Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

1. Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program 2010

2. Region 8 Ted Young Fire Program Specialist Denver, Co. 303-235-4791 303-235-4628fx Ted.young@dhs.gov

3. Grants Administered by AFG Program Office Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Fire Prevention and Firefighter Safety Research and Development (FP&S)

4. Total 2010 Appropriation • AFG $390 million* • SAFER $420 million AFG allocation includes * $30 million for FP&S * $7.8 million for nonaffiliated EMS

5. Introduction Please raise your hand if you fall into one of the following categories: • I represent an organization that has never applied for an AFG Grant. • I represent an organization that has applied for an AFG Grant but never been awarded. • I am individual who has never completed the application for an AFG Grant.

6. 2010 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG)

7. AFG Grants Purpose To protect the public and fire service personnel from fire and all other hazards.

8. AFG Grants Eligible Applicants • Fire departments • Nonaffiliated EMS organizations

9. AFG GrantsProgram Areas • Vehicle Acquisition • Operations and Safety • Regional Projects

10. Fire Department Vehicle Acquisition Activity Only 25%of the appropriation or $97.5 millionmay be used for vehicles.

11. Fire Apparatus Priorities

12. AFG Vehicle Grants • Previous vehicle awardees are eligible to apply in 2010. • Urban/suburban applicants may request multiple vehicles on the same application, but are limited to one vehicle per station.

13. Fire DepartmentOperations and Safety Activities • Training • Equipment • Personal Protective Equipment • Modifications to Facilities • Wellness/Fitness Services

14. Training • Fire department applicants must indicate the percentage of active firefighters trained to NFPA 1001. • Fire department applicants having less than 100% of active firefighters trained to NFPA 1001 will be asked to explain their plans to meet the standard. • These questions are asked for every activity.

15. Equipment • Must meet all mandatory regulatory requirements and any national and/or DHS-adopted standards • Have the goal of achieving compliance with nationally applicable standards and of solving interoperability or compatibility problems

16. Personal Protective Clothing • Applicants are asked to provide significant detail in their requests regarding existing equipment inventory. • The age of existing equipment is considered in all phases of review.

17. Self Contained Breathing Apparatus • Applicants with significant numbers of older SCBA are a higher priority. • Applicants with SCBA that are compliant with the more current editions, i.e., the 1997 edition of NFPA 1981 and more current editions are a lower priority.

18. Wellness and Fitness • Entry-level physicals (NFPA 1582) • Immunizations • Periodic health screenings

19. Modifications to Fire Stations Eligible Projects • Sprinkler systems • Smoke and fire alarm notification systems • Vehicle exhaust evacuation systems • Vehicle mounted exhaust filtration systems • Air improvement systems • Emergency power generators

20. Primary Response AreaFirst Due For application purposes (call volume), only use statistics for your own first due. We do not count automatic or mutual aid calls. They are listed separate at the bottom of the call volume page.

21. 2010 EMS Applications

22. Nonaffiliated EMS Nonaffiliated EMS is defined as a public or nonprofit emergency medical service organization that provides direct emergency medical services, including medical transport, to a specific geographic area on a first due basis, but is not affiliated with a hospital and does not serve a geographic area where EMS is adequately provided by a fire department.

23. Ineligible Organizations • EMS organizations/Rescue squads that do not transport • Fire-based EMS organizations • Hospital-based/affiliated EMS • Air ambulances (helicopters)

24. EMS Applications • Eligible for same programs and activities as fire departments • May submit up to 3 applications • Vehicle • EMS Operations and Safety • Regional

25. EMS Vehicles • Only $1.95 million available • Urban and suburban organizations are allowed multiple vehicles, but limited to one per station • Be conscious of “self-declared” urban or suburban status

26. EMS Vehicle Priorities

27. EMS Operations and Safety Activities • Training • Equipment • Personal Protective Equipment • Modifications to Facilities • Wellness/Fitness Services

28. Ineligible Activities • Firefighting equipment (SCBA) • EMS expendables (gloves, drugs, etc.) • ALS equipment for BLS organizations • Extended Warranties and maintenance agreements • Construction • Wildland and structural PPE

29. What’s New for 2010 EMS Application • We have added EMS billing to the budget. • Under: Request Details “Characteristics II”, we now ask how many ambulances.

30. Questions

31. Regional Applications • Any eligible organization may act as a host for a regional application. • Regional projects are designed to facilitate interoperability. • Standardization does NOT necessarily equate to interoperability.

32. Regional Applicants The only eligible activities for regional grant applications are: • Communications equipment • Training • Equipment that satisfies interoperability such as hose

33. Regional Eligibility • Host must be an eligible organization. • Regions mean more than one jurisdiction .

34. Regional Eligibility • The purpose of a regional project is to facilitate interoperability and efficiency between jurisdictions. • Any equipment purchased with grant funds must be physically distributed to all departments listed in the application.

35. Always check the Funding Priorities section of the Program Guidance before deciding what items or programs you will request assistance in this year. Program Guidance can be accessed atwww.firegrantsupport.com Funding Priorities

36. Questions?

37. AFG Grants Require alocal cost share based on population served Under 20,000 population 5% 20,000 - 50,000 population 10% Over 50,000 population 20%

38. AFG GrantsMaximum Federal Funding Federal Funding $1,000,000 $1,750,000 $2,750,000 Population Less than 500,000 500,000 - 1,000,000 More than 1,000,000

39. AFG Grants • Any eligible organization may submit three separate applications: • Vehicle • Operations and Safety • Regional projects • All applications are assessed based on population protected plus frequency of use (call volume).

40. What’s New for 2010?

41. Changes in 2010 • Modification to Facilities priorities • Vehicles prepayments require an advanced payment bond

42. Questions?

43. Preparing Your Application

44. Electronic Scoring Two Important Facts • The answers to many questions in your application have values assigned to them. • The answers that most closely align with the program’s priorities will score the highest.

45. Planning and Developing a Narrative All three grant applications require a narrative, each with specific elements that must be addressed.These are described in the Program Guidance.

46. The AFG Narrative Four elements must be addressed. • Project Description and Project Budget • Financial Need • Cost-Benefit • Effect on Daily Operations

47. Key Points: Narrative • Remember, your peers will be reading your narrative, so write the narrative so your need is clear to them. • Relate only local information – not national statistics. • Provide only the information the reviewers don’t know. • Remember to discuss the training program and your plan to move toward 100% compliance with NFPA 1001.

48. Narrative:Project Description and Project Budget • Briefly describe your department and any special issues it may have. • Explain the identified risk/problem? • What is your solution/remedy? • What standards will be met? • How much will it cost?

49. Narrative: Financial Need • Why do you need money from the Federal Government? • Briefly describe your income compared to your expenses to illustrate your current funding deficiencies. • Explain other attempts you have made to fund your needs. • Explain financial and community trends or changes.

50. Narrative:Cost-Benefit Explain what benefits you will realize in return for the grant funds. • Frequency of use vs. cost • Increased efficiency of operation • Most economical solution • Interoperability • Consequences of not receiving award