For Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the SAFER Grants Program will award approximately $320,625,000 in competitive grants to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations in two categories: Hiring of Firefighters and the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters. The grants will help fire departments and interest organizations increase the number of trained, certified, front-line firefighters capable of safely responding to emergencies in communities throughout the United States.
Award announcements began in September but were suspended temporarily at the end of the 2012 fiscal year to await the availability of funding under the Continuing Resolution. Once award announcements resume, they will continue on a rolling basis until all available FY 2012 funds have been awarded. Each week, the list of new 2012 SAFER awardees will be posted on the Awards pages of the AFG website.
Who Submitted SAFER Applications?
The AFG received a total of 1,552 applications for 2012 SAFER grants, with the majority of applicants (63 percent) requesting Hiring of Firefighters grants. The other 37 percent requested grants for the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters. Additional information is provided below about the organizations that requested FY 2012 SAFER funding.
| FY2012 SAFER Applicants by Department Type | ||
|---|---|---|
| Department Type | No. of Applications Submitted | Percentage |
| All Paid/Career | 393 | 26 |
| All Volunteer | 359 | 23 |
| Combination (Majority Volunteer) | 530 | 34 |
| Combination (Majority Paid) | 220 | 14 |
| Volunteer Firefighter Interest Organizations | 50 | 3 |
| TOTAL SUBMISSIONS | 1,552 | 100% |
| FY2012 SAFER Applicants by Service Area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type of Service Area | No. of Applications Submitted | Percentage |
| Rural | 679 | 44 |
| Suburban | 522 | 34 |
| Urban | 304 | 20 |
| Not Applicable | 47 | 2 |
| TOTAL SUBMISSIONS | 1,552 | 100% |