Fireman's $$$$ Helping Fire Departments

The initiative also plans to provide for community fire safety education as well the fire department training.

In April, The Fireman's Fund Heritage awarded its first funds to the San Diego County, Calif., fire department and is planning for similar funding in Atlanta County, Ga., fire departments.

"We felt that this was a wonderful opportunity to help these organizations, which are very important to society and the communities they serve," said Darryl Siry, executive director of Fireman's Fund Heritage and a vice president of Fireman's Fund Insurance Company.

Many local and volunteer firefighters lack enough funding for all of their equipment and training necessities, Mr. Siry explained.

He said many states are experiencing budget deficits and fire chiefs have been under pressure to stay below budget.

"When they can't fund full budgets, they unfortunately have to make cuts in things not deemed essential, such as training and some forms of equipment," Mr. Siry said.

The program identifies metropolitan areas which need aid based on information supplied by Fireman's local partners and employees.

Each county or agency which seeks aid through the program is required to satisfy an itemized selection process. Mr. Siry said that this system makes it clear that the funding goes toward equipment, safety and training initiatives at the departments selected and helps effectively manage the allotment of the Fund Heritage resources.

The process is modeled after the request for proposal process that departments must use when applying for federal grants. Of the 35 requests that were received from agencies and various departments in San Diego County, 16 of them were rewarded with funds from a pool of just over $1 million dollars.

Mr. Siry noted that the program's activity assisting needy fire departments and burn prevention agencies has benefited staff spirit at Fireman's, as well.

"Employees have said that [The Heritage Fund] has helped boost company morale due to us giving back to the community," he related.

Mr. Siry added, "Most importantly, those in the fire service have said that our program is valuable due to the funding it provides and because it can possibly help more people see the needs of many fire departments and the benefits to providing more support."