AFG fire grant news from FEMA
Each month, FEMA shares an updated about the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program as well as other messages for the fire service. Here’s the latest:
Each month, we supply information regarding the management of current Assistance to Firefighters Grants, as well as helpful details on upcoming grant opportunities.
In this month’s update:
- FY 2021 AFG Programs Status Update
- FY 2022 AFG Programs Status Update
- 2022 AFG Post-Application Listening Sessions
- Did You Know? – The National Firefighter Registry is Live!
- May Fire Prevention Message – Protect your home.
- Grant Management Training – GMTA Fundamentals of Grants Management Course
- AFGP Success Stories
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FY 2021 AFG Programs Status Update
FY 2021 Award announcements are nearing completion. Turndown letters will be sent in concurrence with the final rounds of awards being announced. If you receive a turndown letter and would like more information, please contact your Regional Fire Program Representative.
AFG Award Listings: Assistance to Firefighters Grants | FEMA.gov
SAFER Award Listings: Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) | FEMA.gov
FP&S Award Listings: Fire Prevention and Safety | FEMA.gov
FY 2022 AFG Programs Status Update
Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)
Highest scoring applications moving into the Technical Review Phase
With Peer Panel Review mostly completed the week of March 13-17, 2023, the highest scoring applications will move into Technical Review, where program specialists will examine the applications for eligibility, cost reasonableness, and accuracy.
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)
FY 2022 SAFER Grant Peer Panel Review underway
The 2022 SAFER application period ended March 17. The applications were subjected to the electronic pre-scoring process and those that scored high enough are now in Peer Panel Review, where fire service professionals from respective department types will review the scored narrative sections of the application. Technical review for SAFER applications will begin soon after.
Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S)
FY 2022 FP&S Grant Peer Panel Reviews scheduled for week of May 7, 2023
The 2022 FP&S application period ended March 31. The applications were subjected to the electronic pre-scoring process and those that scored high enough will move on to Peer Panel Review, where fire service professionals from respective department types will review the scored narrative sections of the application.
2022 AFG Post-Application Listening Sessions
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program is constantly seeking ways to improve. In FY 2022 there were nearly 8,000 fire departments that submitted applications for funding. We are now asking those applicants to attend a listening session to share your experience. The discussion will include the usability of online systems such as the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), the National Fire Incident Reporting System, and FEMA GO; availability of technical assistance; application completion and submission; and any other identified issues. In return we hope to use your comments and suggestions to improve the AFG program. We will also take time to answer questions you may have about the program.
Please find the schedule for the listening sessions below. To register, please click on the link of the respective session you’d like to attend. Each session is expected to last one hour and will include a brief introduction, time to identify issues, a collaborative brainstorming session, and time for Q&A. The sessions are limited to 1,500 attendants. If demand exceeds the planned sessions, consideration will be given to providing additional opportunities.
If you are unable to attend, please send any suggestions or comments you may have regarding the FY 2022 AFG application period to [email protected].
FY 2022 AFG Listening Session Schedule | |||
| Workshop | Date & Time (ET) | Registration Link | |
| Listening Session 1 | April 24, 2023 at 2 p.m. | Click to register | |
| Listening Session 2 | April 25, 2023 at 5 p.m. | Click to register | |
| Listening Session 3 | April 26, 2023 at 10 a.m. | Click to register | |
| Listening Session 4 | April 27, 2023 at 12 p.m. | Click to register | |
Did You Know?
The National Firefighter Registry (NFR) went live Monday, April 17 for all firefighters.
- The National Firefighter Registry is the largest existing effort to understand and reduce cancer risk among firefighters.
- All firefighters – paid or volunteer, active or retired, with or without cancer, and no matter their length of service – can join the National Firefighter Registry. Participation is voluntary.
- By joining the National Firefighter Registry, you can help protect your brothers and sisters in the fire service from developing cancer and pave the way for new health and safety measures to keep the next generation of firefighters safe.
To register or learn more, please visit the NFR website use the QR code below.
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May Fire Prevention Message
Protect your home: Embers and small flames are the main way homes ignite in a wildfire.
Key messages:
- Clear off pine needles, dead leaves and anything that can burn from your roof, gutters, porch, deck, patio, and fence line.
- Rake out landscaping mulch to at least 5 feet away from your home.
- Don’t give embers a place to land/grow.
Grants Management Training
Grants Management Technical Assistance
K0705 Fundamentals of Grants Management is a virtual course offered by FEMA 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 among policy, program and financial staff to integrate grant management functions;
- Identify applicable regulations and navigate and apply the Code of Federal Regulations, including 2 CFR Part 200;
- Apply proven business practices related to the grant lifecycle to increase efficiency and meet grant management priorities, such as strategic planning, organization, program implementation, staff training, monitoring, reporting and audits;
- Develop or revise policies, procedures, and practices in critical areas of grants management, such as monitoring, procurement, source documentation, payments, and equipment inventory; and
- Prepare for federal monitoring and sub-recipient monitoring.
Upcoming Course Offerings:
| Orientation Dates | Course Dates | Course Start Times | Course Host |
| Jun. 28, 29, & Jul. 6 | Jul. 10 – Aug. 3, 2023 | 10 a.m. ET | Open Enrollment |
| Aug. 2, 9, & 10 | Aug 14 – Sept. 7, 2023 | 2 p.m. ET | Open Enrollment |
To Apply: National Emergency Training Center Online Admissions Application (fema.gov)
Questions: [email protected]
AFGP SUCCESS STORIES
Portland Fire Department – Portland, Maine
Awarded items: 2019 AFG for Wellness & Fitness
Submitted by: Sean Donaghue, Information Officer
This project was initially awarded for health and wellness training for the department. However, the project could not be completed as awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to amend the scope of work to allow participation in an ongoing firefighter lung cancer study utilizing low dose lung CT scans at Massachusetts General Hospital through a local hospital option at Northern Light Mercy Hospital here in Portland.
Using funding through AFG, the department was able to send 50 members to be screened at Northern Light Mercy Hospital. There were 10 members that received a call for follow-up due to initial findings. One of those scans revealed a serious lung abnormality in one of our members. The abnormality was in a very early, treatable stage. The same abnormality would be untreatable in later stages if allowed to progress. We could have never imagined at the outset of this endeavor that it would save the life of one of our members.
More information on the MGH Fire Health Study Website:
Fire Health Study (https://www.firehealthstudy.org/) aims to understand whether the lung appearance and function and heart health of firefighters different from people of similar age and background who are not firefighters, the relationship between occupational exposures and lung appearance, and whether a blood test can help detect lung cancer.
Our long-term goal is to increase access to lung cancer early detection among firefighters by identifying a high-risk subset that may benefit from LDCT
Data obtained through this study will be uniquely able to answer many questions relating to lung health in firefighters. This study will generate critical preliminary data about lung health in firefighters to guide the next steps. We view this proposal as a first step in a series, which will lead to an ongoing collaboration between MGH investigators and local fire departments, including a future prospective clinical trial.
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]).