Assistance to Firefighters Grant Closing May 20, 2009!  

Don’t let an opportunity for grant monies pass your department by!  Did you know that ANY non-profit fire department and non-affiliated EMS department is eligible to apply for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG)?  Run by FEMA, and overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, the AFG program’s main mission is to “provide financial assistance directly to fire departments and non-affiliated EMS organizations to enhance their capabilities with respect to fire and fire related hazards.”  Because of this, FREE MONEY is available for your department and it’s easier to receive funding than you think. 

How to apply and information about the grant process:

The AFG program has a convenient website www.firegrantsupport.com that contains online tutorials that will walk your department through each step of the grant process.  The 2009 AFG  Guidance Booklet is also a great resource that gives a clear understanding of requirements and funding for each department.  The complete application process can be completed online and is most easy to use. 

Highest Priority given to regional applicants:

Departments that have previously applied or received monies from the AFG program in past years are still eligible to receive funds this year.  Your department will be given higher priority if they choose to act as a host applicant for regional application of grant money on behalf of themselves and any number of neighboring jurisdictions.  The AFG program wants multiple jurisdictions serving more than one local jurisdiction to benefit from activities implemented with grant funds and their purpose in selecting regional applicants is to facilitate interoperability and efficiency among participating jurisdictions. 

Funding availability and eligibility:

Did you know $565 million has been appropriated by Congress to carry out the activities of the FY 2009 AFG Program?  This means more money to more departments!  Grantees are required through the AFG program to match a certain percentage of the federal grant funding they request and the amount of the match is based on the population of the community your department serves.  For example, if your department serves a population less than 50,000 people, the federal share given will be 90% of the amount for your requested firefighter project.   If your department serves a population of more than 50,000 people, the federal share given will be 80% of the amount for your requested firefighter project.  The images below represent these two examples using a project cost of $100,000.00.     

 Maximum Federal Grant Shares:

The following chart shows just how much money your department could receive based on the population of the community serves:

The AFG program and Deccan Applications:

Deccan International applications fall under the operations and safety category in the firefighter equipment acquisition subcategory.  Departments interested in attaining funds in the vehicle acquisition category are still eligible to apply for the operations and safety category.  Departments must just fill out two separate applications for each category.  This means departments seeking money for vehicles may also apply in a separate category to attain funding for Deccan software products.  In the firefighter equipment acquisition category “mobile data systems (MDTs) are eligible. Integrated communications systems such as base stations, computer-aided dispatch, fixed-site repeaters, and wireless and broadband mobile data systems are eligible under this activity. The purchase of any communications systems or equipment under this activity should have the intent or goal of solving interoperability problems, as applicable.”  All of Deccan’s applications have one common goal, to solve interoperability problems.  Deccan’s CAD Analyst/ADAM and BARB can greatly assist a regional task force, addressing these needs by: 

1.       Enabling a task force to model all region-wide units in terms of interplay and interdependencies, exploring hypothetical disaster scenarios and how these inter-regional units could be best utilized in such situations.

2.       Incorporating all region-wide as well as agency specific units in individual agency run-cards, enabling local CAD systems to automatically utilize own as well as inter-regional units without human intervention during disasters or high incident rates.

Deccan’s LiveMUM can greatly assist day-to-day communications center needs by:

1.       Providing communications centers with key coverage maps thus highlighting real time holes in coverage due to

a.       Escalation of incidents into multiple alarm incidents

b.      Collection of regional incidents thus affecting resources in a specific area

2.       Providing dispatchers and supervisors with smart and effective vehicle re-deployment recommendations thus ensuring communities are served with no compromise on response times 

Apply for the AFG today!

The Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant Program closes May 20^th at 5PM EST.  Don’t delay and miss out on an opportunity for your department to receive FREE MONEY!  For more information on the AFG program please contact Kevin B. Piatt, Fire Programs Specialist - Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (DHS/FEMA) at (202) 786-9822 or via email at Kevin.Piatt@dhs.gov

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