Your guide to coordinating multi-agency regional fire grants

Fire & EMS: Get started with regional grants

Regional fire grants, or multi-agency grants, are when two or more fire/EMS or nonaffiliated EMS departments combine forces on a public safety grant application. Applying as a group can make a stronger case for your agency’s need, and land you and your partner agencies funding for vital equipment, training, or personnel.

When to consider a regional grant that benefits multiple agencies

Regional applications allow multiple departments to pool resources under one grant application. Here are some indications that you might benefit from pursuing one:

You and other area agencies have similar equipment
Spreading costs can make budgeting more effective across jurisdictions and communities
Common incident preparedness

Departments working together can address larger-scale needs, reduce costs for certain projects, and make a greater positive impact on their communities. A regional grant can foster better coordination and communication among the participating departments, enhancing their overall effectiveness. Multiple departments using the same type of equipment can also improve interoperability.

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the ins and outs of regional public safety grants.

Better buying power

Multiple agencies procuring the same equipment can enhance your buying power with suppliers. Since you’ll be buying more under a regional grant award, you can potentially buy in bulk. That makes the grant more cost-effective for you and the other participating departments.

Improved interoperability across agencies

Regional projects foster standardized equipment and procedures across departments, particularly those that work together on mutual or automatic aid calls.

Using the same equipment across agencies eliminates compatibility issues and simplifies training. That ultimately improves operational efficiency and effectiveness during emergencies. For example, having the same type of SCBA allows departments to share equipment seamlessly during an incident.

How many agencies are required to develop a regional grant together?

It takes at least 2 departments to develop a regional grant together. This can vary program to program though, so check the grant guidelines first.

How to team up with other agencies for a regional grant

A regional application is an opportunity for a fire department or a nonaffiliated EMS organization to act as a host. That host agency can apply for funding on behalf of itself and any number of other participating eligible organizations.

Here are a few particulars to keep in mind:

The host organization and its partners must be the intended beneficiaries of the proposed project.
A nonaffiliated EMS organization that serves as a host regional applicant can only host other nonaffiliated EMS organizations.
A fire department that serves as a host regional applicant can apply on behalf of other eligible fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations within the same application.

How to choose what to apply for under a regional grant application

One of the hardest decisions for agencies to make is what to apply for in the first place.

A few rules of thumb come in handy:

Check the grant guidelines

Grant programs often note what they prioritize, and more importantly, what not’s eligible under their program rules. Naturally, you want your application to line up with their program guidelines. If you apply for something they don’t fund, you’re not going to get very far.

The higher the priority, the greater the likelihood of success

While there are never guarantees in public safety grants, a good consideration is to look for what a program considers only high priority items. Many programs are fiercely competitive, and a side effect is that typically programs with higher priority or urgency are more likely to get funded than lower-priority requests.

Find the best common thread between the participating agencies

Every department has unmet needs, but a grant is never a free-for-all request. When you can identify the common thread of unmet need that all the participating agencies share, and it’s within the grant guidelines, that’s an indication you’ve found the right request to develop your application around.

Plan to use the same vendor

Many programs are going to expect regional grant applicants to apply for the same or similar equipment. You’ll also be expected to use the same vendor for procurement.

Spotlight on regional grant request priorities for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG)

In general, eligible regional activities under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) are:

Vehicle Acquisition
Operations and Safety, but only for Training, Equipment, Wellness and Fitness, and PPE activities

AFG expects regional activities to:

Achieve cost effectiveness
Support regional efficiency and resilience
Foster interoperability
Benefit more than one local jurisdiction (county, parish, town, township, city, or village) directly from the activities implemented with the grant funds.

How long can it take to write a regional grant?

Regional grants are time-consuming. That’s not necessarily because of the time it takes to write the grant itself. Often, it can take longer to identify and gather the various data and evidence that supports the case for your regional grant, especially when you’re getting that information from multiple agencies.

We typically suggest that agencies start at least 6 months before the expected grant opening. That usually allows enough time to gather all the data needed from the participating departments. Then you can focus on reviewing the program guidelines and putting together the application accordingly.

Gather the information and data that supports your grant application

Here’s some typical data points you’ll want to gather to make the case for your need:

Call data for the prior 3 years
Civilian and firefighter injuries in the past 3 years
In-depth budget data for the prior 3 years
Apparatus data from all participating departments
Specific data from each participating department on the equipment they are looking to apply for (especially with the AFG)

With regional grants, you are only as strong as your weakest link. If a department does not get data from the host agency in a timely manner, that could derail the entire application. You’ll need to show the need for each agency. Omissions, especially if there’s data for some agencies but not others, can make your application look like sloppy work, and odds are that won’t get you and your partner agencies to an award.

The sooner you can start on your grant and data it needs for you to make a strong case, the better.

The host agency will be the guidepost for the applying agencies

This one can get a bit wonky, but it’s important.

Programs such as AFG will often tie certain parameters to the host agency, even if something different might apply to the individual agencies on their own.

For example, regional applicants will be subject to the funding limitations based on the total population served by the host of the application and the participating partners.

In practice, that means that if the host and regional grant partner agencies serve a population of 100,000 or fewer and are the recipients of a regional award for $1 million, the host has met their cap and is no longer eligible for additional funds under the AFG Program.

This comes into play in other ways too, such as if the regional grant is evaluated based on what overall type of community.

For example, the community identification characteristic (e.g., Rural, Urban, or Suburban), and the organizational status of the host applicant (e.g., Career, Combination, or Volunteer), will be entered and used for the Regional application, regardless of the composition of the participating partners.

One other thing to keep in mind?

Regional populations served are the aggregate of the geographically fixed, primary first-due response areas of the host and participating partner organizations. Exceptions can be made to this requirement in situations where the host is also the parent organization and is responsible for their smaller and independent stations.

Regional grant participants can apply for individual grants too, as long as the grants aren’t for the same request

The regional grant host and any participating partners remain eligible to apply on behalf of their own organization for any AFG Program activity (Vehicle Acquisition, or Operations and Safety).

However, those individual applications can’t be for the same request as the regional grant.

For example, a department cannot apply for PPE under its own organization and participate in a regional PPE application.

All partner agencies have to be in compliance with program rules

All participants of a regional application must be compliant with program requirements, especially under AFG. That includes being current with past grants, closeouts, and other reporting requirements.

Regional host applicants and participating partner agencies must execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or equivalent document signed by the host and all participating organizations.

Is this your year for a regional grant?

Regional grants have their particulars, but they are powerful tools. When multiple agencies pool their needs, make a strong case, show their evidence, and prioritize their request, they can win a grant that goes to work for the benefit of each agency and community.

Could this be your year for a regional grant?