OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Issued By: US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Grant Programs Directorate (GPD)

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 97.044

CFDA Title: Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG)

Funding Opportunity Announcement Title: Assistance to Firefighters
Grants (AFG)

Authorizing Authority for Program: AFG is derived from the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 USC §§ 2229 et seq.), as
amended.

Appropriation Authority for Program: Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2012 (Public Law 112-74, Division D, Title III Homeland Security).

FOA Number: DHS-12-GPD-004-000-99

Key Dates and Time:

Application Start Date:		6/11/2012 (8:00 a.m. EDT)

Application Submission Date:	7/6/2012 (5:00 p.m. EDT)

Funding Selection Date:		9/3/2012

Award Date:				9/10/2012

 No

 No

FOA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 One-time

 Both

Application Process: This section summarizes the process for applying
for the FY 2012 AFG Grant.

Automated Grant Application

Applications under the FY 2012 AFG will be accessible at
https://portal.fema.gov. The application will also be accessible from
the US Fire Administration’s (USFA) Web site (  HYPERLINK
"http://www.usfa.fema.gov"  http://www.usfa.fema.gov ), and grants.gov
Web site (  HYPERLINK "http://www.grants.gov"  http://www.grants.gov ).
We have designed the automated application with many built-in “help
screens” and “drop-down menus” to assist applicants with the
application process. The application can be saved and retrieved as many
times as needed to complete it. This is valid up to the application
deadline or the submittal.

However, once you have submitted your application, you cannot change it.
You will not be allowed to update your application to correct errors
discovered after submission nor to reflect changes in your
organization’s circumstances. You will be automatically notified via
e-mail once we have received your application.

An applicant tutorial will be available from the Program Office. The
tutorial explains the grant program, helps you with the online grant
application, provides tips for navigating the application screens, and
summarizes FY 2012 program changes. The tutorial also provides a review
of lessons learned during previous grant periods.

You may decide to hire or engage a grant writer to assist you in the
application process. However, as the applicant, you are responsible not
only for the cost associated with using outside assistance but also for
all information contained in your application. By submitting the
application, you are certifying all of the information contained therein
is true and an accurate reflection of your organization. Therefore,
prior to submission, please review all work produced by grant writers,
or other third parties, on your behalf.

Paper applications will be accepted, but are discouraged due to the
inherent delays associated with processing them. In addition, successful
applicants who submit paper applications must continue to manage their
grants via paper, including payment requests, requests for
modifications, reporting, etc., whereas applicants who apply online can
perform all of these functions online. In addition, paper applications
do not provide the built-in help available to online applicants.
Finally, there is no assurance your paper application is complete when
submitted.

If you do not have access to the Internet, contact FEMA at
1-866-274-0960 to request a paper copy of the application via regular
mail. FEMA will not send paper applications via overnight delivery, fax,
or e-mail.

The only eligible paper application is the application FEMA sends to
you. Do not use any paper application you did not receive directly from
FEMA. Do not use a previous year’s application. Any paper application
that is not in the correct format will be deemed ineligible.

Content and Form of Application

Eligible applicants apply for AFG funding online via the e-Grants
application at   HYPERLINK "https://portal.fema.gov"
https://portal.fema.gov . The system will allow an authorized
representative to login and create a username and password. If your
organization is submitting more than one FY 2012 application, you must
use the same username and password used for prior year applications, as
well as for each FY 2012 application.

When filling out the online application, applicants are required to
provide general information regarding the applicant and the community
served. The applicant will provide detailed information regarding the
items or activities for which they are seeking funding. The applicant
will also have to provide a narrative that includes project description,
cost benefit, and a statement of effect. Remember that your
organization’s budget should be discussed in Characteristics II.

Finally, applicants will have to fill out the following forms as part of
the online e-Grants application:

Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if the grantee has
engaged or intends to engage in lobbying activities)

DUNS Number

Effective October 1, 2003, all federal grant applicants must contain a
Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.

The DUNS number helps the Federal Government identify organizations that
receive federal funding and ensures consistent name and address data for
electronic grant applications. Additional information about DUNS numbers
can be found on the Dun & Bradstreet Web site at   HYPERLINK
"http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do;jsessionid=B9E740A165"
 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do;jsessionid=B9E740A165
.

There is no charge to obtain a DUNS number, and it is your
organization’s responsibility to obtain one.

You are encouraged to apply for a DUNS number as soon as possible by
calling 1-866-705-5711, as it may take several weeks to obtain the
number online. The DUNS number must be entered in a special data field
on the AFG application and is required.

Central Contractor Registration (CCR)

Per OMB guidance from August 27, 2010, federal agencies must require
prime recipients of federal grants to register in the Central Contractor
Registration (CCR) system. The CCR system is the primary registrant
database for the US Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores,
and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions. CCR
registration is free and must be conducted online at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.CCR.gov"  http://www.CCR.gov .

There is no charge to register in CCR, and it is your organization’s
responsibility to register during the application period. CCR
registration is not required prior to application, but will be required
if you are selected for award.

For CCR registration, visit   HYPERLINK
"http://www.bpn.gov/ccr/grantees.aspx"
http://www.bpn.gov/ccr/grantees.aspx .

A DUNS number is required to apply for a grant and to register in CCR.

The new CCR registration is NOT a requirement to apply for a grant but
as a potential grantee, you should register.

If your city already has a DUNS number, check first to see if the city
is already registered in CCR and if their CCR is current.

CCR Registrants must revalidate their registration at least once per
year to maintain an active status.

Step 1: Access the CCR online registration through the CCR home page.

Click on Start New Registration. You must have a Data Universal
Numbering (DUNS) number in order to begin the registration process.

Step 2: Complete and submit the online registration. If you already have
the necessary information on hand, the online registration takes
approximately one hour to complete, depending upon the size and
complexity of your business or organization.

The necessary information includes:

General Information – Includes, but is not limited to, DUNS number,
Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, company name, Federal Tax
Identification Number (TIN), location, receipts, employee numbers, and
Web site address.

Corporate Information – Includes, but is not limited to, organization
or business type and SBA-defined socioeconomic characteristics.

Goods and Services Information – Includes, but is not limited to,
NAICS code, Product Service (PSC) code, and Federal Supply
Classification (FSC) code.

Financial Information – Includes, but is not limited to, financial
institution, American Banking Association (ABA) routing number, account
number, remittance address, lock box number, automated clearing house
(ACH) information, and credit card information.

Point of Contact (POC) Information – Includes, but is not limited to,
the primary and alternate points of contact and the electronic business,
past performance, and government points of contact.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Information – Includes, but is not
limited to, the EDI point of contact and his or her telephone, e-mail,
and physical address. (*Note: EDI Information is optional and may be
provided only for those businesses interested in conducting transactions
through EDI).

Once a grantee has registered within CCR, the registration is valid for
12 months. The grantee must renew his/her registration each year. If a
grantee’s registration is expired or inactive, the user must get
his/her registration reset by calling the CCR helpline at<PHONE_NUMBER>.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for AFG are limited to fire departments and
nonaffiliated EMS organizations. Fire departments or nonaffiliated EMS
organizations operating in any of the 50 states plus the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the US
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico are eligible for
funding.

A fire department is an agency or organization having a formally
recognized arrangement with a state, territory, local, or tribal
authority (city, county, parish, fire district, township, town, or other
governing body) to provide fire suppression to a population within a
fixed geographical area on a first-due basis.

A nonaffiliated EMS organization is defined as a public or private
nonprofit emergency medical service organization providing direct
emergency medical services, including medical transport, to a specific
geographic area on a first-due basis, but is not affiliated with a
hospital and does not serve a geographic area where emergency medical
services are adequately provided by a fire department.

In making the determination regarding adequately provided emergency
medical services, FEMA will consider any nonaffiliated EMS organization
as eligible if it is recognized as providing direct emergency medical
services at the time of application submission and is in good standing
with the community (e.g., licensed and/or chartered to provide EMS
services to the community, dispatched through the local 9-1-1 center).

Rescue squads providing direct emergency medical services, including
medical transport, to the community they serve are eligible to apply as
a nonaffiliated EMS organization.

For the purpose of these grants, a hospital is defined as a:

Clinic

Medical center

Medical college or university

Infirmary

Surgery center

Any other institution, association, or foundation providing medical,
surgical, or psychiatric care and/or treatment for the sick or injured

A municipality may submit an application on behalf of a fire or EMS
organization when the organization, defined as a fire department or
nonaffiliated EMS organization, lacks the legal status to do so, i.e.,
when the organization falls within the auspices of the municipality or
district.

The Alaska Village Initiative, a nonprofit organization incorporated in
the state of Alaska, will also be considered eligible for purposes of
receiving assistance under this program on behalf of any Alaskan Native
village.

For the FY 2012 program year, each eligible applicant may submit one
application for each of the program areas (e.g., one application for the
Vehicle Acquisition program area, one application for Operations and
Safety program area, and one application for a regional project). If an
eligible applicant submits multiple applications in a single program
area (for example, two regional project applications for which they are
a host, or two Operations and Safety applications), FEMA will deem all
of the applications in that same program area to be ineligible.

FEMA considers two or more separate fire departments or nonaffiliated
EMS organizations sharing facilities as being one organization. This
determination is designed to avoid duplication of benefits.

For example, it would not be cost-beneficial to purchase two
firefighting vehicles for two fire departments sharing a facility
serving the same community when so many other communities need new
apparatus; nor would it be cost-beneficial to buy two sets of equipment
for the same firefighters.

However, departments sharing the same facilities with separate governing
agencies, manpower, apparatus, equipment, and separate primary response
areas are eligible. Departments must have their own Employer Tax
Identification Numbers (EIN) and separate Fire Department Identification
FDID numbers to qualify.

FEMA believes two or more organizations sharing facilities should be
able to satisfy all of operational needs with one program area
application. Thus, if two or more organizations share facilities and
each submit an application in the same program area, FEMA will deem all
of those program area applications ineligible.

Fire-based EMS training and equipment must be applied for under the Fire
Operations and Firefighter Safety program area. A nonaffiliated EMS
organization may only apply for assistance under the Nonaffiliated EMS
Operations and Safety program area.

Non-federal airport and/or port authority fire or EMS organizations are
eligible only if they have a formally recognized arrangement with the
local jurisdiction to provide fire suppression or emergency medical
services on a first-due basis outside the confines of the airport or
port facilities. Airport or port authority fire and EMS organizations
whose sole responsibility is suppression of fires or EMS response on the
airport grounds or port facilities are not eligible for funding under
AFG.

 Loan

 None Required

 No

Management and Administration: Administrative costs up to five percent
of the awarded amount.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

Funding Opportunity Description

Program Overview and Priorities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management
Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate is responsible for the
implementation and administration of the Assistance to Firefighters
Grants (AFG) Program.

The purpose of AFG is to enhance through financial assistance the safety
of the public and firefighters regarding fire and fire-related hazards.

FEMA strives to provide clear guidance and application tools to assist
applicants. This package provides an overview of AFG, the grant
application information, and an explanation of FEMA requirements for a
successful grant request.

Program Objectives

The objective of the AFG is to award grants directly to fire departments
and EMS organizations that are unaffiliated with a hospital to enhance
their ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as
that of first-responder personnel.

Funding Information

Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

Available Funding for the FOA: $285,625,000

Projected Award Start Date(s): 9/10/2012

Projected Award End Date(s): 3/31/2013

Period of Performance: 12 months from the date awarded.

 No

Extensions to the period of performance will be considered only through
formal requests to FEMA with specific and compelling justifications as
to why an extension is required. Extensions are considered on a
case-by-case basis.

Eligibility Information

Only fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations are eligible
to apply for funding. Organizations must operate in one of the 50
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or Puerto Rico.

The following applicant types are ineligible to apply under this
announcement

Fire departments that are federal, or contracted by the Federal
Government, and are solely responsible under a formally recognized
agreement for suppression of fires on federal installations or land

Fire stations that are not independent entities, but are part of,
controlled by, or under the day-to-day operational direction of a larger
fire department or agency

Fire departments that are for-profit departments (i.e., do not have
specific nonprofit status or are not municipally based)

Auxiliaries, fire service organizations or associations, and state/local
agencies such as a forest service, fire marshals, hospitals, and
training offices

Dive teams and search and rescue teams, or any similar organizations
that do not provide medical transport

Funding Restrictions

There are four types of eligible applications: Operations & Safety,
Vehicles, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Regional. Each activity
has its own eligibility requirements.

