting. Holding everyone accountable will keep your fundraising campaign on target.
Step 3: Conduct an Effective Demo
Realize that the average person has no idea of what it is like to fight a structure fire. Most people envision firefighters running into a structure, seeing lots of fire and minimal smoke. A critical part of your campaign is educating the public on the realities of firefighting. Host a campaign kickoff demonstration that enables community leaders, media members and potential donors to see for themselves how thermal imagers can positively impact the important work your firefighters perform.
- The guest list -- Include executives, top decision-makers and significant potential donors.
- Media coverage -- Invite members of the media to cover the event.
- The facility – If possible, stage the demonstration using non-toxic smoke and volunteer victims.
- First victim search – Start the demonstration by simulating a victim search without a thermal imager.
- Second victim search – Follow this initial “blind” search with a victim search that employs a thermal imager.
- Timing – Use a stopwatch to time each search. Have an emcee announce search times to bystanders.
- Hands-on – If event attendees were not involved in victim searches, be sure they have a hands-on experience with the TI before they leave.
Step 4: Get the Local Media Involved!
Regardless of how you’ve decided to raise funds to buy thermal imaging equipment for your department, attempt to gain publicity for the fundraiser and the organizations involved. Strong involvement from the media can make an enormous difference in the success of your campaign.
- The media list -- Make a list of local media, including daily and weekly newspapers, local magazines, radio stations and TV stations.
- Announce fundraiser -- Send a personalized letter and/or a press release to members of the local media two to three weeks in advance of your fundraiser kickoff. Follow up with a phone call on the day before the event.
- Technology demonstration -- Plan a visual demonstration of the technology at your kickoff to help media people demonstrate thermal imaging to their audience. (See above.)
- Periodic releases -- Keep the media informed of campaign progress by sending releases when appropriate.
- Finish the campaign – After the campaign concludes, invite reporters to cover delivery and implementation of the department’s new equipment.
Grant Writing for Thermal Imagers
Capt. Jeff Smith of the Galveston (Texas) Fire Department (pop. 250,000) wrote a grant for the Department, focusing on preserving and protecting historic Galveston property with thermal imagers. Department leaders gained the endorsement of the Galveston Historical Foundation by explaining the fact that hidden fires can quickly destroy historic buildings. With Capt. Smith’s leadership, the department successfully applied to a local arts and culture granting foundation and received $20,000 in funding. Combined with funds donated by local businesses, the department was able to purchase two TIs. The granting foundation was so impressed with the grant and the impact of the technology that its leaders have invited the department to submit another grant for additional thermal imagers.
Select a Granting Organization
Be creative about how thermal imaging could have an impact in your community. For example, consider appealing to a health foundation by explaining the life-saving benefits of thermal imaging. Or appeal to an environmental group by explaining the benefits of thermal imaging in hazardous materials incidents. (TIs can help identify the location of spilled material, allowing for more effective control and abatement.) When approaching a granting organization, keep the following in mind.
- Know the organization’s mission.
- Do your homework.
- Make your appeal based on the funding priorities of the organization.
Write the Grant
- Back up your argument by using meaningful local statistics.
- Get formal endorsements from outside groups that can vouch for the value of thermal imaging.
- If there has been a local incident that illustrates the need you are claiming, tell the story in your application.
- Read grant application requirements carefully, and follow them strictly.
- Include materials that provide a simple explanation of how thermal imagers work and how they fit into the work of firefighting. Don’t assume decision-makers understand your job or your language.
Manage the People Side
- Meet with the foundation director in person to establish a relationship and to request assistance as needed.
- Show decision-makers how thermal imagers work by involving them in a technology demonstration.
- When you receive your grant, remember to show proper recognition to your sources and the people who helped you along the way.
- Give credit to the foundation after any fire where the imagers are used.
