Insight Grants

SAFER Grants Are About to Open!

FEMA recently announced that the FY 2015 Staffing and for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant application period will open Monday, 2/22/2016. Applications will be due Friday, 3/25/2016. A total of $340,000,000 is available and is expected to fund about 300 awards. FEMA states, “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.” The program has two funding categories: Hiring of Firefighters and Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters.

Project periods will begin 6/30/2016 and can run 12-48 months in length. Eligible applicants are as follows (quoted from pages 3 and 4 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity):

  • 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.

Matching is not required, and award ranges are undefined. No annual limits are placed on grant-funded salaries, leaving awardees free to compensate as needed for their localities.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity can be accessed at http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1455644730889-1856450d66491b2137fafdc07a5707cc/FY15_SAFER_NOFO.pdf.

The FAQs can be accessed at https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1455740082967-8a61e97579d9fe3feb94f8c611a99a5b/FY_2015_SAFER_FAQs_updated_2.17.16.pdf.

All program information is available at https://www.fema.gov/staffing-adequate-fire-emergency-response-grants.

Featured Grant Opportunity: SAFER

Fire departments in need of funding for staffing should be aware that application period for FEMA’s staffing grant opportunity–Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)–will open in the near future. The following information is quoted from an email blast issued by FEMA on 2/10/2016. 

THE FY 2015 STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE (SAFER) GRANTS APPLICATION PERIOD IS COMING SOON
The FY 2015 SAFER application period is right around the corner.  The open application period dates will be released as soon as the information becomes available.

Start planning your FY 2015 SAFER Grant application now by reviewing the technical assistance tools below.  These tools were produced specifically to help potential applicants begin to plan their 2015 applications ahead of the application period.  The tools can be viewed on the AFG website or downloaded to your computer.

SAFER Grants Help Desk:  If you have questions about the technical assistance tools listed below, call or e-mail the SAFER Grants help Desk.  The toll-free number is 1-866-274-0960; the e-mail address for questions is firegrants@fema.dhs.gov.

 

SAM.GOV REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO APPLY AND RECEIVE GRANTS
The FY 2015 SAFER application period will be here before you know it. All eligible applicants must be registered and active in the System for Award Management (SAM) before you can submit an application. Per 2 CFR § 25.205, FEMA may not make an award to an entity until the entity has complied with the requirements to provide a valid DUNS number and maintain an active SAM.gov registration with current information. SAM.gov consolidates federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA).

To register, or validate your information, please visit: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/.

SAM.gov Registration Tips:

Please ensure the following items are current in SAM.gov and the DUNS number used in SAM.gov is the same one you use for all FEMA applications:

  • Organization’s name
  • Address
  • Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
  • Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Banking information (type of account (checking or saving), routing number, and account number
  • Many websites may look official in appearance but are not. As a reminder, registration in SAM.gov is FREE
  • SAM.gov registration is only active for one year and must be renewed annually
  • FEMA has prepared a technical assistance document, the SAM.gov Get Ready Guide. This document is designed to walk you through the SAM.gov registration process
  • This information should be consistent in all registration documents

Should you need assistance with your SAM.gov account, there are several ways to get
help:

If you have questions or concerns about your SAM.gov registration, please contact the Federal Support desk at https://www.fsd.gov.

AFG Home Page: www.fema.gov/firegrants
AFG Regional Representatives: http://www.fema.gov/fire-grant-contact-information
AFG Help Desk: E-mail: firegrants@fema.dhs.gov
Telephone Toll-Free: 1-866-274-0960

Insight Grants