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 this month’s update
- FY 2023 AFG Programs Status Update
- FY 2024 AFG Programs Status Update
- FEMA GO Login.gov Training
- Did You Know? – How to be a Peer Panel Reviewer
- DHS Civil Rights Evaluation Tool Technical Assistance
- August Fire Prevention Message – Campus Fire Safety
- Grants Management Training – Amendments
- Closeout Module Available in FEMA GO
- AFGP Success Stories
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FY 2023 AFG Programs Status Update
Fiscal Year 2023 AFG Awards
Round 6 of FY 2023 AFG awards were sent on Aug. 16, 2024. Awards will continue until funds are exhausted. Visit Assistance to Firefighters Grants | FEMA.gov for award information.
Fiscal Year 2023 FP&S Awards
Round 3 of FY 2023 FP&S awards were sent on Aug. 16, 2024. Awards will continue until funds are exhausted. Visit Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) | FEMA.gov for award information.
Fiscal Year 2023 SAFER Awards
Round 2 of the FY 2023 SAFER awards were sent Aug. 16, 2024. Awards will continue until funds are exhausted. Visit Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) | FEMA.gov for award information.
All awards will be made by Sept. 30, 2024.
FY 2024 AFG Programs Status Update
FY 2024 AFG Application Period
The FY 2024 AFG application period is tentatively scheduled to begin this fall. Below is a list of actions you can take NOW to start preparing. The links are to resources for the FY23 program that will be relevant for use in FY24.
- Verify your organization’s SAM.gov account is Active.
- Ensure grant writing staff have accounts with SAM.gov and appropriate permissions in FEMA GO.
- Conduct a Risk Assessment to determine your greatest needs. Compare your needs to the priorities of the program once the FY24 funding notice is released to identify what you should request.
- Poll vendors to start determining the costs of items you plan to request.
- If requesting a vehicle, establish your committee and develop specifications.
- Use the Application Checklist to gather information needed to complete the application.
- Use the Self-Evaluation Sheets to start drafting the four scored sections of the application narrative. These documents provide the exact criteria that panelists will be looking for in your narrative at panel review. There is one for Operations and Safetyand another for Vehicle
- Use the Narrative Development Toolkit to help identify ways that you can address the criteria outlined in the Self-Evaluation Sheets.
- Write your narrative now. It is easily pasted into the application once the application period opens. This will allow ample time for others to review what you’ve written and provide feedback.
- Contact your Regional Fire Program Representative with any questions.
New FEMA GO Training for Login.gov Transition
To prepare users for the planned integration of FEMA GO with Login.gov, the training team updated the FEMA GO Startup Guide to include step-by-step instructions on how to sign in with Login.gov. external users of the FEMA GO system will be required to access FEMA GO using login.gov. The Startup Guide includes important information about:
- Best Practices to Create a Login.gov Account
- New FEMA GO User Account Creation
- Internal FEMA Employees
- Account Scenarios
- Managing Emails
- Managing Email Notifications
For questions related to the adoption of login.gov, users are encouraged to contact the FEMA GO Help Desk. The FEMA GO Help Desk hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. The Help Desk accepts phone calls at (877) 585-3242 and emails at [email protected].
Did you Know?
You can be a peer reviewer for the AFG Program
Applications with the highest rankings from the pre-scoring process will undergo a Peer Review Panel process. A panel of peer reviewers is composed of fire service representatives recommended by the national organizations from the Criteria Development Panel (CDP). CDP is made up of the nine major fire service organizations listed below. If you are interested in participating in the panel review for AFG, SAFER or FP&S, please reach out to your affiliate organization and request to be nominated.
- International Association of Fire Chiefs
- International Association of Fire Fighters
- National Volunteer Fire Council
- National Fire Protection Association
- National Association of State Fire Marshals
- International Association of Arson Investigators
- International Society of Fire Service Instructors
- North American Fire Training Directors
- Congressional Fire Service Institute
Peer reviewers will assess each application’s merits based on the narrative statement on the requested activity. Panelists will independently score each requested activity within the application, discuss the merits and/or shortcomings of the application with his or her peers, and document the findings. A consensus is not required. The panel score is half of the total application score.