Restrictions on Use of Award Funds:

Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety

The five fundable activities included in this program area are:

Firefighter Training

Firefighting Equipment

Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Firefighter Wellness and Fitness

Modifications to Fire Stations and Facilities

Applicants may apply under as many of the activities within these
program areas as they deem necessary. Applicants requesting multiple
activities will need to provide justification for each individual
project. Remember that a separate narrative is required in each program
area. In order to be eligible for purchase with grant funds, equipment
requested within AFG must meet all mandatory regulatory requirements as
well as any national, state, and/or DHS-adopted standards. The Responder
Knowledge Base (RKB), which is accessible at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.rkb.us"  http://www.rkb.us , includes relevant information
on first responder standards. The site also allows “guest users” to
ask questions about applicable standards.

I. Firefighter Training

Eligible training activities and expenses include but are not limited
to:

Firefighter I and II certifications

First Responder/Emergency Medical Responders (EMR)

Driver/Operator

Fire Officer I-IV

Hazardous Materials (Hazmat)

Wildland firefighting

Vehicle rescue

Rapid Intervention Team (RIT)

National Incident Management System (NIMS)/Incident Command (ICS)

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)

Train-the-trainer courses

Alternative fuel firefighting

Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE)
awareness, performance, planning, and management

Safety Officer	Tuition, exam/course fees, and
certifications/certification expenses

Compensation to volunteer firefighters for wages lost to attend training

Purchase of training curricula, training equipment (trailers, mobile
simulators), training props and training services (instructors)

Tow vehicle (if justified in the narrative) limited to $6,000 per
application

Overtime expenses paid to career firefighters to attend training or to
cover colleagues who are in training

Ineligible Activities

Construction of facilities (buildings, towers, etc.)

Firefighting equipment, or PPE, for use in training exercises, such as
SCBA	Flashover simulators

Site preparation to accommodate any training activity, facility, or prop

Purchase or lease of real estate

Remodeling not directly related to grant activities

II. Firefighting Equipment

Eligible Expenditures

The acquiring, assembly, and installing of the requested equipment

Extended warranties and service agreements

Foam and associated equipment

Hazardous materials response equipment

Compressor systems and/or cascade systems to fill SCBAs

Hose, nozzles, and adapters

Training for requested equipment	Boats 20 feet or less in length

Mobile communications equipment (including mobile repeaters and mobile
data systems)

Traffic signal preemption

CBRNE equipment

Individual communications equipment, e.g., portable radios (limited to
seated positions)

Equipment shipping costs and sales tax

Ineligible Expenditures

Construction of facilities, such as buildings, sheds to house
communications, towers, or other equipment

Repeaters that will not be installed or attached to existing
infrastructure or a vehicle

Sirens or other outdoor warning devices

Signage of any kind

Telephones, satellite phones, and cell phones 	EMS expendable supplies
(including, but not limited to, medications, gloves, syringes, and
cervical collars)

Vehicles and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)

Bomb disposal equipment and robots

Mobile radios for personally owned vehicles (except chief fire
officer’s personal vehicle, if justified)

Flashover simulators

III. Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Eligible PPE Expenditures

PPE for structural or wildland firefighting (including boots, pants,
coats, gloves, hoods, goggles, helmets, coveralls, and fire shelters)

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved retro-reflective
highway apparel

Training for requested PPE	SCBAs, spare cylinders, and individual face
pieces

PPE for hazardous materials and other

EMS PPE (coats, trousers, and jumpsuits must meet the NFPA or OSHA
standards) for blood borne pathogens

Ineligible PPE Expenditures

Three-quarter length rubber boots

Uniforms (formal/parade or station/duty) and uniform items (hats,
badges, etc.)	Bomb disposal suits

Personal communications equipment (e.g., radios, cell phones, and
pagers) in the PPE section

IV. Firefighter Wellness and Fitness

Eligible Expenditures

Procurement of entry-level physicals that meet NFPA 1582

Annual medical/fitness health evaluations consistent with NFPA 1582

Immunizations, as required by the department or law (e.g., NFPA)

Behavioral health programs	Implementation of International Association
of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)/International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)
peer fitness trainer programs

Costs for personnel, physical fitness equipment (including shipping
charges and sales tax, as applicable), and supplies directly related to
physical fitness activities

Ineligible Expenditures

Transportation expenses

Fitness club memberships for participants or their families

Non-cash incentives (t-shirts or hats of nominal value, and vouchers to
local businesses or time-off)

Purchase of real estate

Cash incentives 	Purchase of medical equipment that is not used as part
of the Wellness & Fitness program

Contractual services with anyone other than medical professionals (e.g.,
health care consultants, trainers, and nutritionists) such as smoking
cessation

Medical exams that do not meet NFPA 1582

V. Modifications to Fire Stations

Eligible Expenditures

Direct source capture exhaust systems

Sprinkler systems

Smoke/fire alarm notification systems	Air quality systems

Emergency generators

Ineligible Expenditures

Station maintenance

Resurfacing bay floors	Interior remodeling not pertaining to the
requested project(s)

Firefighting Vehicles

Due to inherent differences among urban, suburban, and rural
firefighting needs, AFG has different priorities in the Firefighting
Vehicles program area for departments that serve different types of
communities.

When requesting more than one vehicle, you will be asked to fill out a
separate line item and answer all the questions including a NEW
narrative for each vehicle. For example, if you are requesting to
replace three ambulances, you must fill out the age and vehicle
identification number (VIN) of each vehicle being replaced. You cannot
use the same VIN in each line item.

AFG provides grants for new, used, and refurbished vehicles.

Funds may be used to refurbish a vehicle the department currently owns,
but it will be eligible only if the vehicle was designed originally for
firefighting. Refurbished vehicles must meet current NFPA 1912
standards.

Converted vehicles not originally designed for firefighting are not
eligible for refurbishment. New vehicles purchased with AFG funds must
be compliant with NFPA 1901 (Standard for Automotive Apparatus) or NFPA
1906 (Standard for Wildland Fire Apparatus).

Used apparatus must be compliant with NFPA 1901 or 1906 for the year the
vehicle was manufactured. Refurbished apparatus must meet the current
NFPA 1912 (Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing).

In FY 2012, applicants that serve urban, suburban, or rural communities
may apply for more than one vehicle. Requests cannot exceed the
financial cap based on population listed in the application. If a
department submits multiple applications, and more than one of those
requests are approved, the department will be held to the same financial
cap based on the population listed in the application.

Eligible Expenditures

Cost of vehicle

Physicals to meet current NFPA 1582/US Department of Transportation
(DOT) 649 F

Cost of associated equipment that is eligible under current NFPA
1901/1906	Driver/operator training programs that meet current NFPA 1002
or its equivalent

Transportation to inspect a requested vehicle during production (if
justified in the Vehicles narrative)

Ineligible Expenditures

Refurbishment of converted vehicles not originally used or intended to
be used for emergency operations

Aircraft, bulldozers, and construction-related equipment	Vehicles
contracted for or purchased prior to end of established application
period

EMS Operations and Safety

These five activities are included in this program area:

First responder/Emergency Medical Responder training

EMS equipment acquisition

EMS Personal Protective Equipment

EMS Wellness and Fitness

Modifications to EMS facilities

Applicants may apply for as many of the activities within this program
area as deemed necessary.

There are no bonuses or penalties associated with applying for multiple
activities.

Fire-based EMS organizations are NOT eligible to apply as a
nonaffiliated EMS organization.

Applicants should ensure all projects applied for under the grant
program are consistent with national, state, and local standards, and
address the goals of interoperable communications and equipment
compatibility. The RKB, which can be accessed at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.rkb.us"  http://www.rkb.us , includes relevant information
on first responder/EMR standards and allows “guest users” to ask
questions regarding applicable standards.

The United States Department of Transportation, under the National EMS
Scope of Practice Model, has changed the titles for EMS providers. Under
this program the following titles have changed;

First Responder is now Emergency Medical Responder

EMT-B is now EMT

EMT I is now EMT Advanced

EMT-P is now Paramedic

FEMA is aware of these changes and will be fully incorporating these
changes into our FY 2013 program.

I. EMS Training

Eligible expenditures and use of training funds include but are not
limited to:

Emergency Medical Responder/Basic Life Support, EMT B

EMT-I / EMT-P

Hazmat operations

Rescue operations

CBRNE awareness, performance, planning, and management

Train-the-trainer courses	Tuition, exam/course fees, and
certifications/certification expenses

Purchase of training curricula, training equipment, training props, and
training services (instructors)

Attendance at formal training forums or conferences providing continuing
education credits, etc.

Overtime expenses paid to first responders to attend training or to
cover colleagues who are in training

Ineligible Expenditures

Construction of facilities, buildings, towers, etc.

Purchase or lease of real estate

Expendables (including but not limited to gloves, gowns, bandages, etc.)
Site preparation to accommodate any training activity, facility, or prop

Remodeling not directly related to other grant activities

II. EMS Equipment

Eligible equipment expenses include but are not limited to:

Basic life support equipment

Advanced life support equipment

Assembly and installation of the requested equipment

Extended warranties and service agreements

Pulse oximeters

Power lift cots

Hazmat and decontamination equipment

Computers

Wireless and broadband mobile data systems (MDTs)	Automated external
defibrillators

Infectious disease control equipment

Equipment for response to incidents involving CBRNE/WMD

Tents, shelters, generators, lights, and heating and cooling units

Portable radios and mobile communications equipment, including mobile
and fixed repeaters

Base stations, computer-aided dispatch, and fixed-site repeaters

Equipment shipping costs and sales tax

Training for requested equipment

Ineligible Expenditures

Construction of facilities, such as buildings or sheds, to house
communications, towers, or other equipment

Repeaters that will not be installed or attached to existing
infrastructure or a vehicle

Station uniforms

Sirens or other outdoor warning devices	Telephones, satellite phones,
and cell phones

Vehicles and ATVs

Bomb disposal equipment and robots

EMS expendable supplies including but not limited to medications,
gloves, syringes, and cervical collars

Signage of any kind

III. EMS Personal Protective Equipment

Eligible PPE Expenditures

EMS turnout gear, extrication jumpsuits, rescue helmets, gloves, and
boots that meet NFPA or OSHA standards for blood-borne pathogens

ANSI-approved retro-reflective highway apparel

EMS PPE for hazardous materials and other specialized incidents	SCBAs,
spare cylinders, individual face pieces, and PASS devices if the
organization has formally adopted SOPs requiring SCBA availability (with
adequate justification in the PPE narrative)

Training for requested PPE

Ineligible PPE Expenditures

Uniforms (formal/parade or station/duty) and uniform items (hats,
badges, etc.)

Personal communications equipment (e.g., radios, cell phones and pagers)
Non-EMS PPE such as wildland firefighting gear, and firefighting turnout
gear

Bomb disposal suits

IV. EMS Wellness & Fitness

Eligible Expenditures

Procurement of entry-level physicals that meet NFPA 1582

Annual medical/fitness health evaluations consistent with NFPA 1582

Immunizations, as required by the department or law (e.g., NFPA)

Behavioral health programs	Implementation of IAFC/IAFF peer fitness
trainer programs

Costs for personnel, physical fitness equipment (including shipping
charges and sales tax, as applicable), and supplies directly related to
physical fitness activities

Ineligible Expenditures

Transportation expenses

Fitness club memberships for participants or their families

Non-cash incentives (t-shirts or hats of nominal value, vouchers to
local businesses, or time off)

Purchase of real estate

Cash incentives 	Purchase of medical equipment that is not used as part
of the Wellness and Fitness program

Contractual services with anyone other than medical professionals (e.g.,
health care consultants, trainers, and nutritionists) for programs such
as smoking cessation

Medical exams that do not meet NFPA 1582

V. Modifications to EMS Facilities

Eligible Expenditures

Direct-source capture exhaust systems

Sprinkler systems

Smoke/fire alarm notification systems	Air quality systems

Emergency generators

Ineligible Expenditures

Station maintenance

Resurfacing bay floors	Interior remodeling not pertaining to the
requested project(s)

EMS Vehicles

Due to inherent differences among urban, suburban, and rural
firefighting needs, AFG has different priorities in the Vehicles program
area for departments that serve different types of communities.

