The Firehouse Sale Dilemma

Gwen Berry

Every spring for 17 years now, High Prairie has held a sale to raise money for Fire District 14 and other community purposes. The event has grown and grown over the years. Last year, in addition to a big rummage sale, the event included the Food Booth, a first-class Silent Auction, Quilt Raffle, Sportsman’s & Rifle Raffle, Youth Bike Raffle, expanded Car Show, Saturday Pancake Breakfast, and activities for kids.

What an event! The Firehouse Sale draws people from all over the Columbia Gorge and beyond and it’s a great money-maker, providing ample funds to help support the Fire District as well as finish and maintain the Community Center. A great success all around!

So what’s the dilemma? First, as everyone knows, putting on a successful event like this takes a lot of organization and effort. Unfortunately, the number of people willing to help has been dwindling over the last few years; and significantly, some of the mainstays of the operation are burning out and are no longer able or willing to take on the heavy load they’ve carried in past years. The reality is, for the show to go on, more people are needed now at all levels. Without them, it may not be possible to continue putting on the Firehouse Sale.

But here’s the second part of the dilemma: There are costs that will continue, whether or not the sale happens. A big portion of the sales’ proceeds goes to the Fire District for things like new turnouts and radios. Without that contribution, the Fire District would have to move money away from other important things in their budget to purchase the needed equipment.

In addition, there are costs associated with maintaining and using the Community Center. The High Prairie Community Council has covered those costs as part of managing the Community Center ever since it was built. Without the Firehouse Sale, HPCC would no longer be able to cover Community Center expenses. This would end up putting another burden on the Fire District, since the Fire District actually owns the building. These expenses have never been part of the Fire District’s budget. How would they come up with the needed funds? If they had to close the Community Center to reduce those expenses, it would be a serious loss to the community, which has enjoyed having it for meetings, classes, dinners and other social events, memorial services, and more.

What is the answer? There has been talk about abandoning the Firehouse Sale, or taking a break from it, since everyone seems exhausted by it. It’s tempting, but there are some problems with it. People with experience advise that after a break it’s unlikely the sale would ever get started again. And what would replace it? The sale has netted over $12,000 in all but one of the last several years. Smaller fundraisers spaced throughout the year have been suggested, but what would they be? They’d have to bring in high returns to come close to Firehouse Sale profits. It’s possible that they would be just as much work—and it would be multiple efforts throughout the year instead of one major project over a limited time. It would also waste the many years of building up the Firehouse Sale in the public eye. Getting comparable crowds at multiple alternative fundraisers would require a lot more promotion and advertising, which means more volunteer hours and higher costs.

An option being discussed is to go ahead and put on a Firehouse Sale this year, but scale it back so it could be done at lower cost and with a smaller load on volunteers. It could work, if people will jump in and help—if it’s going to happen it has to start immediately. Usually, planning would be well underway by now. Consider what the Firehouse Sale provides to the community and make a commitment to helping it happen. Please call Sharon Aleckson now, at 365-4429.

A slimmed-down sale this spring would solve the financial issue temporarily, but there are still some questions. Why is it harder and harder to get volunteers? What would make people feel more like taking part? How could a stronger sense of community be fostered? What would make the Firehouse Sale seem important enough or rewarding enough that more people would say yes to getting involved? What is it worth to have a top-notch Fire District and a Community Council that actively works on the community’s behalf?

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