Funding is a major concern in any organization, the fire service is no exception. Cost increases in the fire service routinely outpace inflation, while available funds are reduced, all while call volumes increase each year. Whether your department is funded by tax dollars, relies strictly on donations, or is a combination of the two, the budget is always on your mind.

Emergency Solutions, Inc offers strategic planning consulting, coupled with grant writing assistance, to help ease the stressful budgetary burden on departments. Our professionals will help you determine your needs and set goals. Then we will work with you to develop a written plan to achieve those goals utilizing innovative funding strategies and available grant funding sources.

There are many grants available to fire departments. Some programs are state specific, such as in the state of Texas with the Texas Forest Service Rural VFD Assistance Program, Rural VFD Insurance Program, or another of their available programs. Programs offered by the federal government, such as the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG), the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER), or other federal agencies, may provide needed resources to your department. There are many private grants available to fire departments as well, which could be incorporated into your strategic plan to provide funding for projects that would otherwise be unattainable.

For some programs, writing the grant is not very difficult. Raising the funds to ensure the department is able to accept the grant is the difficult portion of the equation. Emergency Solutions will incorporate aspects into your strategic plan to help ensure matching funds are available when the award notification is received.

Each program has deadlines and guidelines that are ever changing. Some departments have difficulty keeping up with available programs and have simply given up. These programs, when managed effectively, can help departments reign in tight budgets and allow for growth and added response capability. Whether it be training, insurance, or equipment, our strategic planners and grant writers can assist you in devising a plan that will reduce the burden your budget places on you, giving you more time to focus on the reason you became a firefighter, helping your neighbors.