US Fire
Grant Support
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Announced for Round 29 & 30 on Aug. 27 & Sept. 03, 2010
For the amount of
$2,896,297
Click Here for Grant Information
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GAC Resources
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For GAC documents, announcements, and information please click here to visit the microsite.
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FAMA Web Site
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FEMSA Web Site
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FY 2010 SAFER Grant Program Video: Video explains SAFER program and application process
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 The SAFER Grant Program has $420 million in funding available for FY 2010, which is double the amount of the previous grant year. This video helps new and returning applicants to take advantage of this one-time opportunity. Departments that have financial difficulty in meeting minimum first response staffing standards for fires and other emergencies are the target organizations for SAFER grants. All fire departments are encouraged to review the program requirements and consider applying for the SAFER Grant Program.
Highlights include information about - Who is eligible to apply?
- How is grant money used?
- Can grants be used for volunteer recruitment?
FY 2010 SAFER Program Video
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Office
Source: DHS
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It's Not Too Late!
Fiscal Year 2010 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants
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There is still time to submit an application for the Department of Homeland Security's FY 2010 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants! Applications for these grants must be received by Friday, September 17, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The goal of the SAFER Grants is to provide financial assistance to help fire departments increase their cadre of frontline firefighters or to rehire firefighters that have been laid off.
For the FY 2010 SAFER Grant Program, the following requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Supplemental Appropriation Act of 2009 have been waived. - Salary limits: There are no annual salary limits.
- Cost share: There is no prescribed cost share.
- Retention commitment: Grantees rehiring laid-off firefighters do not have to commit to retaining the SAFER-funded firefighters.
- Period of performance: For Hiring of Firefighters Activity Grants, the period of performance has been reduced to 2 years with a commitment to retain the newly hired firefighters for 1 year after the completion of the period of performance.
- Attrition of firefighters during the period of performance: FY 2010 grantees who are unable to back-fill firefighting positions vacated due to a documentable economic hardship may petition FEMA for a waiver of staffing maintenance requirements. In order to qualify for this waiver, the economic hardship must affect the entire public safety sector in the jurisdiction, and not only the fire department.
As a point of clarification, grantees under the Hiring of Firefighters Activity must agree to maintain the SAFER-funded positions as well as the number of positions declared at the time of award throughout the two-year period of performance.
Reminder: Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants are competitive. Applications are evaluated based on the merits of the application relative to the established SAFER Grant funding priorities. The answers to activity-specific questions and Department Characteristics make up the initial score. That initial score is combined with the score the application receives at the Peer Review evaluations, with each score representing 50 percent of the total application score.
Grant writing technical assistance is available, including an online tutorial at www.firegrantsupport.com. The tutorial provides you with valuable grant information and will walk you through the preparation and submittal of competitive applications. In addition, the applicant tutorial will provide an overview of the funding priorities and evaluation criteria. Applicants who have questions regarding the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant opportunity should call the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or send an e-mail to firegrants@dhs.gov. During the application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, but is prepared to revise hours of operation based on volume, demand, and holidays.
The AFG Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grants Program Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration.
Source: DHS
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National Preparedness Month
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September 1 will marked the start of the seventh annual National Preparedness Month (NPM). NPM is a public awareness campaign designed to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and communities.
Severe weather, natural disasters and emergencies of all kinds can devastate communities. Knowing what to do in the event of an emergency can help keep you and your family safe, as well as help you recover more quickly following a crisis.
Today, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate addressed the National Commission on Children and Disasters public meeting about FEMA's efforts to coordinate with state and local governments, as well as with the private sector and non-profit organizations, to integrate the needs of children in planning for disaster response and recovery.
Visit Ready.gov to learn about the threat of natural disasters organized by state, how to prepare for emergencies if they do occur, and ways to respond that will help keep you and your family safe.
FEMA has a number of initiatives to incorporate children into disaster planning, including the Ready Kids website, with steps on how children can help their family prepare, and the Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) program, which helps teachers and schools include preparedness into their curriculum.
To join the DHS Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and FEMA National Dialogue about the importance of preparedness, visit:http://preparedness.ideascale.com. The dialogue has been extended to September 10.
Source: USFA
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Appreciation for First Responders and Protecting Critical Infrastructure
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Traveling to Chicago, Ill. on August 26, Secretary Napolitano met with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, public and private sector stakeholders, law enforcement officials and first responders to discuss strengthening partnerships to help protect our nation's critical infrastructure.
