By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
May 2, 2004
Last year, the Byram Volunteer Fire Department paid a firm $2,000 to handle its annual fund-raising mailer -- and lost money on the deal.
"It cost us more than we made," Thomas Greco, president of the department, said.
The department did succeed in raising several thousand dollars last year, according to Greco.
Meanwhile, some fire companies in other parts of town are able to make substantial purchases with the donations from their communities, officials said.
"Our community is very generous to us and that allows us to do a very extensive training program," said Jim Daine, treasurer of the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department in Old Greenwich. "We are very well supported."
Fund raising in Byram is difficult because residents are less wealthy than in other town neighborhoods and the area has fewer long-term residents, Byram District Chief Aaron Stahl said.
Last fall the department canceled its annual neighborhood Halloween party because of a lack of funding.
"We appreciate the money we get, but we are limited in the amount of training and equipment we do on our own," Stahl said. "We just don't have a lot of money for running the firehouse or for anything additional we want to do."
Tobias Ostapchuk, the town's volunteer recruitment coordinator, said Byram's less wealthy population and the smaller territory the department covers limits its fund-raising power.
While other town volunteer companies often have difficulty raising funds, Ostapchuk said Byram has the most difficult time. It is well-equipped to respond to fire calls, he said, but lacks the funds other companies use to acquire equipment above and beyond what is supplied by the town and to host local functions that build community support.
"It's difficult townwide, but Byram definitely has the hardest time," Ostapchuk said. "It would be nice if they had more support so they could put on more community events in the neighborhood."
The Byram fire district is the town's smallest, comprising about 3 square miles, according to Fire Chief Daniel Warzoha.
"Byram and the other companies are all in the same pool . . . competing for donations, and some are more successful than others," Warzoha said. "They have a smaller client base."
The generosity of Old Greenwich and Riverside residents to the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department allows the company to conduct specialty rescue training courses and buy expensive rescue equipment not provided by the town, District Chief Paul Chiappetta said.
Donations subsidize courses in confined-space firefighting, trench rescue, and vehicle extrication for the department's members, Chiappetta said. While declining to discuss fund-raising figures, Chiappetta said the courses can cost $400 to $600 per firefighter, and the department occasionally pays for small groups of firefighters to attend out-of-town training seminars. "The communities of Riverside and Old Greenwich have been very good to us," Chiappetta said.
Last year the Sound Beach department purchased a $4,000 Red Box Snake Cam, a remote video inspection system with scopes that can be inserted into piles of rubble or under water during rescue operations, using donations from the Innis Arden Golf Club and the MBIA Foundation.
"Sometimes a specific civic group will help us get a specific item we're looking for," Chiappetta said.
The relative lack of funding limits the Byram company's ability to undertake similar training initiatives or obtain backup apparatus, Stahl said.
"If we want to do training, we wait until the town offers it or we take part in drills at Sound Beach," Stahl said.
The approximately $2,000 donated to the Byram department last year was spent on basics, Greco said: replacing uniforms, buying small tools such as axes and pry bars, and providing refreshments after training sessions for firefighters, among other costs.
This year the Byram company hopes to buy firefighting equipment for its new Ford E350 utility truck, which hauls rescue gear and extra personnel to fire scenes, Stahl said. The department bought the truck itself, using a federal grant meant to benefit low-income areas.
Whether the company can fully stock the truck depends on how much money it raises, Stahl said.
"We have some equipment on there, but we need other things to fully equip it," Stahl said.
Greco said other expensive equipment, such as the department's Jaws of Life tool, which is used to extricate passengers from vehicle crashes, needs to be replaced. He estimated the device the department now uses is about 20 years old.
"It's the last thing you want to break or stop when you're trying to get somebody out of a car," Greco said.
Greenwich Deputy Fire Chief Mike Puterbaugh said each volunteer company is provided with the equipment it needs from the town. Beyond that, however, the town does not try to make up for the disparity in purchasing power among departments with different fund-raising abilities.
Each company receives turn-out gear, including helmets and protective coats, each year, as well as an allotment of basic firefighting tools such as axes and saws, Puterbaugh said. When volunteer companies buy equipment, he added, the administration is most concerned if it is compatible with the department's other equipment.
"They have everything they need to conduct their daily business for the town of Greenwich," Puterbaugh said. "If there are other things they wish to purchase on their own, they are certainly welcome to do that."
When the town is considering making large-ticket purchases for its fire companies, it weighs their needs relative to the needs of other fire companies in town, Puterbaugh said.
"Sometimes the departments feel a piece of equipment is absolutely crucial, but we can't fund it," Puterbaugh said. "We work within the limits of the amount of money we can spend."
The Byram department is trying new strategies to spur fund raising and to connect with residents of the area, Greco said.
The department will hold two concerts this summer to raise funds for the department. They are seeking Byram businesses to underwrite the shows to increase their profitability, Greco said. Without sponsorship they hope to take in $2,800, he estimated.
"We're hoping people decide to treat it as a family night out," Greco said.
The first fund-raising event will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 22, a double bill of 2U, which is a U2 tribute band, and Bad Medicine, a Bon Jovi cover band, at Western Middle School, 1 Western Junior Highway.
The second concert, also at Western, will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 26, and will feature Spread Eagles, an Eagles cover band, and Head Games, which plays the songs of Foreigner.
For more information or tickets to the events call Thomas Greco at (203) 416-4006. Tickets can also be purchased at Fin and Feather Pet Emporium, 240 Mill St.
Copyright © 2004, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.