Period Runs January 3 - February 4
Fairfax, Va., January 4, 2011... The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that the application period for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) programs Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grants opened at 8 am EST on Monday, January 3, and will close at 5 pm EST on Friday, February 4, 2011.
The DHS has set aside $35 million to fund grant activities in two categories:
The Fire Prevention and Safety Activity: Grants funded by this activity should be designed to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate incidents of death and injuries caused by fires and fire-related hazards. Applications for this activity should only consist of projects that can be completed within the one-year grant performance period. Eligible applicants for this activity include fire departments; national, regional, state, local and tribal organizations; and community organizations recognized for their experience and expertise in fire-prevention and safety programs and activities. Both private and public nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funding in this activity. Activities funded include general education and awareness programs, such as smoke alarm installations and home-safety inspections, code-enforcement and awareness activities, fire- and arson-investigation programs, and national, state and regional programs and studies.
The Firefighter Safety and Research and Development Activity: Grants funded under this activity are research and development programs aimed at improving firefighter safety. Applicants under this activity can propose projects that reflect a period of performance of up to three years. Eligible applicants for this activity include national, regional, state and local organizations, such as academic, public health, occupational health and injury prevention institutions. Fire departments are not eligible to apply for funding in this activity. All projects under this activity must address injury outcomes or their surrogates, such as firefighter fitness or health indicators. The projects may fall into the categories of behavioral, clinical and social science studies; database systems; technology and product development studies; and research regarding the dissemination and implementation of effective programs and products.
Fire departments will have to meet the same cost-sharing requirements based on population that they would have to meet under the AFG grants. The grant guidance (pdf) discusses these cost-sharing requirements in detail (see pages 14 and 38).
The IAFC encourages interested members to review the FP&S grant guidance (pdf). The AFG office also has made available an applicant tutorial and the online application. Applicants who have questions about the grants can email them to firegrants@dhs.gov or call the help desk at 1-866-274-0960.
