So, you decided you need plates. Now, the question is going to be how much is it going to cost and where am I going to get the funding. Bob Kollar walks you through a few ideas on where to get funding.
Speaker: Bob Kollar
All right, so you decided you need plates. Now your question is, how much is it going to cost? Where are we going to get the funding for it? Some communities will automatically pony up and they’ll pay for you to get things. Other communities, they just don’t have the money to do it. You go to the bigger cities, the bigger cities are not going to pay for that kind of stuff.
So, where are you going to get them for your guys? Can you take it out of your budget? Can you shift money somewhere to buy that stuff?
Look at grants. There are homeland security grants in the states where when you go through the proper process to request armor protection, rescue task force gear, etc., from those grants.
Beyond that, you can look at private foundations. Foundations provide safety. Can your fire department do a fundraiser? Can you do a fundraising event to get rescue task force gear? Get those ballistic plates for your protection.
There are any number of ways that the money can be found. For the amount of money that you’re looking at to spend, can you put that on the safety of an individual? You just can’t do it. You’ll find the money.
If you need help, you can email me at bobk@shotstop.com.
Bob Kollar - Lieutenant Cleveland Fire Department (Retired)
