Federal Grant Program: AFG Grants
Part of the US federal grant program is the Assistance to Firefighters Grant that makes annual awards to US fire departments and non-affiliated emergency workers. This program has already started to issue awards for this year.
This program is to help the emergency responders in the local communities across America to be better prepared to do their jobs and save lives.
Every year, over 100,000 firefighters are injured on the job and in 2008, 118 firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty. The majority of them were volunteer firefighters. Some of them were caused by burns and smoke inhalation but this was not the major cause of death last year. The US Fire Administration reported the leading cause of death amongst firefighters in the year 2008 was from heart attack and strokes.
Stress and overexertion is the leading cause for the heart attacks and strokes amongst the firefighters that died last year. Better and newer equipment, along with training, can and will reduce this number. This is one of the areas the AFG program is hoping to address with its awards.
Areas that this program addresses, other than training and equipment, are protective gear and emergency vehicles. This program was established in 2001 to help fire departments fill the needs that local taxes could not support or supply.
Not every application is granted an award and not all of what is applied for is granted. One fact remains and that is unless you apply, you cannot receive an AFG award. This US federal grant program is accepting applications until May 28, 2010 at 8 pm ET.
Help your department and those that work there do the best job they can and get your application in before the deadline passes.
Need help with filling out the grant? Click HERE
AFG Grants Review: Where You’re Vulnerable
Where You’re Vulnerable
With budget restraints as a part of life in today’s economy, the competitiveness for the free governmental grant money is ever increasing. As protectors of the communities the firefighters and EMS personnel need to be prepared for any occurrence or emergency.
Applicants for the AFG program need to assess their major and minor areas of needs to see were vulnerabilities exist. These need to be listed on the application. Some of these might be common knowledge but state them anyway to emphasize them in the minds of the reviewer.
Areas to look at are natural phenomena’s, local utilities, services, and transportation.
Is your area prone to floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides or even rock falls? State this in your application. The explanation does not need or should be long but briefly state the obvious and then a particular fact that is not well know. An example might be during heavy down pours a rockslide or mudslide could be triggered if you are in a mountainous region.
Is it in your budget to contract out heavy earth moving equipment to clear the roads or to save the lives of people buried under them. In an emergency time matters and if previous arrangements have not been made people could die. Your local weather bureau could supply the data need to emphasize this point.
Is there a power station or substation in your jurisdiction? How vulnerable are these units or facilities? Are there sufficient resources for a back up power supply until the main units are repaired? Make sure there is a plan and sufficient resources to supply power to critical areas like hospitals, communication centers and emergency shelters. The last one is usually forgotten.
Is the water and sewage infrastructure safe and secure? Where is the closes alternate water source? If flooding occurs, is the sewer plant going to be affected and contaminate the surrounding area? All of this need to be thought about and included in your application. Do not assume the reviewer knows about local issues.
Do you know how many bridges over water and land that are vital to connecting critical areas of your area’s jurisdiction? Will the collapse of one of them cause further loss of life or restrict access significantly? Are there any railroads through the area and if so how many miles are laid? Do you know what is transported over them? The local railway office can give you the information on freight, hazardous material and domestic passenger numbers. Ask for it and be informed.
When applying for the AFG program remember it is your responsibility to give the best assessment possible that will give your application the best chance of approval.
For help with writing the narrative and filling out the grant properly contact our sponsor, Ward Diesel.
Apply for Grant Money
To apply for grant money from the US federal government involves paperwork and timing. At the present time, there are 26 different US government agencies offering federal grants. Each one has specific requirements and qualifications from the applicant for the application to be accepted. There are some that anyone can apply for while others are ear marked for specific groups.
One of these specific groups includes firefighters and emergency personnel. After the horrible and cowardly act on 9/11, the US government saw a need to help improve the efficiency and needs of the emergency response units across the nation. To fill this need, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) was initiated.
The AFG’s purpose is to help any local fire department and nonaffiliated emergency response personal with the equipment, training, and expertise to combat emergencies. Before this time, most local emergency responders could only rely on the local taxes for financial support. Unfortunately, this is not enough to provide all the necessary needs so the emergency responders can perform their duties in a safe and efficient manner.
Every year since 2001, the AFG program is accepting applications in the spring for one month only. The limited time is, in part, due to the vast volume of applications. Grants are awarded by needs and the agenda that has been set for by the Department of Homeland Security. This year’s application deadline is May 28, 2010 at 8 pm ET.
