Welcome

“Michelle challenged us to think about our Fire District, and how others see us, in a different way. This has been extremely valuable not only in pursuit of grant opportunities but also how we interact with our citizens. Michelle is a pleasure to work with and has an unrivaled ability to quickly understand the agency she is working with”.

- Lonnie Rash, Fire Chief, Spokane County Fire District #8, Valleyford

“Michelle is diligent, resourceful and creative. She made sure that I had the appropriate amount of work on my plate for the grant, so I didn’t get overloaded. If there was an obstacle that presented itself, she found a way around it. And she had an uncanny ability to convert “fire talk” into layman language as evidence by the $1 million SAFER hiring grant we landed!”

- Dave Baker, Fire Chief (retired), Douglas County Fire District #2, East Wenatchee

"Michelle was a ‘big hit’ with the seminar participants! Her thorough preparation and attention to detail, combined with her excellent delivery of the course content was very impressive."

- Roger Ferris, Washington Fire Commissioners Association, Olympia

"Michelle's tact and diplomacy are matched by her clear vision and perception through the whole grant process. Her experience, assurance and enthusiasm made her an outstanding addition as the grant writer and grant administrator for our fire station renovation project."

- Noel Hardin, Fire Chief, Asotin County Fire District #1, Clarkston

“After years of rejection letters and being frustrated in NOT being successful, Michelle was able to get us a grant for much needed SCBA’s. Her willingness to listen to what we needed and her ability to pull it all together was amazing. She is easy to work with and her energy, enthusiasm and attitude are contagious!”

- Lance Taylor, Fire Chief, Worden Montana Fire Department

“Through the AFG peer review process, I learned the value of the art of the “story telling narrative,” in which the need of your fire district colorfully comes to life. You cannot get a better storyteller than Michelle for this process!”

- Mike Bucy, Fire Chief, Stevens County Fire District #1, Loon Lake

"We found Michelle to be very professional, enthusiastic, honest and adaptive. Her positive approach to grants guided us through some challenging situations and we now have her on speed-dial!"

- L. Rex Hutchins, Chairman, North Pacific County Emergency Management Service, Raymond

“The most important tool in my tool box over the last five years is Michelle. We now seamlessly communicate on our new radios, our firefighters stay safe in our new PPE and we can put out fires fast with the new hose she got for us.”

- Eric Dehning, Fire Chief, Cowlitz County Fire District #1, Woodland

“Michelle nailed our very first grant. Her enthusiasm in leading the process has been a wonderful addition to our fire department!”

- Thomas A. Foster, Fire Marshal, Snohomish County Fire District 16, Lake Roesiger

“Michelle enabled and enhanced our ability to plan for our big picture future needs. Her attention to detail, insightful guidance, and ability to mine out the best stories, empowered our department to receive $3.7 million in grant awards. But most importantly the safety of our community and emergency personnel have been greatly improved.”

- Michael S. Kytta, Fire Chief, Riverside Fire Authority, Centralia

"Michelle helped us build a forward-thinking plan that ultimately enabled us to build two new fire stations, get new apparatus & equipment, recruit 25 new volunteer and resident firefighters and hire 4 new career firefighters."

- Don Fortier, Fire Chief, (retired) Grant County Fire District #3, Quincy