The purpose of these grants is to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program’s Fire Prevention and Safety Grant (FP&S) is to reach high-risk target groups in order to mitigate the high incidences of death and injuries. Additionally for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Congress amended the authorization to include funding for Firefighter Safety Research and Development. This guidance provides details for applying for either of these financial assistance instruments. There is no cost share requirement for the FY 2005 Fire Prevention and Safety grants.

The authority of this program is derived from the Federal Fire Protection and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. §§ 2229 et seq.), as amended. In fiscal year 2005, Congress reauthorized the AFG and appropriated a total of $650,000,000 to the Department of Homeland Security’s Preparedness Directorate’s Office of Grants Training to carry out the activities of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program. The appropriated funds are available until September 30, 2006. The AFG program’s authorization includes a requirement that no less than five percent of the appropriated funds support fire prevention activities. As such, no less than $32,500,000 of the total appropriation has been reserved for the Fire Prevention and Safety grants. The award of competitive fire prevention grants under this guidance will be sufficient to reach the statutory minimum.