Technical Assistance – DHS Civil Rights Evaluation Tool
The DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties is offering a webinar specifically tailored for Fire Department staff and volunteers who may be responsible for submitting the Civil Rights Evaluation Tool. The Civil Rights Evaluation Tool is a technical assistance tool to assist recipients in understanding and meeting their federal civil rights obligations as a condition of receiving federal financial assistance. The webinar will focus on important civil rights requirements and questions frequently asked by Fire Departments during the submission process. To register, please click on one of the following offerings: Sept. 5, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. ET or Sept. 5, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. EST. For additional information, please reach out to [email protected].
August Fire Prevention Message
Campus Fire Safety
Key Messages:
For most students, the last fire safety training they received was in elementary school, but with new independence comes new responsibilities. It is important that both off-campus and on-campus students know their fire risks and prevention actions that could save their lives.
- Provide students with a program for fire safety and prevention.
- Teach students how to properly notify the fire department using the 911 system.
- Install smoke alarms and an automatic fire sprinkler system in every dormitory room and every level of housing facilities.
- Maintain and regularly test smoke alarms and fire alarm systems. Replace smoke alarm batteries every semester.
- Regularly inspect rooms and buildings for fire hazards. Ask your local fire department for assistance.
- Inspect exit doors and windows and make sure they are working properly.
- Create and update detailed floor plans of buildings, and make them available to emergency personnel, resident advisors and students.
- Conduct fire drills and practice escape routes and evacuation plans. Urge students to take each alarm seriously.
For more information, please visit the U.S. Fire Administration’s website for Fire Prevention and Community Risk Reduction HERE.
Grants Management Training
Amendments
An amendment is a formal written change to the award that typically requires prior written approval from FEMA in accordance with 2 CFR Part 200.308, the NOFO/program guidance, applicable program regulations, and terms and conditions of the award. An amendment is required if:
- A modification to the approved scope of work is required;
- An extension of the period of performance is needed to complete the approved scope of work; and/or
- A budget revision is needed to move more than 10% of the total award from one cost category to another, or any amount of funds being moved into a cost category that was not previously funded.
Amendments require approval from the AFG HQ Program Office. Amendments must be strongly justified, meet the original program intent and comply with the grant terms and conditions. Extensions to the period of performance can be granted for up to one year. Amendments must be submitted through FEMA GO within the “manage grant” page for the respective award. If you have questions about the process or what information should be included with your amendment request, please contact your Regional Fire Program Specialist.
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
Englewood Fire Department – Englewood, NJ
Awarded items: Driver/Operator Training
Submitted by: Chief Jeffery Kaplan
In August 2022, the Englewood Fire Department was awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant to
fund several NFPA compliant driver training programs for our department. We identified driver training as a much-needed area of additional training. The Englewood Fire Department recently has gone through a major period of turnover and more than 50% of our employees have less than five years of experience. This has resulted in a very young and very inexperienced work force and in turn very inexperienced emergency vehicles drivers. By utilizing AFG, we would be able to train not only our new drivers, but our veteran firefighters and officers as well. The grant would focus on four distinct programs:
- Drive to Service Seminar
- NFPA Compliant Emergency Vehicle Operator Program
- Ladder Truck Positioning and Tactics Program
- Tractor Drawn Aerial Operator
In February 2023, we kicked off our training, completing the Drive to Survive Seminar, followed by the first of two Emergency Vehicle Operator Program sessions. In October 2023, we held four days of Truck Positioning Tactics taught by Chief Nick Esposito from Bridgeport Connecticut. This was by far the best received program by our membership. It included both classroom and hands-on portions and allowed our firefighters to take our apparatus into the community to practice setting up our ladder trucks in difficult scenarios, to learn how to effectively use the ladders for rescue and offensive use for fire attack and more. As new drivers, most of the firefighters were never taught these tactics and uses and it was eye opening for them to learn. It was enjoyable to see the firefighters grow and learn and they talked about the class for weeks.
Just two weeks after the class concluded, our department responded to a serious structure fire in a commercial structure. The driver of the ladder truck was able to position the ladder under the overhead wires and get the ladder in position for vertical ventilation. The driver told me that without the training, he would never have been able to use the aerial device at that fire. Since then, we have seen a noticeable improvement with the effective use of our aerial ladders at structural fires. Furthermore, because of the overall driver training classes, we see our drivers driving more cautiously, utilizing seatbelts and having better situational awareness when operating the fire apparatus.