Am I eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program are limited to fire departments of a State as defined herein, including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A "fire department" is defined as an agency or organization that has a formally recognized arrangement with a State, local, or tribal authority (city, county, parish, fire district, township, town, or other governing body) to provide fire suppression services to a population within a fixed geographical area. The Alaska Village Initiative, a nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of Alaska, shall also be considered eligible for purposes of receiving assistance under this program on behalf of Alaska Native villages.
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Can an independent rescue squad or emergency medical services unit apply?
No. Ambulance services, rescue squads, auxiliaries, dive teams, urban search and rescue teams, fire service organizations or associations, and State/local agencies such as a forest service, fire marshal, hospitals, and training offices are not eligible for this program.
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Can my fire department partner with other fire departments to submit requests in two or more different programs?
Each fire department can apply for a grant in only one program area, and each application from a fire department will be evaluated independently. If one fire department will assume the responsibility for managing the grant and obligating their organization for the matching funds requirements, then it is acceptable for a fire department to submit one application for more than one department. It should be noted, however, that the fire department(s) who are partnering with the “host” department are eligible to apply for their own specific needs but will not be eligible to apply for the same equipment on a grant separate from the joint grant application.
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Can the grant funds be used to pay for items that are ordered prior to notification of an award?
Under no circumstances will expenses incurred prior to the application period be considered. The grant will not cover the costs of vehicles, equipment, or projects that were initiated, ordered, or received prior to submission of your application. Grant funds may not be used to pay off existing loans.
If an applicant has purchased an item(s) that was included in their grant application after submittal, but before award, those costs may be eligible for the grant. ODP would consider each request on a case-by-case basis.
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Does an applicant have to use local funds to meet the match requirement?
No. Any non-federal funds may be used for the match requirement. State, local, private, or private nonprofit funds may all be used to meet match requirements. Of course, federal funds may not be used to meet matching funds requirements, regardless of the source, unless there is legislative authority for the federal funds to “lose their federal identity” once placed in local hands. One example of this presently is the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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If I have received funds from other Federal sources, am I still eligible to apply?
Applicants who meet the definition of a fire department and receive funding through other Federal grants, memorandums of agreement, or other contracts, remain eligible, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Our program will not fund activities funded by other Federal agencies.
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If my department received one or more grants in a prior year's program, are we still eligible to apply?
Departments that received grants in FY 2001, FY 2002, and/or FY 2003 are eligible to apply. Departments that have been awarded vehicle grants in previous years are not eligible for a vehicle award in 2004. Applicants should indicate if their request builds upon the program awarded in a prior year. Prior performance may be considered during the award process.
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Is a paid-on-call department considered to be a career department or a volunteer/combination department?
A paid-on-call department is considered a combination department.
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May I apply for more than one grant? May I request items from more than one program area?
No. Applicants may submit only one application in one of three grant program areas. Applicants may apply for any number of items or activities within one chosen program area. Below are the three grant program areas for 2004:
- Operations and Firefighter Safety Program. Eligible activities are Training, Equipment, Personal Protective Equipment, Wellness and Fitness, and Modifications to Fire Stations and Facilities.
- Fire Prevention Program. Eligible activities include but are not limited to Public Education and Awareness, Enforcement of Fire Codes, Inspector Certification, Purchase and Installation of Smoke Alarms, and Arson Prevention and Detection.
- Firefighting Vehicle Program. Eligible apparatus include but are not limited to pumpers, brush/attack units, tanker/tenders, rescue vehicles, ambulances, quints, aerials, foam trucks, and fireboats.
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What are the requirements for matching funds?
Fire departments in areas serving populations over 50,000 must agree to match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to 30 percent of the total project cost. Fire departments serving areas with a population of 50,000 or less will have to match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to 10 percent of the total project cost. All cost-share contributions must be cash. No "in-kind" contributions will be considered for the statutorily required cost-share. No waivers of this requirement will be granted except for fire departments of Insular Areas as provided for in 48 U.S.C. 1469a.
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Will preference be given to those who applied for fire grants last year and didn't receive them?
No. We will view all applications as new grant proposals, requiring the applicants to demonstrate financial need, cost-benefit, and a project that closely matches the grant priorities. Prior awards may affect an applicant's ability to demonstrate financial need. We will let the peer review panelists determine what affect prior years' awards have on a current application.
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