AFG fire grant news from FEMA

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 Reviewed
NERIS Update – NERIS In Action Webinar
FEMA GO Enhancements Release
February Fire Prevention Message – Fire Escape Plans
Grants Management Training – GMTA
Closeout Module Available in FEMA GO
AFGP Success Stories

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FY 2024 AFG Programs Status Update

FY 2024 AFG Application Period

The FY 2024 AFG application period closed at 5 p.m. ET on Dec. 20, 2024. There were 7,176 applications submitted for nearly $4 billion. Panel review will occur Feb. 3, 2025, through Feb. 7, 2025.

FY 2024 SAFER and FP&S Application Periods

Coming Soon – The FY 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant and the Fire Prevention & Safety grant application period. An E-blast will be forthcoming regarding the release of the Notice of Funding Opportunity and the start date of the application period.

Did you Know?

The AFG applications are reviewed through a multi-phase process!

Figure 1: The AFG Application and Award Process

Pre-Scoring Process:

As pictured in Figure 1 above, once the application period closes, the application undergoes an electronic pre-scoring process based on established program priorities listed in Appendix B of the respective Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The pre-score also considers 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 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 statement on the requested activity. The evaluation elements listed in the “Narrative Evaluation Criteria” below will be used to calculate the narrative’s score for each activity requested. 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:

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 make a final assessment of the application with respect to costs, quantities, feasibility, eligibility, and recipient responsibility before recommending any application for award. During TEP, the information in Appendix B is used to make final corrections to any request not meeting program eligibility requirements. This is not a scored phase of the application process. Requests may be recommended for partial funding based on findings made during this assessment.

National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) Update

NERIS in Action Webinar: Operational Usage and the Road Ahead Feb. 18, 2025 | 1 pm – 2 pm ET 

Join the NERIS team to see what’s planned for 2025 as the system continues its nationwide rollout. Chief Tom Jenkins, who serves as the fire service advisor and research manager for the project, will explain how NERIS is already in use, outline the plan for a rollout and adoption, and provide clear steps we can take together to prepare for onboarding. Then, we’ll tackle a live Q&A featuring real questions from company officers. Why Attend?

Get Practical Guidance: Understand how NERIS fits into daily operations and what it means for your department.
Transition Roadmap: Hear about key milestones and find out how departments can stay on track for data reporting.
Straightforward Q&A: No fluff—just candid answers from the NERIS team.
New Resources: Onboarding materials and resources for your team.

To register for this webinar, please click HERE.

FEMA GO Enhancements Release

New Enhancements for Performance Progress Report (PPR)

Here are some of the notable new features and improvements to the Performance Progress Report (PPR) to simplify the user experience. A PPR tasker will be automatically scheduled in FEMA GO based on NOFO reporting periods and due dates, so the user no longer needs to create the task.

Changes on the report itself include:

There is no longer a text field for entering a date.
There is no longer a Final Report Yes/No question.
There is a yellow banner with the due date.
Due to the transition to Login.gov, users no longer have a text field to enter a password to certify. Once completed with entering your PPR information, ensure you hit the “submit” button in FEMA GO. Until you hit the “submit” button the system treats the changes as a draft because your PPR information will not have a “date submitted entry” generated and therefore cannot be considered a submission.

As a reminder, an additional change to the PPR process is that FEMA will start enforcing PPR reporting requirements. If a PPR is delinquent, the system will block initiating a payment request until the most recent required reports is submitted, in the same manner done for SF-425 non-compliant recipients.

The newly updated FEMA GO SF-425 and PPR Guide provides instructions for FEMA employees and FEMA grant recipients to log-in to FEMA GO and navigate the system to complete and review the Federal Financial Report (SF-425) and Performance Progress Report (PPR).Additional self-guided training resources are available regarding any stage of the grants management life cycle on the FEMA Grants Outcomes Webpage. Visit the FEMA GO Guides – YouTube playlist to view FEMA GO tutorial videos.For users internal to FEMA, training materials are located in the Train-the-Trainer Internal Toolbox.

New System Enhancements

Here are some of the enhancements released in January and February.

Enhancements Planned for January/February 2025:

Enable project formulation during the post-award phase for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Post Fire (HMGP-PF), and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM).
Prepare for Pre-Disaster Mitigation – Congressionally Directed Spend to onboard to FEMA GO.
Prepare Competitive Merit Review for FY24 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants, and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER).
Enable new functionality to meet Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Post Fire (HMGP-PF) national roll out requirements.
Enable pass-through grant programs to close grants that do not require deobligation at time of closeout.
Provide disaster programs (Public Assistance and Disaster Case Management) with ability to waive the required waiting period for congressional notifications before award.
Apply features and enhancements identified by the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) Program users.

February Fire Prevention Message

Closed door messages: #CloseBeforeYouDoze

Key messages:

When escaping a fire, make sure to close the door behind you.
If you cannot escape, get behind a closed door and call 911.
Close Before You Doze: Always, close your bedroom door before you go to sleep.

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 an online course FEMA offers to grant recipients. Although not a requirement for accepting an AFG award, the course is designed to assist organizations to 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
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

Stratford Fire Department – Stratford, NJ

Awarded items: SAFER Recruitment and Retention Grant

Submitted by: Chief Michael Lemmerman

On May 6, 2024, at 8:22 a.m., the Stratford Fire Department was dispatched to a motor vehicle accident involving a motorcycle and an SUV. The driver of the SUV had a medical emergency behind the wheel which was the cause of the crash. The daytime duty crew was on scene providing medical attention within 3 minutes, which ultimately saved the life a person who may not have had a chance if my crew was not in house. There were four firefighters on duty that morning that were recruited through the SAFER grant. Had the department not received this award, there would have been zero firefighters on duty, which would have delayed care and likely resulted in a different outcome for the patient.

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.