Applicants requesting vehicles that do not have drivers/operators
trained to US Department of Transportation Emergency Vehicle Operators
Course (EVOC) National Standard Curriculum, or equivalent, and are not
planning to have a training program in place by the time the vehicle is
delivered, will not receive an award.

To be eligible for funding, new vehicles purchased with AFG funds must
be compliant with current General Services Administration standards,
specifically KKK-A-1822E (Guide for Emergency Medical Services and
Systems) found at   HYPERLINK
"http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/vehiclestandards/index.cfm"
http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/vehiclestandards/index.cfm

Funds may be used to acquire new, used, or refurbished EMS vehicles.
Funds may also be used to refurbish a vehicle the organization currently
owns. Refurbished apparatus must also meet currently applicable
standards (NFPA, GSA KKK-1822F Specification standards).

When requesting more than one vehicle, you will be asked to fill out a
separate line item and answer all the questions including a NEW
narrative for each vehicle. For example, if you are requesting to
replace three ambulances, you must fill out the age and vehicle
identification number (VIN) of each vehicle being replaced. You cannot
use the same VIN in each line item.

Applicants that serve urban, suburban, or rural communities may apply
for more than one vehicle. Requests cannot exceed the financial cap
based on population listed in the application. If a department submits
multiple applications, and more than one of those requests are approved,
the department will be held to the same financial cap based on the
population listed in the application.

Eligible Expenditures

Cost of vehicle

Transportation to inspect a vehicle under consideration or during
production (if justified in the Vehicles narrative)	Driver/operator
training that meets Department of Transportation Emergency Vehicle
Operators Course (EVOC) National Standard Curriculum or equivalent

Physicals that meet the DOT standard

Ineligible Expenditures

Vehicles contracted for or purchased prior to end of established
application period

ATVs and other specialty access vehicles	Aircraft, bulldozers, and
construction-related equipment

Refurbishment of converted vehicles not originally used or intended to
be used for emergency operations

Regional Projects

Any eligible applicant, whether a fire department or a nonaffiliated EMS
organization, may act as a “host applicant” and apply for
large-scale or regional projects on behalf of itself and any number of
organizations in neighboring jurisdictions.

A regional project is one in which multiple organizations serving more
than one local jurisdiction benefit directly from the activities
implemented with the grant funds. A county fire department applying for
a countywide communications system is NOT a regional project because it
does not benefit multiple “seats-of-government.” Regional projects
are designed to facilitate interoperability and efficiency among the
participating jurisdictions. As such, the only activities available for
application under a regional project are training, equipment acquisition
(such as communications equipment) that positively affect
interoperability between jurisdictions and PPE, including SCBAs.

For example, a regional project serving a population of fewer than
500,000 people will be limited to $1 million. Regional projects’ cost
share will be based on the total population of the entire region, not
the population of the host applicant. All non-federal cost share funds
must be in cash; in-kind contributions are not acceptable.

A regional host must include a list of all the participating
organizations benefitting from a proposed regional project. When
requesting SCBA as a regional project, the host is required to list all
prior SCBA grants received by regional partners.

In general, equipment purchased as a result of a regional project will
be physically distributed to all the departments that are beneficiaries
of the project. This physical distribution of the equipment to other
first responder organizations is the single characteristic that
distinguishes them from projects that are not regional in nature, but
may have an impact on a region via mutual aid.

For example, a project that would not be considered to have an effect on
interoperability (and thus would not be considered a regional project)
would be an application for an air compressor or a hazardous materials
(Hazmat) response vehicle. In this example, the assets would be shared
with neighboring departments under mutual or automatic aid agreements,
but they would be physically located in the awardee’s department and
not disseminated among the participants.

In order to apply for a regional project, the host organization must
agree, if awarded, to be responsible for all aspects of the grant. This
includes, but is not limited to, accountability for the assets and all
reporting requirements. All organizations involved must have some kind
of documentation for distribution of grant funded assets and financial
responsibility in place prior to any award.

I. Regional Equipment

Eligible Expenditures

Communications equipment to include infrastructure (dispatch centers),
handheld portables, pagers, repeaters, etc.

Other equipment that would be beneficial to the mission of all regional
partners	Standardization of EMS equipment throughout the region to meet
local jurisdictional standards

Ineligible Expenditures

Vehicles

Wellness and Fitness programs

Firefighting equipment that does not benefit all regional partners
Aircraft, bulldozers, and construction-related equipment

Modifications to facilities

II. Regional Training

Eligible Expenditures

Training that benefits multiple jurisdictions

Training props

Training trailers to include manufactured burn trailers	EMS training
throughout the region to meet local jurisdictional standards

Other training that would be beneficial to the mission of all regional
partners

Ineligible Expenditures

Flashover simulators

Wellness and Fitness Programs	Basic firefighting equipment

III. Regional PPE

Eligible Expenditures

SCBA (to include face piece, voice amp, harness/PASS device, and one
spare cylinder

Accountability systems 	EMS PPE that meets NFPA and OSHA blood-borne
pathogen standards

Firefighting PPE

Ineligible Expenditures

Jumpsuits and uniforms that do not meet basic NFPA and OSHA blood-borne
pathogen standards 	Portable radios

As a reminder, regional applications seeking communications equipment,
including portable radios, must apply under the “equipment”
category. Portable radios are considered equipment and not personal
protective equipment (PPE).

Application Review and Selection Information

Application Review Information

Funding priorities and criteria for evaluating AFG applications are
established based on recommendations from the Criteria Development
Panel. FEMA will rank all submitted applications based on how well they
match the funding priorities for the type of community served. Answers
to the application’s activity-specific questions provide information
used to determine each application ranking relative to the stated
priorities.

Prescoring Process

First, the application will undergo a prescoring process based on the
funding priorities. Then, if the application is determined to be in the
competitive range by meeting those priorities, the projects will proceed
to the peer review process.

Each project in an application will be scored on its own merits,
provided it meets the funding priorities recommended by the AFG’s
Criteria Development Panel.

This year, 50 percent of the final score will be from the electronic
prescore, and 50 percent will be from an average of the Peer
Reviewers’ scores.

Peer Review Process

Those applications scoring the highest in the prescoring process will be
within the competitive range and will undergo further evaluation through
a peer review process.

A panel of at least three Peer Reviewers will evaluate each project in
the competitive range using the Project Narrative, along with answers to
the general questions and the activity-specific questions. During the
panel review process, panelists will provide a subjective but
qualitative judgment on the merits of each request.

Applications, including requests for equipment and/or training, will be
evaluated relative to the critical infrastructure within the
applicant’s area of first-due response. Panelists will assess such
infrastructure and the hazards confronting the community, as explained
in the Narrative.

The panelists will review and score your project based on the following
criteria:

The proposed project and budget

The financial need for the project

The cost benefits that would result

The extent to which the grant would enhance daily operations

How the grant will positively impact the regional ability to protect
life and property

Applications, including requests for CBRNE equipment or training, will
be evaluated by the Peer Reviewers relative to the critical
infrastructure the applicant protects.

Critical infrastructure includes any system or asset that, if attacked,
would result in catastrophic loss of life or catastrophic economic loss.

Critical infrastructure includes:

Public water

Power systems

Major business centers

Chemical facilities

Nuclear power plants

Major rail and highway bridges

Petroleum and/or natural gas transmission pipelines

Storage facilities (such as chemicals)

Telecommunications facilities

Facilities that support large public gatherings, such as sporting events
or concerts

If applying as a regional host, an applicant must include a list of all
the participating organizations that will benefit from a proposed
regional project.

Fire departments or nonaffiliated EMS organizations acting as host
applicants for a regional project may also apply for their own project
funding under AFG, as long as they are not requesting the same items for
the regional project. A host applicant may submit a request to meet its
own, non-regional needs in a separate application.

Each project will be judged on its own merits, not compared to other
projects. As part of the cost benefit review, the panelists will
consider all expenses budgeted, including the individual costs of the
items requested, as well as the extraneous costs such as warranties or
maintenance costs, administrative costs, and/or indirect costs.

Panelists may object to costs that are requested but not fully explained
in the application. Panelists will review each application in its
entirety and rate the application according to the established
evaluation criteria.

Each application scoring high during the peer review process will be
deemed in the fundable range. The initial peer-reviewed project scores
are combined with the initial pre-scores of the projects, each
representing 50 percent of the total project score with respect to the
final award determination.

These projects will undergo a Technical Review by a Subject Matter
Specialist (SMS), as well as a Program Office review, prior to being
recommended for award.

In the Technical Review, the SMS will assess the technical feasibility
of the project. After the review, the Program Office will conduct an
additional review to assess the request with respect to costs,
quantities, and eligibility prior to recommending the project for award.

State Strategy and Communications Technical Review

Each state will provide a representative to the AFG Program Office to
conduct a Technical Review of peer-reviewed applications from the
state’s perspective. This state review will focus on requests for
CBRNE-related equipment or training, and/or interoperable communications
equipment or training.

After the panel review process is complete, the designated state
homeland security official will review the application to ensure
requests for communications systems conform to the state’s Statewide
Communication Interoperability Plan (SCIP).

Grantees using FY2012 AFG funds to support emergency communications
activities should review and comply with the FY2012 SAFECOM Guidance for
Emergency Communication Grants, including provisions on technical
standards that ensure and enhance interoperable
communications. Communication equipment (e.g., portable radios) would
be included in this standard. This guidance can be found at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.safecomprogram.gov"  http://www.safecomprogram.gov .

Grantees investing in emergency communications must ensure their
projects support Statewide Communications interoperability Plan (SCIP)
for their state.

Application Selection Process

Specific Funding Parameters

Congress directed DHS to administer the following appropriations:

Up to 5 percent of funds may be used for program administration.

Up to 2 percent of funds may be used for awards to nonaffiliated EMS
organizations.

No more than 25 percent of funds may be used for vehicle awards.

FEMA is implementing the following parameter:

FEMA is allocating $35 million towards Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S)
Grants and research and development activities that improve firefighter
safety. The FP&S Grants are not part of this AFG solicitation. The FP&S
Grants application period is expected to commence in the fall or winter
of 2012.

Post-Selection and Pre-Award Guidelines

Notice of Award

AFG will evaluate and act on applications within 90 days following close
of the application period. It is projected that all awards will be made
on or before September 30, 2012, but no later than March 31, 2013.

Administrative and Federal Financial Requirements

All successful applicants for all DHS Grant and Cooperative Agreements
are required to comply with DHS Standard Administrative Terms and
Conditions available on page 6 of   HYPERLINK
"http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cfo-financial-management-policy-manu
al.pdf"
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cfo-financial-management-policy-manua
l.pdf .

A complete list of Federal Financial Requirements is available at:
HYPERLINK "http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_forms"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_forms

In addition to the DHS Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions
administrative, financial, and reporting requirements list, successful
applicants must comply with any program-specific administrative and
financial reporting requirements once they have received funds.

This information should allow successful applicants to identify any
conditions of an award prior to accepting an award.

Programmatic Reporting Requirements

Reporting requirements must be met throughout the life of the grant
(refer to the Program Guidance and the special conditions found in the
award package for a full explanation of these requirements).

Any reports or documents prepared as a result of this grant shall be in
compliance with federal “plain English” policies, directives, etc.

Grantees are obliged to submit various financial and programmatic
reports as a condition of their award acceptance. Please see below for a
summary of financial and/or programmatic reports as required. Future
awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if these reports are
delinquent.

Federal Financial Report  XE "Financial Status Report (FSR)"   (FFR) –
required semi-annually

Obligations and expenditures must be reported on a semi-annual basis
through the FFR (SF-425), replacing the SF-269 and SF-272, which is due
within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter (e.g., for the
quarter ending March 31, the FFR is due no later than April 30). A
report must be submitted every six months during the period of
performance, including partial calendar quarters, as well as for periods
where no grant activity occurs. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be
withheld if these reports are delinquent. The final FFR is due 90 days
after the end date of the performance period. FFRs must be filed
electronically through e-Grants system.

AFG Semi-Annual (Programmatic) Performance Report

The awardees will be responsible for providing updated obligation and
expenditure information on a semi-annual basis. The applicant is
responsible for completing and submitting a programmatic Performance
Report using the e-Grants system. The programmatic Performance Report is
due six months after the grant’s award date and every six months after
if applicable.