The Secretary's visit began with keynote remarks before nearly 2,000 firefighters at the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) at Fire-Rescue International 2010, where the Secretary reiterated her commitment to getting emergency responders and front-line officers the tools they need-from resources to timely and accurate information-to protect their communities from emergencies of all kinds.
The Secretary later visited the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and toured Union Station-posted throughout Union Station were posters from the Department's national If You See Something, Say Something campaign, which they launched with Amtrak on July 1.
Secretary Napolitano also toured Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), which coordinates the delivery of police, fire and emergency medical service resources to 911 calls. After September 11, 2001, the OEMC began coordinating the city's planning for issues related to homeland security.0.
Source: USFA
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The Fine Science of Wildfire Reduction
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Wildfire 'fuel reduction' means, in essence, chopping down trees. Lake Tahoe Basin residents are concerned about their changing landscape and the environment.
Read More>>
Source: Disaster Resource Guide
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California to Pioneer Mass Mobile Alerts
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Using a statewide mobile alerting service, California will soon be able to alert both residents and visitors in target areas of various kinds of emergencies.
Read More>>
Source: Disaster Resource Guide
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Sound the Alarm Web Site Now Available
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The International Code Council (ICC) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) announce the release of the Sound the Alarm web site at www.soundthealarmtoday.org. Sound the Alarm is a community outreach and education program designed to reduce rural community fire hazards and other potential dangers in residential homes. The ICC received a Fire Prevention & Safety Grant to implement Sound the Alarm, and the NVFC is assisting with the execution of this pilot program.
Through Sound the Alarm, teams of fire department members, Fire Corps volunteers, and building officials conduct home safety checks, install smoke alarms, and complete follow up evaluations. The pilot program is being conducted in rural areas in Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, three states with high fire death rates. All materials used in the Sound the Alarm pilot program are donated to the teams, including smoke alarms, tool boxes, and tool kits.
The new Sound the Alarm web site allows the pilot program teams, as well as other interested persons and those looking to conduct a similar campaign in their community, to access all of the resources online. Helpful tools include a home safety checklist, smoke alarm data sheet, web site banners, and much more. Online forms are also available for departments to declare their desire to participate or for local families to request smoke alarm installations for their own home.
Learn more and access resources on the Sound the Alarm web site at www.soundthealarmtoday.org.
Source: NVFC
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The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities:
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Name: Larry Suiter
Rank: Fire Chief
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 40
Date of Incident: 09/03/2010
Time of Incident: Pending
Date of Death: 09/04/2010
Fire Department: Lorraine Green Garden Fire Department
Address: PO Box 81, Lorraine, KS 67459-0081
Fire Department Chief: Pending
Incident Description: Fire Chief Suiter responded to an anhydrous ammonia leak at a grain elevator. After returning home from the incident, Chief Suiter passed away from a cause still to be reported.
Incident Location: Pending
Funeral Arrangements: Pending
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending
Tribute is being paid to Fire Chief Larry Suiter at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Name: Douglas Farrington
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Classification: Volunteer
Years of Service: 26
Date of Incident: 08/22/2010
Time of Incident: 2121hrs
Date of Death: 08/23/2010
Fire Department: Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Company
Department Address: PO Box 15, 500 Main ST, Delta, PA 17314
Fire Department Chief: Jeffery Griffith
Incident Description: Firefighter Farrington responded the fire station to man a backup engine as the company responded to a barn fire in Peach Bottom Township of York County, PA. After the fire company returned to the station, Farrington assisted in cleaning and a putting away the equipment and then went home at approximately 2330hrs.
The following morning after he had reported to duty at his full-time job with the Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department, Firefighter Farrington stayed just a short time and then returned home where he passed away from a fatal heart attack at approximately 1116hrs.
Incident Location: 690 Nace RD, Peach Bottom Township, PA
Viewing: 08/26/2010 at the Delta Fire Company from 1500-2100hrs. A fire company memorial service will be conducted at the Delta Fire Company beginning at 2030hrs (08/26/2010).
Funeral Arrangements: 08/27/2010 with a viewing at 1300-1400hrs and service at 1400hrs, Mason Dixon Fairgrounds, 6988 Delta Road, Delta, PA. Interment will follow the funeral at Highview Cemetery, Fallston, MD.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Kelsey Farrington Trust Fund, PNC Bank, 2334 Rock Spring RD, Forest Hill, MD, 21050.
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Douglas Farrington at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Source: USFA
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