Saving Our Dying Past
Donation protected
The members of the Hollywood Professional Firefighters Association work for one of the busiest Fire Departments in the nation. It's a small, six-station, Class 1 Fire Department with about 200 Firefighters, yet we run an average of about 30,000 emergencies per year.
A few years ago….despite the ever-increasing volume of emergency calls, and not seeing a staff increase since 1996, the city decided to cut our wages by 17%, causing many of our members to become disillusioned and either retire or move on to other departments. Those of us who stayed did so out of loyalty, but at the cost of very low morale among our members. Even though we continued to run our calls professionally and diligently, we realized that there was nothing we could look upon as a source of inspiration to get us through the dark periods of stress, frustration, and utter exhaustion. We had no historical reference to gain strength from. We realized that a lot of our Department’s history had simply vanished; lost throughout the years, discarded in time or removed, never to be seen again. The old saying: “In order to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been” rings very true with us.....yet unfortunately we don’t know much about where we’ve been. Old apparatus, old photos, old equipment, etc….precious little is left available to learn from.
That’s why we’ve decided to put together a large Historical Fire Department Exhibit Display in our Hall, to give the public, our young Firefighters, and our senior ones alike; a hands-on connection to our very busy past. A place where they can go to connect with how tough things used to be, and how much technology has improved our equipment and helped our members run our nonstop, endless stream of emergency calls. A place where one can swell with pride and wonderment learning about how far we’ve come, and perhaps a look through a window into our future.
Unfortuntely, we've learned that doing so won’t be easy, and it definitely isn’t cheap. Historically, Firefighters like doing things right the first time, so we won’t start anything we can’t finish successfully. That’s why we’re hoping the public at large can assist us with this monumental endeavor. Everything must be carefully researched, tracked down, purchased or reproduced, categorized, written about and displayed properly. Apparatus, equipment, photos, helmets, hydrants, uniforms, hoses, books, patches, display cases, etc. We’d like to do this right and celebrate our 90th year as a Fire Department and our 55th year in existence as a Union, with something to proudly hang our helmets on. Won’t you please help us achieve our dream?
Please note we are a non-profit organization with a tax exemption number, so all donations are tax deductible, and the exhibit will be open to the public. Every penny raised will be accounted for and nothing shall be squandered. Our members are ready to get to work on this monumetal project once funding is attained, and no setbacks are anticipated. Regular updates shall be released to give you the piece of mind that your donation is being put to great use.
Thanks so much in advance,
The Hollywood Professional Firefighters Association.
A few years ago….despite the ever-increasing volume of emergency calls, and not seeing a staff increase since 1996, the city decided to cut our wages by 17%, causing many of our members to become disillusioned and either retire or move on to other departments. Those of us who stayed did so out of loyalty, but at the cost of very low morale among our members. Even though we continued to run our calls professionally and diligently, we realized that there was nothing we could look upon as a source of inspiration to get us through the dark periods of stress, frustration, and utter exhaustion. We had no historical reference to gain strength from. We realized that a lot of our Department’s history had simply vanished; lost throughout the years, discarded in time or removed, never to be seen again. The old saying: “In order to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been” rings very true with us.....yet unfortunately we don’t know much about where we’ve been. Old apparatus, old photos, old equipment, etc….precious little is left available to learn from.
That’s why we’ve decided to put together a large Historical Fire Department Exhibit Display in our Hall, to give the public, our young Firefighters, and our senior ones alike; a hands-on connection to our very busy past. A place where they can go to connect with how tough things used to be, and how much technology has improved our equipment and helped our members run our nonstop, endless stream of emergency calls. A place where one can swell with pride and wonderment learning about how far we’ve come, and perhaps a look through a window into our future.
Unfortuntely, we've learned that doing so won’t be easy, and it definitely isn’t cheap. Historically, Firefighters like doing things right the first time, so we won’t start anything we can’t finish successfully. That’s why we’re hoping the public at large can assist us with this monumental endeavor. Everything must be carefully researched, tracked down, purchased or reproduced, categorized, written about and displayed properly. Apparatus, equipment, photos, helmets, hydrants, uniforms, hoses, books, patches, display cases, etc. We’d like to do this right and celebrate our 90th year as a Fire Department and our 55th year in existence as a Union, with something to proudly hang our helmets on. Won’t you please help us achieve our dream?
Please note we are a non-profit organization with a tax exemption number, so all donations are tax deductible, and the exhibit will be open to the public. Every penny raised will be accounted for and nothing shall be squandered. Our members are ready to get to work on this monumetal project once funding is attained, and no setbacks are anticipated. Regular updates shall be released to give you the piece of mind that your donation is being put to great use.
Thanks so much in advance,
The Hollywood Professional Firefighters Association.
Organizer
Anthony Vera
Organizer
Hollywood, FL