Exercise Evaluation and Improvement

Exercises implemented with grant funds should evaluate performance of
the capabilities required to respond to the exercise scenario. Guidance
related to exercise evaluation and the implementation of improvements is
defined in the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program located
at   HYPERLINK "https://hseep.dhs.gov"  https://hseep.dhs.gov .

Reporting requirements under the Federal Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA) (Public Law 109-282), as amended by
Section 6202(a) of the Government Funding Transparency Act of 2008
(Public Law 110-252)

As defined by the OMB, all new federal awards of $25,000 or more as of
October 1, 2010 are subject to FFATA reporting requirements. “Federal
awards” include not only prime awards for grantees, cooperators, and
contractors, but also awards to sub-recipients. More information can be
found at   HYPERLINK "http://www.usaspending.gov/news"
http://www.usaspending.gov/news .

Financial and Compliance Audit Report

Recipients that expend $500,000 or more of federal funds during their
fiscal year are required to submit an organization-wide financial and
compliance audit report. The audit must be performed in accordance with
GAO’s Government Auditing Standards, located at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.gao.gov/yellowbook"  http://www.gao.gov/yellowbook , and OMB
Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations, located at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_default"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars_default . Audit reports are
currently due to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse no later than nine
months after the end of the recipient’s fiscal year. The state shall
require that sub-grantees comply with the audit requirements set forth
in OMB Circular A-133. Recipients are responsible for ensuring that
sub-recipient audit reports are received and for resolving any audit
findings.

The grantee shall give FEMA, the sponsoring agency, through any
authorized representative, access to and the right to examine all
records, books, papers or documents related to the grant, and the use
and management of these funds.

Monitoring

Grant recipients will be monitored periodically by FEMA staff, both
programmatically and financially, to ensure that the project goals,
objectives, performance requirements, timelines, milestone completion,
budgets, and other related program criteria are being met.

Monitoring may be accomplished through either a desk-based review or
on-site monitoring visits, or both. Monitoring will involve the review
and analysis of the financial, programmatic, performance, compliance and
administrative processes, policies, activities, and other attributes of
each federal assistance award and will identify areas where technical
assistance, corrective actions, and other support may be needed.

The recipient is responsible for monitoring all sub-award activities to
ensure compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, and
guidance. Responsibilities include the accounting of receipts and
expenditures, cash management, maintaining of adequate financial
records, reporting and refunding expenditures disallowed by audits,
monitoring, or other assessments and reviews.

Grant Closeout Process

Within 90 days after the end of the period of performance, grantees must
submit a final FFR and final progress report detailing all
accomplishments throughout the period of performance. After these
reports have been reviewed and approved by FEMA, a closeout notice will
be completed to closeout the grant. The notice will indicate the period
of performance as closed, list any remaining funds that will be
deobligated, and address the requirement of maintaining the grant
records for three years from the date of the final FFR. The grantee is
responsible for returning any funds that have been drawndown but remain
as unliquidated on grantee financial records.

Required performance and financial reports for Grant Closeout:

Final performance report narrative (within the Closeout module in
e-Grants) is due 90 days after the end of the period of performance

Final SF-425 is due 90 days after the end of the grant period

DHS FEMA Contact Information

Contact and Resource Information

This section describes several resources that may help applicants in
completing a FEMA grant application.

AFG Help Desk

The AFG program staffs a Help Desk throughout the application period.
The Help Desk can provide assistance with navigation through the
automated application, as well as provide programmatic assistance with
respect to questions of eligibility. The Help Desk can be contacted at
1-866-274-0960 or via e-mail at   HYPERLINK<EMAIL_ADDRESS><EMAIL_ADDRESS>. The Help Desk hours of operation during the
application period are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday. All times listed are eastern daylight times.

Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID)

CSID is a non-emergency comprehensive management and information
resource developed by DHS for grants stakeholders. CSID provides
general information on all FEMA grant programs and maintains a
comprehensive database containing key personnel contact information at
the federal, state, and local levels. CSID can be reached by phone at
(800) 368-6498 or by e-mail at   HYPERLINK<EMAIL_ADDRESS>\o
<EMAIL_ADDRESS><EMAIL_ADDRESS>, 8:00 AM – 6:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. All times listed are eastern times.

Grant Programs Directorate (GPD)

FEMA GPD’s Grants Management Division will provide fiscal support,
including pre- and post-award administration and technical assistance,
to the grant programs included in this solicitation. Additional guidance
and information can be obtained by contacting the FEMA Call Center at
(866) 927-5646 or via e-mail to   HYPERLINK<EMAIL_ADDRESS><EMAIL_ADDRESS>.

FEMA Regional Fire Program Specialists

Each of the FEMA regions have specialists that can assist applicants
with the application process. Interested parties may contact the AFG
Help Desk for information on the nearest regional specialists.

Other Critical Information

Additional Information: N/A

How to Apply

DHS makes all funding opportunities available through the common
electronic “storefront” grants.gov, accessible on the Internet at
HYPERLINK "http://www.grants.gov"  http://www.grants.gov . If you
experience difficulties accessing information or have any questions,
please call the grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at<PHONE_NUMBER>.

Applications are accessible via   HYPERLINK
"http://www.fema.gov/firegrants"  http://www.fema.gov/firegrants . The
automated application is designed with help screens and drop-down menus
to assist the applicant throughout the application process. Applicants
can save their work and retrieve it for updates and revisions through
the end of the application period. The application will also be
accessible from the US Fire Administration’s (USFA) Web site
HYPERLINK "http://www.usfa.fema.gov"  http://www.usfa.fema.gov .

Application and Submission Information

Applicants will obtain FOA Overviews and Full Announcement information
from the grants.gov Web site where the full FOA is posted.

For a hard copy of the full announcement, please call:

Assistance to Firefighters Grant Help Desk

1-866-274-0960

Applications will be processed through   HYPERLINK
"http://www.fema.gov/firegrants"  http://www.fema.gov/firegrants .

ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANTS PROGRAM

OVERVIEW

Program Guidance Changes

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG)
remains largely unchanged from the previous year’s program. In FY
2012, the program remains focused on firefighter health and safety, as
well as the safety of the public the firefighters serve.

Maintenance and Sustainment

The use of FEMA preparedness grant funds for maintenance contracts,
warranties, repair or replacement costs, upgrades, and user fees are
allowable under all active and future grant awards, unless otherwise
noted. For additional information, see DHS/FEMA Information Bulletin
No. 336, dated November 20, 2009.

Available Funding

$285,625,000

Reminder for 2012

Updated Get Ready Guides – A handy guide to give you a kick start in
prepping your grant application and better prepare you to thoroughly
answer the application questions is available at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.fema.gov/firegrants"  http://www.fema.gov/firegrants .

Updated Applicant Tool, Quick Reference Guide – A reference guide to
assist you in answering application questions and funding priorities is
available at   HYPERLINK "http://www.fema.gov/firegrants"
http://www.fema.gov/firegrants .

Guidance and Application Kit Changes

Part l – Funding Opportunity Description

.

In Wellness & Fitness, we use Priority 1 & Priority 2 instead of the
description above.

), all the proposed activities within that priority have an equal value.

In FY 2012, you may submit one application per application period in
each of the program areas (e.g., one application under Operations and
Safety, one under Vehicle Acquisition, and/or a separate application as
a regional host). You may also submit an application as a non-affiliated
EMS organization.

If multiple applications are submitted on behalf of the same
organization within any of the program areas, either intentionally or
unintentionally, FEMA will deem all applications in that program area to
be ineligible. Please remember when submitting one application in
Operations & Safety and another in Vehicles your organization’s
funding will be held to your population funding cap.

Below is a summary of the scoring process for the AFG Program for FY
2012.

Scoring Process – Applications will receive two reviews that comprise
their total score. The first review will measure the request to see if
it meets the funding priorities. This will count for 50 percent of the
total score and determine whether or not the application goes to panel.
The second review is the panel score, which is 50 percent of the
application’s total score.

Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety

Eligible Items for 2012

Wellness & Fitness

A fourth program area, Behavioral Health Programs, was added to the
eligible Wellness and Fitness Programs in 2011 for both fire departments
and non-affiliated EMS organizations.

Vehicles

In FY 2012, applicants who serve urban, suburban, or rural communities
may apply for more than one vehicle. Requests cannot exceed the
financial cap based on population listed in the application. If a
department submits multiple applications and more than one of the
requests are approved, the department will be held to the same financial
cap based on population listed in the application(s).

In fire-based incidents, vehicles and ambulances will share the same
priority as a pumper in scoring.

Applicants requesting vehicles that do not have drivers/operators
trained to current NFPA 1002 or equivalent and are not planning to have
a program in place by the time the vehicle is delivered will not receive
a vehicle award.

Extended warranties and service agreements are still eligible if
acquired at the time of the original purchase.

Aerials include quints of any size.

Regional

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is eligible for regional project
funding, as is training and equipment.

Grantee Requirement: Central Contractor Registration is required to
receive an AFG award. For details, see Part IV. Application and
Submission Information, Section D. Central Contract Registration (CCR).

Be sure to explain your training request and program clearly in the
Narrative section.

In order to know what NFPA standards apply and how to list them by
number in the application, please visit   HYPERLINK
"http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"  http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

New for 2012

For the FY 2012 program, the term “other” has been removed from the
application drop-down menus in all areas. Select “requested items
available” from the lists provided in the drop-down menus only.

When requesting training for equipment, personal protective equipment,
modifications to facilities, vehicles, EMS equipment, EMS personal
protective equipment, or regional applications, your training request
MUST be listed in the Other section under Additional Funding in the same
category. For example, your department is requesting extrication
equipment and you wish to receive formal training on the use of the new
equipment. You would make this request in the line item area equipment
but under Additional Funding, not Request Details Training.

When requesting to replace old or obsolete equipment, you will be asked
to provide the age of the equipment being replaced. In order for
SCBA/PPE to be considered obsolete, it must be a minimum of two NFPA
cycles or 10 years of age or older.

When requesting funding for Environmental Planning and Historical
Preservation (EHP) review, enter the funding request under Additional
Funding in Request Details.

When requesting a program(s) under the Request Details for Wellness and
Fitness in both Fire and EMS, you MUST have all four programs already in
place (or request a combination of programs to have all four programs in
place) or you will be unable to go further. If you have all four or a
combination of requested programs in place, then the application will
allow you to request other items such as physical fitness equipment.

When requesting more than one vehicle, you will be asked to fill out a
separate line item and answer all the questions including a NEW
narrative for each vehicle. For example, if you are requesting to
replace three ambulances, you must fill out the age and vehicle
identification number (VIN) of each vehicle being replaced. You cannot
use the same VIN number in each line item.

PART I.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management
Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate is responsible for the
implementation and administration of the Assistance to Firefighters
Grants (AFG) Program.

The purpose of AFG is to enhance through financial assistance the safety
of the public and firefighters regarding fire and fire-related hazards.
The authority for AFG is derived from the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 USC §§ 2229 et seq.), as amended. Congress
appropriated $285,625,000 for the FY 2012 AFG (Public Law 112-74).

FEMA strives to provide clear guidance and application tools to assist
applicants. This package provides an overview of AFG, the grant
application information, and an explanation of FEMA requirements for a
successful grant request.

A. 	Criteria Development Process

Each year, FEMA convenes a panel of fire service subject matter
specialists to develop the funding priorities and other implementation
criteria for AFG. The panel is charged with making recommendations to
FEMA regarding the creation of new and/or modification of previously
funded priorities, as well as developing criteria for awarding grants.

The nine major fire service organizations represented on the panel
include the following:

Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI)

International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI)

International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)

International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)

International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI)

National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM)

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)

North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD)

The content of the AFG Guidance and Application Kit reflects the
implementation of the Criteria Development Panel’s recommendations
regarding priorities, direction, and criteria for awards.

All of the funding priorities for the FY 2012 AFG are designed to
address:

First responder safety

Enhancing national capabilities

Risk

Interoperability

B.  	Funding Priorities

AFG funding priorities differ for fire departments and nonaffiliated
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations.

A nonaffiliated EMS is a public or nonprofit emergency medical service
organization that provides direct emergency medical services, including
emergency medical transport for specific geographic area on a first-due
basis, but is not affiliated with a hospital and does not serve a
geographic area where EMS is adequately provided by a fire department or
another EMS agency.

