FEMA fire grant news
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 2024 AFG Programs Status Update
- Did You Know? – How AFG Applications are Scored
- NERIS Update – NERIS – Launch of Version One
- FOCUS 3.0
- December Fire Prevention Message – Holiday Fire Safety
- Grants Management Training – GMTA/PDAT
- Closeout Module Available in FEMA GO
- AFGP Success Stories
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FY 2024 AFG Programs Status Update
FY 2024 AFG Application Period is Open
The FY 2024 AFG application period opened 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. – 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].
FY 2024 SAFER and FP&S Application Periods Opening Soon!
The FY 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant and the Fire Prevention & Safety grant application period is expected to open in early January 2025, and close in mid-February 2025.
Did you Know?
How the scoring process works for the AFG program:
Pre-Scoring Process – The application undergoes an electronic pre-scoring process based on established program priorities listed in Appendix B of the Notice of Funding Opportunity and answers to activity-specific questions within the online application. Application Narratives are not reviewed during the pre-score process. “Request Details” and “Budget” information should comply with program guidance and statutory funding limitations. The pre-score is half of the total application score.
Peer Review Panel Process – 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. Peer reviewers will assess each application’s merits based on the narrative statements on the requested activity. Each of the four narrative sections (Financial Need, Project Description and Budget, Cost/Benefit and Statement of Effect) make up 25% of the total score.
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 Evaluation Process (TEP) – The highest ranked applications will be considered within the fundable range. Applications that are in the fundable range will undergo both a Technical Review by a subject-matter expert as well as a FEMA Program Office review before being recommended for award. The FEMA Program Office will assess the request with respect to costs, quantities, feasibility, eligibility and recipient responsibility before recommending any application for award. Requests may be recommended for partial funding based on findings made during this assessment. Once the TEP is complete, each application’s cumulative score will be determined, and a final ranking of applications will be created. FEMA will award grants based on this final ranking and the ability to meet statutorily required funding limitations.
National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) Update
NERIS Version One Deployed
The launch of Version One of the National Emergency Response Information 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, 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.
FEMA FUNDED OPPORTUNITY – Measure Your Department’s Safety Culture with FOCUS 3.0
The Center for Firefighter Injury Research & Safety Trends (FIRST) at the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health is again bringing the Fire service Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) survey to the U.S. fire and rescue service. The FOCUS survey was developed through the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) and in response to National Life Safety Initiative #1 on fire service safety culture.
The FOCUS survey was developed specifically for the fire and rescue service and is a tool that predicts firefighter injuries and important organizational outcomes, such as burnout, job satisfaction, and work engagement. To date, more than 500 fire departments and 70,000 firefighters have assessed with FOCUS. However, as FOCUS became a first-come, first-serve opportunity, less and less volunteer and combination departments participated over time.
Analysis of FOCUS beta-test data revealed that combination and volunteer departments had higher management commitment to safety scores than their career counterparts. More combination and volunteer departments are needed to participate in FOCUS so this phenomenon can be better understood.
The latest FOCUS wave, the Combination and Volunteer Assessment of Safety (CANVAS) program, focuses on recruiting volunteer and combination departments. Career departments are still encouraged to participate.
Departments of all sizes use their FOCUS data to advocate for staffing, gear, apparatus, and behavioral health resources. Here is what fire departments are saying about the data:
“We have all heard ‘perception is reality’. This is the first time I have ever heard of a data driven mechanism that proves perceptions are reality. Being able to correlate personal impressions and feelings to the culture (safety), will be a great tool moving forward.”
“This data validated much of what I already believed and couldn’t prove, suspected but had no way to verify, or plainly educated me on what I need to know to grow a culture of safety in my organization. I can’t wait to share this, get the next survey complete, and identify our current FOCUS score so we can start moving.”
If you would like to lead with data, please fill out this form to enroll in FOCUS.
Questions? Please contact the FIRST Center’s FOCUS Team [email protected].
December Fire Prevention Message
Holiday Fire Safety.
Key messages:
Decorating homes and businesses is a long-standing tradition around the holiday season. Unfortunately, these same decorations may increase your community’s chances of a fire.
- Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that burns. Make sure they are in stable holders and place them where they cannot be knocked down easily.
- Consider using battery-operated flameless candles, which can look, smell and feel like real candles.
- Inspect holiday lights each year before you put them up. Throw away light strands with frayed or pinched wires.
- Read manufacturer’s instructions for the number of light strands to connect.
- Water your Christmas tree every day. A dry Christmas tree can burn very hot and very fast.
- Make sure your tree is at least 3 feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles or heat vents. Also, make sure your tree does not block exits.
- Get rid of your tree after Christmas or when it is dry.
For more information, please visit the U.S. Fire Administration’s website for Fire Prevention and Community Risk Reduction HERE.
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]
Procurement Disaster Assistance Team (PDAT) Training
Starting on Dec. 5, GPD’s PDAT began offering a series of virtual trainings throughout December on the federal procurement rules applicable to recipients and subrecipients purchasing under a FEMA award. These trainings include topics such as the Exigency or Emergency (E&E) training which educates recipients and subrecipients on the federal procurement rules applicable when purchasing during exigency or emergency circumstances. A list of applicable training can be found at Procurement Under Grants Training | FEMA.gov.
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
Hoboken Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire, Hoboken, New Jersey
Awarded items: 2021 AFG Award for Hose
Submitted by: Chief Anton Peskens
We are incredibly grateful to the AFG program for providing the funds to help us step up our mutual aid support. Our calls to assist neighboring departments have gone up nearly 50%, and with this increased demand, we knew it was time to upgrade our equipment for better interoperability. Our preexisting 1¾” attack hoses had 1 ½” FDNY couplings, but our neighboring departments were outfitted with 1 ½” National Standard Thread (NST). This difference may seem small, but when it comes to working together, especially in densely built areas like Hudson County with lots of high-rise buildings, having matching equipment is paramount. With the help of the AFG funds, we were able to make these crucial upgrades and improve our ability to respond quickly and effectively with our mutual aid partners.