Rich,
It does seem unusual that a fire department would sell fireworks but you also have to understand how things work in TN. Many departments run on very limited budgets so they have to find different ways to raise funds to get the equipment they need. In several rural counties in TN, the county government will give each dept $15-$25,000 then the rest of the funds have to come from somewhere else because there is no fire tax in these communities. It is like the VFDs in these areas are an afterthought for the local government giving them such a small amount of money. This is why you will see lots of second, third or even fourth-hand trucks in eastern TN.
It does seem unusual that a fire department would sell fireworks but you also have to understand how things work in TN. Many departments run on very limited budgets so they have to find different ways to raise funds to get the equipment they need. In several rural counties in TN, the county government will give each dept $15-$25,000 then the rest of the funds have to come from somewhere else because there is no fire tax in these communities. It is like the VFDs in these areas are an afterthought for the local government giving them such a small amount of money. This is why you will see lots of second, third or even fourth-hand trucks in eastern TN.
Micah Bodford
Fire Investigator
City of Winston-Salem Fire Dept.
Fire Investigator
City of Winston-Salem Fire Dept.
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