1.  Fire Department Priorities

a. Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety

The following five different fundable activities are included in this
program area:

Firefighter Training

Firefighting Equipment

Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Firefighter Wellness & Fitness

Modifications to Fire Stations and Facilities

Applicants may apply under as many of the activities within these
program areas as they deem necessary. Applicants requesting multiple
activities will need to provide justification for each individual
project. Remember that a separate narrative is required in each program
area. In order to be eligible for purchase with grant funds, equipment
requested within AFG must meet all mandatory regulatory requirements as
well as any national, state, and/or DHS-adopted standards. The Responder
Knowledge Base (RKB), which is accessible at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.rkb.us"  http://www.rkb.us , includes relevant information
on first responder standards. The site also allows guest users to ask
questions about applicable standards.

i. Firefighter Training

FEMA has determined the most benefit is derived from instructor-led
training that is hands-on and leads to a national or state
certification. Therefore, applications focused on national or state
certification training, including train-the-trainer initiatives, receive
a higher competitive rating.

Instructor-led training that requires students to demonstrate via
testing their grasp of knowledge of the training material, and is
integral to a certification, will receive a high competitive rating.
Instructor-led training that does not lead to a certification, as well
as any self-taught courses, are of lower benefit and, therefore, will
not be high priorities.

Proposed training projects that benefit the highest percentage of
applicable personnel, such as the hazardous materials training within a
fire department or training that will be open to other departments in
the region, receive a high competitive advantage.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of training
and prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA standards may be reviewed at
HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"
http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible training includes, but is not limited to:

Firefighter I and II certifications

First Responder/Emergency Medical Responders (EMR)

Driver/Operator

Fire Officer I-IV

Hazardous Materials (Hazmat)

Wildland firefighting

Vehicle rescue

Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) 	National Incident Management System
(NIMS)/Incident Command (ICS)

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Train-the-trainer courses

Alternative fuel firefighting

Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE)
awareness, performance, planning, and management

Safety Officer

Eligible uses of training funds include but are not limited to:

Tuition, exam/course fees, and certifications/certification expenses

Compensation to volunteer firefighters for wages lost to attend training

Purchase of training curricula, training equipment (trailers, mobile
simulators), training props, and training services (instructors)	Tow
vehicle (if justified in the narrative) limited to $6,000 per
application

Overtime expenses paid to career firefighters to attend training or to
cover colleagues who are in training

Ineligible Activities

Construction of facilities (buildings, towers, etc.)

Firefighting equipment, or PPE, for use in training exercises, such as
SCBA	Flashover simulators

Site preparation to accommodate any training activity, facility, or prop

Purchase or lease of real estate

Remodeling not directly related to grant activities

The following are considerations in prescoring and panelist review

Due to inherent differences among urban, suburban, and rural
firefighting needs, AFG has different priorities in the Firefighter
Training program area for departments that serve different types of
communities.

Definitions

Urban: Comprises all territory, population, and housing units in
urbanized areas. It has a population of 50,000 or greater.

Suburban: Comprises all territory, population, and housing units in
suburban areas or outside a city or town with a population 20,000 to
49,999.

Rural: Comprises all territory, population, and housing units in rural
areas or outside a city or town with a population less than 20,000.

Metro Department: A metro fire department contains minimum staffing of
400 paid/career members.

Training is categorized as a High (H), Medium (M), or Low (L) funding
priority; within each category (H, M, L), listed activities have an
equal funding priority.

Fire prevention	 1/909/913/

NFPA (ARFF)	1003/402

403/408/

409/410/

412/414/

Reminder for the application:

Be sure to explain your training request and program clearly in the
Narrative section.

Know what NFPA standards apply and be prepared to list them by number in
the application   HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"
http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Remodeling/Renovations of Existing Facilities

Remodeling/renovations must be minor interior alterations costing less
than $10,000 to support training. Remodeling/renovations may not change
the footprint or profile of the building. Any request for modifications
to facilities may require an Environmental and Historic Preservation
(EHP) review. Additional information may also be required for EHP
review.

ii. Firefighting Equipment

AFG Funds are available for equipment to enhance the safety or
effectiveness of firefighting, rescue, and fire-based EMS functions.

Equipment requested must meet all mandatory requirements as well as any
national and/or state DHS-adopted standards. See NFPA standards at
HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"
http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 . The equipment requested should improve
the health and safety of the public and firefighters.

Reminder: When requesting training for any equipment, enter the request
under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details section.

Note: Requested communications equipment or systems must meet the
following P25 Compliance criteria.

P25 Compliance

Applicants purchasing P25 equipment must obtain documented evidence from
the manufacturer that the equipment has been tested and passed all the
applicable, published, normative P25 Compliance assessment test
procedures for performance, conformance, and interoperability as defined
in the “Grant Guidance-P25 Explanatory Addenda,” which can be found
at:   HYPERLINK
"http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/86/GRAN
TGUIDANCEPROJECT25EXPLANATORYADDENDAv2.pdf"
http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/86/GRANT
GUIDANCEPROJECT25EXPLANATORYADDENDAv2.pdf

Grantees should be prepared to demonstrate how their procurements comply
with these requirements. When purchasing P25 Land Mobile Radio
equipment/systems, grantees will, at a minimum, ensure the vendor has
participated in equipment testing consistent with the P25 Compliance
Assessment Program (P25 CAP). Where such equipment is covered in the P25
CAP requirements document, it must be tested in accordance with
applicable standards and policies of the P25 CAP, and evidence of this
testing must be documented through Supplier’s Declarations of
Compliance and Summary Test Reports that have been posted to   HYPERLINK
"http://www.rkb.us"  http://www.rkb.us .

If documentation is not available through the P25 CAP, agencies must
obtain documented evidence from the manufacturer that the equipment has
been tested and passed all of the applicable, published, normative, P25
test procedures for performance, conformance, and interoperability.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of equipment
and prescoring essentials.

Eligible Expenditures

Acquire, assemble, and install the requested equipment

Standard & extended warranties and/or service agreements

Foam and associated equipment

Hazardous materials response equipment

Compressor systems and/or cascade systems to fill SCBAs

Hose, nozzles, and adapters

Training for requested equipment	Boats 20 feet or less in length

Mobile communications equipment (including mobile repeaters and mobile
data systems)

Traffic signal preemption

CBRNE equipment

Individual communications equipment, e.g., portable radios (limited to
seated riding positions)

Equipment shipping costs and sales tax

Ineligible Expenditures

Construction of facilities, such as buildings, sheds to house
communications, towers, or other equipment

Repeaters that will not be installed or attached to existing
infrastructure or a vehicle

Sirens or other outdoor warning devices

Signage of any kind

Telephones, satellite phones, and cell phones 	EMS expendable supplies
(including, but not limited to, medications, gloves, syringes, and
cervical collars)

Vehicles and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)

Bomb disposal equipment and robots

Mobile radios for personally-owned vehicles (except chief fire
officer’s personal vehicle, if justified)

Flashover simulators

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review:

	Requesting items for a new mission to meet an existing risk and/or
request additional supplies or reserve equipment

Remodeling/Renovations of Existing Facilities

Remodeling/renovations to an existing facility to accommodate equipment
purchased with grant funds must be minor interior alterations costing
less than $10,000 and justified in the Request Details narrative for the
Equipment activity. Remodeling/renovations may not change the footprint
or profile of the building. Any request for modifications to facilities
may require an Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) review.
Additional information may also be required for EHP review.

Additional Considerations

Equipment that has a direct effect on firefighters’ health and safety

Age of equipment being replaced

Equipment that benefits other jurisdictions

Equipment that brings the department into compliance with nationally
recommended standards (e.g., NFPA) or statutory compliance (e.g.,
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA))

iii. Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

AFG Funds are available to acquire primarily OSHA-required and
NFPA-compliant PPE for firefighting personnel.

Equipment requested must meet all current mandatory requirements, as
well as any national and/or state DHS-adopted standards. Equipment
requested should have the goal of increasing firefighter safety. When
requesting to replace old or obsolete equipment, you will be asked to
provide the age of the equipment being replaced. In order for SCBA/PPE
to be considered obsolete, it must be a minimum of two NFPA cycles or 10
years of age or older.

Copies of NFPA standards may be reviewed at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"  http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is defined as items “worn” by
firefighters to protect themselves.

Reminder: When requesting training for any PPE, enter the request under
Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details section.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of PPE and
prescoring essentials:

Eligible PPE Expenditures

PPE for structural or wildland firefighting (including boots, pants,
coats, gloves, hoods, goggles, helmets, coveralls, and fire shelters)

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-approved retro-reflective
highway apparel

Training for requested PPE	SCBAs, spare cylinders, and individual face
pieces

PPE for hazardous materials and other

EMS activities (coats, trousers, and jumpsuits must meet the NFPA or
OSHA standards) for blood borne pathogens

Ineligible PPE Expenditures

Three-quarter length rubber boots

Uniforms (formal/parade or station/duty) and uniform items (hats,
badges, etc.)	Bomb disposal suits

Personal communications equipment (e.g., radios, cell phones, and
pagers) in the PPE section

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review:

PPE is categorized as a High (H), Medium (M), or Low (L) funding
priority; within each category (H, M, L), listed activities have an
equal funding priority.

	Departments requesting new PPE for the first time

Replacing or updating obsolete PPE to the current standard

	Replacing contaminated PPE

	Worn but usable PPE that is not compliant to the current edition of the
NFPA standard, and/or to handle a new mission or increase current
inventory

Used PPE

Replacing New PPE

New Mission

Increase Supplies

	Replacing SCBA compliant with NFPA 1981, 2007 Edition (must be
justified in the PPE Narrative)

Training on Use of Requested Equipment

Applicants must indicate that the grant-purchased PPE will be utilized
by adequately trained staff and/or request appropriate training for the
requested items. Failure to meet this requirement may result in
ineligibility for PPE funding. If you are requesting training, it must
be entered in the Additional Funding section of PPE under training.

Additional Considerations

Applicants will be required to provide the age of the PPE being
replaced.

Obsolete is defined as any SCBA/PPE that is 10 years or older or two
NFPA cycles.

Applicants with the oldest PPE and/or trying to bring the department
into 100 percent NFPA compliance, or the number of firefighters who will
have compliant gear.

iv. Firefighter Wellness & Fitness

Wellness & Fitness programs are intended to strengthen first responders
so their mental, physical, and emotional capabilities are resilient to
withstand the demands of emergency services response. In order to be
eligible for FY 2012 AFG funding in this activity, fire departments must
offer, or plan to offer, all four of the following:

Periodic health screenings

Entry physical examinations

Immunizations

Behavioral health programs

When requesting a program(s) under the request details for Wellness &
Fitness in both Fire & EMS, you MUST have all four programs already in
place (or request a combination of programs to have all four programs in
place) or you will be unable to proceed with this portion of the
application process. If you have all four or a combination of the
requested programs in place, the application will allow you to request
Priority 2 items, such as physical fitness equipment.

Reminder: When requesting training for any items in this section, enter
the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details
section.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of Wellness
and Fitness, as well as prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA standards
can be reviewed at   HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"
http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible Expenditures

Procurement of entry-level physicals that meet NFPA 1582

Annual medical/fitness health evaluations consistent with NFPA 1582

Immunizations, as recommended by the department or law (e.g., NFPA)

Behavioral health programs	Implementation of International Association
of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)/International Association of Firefighters (IAFF)
peer fitness trainer programs

Costs for personnel, physical fitness equipment (including shipping
charges and sales tax, as applicable), and supplies directly related to
physical fitness activities

Ineligible Expenditures

Transportation expenses

Fitness club memberships for participants or their families

Non-cash incentives (t-shirts or hats of nominal value, and vouchers to
local businesses or time-off)

Purchase of real estate

Cash incentives 	Purchase of medical equipment that is not used as part
of the Wellness & Fitness program

Contractual services with anyone other than medical professionals (e.g.,
health care consultants, trainers, and nutritionists)

Medical exams that do not meet NFPA 1582

Priority Considerations

Priority 1 - Below are the four programs required to offer a complete
Wellness & Fitness program.

Initial medical exams

Job-related immunization program

Annual medical and fitness evaluation

Behavioral health program(s)

Departments that have some of the Priority 1 programs in place must
apply for funds to implement the other Priority 1 programs before
applying for funds for any additional program or equipment. In addition,
funded medical exams must meet current NFPA 1582, as required by DHS
standards.

