AFG fire grant news from FEMA
Each month, FEMA supplies information regarding the management of current Assistance to Firefighters Grants, as well as helpful details on upcoming grant opportunities.
In the November 2024 update
- FY 2024 AFG Programs Status Update
- Did You Know? – How Micro-Grants work
- NERIS Update – NERIS – Launch of Version One
- November Fire Prevention Message – Lithium Battery Safety
- Grants Management Training – Grants Management Technical Assistance
- Closeout Module Available in FEMA GO
- AFGP Success Stories
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FY 2024 AFG Programs Status Update
FY 2024 AFG Application Period Opening Nov. 12, 2024
The FY 2024 AFG Application period opens at 9 a.m. ET on Nov. 12, 2024, and will end at 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 20, 2024.
Technical Assistance
Technical assistance will be available to applicants throughout the application period. Here are the options available to 2024 AFG applicants:
The 2024 AFG Application Development Training Series is now available to view on YouTube. There will be no live application development webinar events for the 2024 AFG. Instead, there is a playlist of seven videos hosted on YouTube that cover the spectrum of AFG subjects. This transition to recorded webinars is in response to requests from you, the fire service, to make recordings available to be watched on your time and at your leisure.
The AFG team will be hosting live Q&A sessions at various times throughout the application period. The schedule for the Q&A sessions is located HERE. The AFG Team hopes this transition to recorded webinars and Q&A sessions allows our customers to access this valuable training on their terms but also to get any questions answered as they arise.
Another resource is our Regional Fire Program Specialists. There is at least one in each of the 10 FEMA regions. Click HERE to view their contact information. Regional Fire Program Specialists are available year-round to assist with everything related to the AFG program. They will help manage your award should you receive one and will also help you to understand why you were unsuccessful if you are not awarded.
The last resource is the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program Help Desk. It is staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. ET – 4:30 p.m. ET by fire service professionals that know the program and the fire service. You contact them by phone at 866-274-0960 or via email at [email protected].
Did you Know?
How AFG Operations and Safety Micro-Grants Work
Micro-grants are an option under the AFG Operations and Safety application. A micro-grant is a request that is less than $75,000 federal share and can be Equipment, Personal Protective Equipment, Training, Wellness and Fitness (Priority I only), and Modifications to Facilities. It’s important to reiterate that micro-grants are an option. If you apply for a micro-grant for something that is less than $75,000 under any of these activities that becomes your operations and safety application. You cannot apply for a micro-grant for a PPE washer and do a second application to request SCBA through a normal Operations and Safety application. Statistics show that micro-grant applications have a better chanceof being awarded than an application submitted through a normal Operations and Safety application.
Micro-grants are intended to help applicants that have not been successful. For each micro-grant application, the system will look back over the past five years to determine whether the applicant has been successful. If not, the applicant may receive up to three additional points toward their pre-score depending on how many times they have applied and not received an award.
Micro grants only compete against micro-grants. Micro-grants have their own set aside allowing the program to use up the 25% of the appropriation to fund micro grant applications.
Applying for a micro-grant does not impact an applicant’s request or participation under the Vehicle Acquisition or Regional projects. Applicants who select micro-grants under Operations and Safety as a funding opportunity choice may still apply for a Vehicle Acquisition or Regional project.
National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) Update
NERIS Version One Deployed
The launch of Version One of the National Emergency Response System (NERIS) marks a major milestone in modernizing fire service data. Developed by the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), NERIS is a powerful, cloud-based platform built to improve the quality of incident data collection and analysis in collaboration with U.S. fire departments.
From addressing emerging hazards like lithium-ion battery fires to navigating complex wildland-urban interface emergencies, NERIS will provide fire and emergency responders with tools to make informed decisions, improve community safety, and advocate for critical resources. Following extensive beta testing, the NERIS Version 1 will onboard 100 additional departments from 48 states by the end of the year, paving the way for a nationwide rollout in 2025.
- Read the full update to see a current list of ‘Next 100’ NERIS departments.
- Watch our recent webinar that includes a full user demo on new system.
- Explore the new NERIS website.
November Fire Prevention Message
Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of Battery Safety.
Key messages:
Just as your department may be seeking answers and additional education to fight lithium-ion battery fires, the public needs your help to learn how they can protect themselves and their property. Now is the time to take action to prevent these fires and to know what to do in the event that a battery fire does occur at the station, at home, and in your community.
Use FSRI’s new turnkey public safety resources to teach your community how to Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of Battery Safety:
C – Choose certified products.
H – Handle lithium-ion powered devices with care.
A – Always stay alert for warning signs.
R – Recycle devices and batteries properly.
G – Get out quickly if there’s a fire.
E – Educate others on safe practices.
Here is a list of other messages to share regarding battery safety:
- Stop using lithium-ion batteries if you notice an odor, change in color, too much heat, change in shape, leaking or odd noises.
