Our Nation's Network for First Responders
It's batteries and smoke detector time
Once again we've reached that time of year to push for checking batteries in smoke dectors, checking CO monitors but how about furnaces and chimneys? A little extra push in the area of chimney fires, furnace and chimney inspections could never hurt. We would hope that our friends and neighbors won't skimp on utilities maintanence because they have their noses glued to their laptops watching their portfolios melt...teaming up the HVAC trade to push for better public awareness to get their chimneys cleaned and inspected, furnaces maintained (CO fatalities last season where gruesome in numbers and they often took entire households). The helplessness is devestating on company morale and there is more that we can do besides offering the firehall for post funeral milk and cookies. I offer you a creative solution:
Would grant $ under 'Prevention' help departments with providing a discount to low income homeowners when having their chimney's or furnaces checked?... or just solicit local contractors to give US a hand so we don't have to stand in the freezing cold with snotcicles, watching another house burn down because of a faulty chimney or worse yet, fatalities from CO poisoning. In PA last year a spectacular structure fire took the lives of several family members because of a kerosene heater...either the furnace didn't work or they were too poor for fuel, either way it's a crappy excuse. Could we have a fundraiser, lets say opening night of Deer season when no one wants too cook, BBQ UP SOME 'TO-GO' CHICKEN DINNERS, or a Las Vegas day on the weekend when there is no NASCAR or Football (is there one?), you get the idea... again offer advertising (paper placemats or bags)...
Social Services isn't going to care about this, I don't picture a social worker with their head stuck in a flue pipe, but some way of aquiring monies to either kickback (hate that phrase but only one that comes to mind at the moment) to local contractors (plumbers, HVAC, electricians whoever) to get them to agree to say "ok, we'll knock off 50% if the FD kicks in 15 or 20" as a model ...could be a tax break for them if the FD is Not-For-Profit. Schedule a parade during Fire prevention week and advertise participants names on the trucks... Smoke detectors and CO detectors are for AFTER THE FACT.... it's REACTIVE not PROACTIVE; handing out fire extinguishers is not preventive, it's way after the fact and often too late that it get's used, if at all.
Here's an idea: offer this service to those who are making, lets say 10% below the poverty line, ask DSS for income info or office of the aging or just advertise it that way, OFFER COUPONS! Solicit contractors, such as the ones who are members of your dept., to perhaps run this idea around trade meetings or just hit the yellow pages... Ladies auxiliaries or Auxiliaries are good sources of 'manpower' (we love you guys!). Talk with your orginazation's attourney about tax stuff, hold a fundraiser or combine resouces with your neighboring Co's that will also be standing next to you, freezing their tails off at a 3am worker.
FOLKS, THERE ARE ALREADY PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY FUEL, GAS OR ELECTRIC TO HEAT THEIR HOMES SO THEY DON'T USE STOVES, CANDLES AND KEROSENE HEATERS where they are illegal, THAT IS SOCIAL SERVICES JOB, BUT SOME SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD TO MAINTAIN A PROPERLY WORKING FURNACE OR PERHAPS TOO ELDERLY TO CLIMB ON THEIR ROOF AND CHECK THEIR CHIMNEYS. WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF PREVENTING SENSLESS TRAGEDY. IF WE CAN AFFORD 'ARMOURALL' AND WAX FOR POLISHING TRUCKS FOR PARADES, WE CAN AFFORD TO DO THIS. ONE LESS 'WORKER' IS THAT MUCH LESS MONEY WE SPEND ON FUEL AND MAINTAINENCE ON OUR APPARATUS; maybe one less frozen pump, injured firefighter, one less victim, one less volunteer who might lose a days pay... TAXPAYERS MIGHT EVEN GET THE IDEA THAT WE ARE SAVING MONEY IN THE LONG RUN. }KNOWFEAR{
Would grant $ under 'Prevention' help departments with providing a discount to low income homeowners when having their chimney's or furnaces checked?... or just solicit local contractors to give US a hand so we don't have to stand in the freezing cold with snotcicles, watching another house burn down because of a faulty chimney or worse yet, fatalities from CO poisoning. In PA last year a spectacular structure fire took the lives of several family members because of a kerosene heater...either the furnace didn't work or they were too poor for fuel, either way it's a crappy excuse. Could we have a fundraiser, lets say opening night of Deer season when no one wants too cook, BBQ UP SOME 'TO-GO' CHICKEN DINNERS, or a Las Vegas day on the weekend when there is no NASCAR or Football (is there one?), you get the idea... again offer advertising (paper placemats or bags)...
Social Services isn't going to care about this, I don't picture a social worker with their head stuck in a flue pipe, but some way of aquiring monies to either kickback (hate that phrase but only one that comes to mind at the moment) to local contractors (plumbers, HVAC, electricians whoever) to get them to agree to say "ok, we'll knock off 50% if the FD kicks in 15 or 20" as a model ...could be a tax break for them if the FD is Not-For-Profit. Schedule a parade during Fire prevention week and advertise participants names on the trucks... Smoke detectors and CO detectors are for AFTER THE FACT.... it's REACTIVE not PROACTIVE; handing out fire extinguishers is not preventive, it's way after the fact and often too late that it get's used, if at all.
Here's an idea: offer this service to those who are making, lets say 10% below the poverty line, ask DSS for income info or office of the aging or just advertise it that way, OFFER COUPONS! Solicit contractors, such as the ones who are members of your dept., to perhaps run this idea around trade meetings or just hit the yellow pages... Ladies auxiliaries or Auxiliaries are good sources of 'manpower' (we love you guys!). Talk with your orginazation's attourney about tax stuff, hold a fundraiser or combine resouces with your neighboring Co's that will also be standing next to you, freezing their tails off at a 3am worker.
FOLKS, THERE ARE ALREADY PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY FUEL, GAS OR ELECTRIC TO HEAT THEIR HOMES SO THEY DON'T USE STOVES, CANDLES AND KEROSENE HEATERS where they are illegal, THAT IS SOCIAL SERVICES JOB, BUT SOME SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD TO MAINTAIN A PROPERLY WORKING FURNACE OR PERHAPS TOO ELDERLY TO CLIMB ON THEIR ROOF AND CHECK THEIR CHIMNEYS. WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF PREVENTING SENSLESS TRAGEDY. IF WE CAN AFFORD 'ARMOURALL' AND WAX FOR POLISHING TRUCKS FOR PARADES, WE CAN AFFORD TO DO THIS. ONE LESS 'WORKER' IS THAT MUCH LESS MONEY WE SPEND ON FUEL AND MAINTAINENCE ON OUR APPARATUS; maybe one less frozen pump, injured firefighter, one less victim, one less volunteer who might lose a days pay... TAXPAYERS MIGHT EVEN GET THE IDEA THAT WE ARE SAVING MONEY IN THE LONG RUN. }KNOWFEAR{
Comment
About
Share us on your Networks
Badge
© 2010 Created by First Responders on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of THE FIRST RESPONDERS VOICE to add comments!
Join this Ning Network