Priority 2 - You may only apply for Priority 2 items if you offer or are
requesting a combination of the following four programs required under
Priority 1.

Candidate physical ability evaluation

Formal fitness and injury prevention program/equipment

Injury/illness rehab

IAFF or IAFC peer fitness trainer program(s)

Remodeling/Renovations of Existing Facilities

Remodeling/renovations to an existing facility to house a fitness
activity, such as exercise or fitness rooms, showers, etc., must be
minor interior alterations costing less than $10,000 and justified in
the Request Details narrative for the Wellness and Fitness activity.

Remodeling/renovations may not change the footprint or profile of the
building. Any request for modifications to facilities may require an
Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) Review. Additional
information may also be required for EHP Review.

v. Modifications to Fire Stations

FY 2012 AFG Grants may be used to modify fire stations and other
facilities. New fire station construction is not allowed. Grant funds
may only be used to retrofit existing structures built prior to 2003.

No modification may change the structures footprint or profile. If
requesting multiple items, such as a sprinkler system and exhaust
system, the total funding for all projects and activities cannot exceed
$100,000 per fire station. Eligible projects under this activity must
have a direct effect on the health and safety of firefighters.

FEMA is legally required to consider the potential impacts of all
grant-funded projects on environmental resources and historic
properties. For AFG and other preparedness grant programs, this is
accomplished via FEMA’s environmental and historic preservation (EHP)
review. Grantees must comply with all applicable EHP laws, regulations,
and Executive Orders (EOs) in order to drawdown their FY 2012 AFG Grant
Funds. Any project with the potential to impact natural resources or
historic properties cannot be initiated until FEMA has completed the
required FEMA EHP review. Grantees that implement projects prior to
receiving EHP approval from FEMA risk de-obligation of funds.

AFG Projects that involve the installation of equipment,
ground-disturbing activities such as a concrete pad for a station
generator, or new construction, including communication towers, or
modification/renovation of existing buildings or structures, must
undergo a FEMA Environmental Planning and Historical Preservation (EHP)
review. Activities not specifically excluded from a FEMA EHP review must
undergo FEMA EHP review, per the GPD Programmatic Environmental
Assessment (PEA). For more information on the PEA, see Information
Bulletin 345 and

  HYPERLINK
"http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/bulletins/fonsi.pdf"
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/bulletins/fonsi.pdf .

Furthermore, for those proposed construction or renovation projects that
are part of larger projects funded from a non-FEMA source (such as an
emergency operation center that is part of a larger proposed public
safety complex), a FEMA EHP review must be completed before the larger
project is initiated. For these types of projects, grantees must
complete the FEMA EHP Screening Form (OMB Number 1660-0115/FEMA Form
024-0-01) and submit it with all supporting documentation to the GPD EHP
team at   HYPERLINK<EMAIL_ADDRESS><EMAIL_ADDRESS>for review. Grantees should submit the FEMA EHP Screening Form for each
project as soon as possible upon receiving the grant award. Refer to
Information Bulletins 329, 345, and 356 located at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/bulletins/index.shtm"
http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/bulletins/index.shtm  and Section
II, Part I.B.5.6 for further details on EHP requirements.

When requesting funding for FEMA EHP Review, enter the funding request
under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details.

The following activities would not require the submission of the FEMA
EHP Screening Form:

Planning and development of policies or processes

Management, administrative, or personnel actions

Classroom-based training

Tabletop exercises

Acquisition of mobile and portable equipment (not involving
installation) on a building.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of
Modification to Fire Stations and prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA
standards may be reviewed at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"  http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible Expenditures

Direct source capture exhaust systems

Sprinkler systems

Smoke/fire alarm notification systems	Air quality systems

Emergency generators

Ineligible Expenditures

Station maintenance

Resurfacing bay floors	Interior remodeling not pertaining to the
requested project(s)

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review

	Departments requesting funding from the high or medium funding
priorities list whose facilities are not occupied 24/7 and do not have
sleeping quarters; departments requesting funding for training
facilities

Level of Occupancy

Occupancy Definitions

Full-time: coverage 24/7

Daily: part-time or selected coverage not on a regular basis

Occasionally: no schedule coverage, volunteers respond to the station

Additional Considerations

Additional considerations will be given for the age of the building;
older facilities receive a higher priority.

If requesting multiple items in this activity, funding cannot exceed a
maximum of $100,000 per station.

Type of Facility

 Occasionally)

Level of Occupancy

Facilities with or without sleeping quarters

Training facilities are a Low priority

b. Firefighting Vehicles

Due to inherent differences among urban, suburban, and rural
firefighting needs, AFG has different priorities in the Firefighting
Vehicles program area for departments that serve different types of
communities.

When requesting more than one vehicle, you will be asked to fill out a
separate line item and answer all the questions including a NEW
narrative for each vehicle. For example, if you are requesting to
replace three ambulances, you must fill out the age and vehicle
identification number (VIN) of each vehicle being replaced. You cannot
use the same VIN in each line item.

AFG provides grants for new, used, and refurbished vehicles.

Funds may be used to refurbish a vehicle the department currently owns,
but it will be eligible only if the vehicle was designed originally for
firefighting. Refurbished vehicles must meet current NFPA 1912
standards.

Converted vehicles not originally designed for firefighting are not
eligible for refurbishment. New vehicles purchased with AFG Funds must
be compliant with NFPA 1901 (Standard for Automotive Apparatus) or NFPA
1906 (Standard for Wildland Fire Apparatus).

Used apparatus must be compliant with NFPA 1901 or 1906 for the year the
vehicle was manufactured. Refurbished apparatus must meet the current
NFPA 1912 (Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing).

In FY 2012, applicants that serve urban, suburban, or rural communities
may apply for more than one vehicle. Requests cannot exceed the
financial cap based on population listed in the application. If a
department submits multiple applications, and more than one of those
requests are approved, the department will be held to the same financial
cap based on the population listed in the application.

Performance Bond: Obtaining a performance bond is recommended for any
department/agency that is going to advance their own funds to the
manufacturer prior to receipt of the vehicle. The bond may be obtained
through the vendor or a local bank. The concept behind this is to ensure
that the department’s funds are not lost in the event of a
manufacturer’s failure to perform, i.e., not finishing or delivering
the vehicle.

Prepayment Bond: As required in the three previous grant years, FY 2012
AFG vehicle awardees are required to obtain a prepayment bond if the
grantee plans to advance federal funds to the manufacturer. This is to
safeguard the federal funds against loss if the manufacturer goes out of
business or fails to deliver the vehicle. Prepayment bonds may be
obtained through your bank or the manufacturer. The grantee must include
in their vehicle purchase contract specific performance requirements and
penalties for noncompliance with the requirements (Penalty Clause).
Extensions to a grant’s period of performance for vehicle purchase(s)
will not be considered if the grantee is not programmatically compliant
in the administration of their award.

Applicants requesting vehicles that do not have drivers/operators
trained to NFPA 1002 or equivalent, and are not planning to have a
training program in place by the time the vehicle is delivered, will not
receive a vehicle award. Applicants may request funding for a training
program in the Vehicles section, but it must add that request in the
Additional Funding area in the Request Details section for the Vehicle
application. Driver training program(s) must be in place prior to the
delivery of the vehicle.

Reminder: When requesting training for any apparatus or vehicle(s),
enter the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request
Details section.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of Vehicles
and prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA standards may be reviewed at
HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"
http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible Expenditures

Cost of vehicle

Physicals to meet current NFPA 1582/US Department of Transportation
(DOT) 649 F

Cost of associated equipment that is eligible under current NFPA
1901/1906	Driver/operator training programs that meet current NFPA 1002
or its equivalent

Transportation to inspect a requested vehicle during production (if
justified in the Vehicles narrative)

Ineligible Expenditures

Refurbishment of converted vehicles not originally used or intended to
be used for emergency operations

Aircraft, bulldozers, and construction-related equipment	Vehicles
contracted for or purchased prior to end of established application
period

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review

Note: Based on nationwide statistics indicating the high number of
fire-based EMS calls, ambulances have been moved from a low priority to
a high priority.

Example of vehicles types:

Pumper (an apparatus that carries a minimum of 300 gallons of water and
has a pump with the capacity to pump a minimum of 750 gallons per
minute)

Urban interface vehicles (Type I) pumper (300 gallons & 750 GPM)

Ambulance (vehicle used for transporting patients)

Tanker-Tender (an apparatus that has water capacity in excess of 1,000
gallons and a pump with a pumping capacity of less than 750 gallons per
minute)

Aerials to include quints of any size

Unsafe Vehicles

Applicants wanting to benefit from this consideration must certify that
the unsafe vehicle will be permanently removed from emergency service if
awarded a grant. “Permanently removed from emergency service” means
the grantee cannot use the vehicle for emergency service, nor may the
grantee sell or otherwise transfer title to any individual or
organization that will use the unsafe vehicle for emergency service. The
grantee may NOT sell an unsafe vehicle to another fire department under
any circumstances. A grantee that certifies it will remove the unsafe
vehicle from service but then sells the unsafe vehicle to another fire
department, or otherwise does not remove the unsafe vehicle from
service, is considered to be in default of the grant agreement.
Acceptable uses of unsafe vehicles include farm or nursery use, scrap
metal, salvage, construction, etc.

Firefighting vehicles are categorized as a High (H), Medium (M), or Low
(L) funding priority within each category. Activities are listed below
in order of their funding priority.

	Pumper

Ambulance

Aerial

Rescue	Pumper

Ambulance

Aerial

Tanker-Tender

Rescue	Pumper

Ambulance

Brush-Attack

Tanker-Tender

	Command

Hazmat

Light/Air unit

Rehab

	Hazmat command

Command

Light/Air unit

Brush-Attack

Rehab unit	Command

Hazmat

Rescue

Light/Air unit

	Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicle (ARFF)

Brush-Attack

Foam truck

Fire boat

Tanker-Tender

Highway safety unit	ARFF

Foam truck

Highway safety unit

Fire boat	Foam Truck

Highway safety unit

ARFF

Rehab

Fire boat

Compliance with Standards

New fire apparatus must be compliant with NFPA 1901 or 1906 for the year
ordered/manufactured.

Used fire apparatus must be compliant with NFPA 1901 or 1906 standards
for the year the vehicle was manufactured.

Ambulances must meet NFPA, General Services Administration (GSA)
KKK-1822F for the year ordered/manufactured.

Applicants must certify that unsafe vehicles will be permanently removed
from service if awarded a grant. Acceptable uses of unsafe vehicles
include farm, nursery, scrap metal, salvage, construction, etc.

Refurbished vehicles must meet current NFPA 1912 standards.

Additional Considerations

Additional consideration will be given to departments that have
automatic aid agreements, mutual aid agreements, or both

Replacement of open cab/jump seat configurations

Age of the vehicle being replaced; older equipment receive higher
consideration

Age of the newest vehicle in the department’s fleet that is like the
vehicle to be replaced

Average age of the fleet; older equipment within the same class

Converted vehicles not designed or intended for use in the fire service

FEMA reserves the right to reduce the amount of any vehicle request, in
whole or in part, that is considered excessive in cost. AFG Funding is
meant to supplement, not replace, an organization’s funding.

2.  Nonaffiliated EMS Organization Priorities

AFG Funds may be used to enhance emergency medical services provided by
nonaffiliated EMS organizations.

The Criteria Development Panel recommended that it is more
cost-effective to enhance or expand an existing EMS organization by
providing training or equipment than it is to create a new service.
Therefore, communities attempting to initiate EMS services will receive
the lowest competitive rating.

Requests for equipment and training to prepare for response to incidents
involving CBRNE are available under the applicable Equipment and
Training Activities.

a.	EMS Operations and Safety

Five different activities are included in this program area:

First responder/Emergency Medical Responder training

EMS equipment acquisition

EMS Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

EMS Wellness & Fitness

Modifications to EMS facilities

Applicants may apply for as many of the activities within this program
area as deemed necessary.

There are no bonuses or penalties associated with applying for multiple
activities; however, applicants requesting multiple activities may have
a more difficult time providing justification for all the projects.

Fire-based EMS organizations are NOT eligible to apply as a
nonaffiliated EMS organization.

