|
What type of firefighter positions will be funded?
Only full-time firefighter positions will be funded. Full-time positions
are those that are funded for at least 2,080 hours per year (i.e., 40
hours per week, 52 weeks per year.) The Grant Program recognizes that
many fire departments have shifts beyond this typical 40-hour work week.
The Grant Program will consider funding job-share positions if there is
sufficient justification.
Top
What is a job-share position?
A job-share position is a full-time position that is occupied by more
than one person.
Top
May I apply for more than one firefighter position, with
different salaries and benefits for each?
A department that is eligible for the Hiring of Firefighters Activity
may apply for multiple entry-level positions that have the same salary
or have varying salaries and benefits. To make such a request, click "Add
Budget Item" in the "Request Details" section of the online
application. Complete the information required, and click "Save and
Continue." Repeat the "Add Budget Item" steps until you
have added all the positions you wish to request.
Top
If I receive a SAFER award, how much time do I have to hire
the firefighters?
The SAFER grant performance period does not start until 90 days after
the award announcement. This delay provides grantees with an opportunity
to recruit new firefighters. Not all grantees will need the full 90 days,
and some may need more. Grantees that can recruit and hire a firefighter
before the start of the performance period may request pre-award costs
to be included in their grant. Grantees that take more than 90 days will
be losing an opportunity to receive Federal cost share.
Top
How does the Federal share and applicant matching share for the Hiring Firefighters Activity work?
Recipients of grants in the Hiring of Firefighters Activity must commit
to a 5-year period of performance during which the Federal contribution
toward the costs of the salaries will diminish over the course of the
performance period, with all costs borne by the grantee in Year Five.
Based on a total funding cap of $103,500 over 5 years, the maximum annual
Federal share of funds that grantees can receive under SAFER for salary
and benefits for newly hired firefighters will not exceed the lesser of
the following:
| Grant Year |
Federal Share Per Firefighter Position |
| Year One |
90 percent of the actual costs or $37,217, whichever is less |
| Year Two |
80 percent of the actual costs or $33,082, whichever is less |
| Year Three |
50 percent of the actual costs or $20,676, whichever is less |
| Year Four |
30 percent of the actual costs or $12,405, whichever is less |
| Year Five |
No Federal share |
Top
What standards does SAFER involve?
The industry minimum standards to be addressed include NFPA 1710, Section
5.2.4.2 (Initial Full Alarm Assignment Capability), which primarily applies
to all-career fire departments and at the combination department's election;
and NFPA 1720 Section 4.3 (Staffing and Deployment), which primarily applies
to all-volunteer fire departments and combination departments that do
not elect to comply with NFPA 1710. Note: The SAFER program is focused
only on the staffing sections of these two standards. The NFPA has established
a special link www.nfpa.org/SAFERActGrant
that provides text of the 2 sections of NFPA 1710 and NFPA 1720 that applies
to the above. Also we reference NFPA 1582, (Comprehensive Occupational
Medical Program for Fire Departments) 2003 Edition.
Top
Can fire departments request that current volunteer members be converted to career positions?
Those volunteer and combination fire department applicants in the Hiring Firefighters Activity who will increase the total number of active firefighters through hiring personnel from outside the organization will receive higher consideration than those who recruit from within the organization without increasing the total number of members.
Top
|
Home | Contact Us | Site Map 