- Don’t put lithium-ion batteries in the trash. Recycle them at your local battery recycling location.
- Store spare lithium-ion batteries away from anything that can burn.
- Don’t put lithium-ion batteries in direct sunlight or keep them in hot cars. This is a fire risk.
- Remove spare, loose lithium-ion batteries from checked luggage and keep them with you on the plane.
FSRI’s first responders toolkit includes both training for firefighters and resources for the public.
Visit batteryfiresafety.org to learn more.
Grants Management Training
Grants Management Technical Assistance
K0705 Fundamentals of Grants Management is a virtual course FEMA offers by to grant recipients. Although not a requirement for accepting an AFG award, the course is designed to assist organizations strengthen their grant management practices. Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Improve collaboration across disciplines to support integrating grant management functions;
- Review, navigate and apply the applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements and Cost Principles in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, and FEMA Information Bulletins;
- Apply sound practices to increase efficiency and meet grant management priorities;
- Develop or revise policies, procedures and practices in critical areas of grants management and;
- Prepare for federal monitoring and sub-recipient monitoring.
Upcoming Course Offerings:
| Orientation Dates | Course Dates | Course Start Time | Course Host |
| Jan. 21, 22, or 23 | Jan. 28 – Feb. 13, 2025 | 2 p.m. ET | Open Enrollment |
| March 18, 19, or 20 | March 24 – April 10, 2025 | 10 a.m. ET | Open Enrollment |
| April 22, 23, or 24 | April 28 – May 15, 2025 | 2 p.m. ET | Open Enrollment |
| July 8, 9, or 10 | July 14 – July 31, 2025 | 10 a.m. ET | Open Enrollment |
To Apply: National Emergency Training Center Online Admissions Application (fema.gov)
Questions: [email protected]
Closeout Report Available in FEMA GO
The closeout module has been released in FEMA GO for all recipients. If an award still has an open period of performance (POP), the recipient will have to wait until the POP ends to initiate the closeout process and will have 90 days (FY 2019 and before grants) or 120 days (FY 2020 and after grants) to complete the process. Do not start your closeout if there is a chance that more funds or an amendment could be requested as these functions will no longer be available. A tutorial on the closeout process is available by clicking HERE.
For closeout help, contact your Regional Fire Program Representative or the AFG Helpdesk toll-free at 866-274-0960 or email [email protected]
AFGP SUCCESS STORIES
Medway Fire Department, Medway, Massachusetts
Awarded items: Increased Staffing by Four Firefighters (SAFER Grant)
Submitted by: Chief Jeff Lynch, Medway Fire Department
The Medway Fire Department received a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to hire four new firefighters as part of the 2016 grant program. The award of the SAFER grant had measurable impacts on the department’s staffing levels and response times.
Staffing Increase:
- The department was able to hire eight new firefighters with the funds awarded in the SAFER grant. An additional four firefighters were hired through funds from a large industrial expansion giving the town a greater tax base to use.
Operational Impacts:
- The addition of the eight new firefighters allowed the department to get a four-person engine company out the door immediately.
- Response times have decreased to under four minutes as a result of not waiting for off duty personnel to staff the first arriving engine.
- The departments off duty personnel count was increased to be able to respond back for calls.
- These operational impacts coupled with the use of automatic aid from neighboring towns allows Medway Fire Department to meet the requirements of NFPA 1710.
Success Story:
An example of how this grant has protected life and property was on March 20, 2019. The department received a report of a building fire. The shift strength was at four personnel and there was one of the SAFER firefighters who was at the station studying. Upon receipt of the alarm, the engine company was available to respond immediately with five personnel. Upon arrival, four minutes after the receipt of the call, two fire personnel were able to deploy a hose to the rear of the building on the exterior where the fire had started, and two fire personnel were able to deploy a hose to the fire floor of the house to stop the fire from entering the house. The fire had just broken through the exterior covering and was consuming the floor ceiling assembly between the first and second floors. During this operation the family’s pet dog was found alive on the first floor and removed from the house.
The entire structure was saved with fire damage contained to the rear exterior of the house and minimal water damage to the first floor of the building. All of the family’s belongings were saved, as was the aforementioned family pet dog.
Had it not been for the adequate staffing of the first engine company, the immediate response of the automatic aid company to establish a water supply, and the availability of the additional off duty personnel to immediately respond back for additional apparatus, Medway Fire Department would not have been able to stop the fire in time to save the house, the family’s belongings, and a pet.
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS STORY
Do you have a Success Story regarding a FEMA Grant that you’d like to share with everyone? Contact us at [email protected] or through Twitter @FEMAGrants using a private message.
Have Feedback?
The AFG Program Office always welcomes feedback from the AFG community. If there are topics or information that you may find helpful in future monthly updates from the AFG Program, please send any thoughts to the AFG Help Desk ([email protected]).