Our little town has a very active volunteer fire and rescue squad. If I have a fire or medical emergency they are prepared to quickly respond. There aren't very many men in town so many of the male volunteers are farmers and others who live out of town. It's a great service they provide.
But here's the catch; they are largely self-supporting. Their two main fundraisers are an annual pancake breakfast and a consignment auction. The auction is Saturday and many auctionable items have already arrived. Auctioneers volunteer their services and the 10% commission that typical would go to them goes to the fire department. Consigners receive 90% of the sale. Last years sale was exceptionally large. Total receipts were approximately $275,000. This year's sale will be smaller.
One of the fire department's major expenses is liability insurance. It seems that there are at least two oddities of these financial arrangements. 1. Why should it be the responsibility of the volunteers to raise the funds to protect the community? 2. Why should they also bear the burden of paying for liability insurance? Only in America.....
Takk for alt
Al
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