Volunteer departments across the country are bracing themselves for a financial crisis as traditional forms of fundraisers are cancelled as a result of Covid-19. Local and national news sources in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Indiana, Mississippi, New York and others are reporting upon the serious challenges threatening the safety and survival of their volunteer departments. While volunteer departments in New York receive some funding from their towns and villages, that money is allocated for their apparatuses and buildings, according to the President of Whitesboro Fire Departments. They rely on fundraising for proper supplies and training. And without adequate training, volunteer departments cannot receive federal grants
According to the NFPA, 85% of fire departments in the United States are volunteer. And these volunteer departments were already struggling before the Covid-19 pandemic. In their last study, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) reported the lowest number of trained volunteer firefighters since they began collecting data in 1983, while calls have increased a whopping 166%!
innovaPad has been helping fire departments in the southern US bridge the divide between their budgets and operating costs for over five years. With the money received from the innovaPad program, South Carolina departments have bought new extrication equipment, replaced old turnout gear, and sent their staff for education and training. As the financial implications of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic continue to cascade through states and communities, now is the time to consider a cost recovery program for your department.