By Cindy Clayton
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Copyright 2006 Landmark Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — When the F ire D epartment purchased its Squad 15 truck a few years ago, there wasn’t enough money to properly equip it .
Federal grants helped purchase some of the tools needed to rescue people from crunched-up cars or other confined or high spaces, but firefighters had to find another way to get the saws, rope riggings and other necessary equipment. They turned to private companies and others for donations.
Then the department did something nearly unheard of among departments in other South Hampton Roads cities: asked the donors who had given thousands of dollars in goods or money if they would mind being acknowledged on the truck.
As a result, about 20 names, including Home Depot, Sears, and several construction and equipment rental companies, were inscribed in gold-colored paint on the back of the truck.
“It’s our way of saying thanks to our sponsors, so to speak,” Fire Chief R. Stephen Best said. “That is not a form of advertising. There are no telephone numbers next to those names.”
A few companies and individuals, including a retired battalion chief, declined to have their names listed, Best said.
The Virginia Department of Transportation is listed, but the Fire Department was not able to provide information about what the agency donated.
Among volunteer rescue and fire services, which rely on donations, painting acknowledgements on emergency vehicles is not uncommon. However, officials in other South Hampton Roads cities said none of their vehicles purchased with tax or government grant money has acknowledgments painted on it.
Portsmouth officials once considered the idea, city spokesman Ken Wheeler said, but it never came to fruition. In fact, he said, the city has a policy against modifying city vehicles in such a way.
So does Virginia Beach, a city spokeswoman said.
Best said the Chesapeake truck was a project the city considered a public-private partnership.
“These companies just came forward as corporate citizens,” Best said. “In the spirit of goodwill they donated those items. It was a very innovative way of doing that.”
The recognition, he said, was a way to thank corporate and private citizens for their help.
Police departments have privately donated " show” vehicles that are used for educating the public, such as monster trucks. The Norfolk Public Library has a vehicle supported by several organizations and businesses that is used to teach children the importance of reading.
The Chesapeake Fire Department has a robot that was donated by a ladies luncheon club and is used to teach children about fire safety.
Best said the skate park and children’s areas of Chesapeake City Park also were built as public-private partnerships.
As firefighters’ jobs become more complex, their needs expand, Best said. City budgets don’t always expand enough to meet all the needs.
“Especially in a city like Chesapeake where we’re continuing to grow and the complexion of the city is changing,” he said. “New risks are introduced into our community, and as society continues to evolve, the types of risk that they present to us also continue to change.”
Best, who became a paid firefighter in 1974, said he can recall a time when “the only thing we had on a fire truck was a coil of rope.”
As cities broaden their capabilities to respond to threats, including terrorism, private financing could become more common, Best said.
“In terms of what will happen in the future, I would think so,” Best said. “Not that it would become something that we would become dependent upon, but certainly, you know, if corporations or the business community wants to donate in support of their local government, I think that is a good thing.”