Applicants should ensure all projects applied for under the grant
program are consistent with national, state, and local standards, and
address the goals of interoperable communications and equipment
compatibility. The RKB, which can be accessed at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.rkb.us"  http://www.rkb.us , includes relevant information
on first responder/emergency medical responder (EMR) standards and
allows guest users to ask questions regarding applicable standards.

i. EMS Training

AFG provides grants to train EMS personnel. Examples of training
activities include, but are not limited to, first responder, Basic Life
Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), Paramedic, Hazmat
Operations, or Rescue Operations. Since training is a prerequisite to
the effective use of EMS equipment, organizations that request items
more focused on training activities will receive a higher competitive
rating than organizations that focus on equipment.

A higher competitive rating will be given to nonaffiliated EMS
organizations that are planning to upgrade services to EMT-I/EMT-P level
of response. Specifically, organizations that are seeking to elevate the
response level from Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)-B to EMT-I will
receive the highest priority, and organizations that are seeking to
elevate the response level from EMT-I to EMT-P will receive a high
priority.

The second priority is to elevate emergency responders’ capabilities
from Emergency Medical Responder to a BLS level of response, e.g.,
EMT-B. Due to the time and cost, upgrading an organization’s response
level from EMT-B to EMT-P is a lower priority. Organizations seeking
training in rescue or Hazmat operations will receive lower consideration
than organizations seeking training for medical services.

The lowest priority is to fund Emergency Medical Responder.
Organizations seeking to train a high percentage of the active first
responders will receive additional consideration when applying under the
EMS Training Activity.

The following contain information on the eligibility of EMS training and
prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA standards may be reviewed at
HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"
http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible Expenditures

Emergency Medical Responder/Basic Life Support EMT B

EMT-I / EMT-P

Hazmat operations	Rescue operations

CBRNE awareness, performance, planning, and management

Train-the-trainer courses

Eligible uses of training funds include but are not limited to:

Tuition, exam/course fees, and certifications/certification expenses

Purchase of training curricula, training equipment, training props, and
training services (instructors)	Attendance at formal training forums or
conferences providing continuing education credits, etc.

Overtime expenses paid to first responders to attend training or to
cover colleagues who are in training

Ineligible Expenditures

Construction of facilities, buildings, towers, etc.

Purchase or lease of real estate

Expendables (including, but not limited to, gloves, gowns, bandages,
etc.)	Site preparation to accommodate any training activity, facility,
or prop

Remodeling not directly related to other grant activities

ii. EMS Equipment

AFG Funds are available for equipment to enhance the safety or
effectiveness of EMS response. Equipment requested must meet all
mandatory requirements as well as any national and/or state DHS-adopted
standards.

Equipment requested should solve interoperability or compatibility
problems as may be required by local jurisdictions. Equipment requested,
particularly decontamination and Hazmat equipment, is fundable to the
current level of an organization’s capabilities.

Reminder: When requesting training for any items in this section, enter
the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details
section.

The following pages contain information on the eligibility of EMS
equipment and prescoring essentials

Eligible equipment expenses include but are not limited to the
following:

Basic life support equipment

Advanced life support equipment

Assembly and installation of the requested equipment

Extended warranties and service agreements

Pulse oximeters

Power lift cots

Communications equipment, such as mobile and portable radios

Hazmat and decontamination equipment

Computers

Wireless and broadband mobile data systems (MDTs)	Automated external
defibrillators

Infectious disease control equipment

Equipment for response to incidents involving CBRNE

Tents, shelters, generators, lights, and heating and cooling units

Portable radios and mobile communications equipment, including mobile
repeaters

Base stations, computer-aided dispatch, and fixed-site repeaters

Equipment shipping costs and sales tax

Training for requested equipment

Ineligible Expenditures

Construction of facilities, such as buildings or sheds to house
communications, towers, or other equipment

Repeaters that will not be installed or attached to existing
infrastructure or a vehicle

 Station uniforms

Sirens or other outdoor warning devices	Telephones, satellite phones,
and cell phones

Vehicles and ATVs

Bomb disposal equipment and robots

EMS expendable supplies including but not limited to medications,
gloves, syringes, and cervical collars

Signage of any kind

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review.

	Departments requesting new service or replacing used or obsolete
equipment

	Purchasing equipment that does not have an effect on statutory
compliance or voluntary compliance with a national standard

Communications Equipment

Eligible items include portable radios, mobile repeaters, mobile data
terminals (MDTs), base stations, computer-aided dispatch, fixed-site
repeaters, and wireless and broadband mobile data systems.

Items should have the intent of solving interoperability issues and
improving first responder safety through more reliable communication
systems.

Portables are limited to number of seated positions in department’s
listed inventory of EMS vehicles (unless justified in the Equipment
Activity Narrative).

Requested items must be consistent with the State Communication
Interoperability Plan.

Communications projects may require an EHP Review.

Note: Requested communications equipment or systems must meet the
following P25 Compliance criteria.

P25 Compliance

Applicants purchasing P25 equipment must obtain documented evidence from
the manufacturer that the equipment has been tested and passed all the
applicable, published, normative P25 Compliance assessment test
procedures for performance, conformance, and interoperability as defined
in the “Grant Guidance-P25 Explanatory Addenda,” which can be found
at:   HYPERLINK
"http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/86/GRAN
TGUIDANCEPROJECT25EXPLANATORYADDENDAv2.pdf"
http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/86/GRANT
GUIDANCEPROJECT25EXPLANATORYADDENDAv2.pdf .

Grantees should be prepared to demonstrate how their procurements comply
with these requirements. When purchasing P25 Land Mobile Radio
equipment/systems, grantees will, at a minimum, ensure the vendor has
participated in equipment testing consistent with the P25 Compliance
Assessment Program (P25 CAP). Where such equipment is covered in the P25
CAP requirements document, it must be tested in accordance with
applicable standards and policies of the P25 CAP, and evidence of this
testing must be documented through Supplier’s Declarations of
Compliance and Summary Test Reports that have been posted to   HYPERLINK
"http://www.rkb.us"  http://www.rkb.us .

If documentation is not available through the P25 CAP, agencies must
obtain documented evidence from the manufacturer that the equipment has
been tested and passed all of the applicable, published, normative, P25
test procedures for performance, conformance, and interoperability.

Additional Consideration

Requests that support a regional collaboration benefiting multiple
jurisdictions

Remodeling/Renovations of Existing Facilities

Remodeling/renovations to an existing facility to accommodate equipment
purchased with grant funds (including generator pads) must cost less
than $10,000. It also must be justified in the Request Details Narrative
for the Equipment activity. Remodeling/renovations may not change the
footprint or profile of the building. Any request for modifications to
facilities may require an Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP)
Review. Additional information may also be required for EHP Review.

Applications Notes

Funding for all training should be requested under the Additional
Funding section. When requesting training, please describe your project
and its effect in the Narrative section.

iii. EMS Personal Protective Equipment

AFG Funds are available to acquire EMS PPE for first responder
personnel. Equipment requested must meet all mandatory requirements, as
well as any current national and/or state DHS-adopted standards or local
EMS protocols.

Reminder: When requesting training for any items in this section, enter
the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details
section.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of EMS PPE
and prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA standards may be reviewed at
HYPERLINK "http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"
http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible PPE Expenditures

EMS turnout gear, extrication jumpsuits, rescue helmets, gloves, and
boots that meet NFPA or OSHA standards for blood-borne pathogens

ANSI-approved retro-reflective highway apparel

EMS PPE for hazardous materials and other specialized incidents	SCBAs,
spare cylinders, individual face pieces, and PASS devices if the
organization has formally adopted SOPs requiring SCBA availability (with
adequate justification in the PPE narrative)

Training for requested PPE

Ineligible PPE Expenditures

Uniforms (formal/parade or station/duty) and uniform items (hats,
badges, etc.)

Personal communications equipment (e.g., radios, cell phones, and
pagers)	Non-EMS PPE, such as wildland firefighting gear and firefighting
turnout gear

Bomb disposal suits

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review.

PPE is categorized as a High (H), Medium (M), or Low (L) funding
priority; within each category (H, M, L), listed activities have an
equal funding priority.

	Departments requesting new PPE for the first time

Replacing or updating obsolete PPE to the current standard

	Replacing contaminated PPE

Requesting PPE for a new risk

	Worn but usable PPE that is not compliant to the current edition of the
NFPA standard and/or to handle a new mission, or increase current
inventory

Replace new PPE

New mission

Increase supply

Training on Use of Requested Equipment

Applicants must indicate grant-purchased equipment will be operated by
sufficiently trained staff. Failure to meet this requirement will result
in ineligibility for funding.

Additional Considerations

Percent of firefighters/EMS personnel served

Age of equipment

Obsolete is defined as any SCBA/PPE that is 10 years or older or two
NFPA cycles

	Replacing SCBA compliant with NFPA 1981, 2007 Edition (must be
justified in PPE Narrative)

iv. EMS Wellness & Fitness

Wellness & Fitness programs are intended to strengthen personnel so
their mental, physical, and emotional capabilities are resilient enough
to withstand the demands of emergency services response. To be eligible
for funding under this activity, organizations must offer, or plan to
offer, all four of the following programs:

Periodic health screenings

Entry physical examinations

Immunizations

Behavioral health programs

When requesting a program(s) under the request details for Wellness &
Fitness in both Fire and EMS, you MUST have all four programs already in
place (or request a combination of programs to have all four programs in
place) or you will be unable to go further in the application process.
If you have all four or a combination of requested programs in place,
the application will then allow you to request items such as physical
fitness equipment.

Reminder: When requesting training for any items in this section, enter
the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details
section.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of EMS
Wellness & Fitness as well as prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA
standards may be reviewed at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"  http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible Expenditures

Procurement of entry-level physicals that meet NFPA 1582 or equivalent

Annual medical/fitness health evaluations consistent with NFPA 1582

Immunizations, as recommended by the department or law (e.g., NFPA)

Behavioral health programs	Implementation of IAFC/IAFF peer fitness
trainer programs

Costs for personnel, physical fitness equipment (including shipping
charges and sales tax, as applicable), and supplies directly related to
physical fitness activities

Ineligible Expenditures

Transportation expenses

Fitness club memberships for participants or their families

Non-cash incentives (t-shirts or hats of nominal value, vouchers to
local businesses or time off)

Purchase of real estate

Cash incentives 	Purchase of medical equipment that is not used as part
of the Wellness and Fitness program

Contractual services with anyone other than medical professionals (e.g.,
health care consultants, trainers, and nutritionists) for programs such
as smoking cessation

 Funding Priorities

Priority 1 - Below are the four programs required to offer a complete a
Wellness and Fitness program.

Initial medical exams

Job-related immunization program, as required by the department, or law

Annual medical and fitness evaluation

Behavioral health program(s)

Departments that have some of the Priority 1 programs in place must
apply for funds to implement the other Priority 1 programs before
applying for funds for any additional program or equipment. In addition,
funded medical exams must meet current NFPA 1582, as required by DHS
standards.

Priority 2 - You may only apply for the Priority 2 items listed below if
you offer or are requesting a combination of the four programs required
under Priority 1.

Candidate physical ability evaluation

Formal fitness and injury prevention program/equipment

Injury/illness rehab

IAFF or IAFC peer fitness trainer program(s)

Remodeling/Renovations of Existing Facilities

Remodeling/renovations to an existing facility to house a fitness
activity, such as exercise or fitness rooms, showers, etc., must cost
less than $10,000 and be justified in Request Details Narrative for the
Wellness & Fitness Activity. Remodeling/renovations may not change the
footprint or profile of the building. Any request for modifications to
facilities may require Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP)
Review. Additional information may also be required for EHP Review.

v. Modifications to EMS Facilities

Grants may be used to modify EMS facilities. The construction of new
facilities is not allowed. Grant funds may only be used to retrofit
existing structures built prior to 2003 that do not have the requisite
safety features.

No modification may change the structures footprint or profile. If
requesting multiple items, such as a sprinkler system and exhaust
system, the total funding for all projects and activities cannot exceed
$100,000 per fire station. Eligible projects under this activity must
have a direct effect on the health and safety of firefighters

FEMA is legally required to consider the potential impacts of all
grant-funded projects on environmental resources and historic
properties. For AFG and other preparedness grant programs, this is
accomplished via FEMA’s Environmental Planning and Historical
Preservation (EHP) Review. Grantees must comply with all applicable
FEMA EHP laws, regulations, and Executive Orders (EOs) in order to
drawdown their FY 2012 AFG Grant Funds. Any project with the potential
to impact natural resources or historic properties cannot be initiated
until FEMA has completed the required FEMA EHP review. Grantees that
implement projects prior to receiving EHP approval from FEMA risk
de-obligation of funds.

