Fire grant funds to add firefighter jobs
Hire, recruit, and retain firefighters
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program. The goal of the SAFER Grant Program is to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities in order to respond to emergencies, and assure that communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.
In awarding grants, the Administrator of FEMA shall consider the following:
- The findings and recommendations of the Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP)
- The degree to which an award will reduce deaths, injuries, and property damage by reducing the risks associated with fire related and other hazards
- The extent of an applicant’s need for a SAFER Grant and the need to protect the United States as a whole
SAFER intends to improve or restore local fire departments’ staffing and deployment capabilities so they may more effectively and safely respond to emergencies. With enhanced or restored staffing levels, recipients should experience a reduction in response times and an increase in the number of trained personnel assembled at the incident scene.
While not required for a SAFER Grant, it is preferable that the enhanced or restored staffing levels of all SAFER recipients should ensure all first-arriving apparatus are staffed with a minimum of 4 qualified personnel (to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710/1720 standards) who are capable of initiating the suppression response. Ultimately, SAFER recipients should achieve more efficient responses and safer incident scenes; thereby ensuring communities have improved protection from fire and fire-related hazards.
What this grant does for your agency
The SAFER Grant Program is comprised of two categories:
- Hiring of Firefighters: Including subcategories for rehiring, retention, attrition, and new hires. Career, combination, and volunteer fire departments are eligible to apply
- Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters: Combination fire departments; volunteer fire departments; and national, state, local, or tribal organizations that represent the interests of volunteer firefighters are eligible to
apply
Agencies awarded the FY2015 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) receive grants to recruit, hire, and retain firefighters.
- Available Funding for the NOFO: $340,000,000
- Projected number of Awards: 300
- Period of Performance: 12-48 Months
- Hiring Category: The period of performance will be 24 months for all grants awarded under the hiring category.
- Recruitment and Retention (R&R) Category: The period of performance will be between 12 and 48 months for all grants awarded under the R&R category.
- Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): 6/30/2016
- Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): 6/30/2017 – 6/30/2020
Only a limited number of grants will be awarded.
Grant Eligibility
For full eligibility details, see the Grant Guidelines:
- Volunteer fire departments and combination fire departments may apply for funding under both the Hiring of Firefighters category and the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters category. Separate applications must be completed for each category. Applicants are limited to one application per category, per application period. If an applicant submits two applications for the same category during a single application period, both applications will be disqualified.
- Career fire departments may apply for funding only under the Hiring of Firefighters category. Applicants are limited to one application per application period. If an applicant submits two applications, both applications will be disqualified.
- Municipalities and fire districts may submit applications on behalf of fire departments lacking the legal status to do so, such as those under the support of the municipality or district. The municipality or fire district may submit only one application for hiring per application period for each eligible fire department within the municipality or fire district.
- National, state, local, or tribal organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters and individual fire departments (volunteer or combination) may only apply for funding under the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters category. Applicants are limited to one application per application period. If an applicant submits two applications, both applications will be disqualified.
About the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEMA’s mission is to support citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards. More
Grant Deadline
Grant applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. EST, Fri., Mar. 25, 2016.
Apply
Funding Opportunity Number: DHS-15-GPD-083-000-99 . Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 97.083.
Apply for the FY2015 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)