How Fire Departments Get Grants for COVID-19 Cost Recovery

Due to COVID-19’s disruption of daily life, fire agencies have not only had to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, but also losing money. To help fire departments get grants, we’ll share data-driven grant strategies for COVID-19 cost recovery and answer the following questions:

• How do I find grants, and where should I be looking?
• What are the key factors of grant writing?
• How can I use data to increase success while applying for grants?

Presented by firefighter grant experts seasoned in acquiring and managing grants, this presentation will help you hone your grant application tactics and use your data to the greatest advantage to get grant funding for staffing, emergency operations, facilities and supplies, purchase and cleaning of PPE and more.

About the Speakers

Chief Bill Gardner (Ret.)
Senior Director, Fire Products, ESO

Chief Gardner has more than 35 years of Fire and EMS experience. Most recently, he was the Chief of the Leander Fire Department, retiring in February 2019 and holding that role since 2010. He was instrumental in helping the fire department grow and scale in one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Chief Gardner has worked in various sized agencies from all volunteer to metro-size departments and has numerous recognitions for his service at the local, state and national levels.

He holds Master Fire Firefighter Certification, Investigators Certification, Instructor Certifications, CFO and CFE and served as the President of the Texas State Firefighters and Fire Marshals’ Association. Gardner currently serves as a Senior Advisor for Leander Fire Department, an instructor and Advisory Board Member to TEEX Annual School Programs and an instructor in Chief Development Program, presenting at numerous state and national conferences. He also holds several degrees and certifications in fire administration, fire technology, EMS and emergency management from a variety of organizations, including Texas Tech University, the Center for Public Safety Excellence and the National Fire Academy.

David Hesselmeyer, EMT-P, NCEM-E, CEM, MPA, 
Owner, On Target Preparedness, LLC

David Hesselmeyer started his emergency services career in 1997. He is credentialed as a Firefighter, Paramedic, Rescue Technician, North Carolina Executive Emergency Manager, and as an International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Certified Emergency Manager. He graduated from East Carolina University with a Master of Public Administration (MPA). He owns On Target Preparedness, LLC which is an emergency services consulting firm serving public and private agencies in preparing and responding to disasters. He is a member of the Buies Creek Fire Department in North Carolina. He writes for multiple emergency services publications.