AFG Projects that involve the installation of equipment,
ground-disturbing activities, and new construction, including
communication towers, or modification/renovation of existing buildings
or structures must undergo a FEMA EHP review. Activities not
specifically excluded from a FEMA EHP review also will require a FEMA
EHP review per the GPD Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). For
more information on the PEA, see Information Bulletin 345 and
HYPERLINK "http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/bulletins/fonsi.pdf"
 http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/bulletins/fonsi.pdf .

Furthermore, for those proposed construction or renovation projects that
are part of larger projects funded from a non-FEMA source (such as an
EOC that is part of a larger proposed public safety complex), a FEMA EHP
review must be completed before the larger project is initiated. For
these types of projects, grantees must complete the FEMA EHP Screening
Form (OMB Number 1660-0115/FEMA Form 024-0-01) and submit it, with all
supporting documentation, to the GPD EHP team at   HYPERLINK
<EMAIL_ADDRESS><EMAIL_ADDRESS>for review.

Grantees should submit the FEMA EHP Screening Form for each project as
soon as possible upon receiving the grant award. Refer to Information
Bulletins 329, 345, and 356 located at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/bulletins/index.shtm"
http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/bulletins/index.shtm . Section II,
Part I.B.5.6 contains further details on EHP requirements.

When requesting funding for a FEMA EHP Review, enter the funding request
under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details.

These activities would not require the submission of the FEMA EHP
Screening Form:

Planning and development of policies or processes

Management, administrative, or personnel actions

Classroom-based training

Tabletop exercises

Acquisition of mobile and portable equipment (not involving
installation)

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of EMS
Modifications to Facilities and prescoring essentials. Copies of NFPA
standards can be reviewed at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012"  http://www.nfpa.org/nfpaafg2012 .

Eligible Expenditures

Direct-source capture exhaust systems

Sprinkler systems

Smoke/fire alarm notification systems	Air quality systems

Emergency generators

Ineligible Expenditures

Station maintenance

Resurfacing bay floors	Interior remodeling not pertaining to the
requested project(s)

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review.

	Departments requesting funding from the high or medium funding
priorities whose facilities are not occupied 24/7 and do not have
sleeping quarters; training facilities

Level of Occupancy

Occupancy Definitions

Full-time: coverage 24/7

Daily: part-time or selected coverage not on a regular basis

Additional Considerations

Additional considerations will be given for the age of the building;
older facilities receive a higher priority

If requesting multiple items in this activity, funding cannot exceed a
maximum of $100,000 per station.

Type of Facility

 Occasionally)

Level of Occupancy

Facilities with or without sleeping quarters

Training facilities are a Low priority

b.	EMS Vehicles

Due to inherent differences among urban, suburban, and rural
firefighting needs, AFG has different priorities in the Vehicles program
area for departments that serve different types of communities.

Applicants requesting vehicles that do not have drivers/operators
trained to US Department of Transportation Emergency Vehicle Operators
Course (EVOC) National Standard Curriculum, or equivalent, and are not
planning to have a training program in place by the time the vehicle is
delivered, will not receive an award.

To be eligible for funding, new vehicles purchased with AFG Funds must
be compliant with current General Services Administration standards,
specifically KKK-A-1822E (Guide for Emergency Medical Services and
Systems), found at   HYPERLINK
"http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/vehiclestandards/index.cfm"
http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/vehiclestandards/index.cfm .

Funds may be used to acquire new, used, or refurbished EMS vehicles.
Funds may also be used to refurbish a vehicle the organization currently
owns. Refurbished apparatus must also meet currently applicable
standards (NFPA, GSA KKK-1822F Specification standards).

When requesting more than one vehicle, you will be asked to fill out a
separate line item and answer all the questions including a NEW
narrative for each vehicle. For example, if you are requesting to
replace three ambulances, you must fill out the age and vehicle
identification number (VIN) of each vehicle being replaced. You cannot
use the same VIN in each line item.

Applicants that serve urban, suburban, or rural communities may apply
for more than one vehicle. Requests cannot exceed the financial cap
based on population listed in the application. If a department submits
multiple applications, and more than one of those requests are approved,
the department will be held to the same financial cap based on the
population listed in the application.

Performance Bond: A performance bond is recommended for any
department/agency that is going to advance its own funds to the
manufacturer prior to receipt of the vehicle. The bond may be obtained
through the vendor or local bank. The concept behind this is to ensure
the department’s funds are not lost in the event of a manufacturer’s
failure to perform, e.g., not finishing or delivering the vehicle.

Prepayment Bond: As required in the three previous grant years, FY 2012
AFG vehicle awardees are required to obtain a prepayment bond if the
grantee plans to advance federal funds to the manufacturer. This is to
safeguard the federal funds against loss if the manufacturer goes out of
business or fails to deliver the vehicle. Prepayment bonds may be
obtained through your bank or the manufacturer. The grantee must include
in their vehicle purchase contract specific performance requirements and
penalties for noncompliance with the requirements (penalty clause).
Extensions to a grant’s period of performance may not be considered if
the requisite prepayment bond is not obtained and/or if the penalty
clause is not included in the purchase contract. Extensions to a
grant’s period of performance for vehicle purchase(s) will not be
considered if the grantee is not programmatically compliant in the
administration of their award.

Applicants may request funding for a training program in the Vehicles
section, but it must add that request in the Additional Funding area in
the Request Details section for the Vehicles application. Driver
training programs must be in place prior to the delivery of the vehicle.

Reminder: When requesting training for any items in this section, enter
the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details
section.

The following charts contain information on the eligibility of EMS
Vehicles and prescoring essentials.

Eligible Expenditures

Cost of vehicle

Transportation to inspect a vehicle under consideration or during
production (if justified in the Vehicles Narrative)	Driver/operator
training that meets Department of Transportation Emergency Vehicle
Operators Course (EVOC) National Standard Curriculum or equivalent

Physicals

Ineligible Expenditures

Vehicles contracted for or purchased prior to end of established
application period

ATVs and other specialty access vehicles	Aircraft, bulldozers, and
construction-related equipment

Refurbishment of converted vehicles not originally used or intended to
be used for emergency operations

All of the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist
review

	Non-transport (vehicles that do not transport a patient)

Compliance with Standards

Refurbished vehicles must also meet current applicable standards (e.g.,
NFPA, GSA KKK-1822F) for the year of manufacture.

Ambulances must meet NFPA, GSA KKK-1822F standards for the year
ordered/manufactured.

FEMA reserves the right to reduce the amount of any vehicle request, in
whole or in part, that is considered excessive in cost. AFG Funding is
meant to supplement, not replace, an organization’s funding.

3.  Regional Projects

Any eligible applicant, whether a fire department or a nonaffiliated EMS
organization, may act as a “host applicant” and apply for
large-scale or regional projects on behalf of itself and any number of
organizations in neighboring jurisdictions.

A regional project is one in which multiple organizations serving more
than one local jurisdiction benefit directly from the activities
implemented with the grant funds. A county fire department applying for
a countywide communications system is NOT a regional project because it
does not benefit multiple “seats-of-government.” Regional projects
are designed to facilitate interoperability and efficiency among the
participating jurisdictions. As such, the only activities available for
application under a regional project are training, equipment acquisition
that positively affect interoperability between jurisdictions (such as
communications equipment), and PPE, including SCBAs.

Regional projects’ cost share will be based on the total population of
the entire region, not the population of the host applicant. All
non-federal cost share funds must be in cash; in-kind contributions are
not acceptable.

A regional host must include a list of all the participating
organizations benefitting from a proposed regional project. When
requesting SCBA as a regional project, the host is required to list all
prior SCBA grants received by regional partners.

In general, equipment purchased as a result of a regional project will
be physically distributed to all the departments that are beneficiaries
of the project. This physical distribution of the equipment to other
first responder organizations is the single characteristic that
distinguishes them from projects that are not regional in nature, but
may have an impact on a region via mutual aid.

For example, a project that would not be considered to have an effect on
interoperability (and thus would not be considered a regional project)
would be an application for an air compressor or a hazardous materials
(Hazmat) response vehicle. In this example, the assets would be shared
with neighboring departments under mutual or automatic aid agreements,
but they would be physically located in the awardee’s department and
not disseminated among the participants.

In order to apply for a regional project, the host organization must
agree, if awarded, to be responsible for all aspects of the grant. This
includes, but is not limited to, accountability for the assets and all
reporting requirements. All organizations involved must have some kind
of documentation for distribution of grant funded assets and financial
responsibility in place prior to any award.

Reminder: The host agency is ultimately financially responsible for the
regional grant’s required cost share.

In the regional application, the host organization will be required to
describe the characteristics of the entire region that will be affected
by the project as outlined in Part IV, Application Submission
Information.

Regional Equipment

Reminder: When requesting training for any items in this section, enter
the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details
section.

All funding priorities for regional requests are the same priorities as
fire and EMS.

Eligible Expenditures

Communications equipment to include infrastructure (dispatch centers),
handheld portables, pagers, repeaters, etc.

Other equipment beneficial to the mission of all regional partners
Standardization of EMS equipment throughout the region to meet local
jurisdictional standards

Note: Requested communications equipment or systems must meet the
following P25 Compliance criteria.

P25 Compliance

Applicants purchasing P25 equipment must obtain documented evidence from
the manufacturer that the equipment has been tested and passed all the
applicable, published, normative P25 Compliance assessment test
procedures for performance, conformance, and interoperability as defined
in the “Grant Guidance-P25 Explanatory Addenda,” which can be found
at   HYPERLINK
"http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/86/GRAN
TGUIDANCEPROJECT25EXPLANATORYADDENDAv2.pdf"
http://www.safecomprogram.gov/library/Lists/Library/Attachments/86/GRANT
GUIDANCEPROJECT25EXPLANATORYADDENDAv2.pdf .

Grantees should be prepared to demonstrate how their procurements comply
with these requirements. When purchasing P25 Land Mobile Radio
equipment/systems, grantees will, at a minimum, ensure the vendor has
participated in equipment testing consistent with the P25 Compliance
Assessment Program (P25 CAP). Where such equipment is covered in the
P25 CAP requirements document, it must be tested in accordance with
applicable standards and policies of the P25 CAP, and evidence of this
testing must be documented through Supplier’s Declarations of
Compliance and Summary Test Reports that have been posted to   HYPERLINK
"http://www.rkb.us"  http://www.rkb.us .

If documentation is not available through the P25 CAP, agencies must
obtain documented evidence from the manufacturer that the equipment has
been tested and passed all of the applicable, published, normative, P25
test procedures for performance, conformance, and interoperability.

Ineligible Expenditures

Vehicles

Wellness and Fitness programs

Firefighting equipment that does not benefit all regional partners
Aircraft, bulldozers, and construction-related equipment

Modifications to facilities

b.	Regional Training

Eligible Expenditures

Training that benefits multiple jurisdictions

Training props

Training trailers to include manufactured burn trailers	EMS training
throughout the region to meet local jurisdictional standards

Other training that would be beneficial to the mission of all regional
partners

Ineligible Expenditures

Flashover simulators

Wellness and Fitness programs	Basic firefighting equipment

c.	Regional PPE

Reminder: When requesting training for any items in this section, enter
the request under Other in Additional Funding in the Request Details
section.

Eligible Expenditures

SCBA (to include face piece, voice amp, harness/PASS device and one
spare cylinder

Accountability systems 	EMS PPE that meets NFPA and OSHA blood-borne
pathogen standards

Firefighting PPE

Ineligible Expenditures

Jumpsuits and uniforms that do not meet basic NFPA and OSHA blood-borne
pathogen standards 	Portable radios

AWARD INFORMATION

This section describes the basic distribution method used to determine
final grants awards, and identifies all eligible applicants for FY 2012
funding.

Awards

FEMA must assure the combined percentage of awards to combination and
volunteer departments is equal to or greater than the percentage of the
nation’s population these types of departments serve. The NFPA
reported in a publication entitled US Fire Department Profile Through
2010 (issued October 2011) that combination departments protect 33
percent of the nation’s population and volunteer departments protect
19.5 percent. As such,

No more than 48 percent of the available funds may be granted to career
organizations and departments.