Getting Thermal Imagers into the Budget
The Southeast Volunteer Fire Department of Carriere, Mississippi (pop. 700) purchased a thermal imager in July of 2002, and its members can testify to the importance of the technology for keeping firefighters safe on the job. Fire Chief Dave Bourdeu made the appeal for funding, basing his argument primarily on the effectiveness of TI in overhaul. In his presentation to the department’s board, he cited the fact that the organization had been spending $2,500 per year responding to rekindles ($250 per call at about ten calls per year), a problem which he argued could essentially be eliminated by using a thermal imager during overhaul. On the very first run with the department’s new TI, firefighters entered a burning home with an attack line and ascended the stairs because all signs pointed to the fire being on the second floor. As firefighters reached the top landing, the lead man immediately stopped because on the screen of the TI, he clearly saw that the floor was gone. The fire had ignited in a closet below, burning completely through the landing. Fire Chief Dave Bourdeu believes the thermal imager saved the two men from serious injury or even death that afternoon.
Especially in the recent economy, the municipal budgetary process is painful for fire department leaders, and high-ticket items such as TIs often become the first victims of cost-saving measures. In presentations to funding bodies, departments must accomplish three objectives.
Demonstrate
First, department leaders must develop a program that demonstrates for the council (and, perhaps, the media) what firefighters really battle on the job. A simulation can vividly demonstrate the true challenges of firefighting.
- Council members should be encouraged to navigate in blinding (non-toxic) smoke, through unfamiliar (yet safe) surroundings, to find a simulated victim, first without a TI.
- Council members can perform the same drill with a TI.
- To clarify the value of thermal imaging, use a stopwatch to time the council members in each drill. Show them how much time they personally saved in the search with the TI, and ask if that time would be important to their spouses and children if they were trapped in a house fire.
Illustrate
Second, demonstrate that this life-saving potential has been realized around the world.
- Department leaders can take specific examples from real stories in which thermal imagers have made a significant impact on the work of firefighters (available at www.thermalimager.com).
- Leaders can cite statistics from several studies that show thermal imagers reduce search times by up to 75 percent (available at www.thermalimager.com).
- These stories and facts can be related back to the search times in your simulation with council members.
Quantify
Third, to secure the funding, the department must also make a business case for buying TIs. To demonstrate that an expenditure is valuable and justifiable, the chief must convince the council that the perceived benefits of the expenditure outweigh the proposed cost. One approach is to perform a cost/benefits analysis (CBA), which compares the amount of money the organization wants to spend with the perceived benefits of the expenditure.
Three steps of a CBA include: 1) determining the total cost of the project, 2) determining the total benefits (expressed in dollars) of the project and 3) comparing the cost to the benefits to determine the present value or payback time. With some diligent research, any fire department should be able to perform its own CBA. Creative and resourceful departments may strive to include estimates on:
- Reduced fire losses leading to reduced insurance rates
- Reduced hourly payments to paid-on-call members
- Reduced costs (through less time on scene) to the local community from business permitting volunteer firefighters to leave work
- Improved overhaul leading to less damaged structural material and less material in local landfills during the rebuilding phase
- Reduced firefighter injuries leading to lower workman’s compensation expenses
- Improved water use leading to lower water costs, less runoff and reduced environmental concerns
- Anything else with tangible value that is increased through TI usage
A Final Note…
As you initiate your fundraising activities, remember not to limit yourselves to one funding source or to one funding approach. Build a team of dedicated people who are focused on the goal, and pay careful attention to planning and preparation before approaching potential donors and funding organizations. Show decision-makers how TIs work to save lives, preserve property and keep firefighters safe on the job, and your job will be significantly easier. With a determined, organized and passionate team, it’s within your reach to get equipped with thermal imagers.
Fundraising Resources
Bullard, the leader in thermal imaging technology for the fire service, has recently made a major investment in providing free fundraising instruction and support that will help departments execute effective TI fundraising campaigns. The inSIGHTä program gives firefighters tips on managing the four fundamentals of fundraising and helps firefighters reach potential donors effectively, through group presentations, media relations, and direct mail. For information on the resources available through the program, visit the fundraising section of www.thermalimager.com, call Bullard at 800-827-0423, or contact Ashley at ashley_smith@bullard.com