I recently received this letter and thought I would pass it along because of the number of Firefighters among us. If you have any questions or are able to help in any way please contact the writer directly.
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Hello,

I am a retired Assistant Fire Chief who started a non-profit organization to help poor (under $15,000 annual budget, some as low as $500) fire departments in the U.S., known as Helping Our Own (www.helpingourown.org). I am writing to you, because our organization is in need of electrical supplies, and a licensed electrician's help.

We have been in operation for the last three and a half years gathering no longer used fire equipment from larger departments and industry (which most likely would have gone out of country or been destroyed), and give it free of charge to the poor departments. While this has helped over 520 departments in the U.S., the quality of some items were just fair, but better than what the department had, which was generally nothing, or over 20 years old. Wanting to give these firefighters the best equipment available, we approached sponsors to assist us in building a refurbish center. The new refurbish center (located in south-central Michigan) has cost more than originally estimated, and we are running out of money, QUICK!!! We have received two bids for the electrical work, and both are way more than we were led to believe at the onset of the building.

What I am writing to you for is to see if there might be a Michigan licensed electrician, who might be willing to donate their time to help us get up and running. We have other volunteers that will work as laborers, or if others nearby on the list want to be involved. Also, does anyone on the list know any suppliers who might be interested in donating the supplies needed? We can pick the supplies up in one of our delivery trucks. We are in desperate need, and each day that the building completion is delayed, means another day that a firefighter in the U.S. could die or become injured from not having the proper equipment, not to mention the possible loss of life of a civilian, and the devastation that could happen.I am fairly certain that if there is a donation in regards to the electrician, or the supplies needed, I can convince our Board of Directors to consider this a form of sponsorship, and for the companies to be listed as a sponsor on our website, which averages 50,000 hits per month.

Just some side notes; Helping Our Own has helped over 520 fire departments in the U.S.with over $25 million in EQUIPMENT. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, which means all donations are tax deductible. I (Mark Warnick) am the founder, and have volunteered for the last three and a half years (with no pay), because there are over 5,000 fire departments in this condition in the U.S., and over 30,000 firefighters that this problem affect.

If someone lives outside of the area (but a licensed Michigan electrician), we would gladly pay for food and lodging while they work on the refurbish center.

Helping Our Own, Inc. is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization. Donations to Helping Our Own, Inc. are tax-deductible as allowed by the IRS.


Mark S. Warnick (Founder)
Helping Our Own (TM)
Firefighter helping Firefighter http://www.helpingourown.org
e-mail: mark@helpingourown.org
Phone: 877-446-6435
(877-4-HOO-Help)
Cell: 417-255-4444

Helping Our Own (TM)
P.O. Box 413
Michigan Center, MI
49254