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Grant Stories
This month we feature the story of a successful motor vehicle accident rescue in which equipment purchased through a Fireman's Fund HeritageSM grant helped the response crew complete their mission. Through the Fireman's Fund Heritage program, independent agents across the country who carry Fireman's Fund insurance products have the opportunity to direct grants to the fire department of their choice based on the growth of their business with Fireman's Fund. Fire departments can use these grants for the purchase of needed equipment, firefighter training and community education. A list of recent grants can be found below.
Helping To Save Lives
When a car slammed into a tractor trailer stopped on a stretch of I-95 recently in the town of Holly Hill, Fla., just north of Daytona Beach, the damage was severe. The crash completely deformed the front of the car, requiring rescue personnel to cut the car apart. By great good fortune, the Holly Hill Fire Department had recently purchased a set of rescue and extrication equipment designed for just this type of accident through a Fireman's Fund Heritage grant directed by Brown & Brown of Florida.
The equipment had been put in service that same day — just hours before the accident. It turned out to be key to the department's successful emergency response. Despite significant damage trapping the car's occupants inside, the driver was freed with the new equipment within 15 minutes. The passenger was more dangerously positioned and took two hours to free before she was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Both victims are now out of danger from their injuries.
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Holly Hill Fire receives
a Fireman's Fund Heritage grant. Pictured l to r: Patricia Harris and Sam
Nager of Fireman's Fund, Holly Hill Mayor Roland Via, Susan Chamblee of
Fireman's Fund, Holly Hill Fire Chief Don Shinnamon and Decker Youngman of
Brown & Brown.
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According to personnel on scene, however, they would not have stood a good chance of survival without the new equipment. Department Chief Don Shinnamon wrote to thank Fireman's Fund Community Relations Manager Tom Kornegay personally: "It goes without saying that minutes count and thanks to Fireman's Fund we had the necessary tools to get the job done."
Brown & Brown's growth with Fireman's Fund has put them in a position to award a number of Fireman's Fund Heritage grants. Decker Youngman, Sales Manager for Brown & Brown offices, serves as the agency's "advocate" or point person for the program, and had chosen the Holly Hill Fire-Rescue Department as one of the recipients. He was thrilled when he learned about the good the grant has already done. He says that all the agency staff felt they had helped to make a difference: "When we learned it was the equipment from our grant that helped the victims, it really hit home. This program is extremely meaningful in human terms."
Share Your Story
Has a Fireman's Fund Heritage grant helped your fire department save a life or even property? We'd love to hear about it so that we can remind our employees and agents about the true value of this program. Please email heritage@ffic.com.
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Grants in Brief |
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Our agents and employees are directing grants to fire departments across the country. Congratulations to the most recent Fireman's Fund Heritage grant recipients:
California
- Central County Fire Department, Burlingame — $7,150 for EMS jackets
- Chula Vista Fire Department, Chula Vista — $12,480 for firefighting and rescue equipment
- Glendale Fire Department, Glendale — $22,000 for two thermal imaging cameras and A/V system for a public education vehicle
- Santa Ana Fire Department, Santa Ana — $10,000 for classroom training equipment
Colorado
- Denver Fire Department, Denver — $65,000 for firefighter heart scans and fitness equipment
Florida
- Citrus County Fire Department, Lecanto — $20,965 for firefighter training
Georgia
- City of Alpharetta Fire & Emergency Services Department, Alpharetta — $5,115 for CERT equipment
- Savannah Fire & Emergency Services, Savannah — $16,580 for fire safety education equipment and materials
Illinois
- City of North Chicago Fire Department, North Chicago — $5,740 for incident command management system and carbon monoxide detectors
Maryland
- Decatur Township Fire Department, Indianapolis — $11,136 for SCBAs with air packs
- Pierson Township Fire Department, Pimento — $18,608 for a thermal imaging camera, hoses and equipment for fire truck
Louisiana
- St. Bernard Parish Fire Department, Chalmette — $21,496 for nozzles, adaptors and a positive pressure vent
Maryland
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, Bethesda — $10,466 for EMS personal protective equipment
Michigan
- Beaver Island Volunteer Fire Department, Beaver Island — $87,515 for a pumper truck
Minnesota
- City of Delano Fire Department, Delano — $7,580 for SCBAs and upgrades
- Mendota Heights Fire Department, Mendota Heights — $6,288 for a mobile computer aided dispatch system
Missouri
- Kearney Fire Department, Kearney — $6,479 for computer-based training
New Jersey
- Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute, Manwah — $16,333 for computers AED trainers and cardiac mannequins
New York
- Briarcliff Manor Fire Department, Briarcliff Manor — $8,265 for an SCBA fit-testing machine and software
- Greenport Volunteer Fire Department, Greenport — $25,000 for a thermal imaging camera, multi-gas detectors & rechargeable flashlights
- Port Washington Fire Department, Port Washington — $11,785 for fire safety education materials and equipment
North Carolina
- Statesville Fire Department, Statesville — $10,000 for rescue equipment
Oregon
- Portland Fire and Rescue, Portland — $10,000 for two cardiac mannequins
Pennsylvania
- Edgeworth Volunteer Fire Department, Edgeworth — $8,432 for a radio repeater system, back-up camera and fog nozzle
Tennessee
- Nashville Fire Department, Nashville — $50,000 for a smoke detector program
Texas
- Burleson Fire Department, Burleson — $14,600 for an animated fire safety education robot
- Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department, Fort Davis — $6,602 in partial funds for a brush truck tanker
Wisconsin
- Kilbourn Fire Department, Wisconsin Dells — $7,500 for a thermal imaging camera
A complete list of grants (pdf) is available at www.firemansfund.com/heritage.
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