Stanley, Iowa, is a small, rural town located about 30 miles northeast of Waterloo. Ten years ago the local volunteer fire department struggled to provide fire protection with a single pumper and a limited budget. There were no hydrants in town, and the nearest water source for tanker shuttles required a 15-mile round trip.

Since then, the Stanley Fire Department has made dramatic improvements to its firefighting capabilities. It has added apparatus, obtained new personal protective gear, and established a large and readily available emergency water supply in town. What is perhaps most dramatic about these improvements is that many of them cost very little — and some cost nothing at all.

Determined to change

In the late 1990s, the department operated an unreliable second-hand pumper with a small water tank. As a result, the Insurance Services Office assigned the department a Class 9 rating, and property owners paid among the highest fire insurance premiums in the state.

Faced with the need to make some significant changes, the department began a program to upgrade its apparatus. The first step was to purchase a good, used 2,600-gallon tanker to provide a mobile water supply. Not only was this the department's first tanker, it was the only large tanker in the entire area. The department took the next step when it obtained a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant to replace its old pumper with a newer, low-mileage model equipped with a 1,500-gallon tank. Combined, the pumper and tanker could deliver more than 4,000 gallons of water anywhere in the response district.

Encouraged by that positive start, the department embarked on an ambitious project to improve its overall ISO rating. This decision was as much an issue of economic development as it was fire protection. A strong ISO rating would translate into a significant reduction in fire insurance premiums and could help attract new business to the area. At the same time, the town recognized that it had to think outside the box to make these changes on a small budget. The department set a goal of obtaining an ISO Class 4 rating, which would be very high for the state.

The most important component in earning an improved ISO classification was establishing an emergency water supply in town. Working through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry Bureau, the department obtained several 20,000-gallon water bladders from the U.S. Department of Defense Federal Excess Personal Property program and installed them at the edge of town. The pillow-shaped flexible bladders were equipped with hoses connected to two FEPP surplus 500gpm engine-driven pumps that could be used to refill tankers. An on-site well kept the bladders full between uses. The volunteers completed the installation in late 2003 and greatly increased the firefighting water supply at no cost to the taxpayers.

Ongoing improvements

As the mayor of Stanley, I immediately saw the value of the FEPP surplus program. Fire Chief John Kalb and I pursued other opportunities. In 2004, the department obtained a 4×4 dump truck from a military facility in a nearby state and began a two-year project to convert it into a brush pumper. We removed the dump box and mounted a flatbed body on the chassis. The department also acquired a surplus 600-gallon aluminum tank and purchased an engine-driven pump using matching funds from an Iowa Forestry grant. Grants from several other sources helped pay for the lightbar, radio and equipment boxes. The new brush pumper went into service in early 2006 as the third piece of apparatus.

With that project under our belts, we decided to further improve the town's water supply by setting up a 350,000-gallon pond in a corner of an old school ballfield. The pond excavation resulted from a sewer project that needed a large quantity of clay liner material — the department took advantage of the resulting hole. The pond was equipped with electric pumps, a backup generator and the town's first fire hydrant, all obtained through the FEPP program. A mile of military surplus 6-inch hose allows us to deliver an uninterrupted flow in excess of 1,000gpm anywhere in town or the nearby area. To take advantage of the new water supply and provide a master stream for fire attack and exposure protection, the department also purchased a portable monitor.

Other improvements included purchasing new personal protective gear and SCBA using a FIRE Grant, which covered 90% of the cost. A military surplus air cascade trailer gave the ability to refill the SCBA. A Homeland Security grant allowed the department to acquire a new base station radio, pagers and a multifunction fax/printer for better communications.

To help keep firefighters in good physical condition, the department obtained a large quantity of military surplus fitness equipment, including exercise bikes, weight machines and other gear. It was the first transfer of fitness equipment from the Federal Excess Personal Property program to a fire department. Previously, this equipment had been sold to surplus dealers, who then resold it at a profit.

Spread the word

The FEPP program represents a tremendous opportunity for fire departments to obtain valuable and critical equipment. It leverages existing taxpayer equipment investments to new productive use. For little expense, good equipment can be obtained for conversion to fire department applications.

The department has been campaigning to expand this program and to obtain additional funds to transport surplus equipment and to administer the program at the state level. Department administrators hope the state can establish a small warehouse and storage yard for surplus equipment to stored, repaired and modified for fire department use.

For now, the department continues to seek opportunities to improve its own firefighting capabilities. As the next step, it has obtained a military surplus civilian model 6×6 truck chassis and intends to convert it into another tanker. It is also mounting the two engine-driven supply pumps on trailers and installing dry hydrants at two other water sources in the area.

Stanley Fire Department's change from rags to riches has brought great improvements to the town, and its success can be an inspiration for departments everywhere. Focus on what you need and look for ways to fill those needs. It will take a lot of looking and a lot of work, but the opportunities are there.

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Rodger Sill is the mayor of Stanley, Iowa, and an active member of the volunteer fire department.