The purpose of the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants is to reduce losses, for both firefighters and the public, due to fire and fire-related hazards.
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How do I apply for a FP&S grant?

All FP&S application materials and program guidance resources are automated and available online , along with other useful information. Each of the program areas and activities eligible for funding last year are available again for FY2006 funding.
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Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include national, regional, state, local, or community organizations that are recognized for their experience and expertise in fire prevention, safety programs or research and development activities. Private and public non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding for these activities. For-profit organizations are not eligible to receive funding from the FP&S grants.
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What activities are available?

• Fire Prevention and Safety: Includes the conduct of public education, arson prevention/awareness, code enforcement/awareness, wildfire prevention/education, juvenile firesetter intervention, burn prevention, media/PR campaigns, sprinkler awareness, or smoke alarm distribution and installation.
  
• Firefighter Safety Research and Development: Includes Data collection and analysis projects; Sociological projects and Problem Focused Technology Studies that will address firefighter safety, wellness, fitness or health.

How much funding is available for the FY 2006 FP&S?
There is $27 million available for funding FP&S grants. Each applicant can submit a request for up to $1million.
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There are three changes to the FP&S application for FY2006:

1. The application for prevention activities will have “mini-narratives” where the applicant will fill out request details/budget and then a small narrative to support each project. Questions that are redundant (financial need and organization background) are placed at the beginning of the application to simplify the application process.
   
2. R&D applicants can propose up to 3 years for the period of performance – but they are still limited to $1million per application! They can divide the $1million among the 3 years as necessary for their project.
   
3. Fire Departments and Non-affiliated EMS organizations are required to provide a cost share based on the population served.

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How does an eligible applicant apply for the FY 2006 FP&S?

It is important to review the Program Guidance on the AFG Website at firegrantsupport.com. This document can be found by doing the following:

• Go to www.firegrantsupport.com or https://portal.fema.gov
• Click on "Fire Prevention and Safety Grants" in the main menu to go the FP&S section.
• Click on "Guidance Documents" in the FP&S navigation links on the left side menu.
• Click on the program guidance link for 2006.

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How does an eligible applicant obtain assistance applying for this funding opportunity?

Call 1-866-274-0960 and state your question. During the application period ( December 4, 2006, to January 12, 2007), the Help Desk will be staffed between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday. However, these hours may change as the application period progresses. The toll-free number will also accept voice mail messages after hours or if the line is busy. Questions may also be sent to a toll-free fax line at 1-866-274-0942, or e-mailed to FireGrants@dhs.gov.

An online tutorial is available to assist applicants with completing the automated application. This tutorial explains the grant program priorities and eligibility criteria and provides tips for navigating the application screens. There are two versions of the tutorial: enhanced and text. The enhanced version is designed for individuals with high-speed Internet connections and features a narrator. The text version is designed for individuals with dial-up modem Internet connections and has no sound.
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What is the deadline for FY 2006 FP&S applications to be submitted?

All applications must be completed and submitted electronically, or postmarked on or before the close of business, by 5:00 p.m. EST on January 12, 2007.
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When will the awards be announced?

Awards announcements will be made on a continuous basis through March 2007.
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Is there a cost share for fire departments?

Yes. Fire departments and non-affiliated EMS organizations are subject to the same cost share requirements applied under the Assistance to Firefighters Program. Fire departments may only apply in the Fire Prevention and Safety Activity. 15 U.S.C. 2229(b) (6). Fire departments and non-affiliated EMS organizations that serve populations of less than 20,000 must match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to five percent of the total project cost. Fire

departments and non-affiliated EMS organizations serving areas with a population between 20,000 and 50,000, inclusive, must match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to ten percent of the total project cost. Fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations that serve populations of over 50,000 must match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to twenty percent of the total project costs. All non-Federal funds must be in cash, i.e., in-kind contributions are not eligible. No waivers of this requirement will be granted except for applicants located in Insular Areas as provided for in 48 U.S.C. 1469a. Please Note: There is no cost share for grants under this activity to eligible national, regional, State, local, or community organizations .
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Will there be a match requirement for national, regional, State, and local organizations this year?

No. Private and public non-profit organizations, academic institutions, non-federal governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and individual researchers (e.g. doctorial candidates) are eligible to apply for funding, and there is no cost share required for these organizations for FP&S grants under the Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity or the Fire Prevention and Safety Activity. The Federal share for research and development grants is limited to $1,000,000 per application.
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Are multi-year projects eligible in the Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity?

Yes. Multiple year requests must address the following:

• Over-all project goals and target outcomes;
• Specific goals, objectives and outcomes for each project year with particular emphasis and detail on the coming project year;
• Include contingency planning with the examples of what may be key challenges and plans to address and overcome them;
• Monitoring plan that identifies progress toward achieving established goals and ensure costs are monitored.

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I am applying for an R&D application and the curriculum vitae (cv) will not fit into the narrative section. Can I attach this as a file?

No, the system does not accept attachments. Reference the cv in the narrative section. Be prepared to provide your cv at a later time during the review process if requested.
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Are cities, counties and other local or State governments eligible to apply for the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants? If so, are they exempt from the match requirement?

Yes. All jurisdictions are eligible for this grant. Local and State governments are exempted from the match requirements.
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