The applications must be filled out correctly so those inspecting them can easily review them in a timely manner. Mistakes may cause the review of your application to be delayed or discarded. For this purpose, have more than one person review this critically important paperwork.
This year, there will over $390 million in grants awarded to applicants. The only way to receive an award is to apply for grant money before the deadline passes. The deadline is fast approaching so do not delay or your team might miss this valuable opportunity to receive the funds necessary for you to perform your duties to their fullest.
For help with filling out the grant and writing the narrative contact our sponsor, Ward Diesel.
The Clean Air Act and AFG Grants
To help improve the environmental health and safety in our country the U.S. government wrote and passed the Air Quality Act of 1967. This was to establish the concept of air quality control for regions of our nation.
Under this act the federal government set standards and quotas for different pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, soot, particular matter and more. This was to give the individual states of our nation set criteria for setting limits and standards for their specific regions.
This act was amended in 1970 and the named was changed to the Clean Air Act or CAA. The federal government noticed that individual states needed more guidance. Part of the amendment gave the federal government a more centralized role and formed the current Environmental Protection Agency or EPA.
The EPA was given the task of creating and implementing National Ambient Air Quality Standards or NAAQS for air pollutants. The objective was to allow states to use this information and develop a State Implementation Program or SIP for individual source emission limitations for each state.
Another part of the amendment was to regulate hazardous air pollutants and establish a plan for any future new sources of contaminants the might damage the environment or the health of the population. The SIP of each state is the guide that helps enforce the CAA for present sources of pollutants that are not moving.
With another amendment in 1977 the act was improved again by developing the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program or PSD. The EPA was also given the job to investigate whether states were complying with the CAA. In addition more pollutants were added to the list of hazardous air pollutants.
The last amendment to the CAA was in 1990. New regulations were set along with penalties for areas that did not met the set standards for air quality in their regions. Mobile sources also had their standards tightened along with the establishment of a new operating permit program.
There is more to this act but the main purpose is to clean up the air we breath. Some time to much red tape can bog down the efficiency of a well-intentioned idea. The environmental health and safety of the population is the main concern of the EPA. Do your part.
The sponsor of this blog is Ward Diesel and they manufacture the No Smoke air filter for your diesel operated fire trucks and other diesel apparatus. Hundreds of NO SMOKE systems have been installed using AFG funding! Contact them for help with your grant application.
Fire Department Funding
Your local fire department funding has mostly been from the local, state, and federal taxes as part of the budgets where they are located. When a need has arisen in the past, the raising of taxes has been the only solution in most cases. The deciding factor on this method of raising funds has been with the voters.
Most municipalities have to place a tax increase on the ballot during election times. If the measure is voted down, then the increase in funding will not occur. The need of the emergency personnel, immaterial of its importance, will then not be met.
As an alternate to tax increases approved by the local constituents, many firefighters and emergency personnel hold fund raisers. Since 9/11, the most successful fund raiser for these emergency workers has been the Backstoppers Fund Raising events. This has been a source of revenue, though it is not a reliable one. With thousands of worthy charitable organizations, the competition for funds from private citizens is fierce.
The only way to fill this gap in funding is to have a source of large cash that is readily available to those that need it the most. After the cowardly act on the Twin Towers in New York, the federal government finally had the right motivation to fill this long overdue gap.
Since 2001, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) has been supplying the local and region fire departments with the necessary revenue to bring their equipment and training of their personnel to a state of readiness necessary to meet the challenges they face on a regular basis.
For the year 2010, there is $390 million available for the sole purpose of getting the local fire departments and emergency personnel what they need to safely face the challenges of their jobs. The deadline for submitting applications to this federal program is May 28, 2010, at 8 pm ET.
If your local fire department funding is falling short of filling all the necessary needs of your department, then now is the time to submit your application. If you miss this deadline, then you will have to wait another 11 months until applications will be accepted again.
Do contact the sponsors of this blog, Ward Diesel, and they will help you with the AFG Firefighters Grant Application.
Grants for Fire Departments
The federal grants for fire departments are currently accepting applications for the year 2010. This is through the Department of Homeland Security for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program.
This program accepts applications every year for a limited time. After this time expires, no more applications will be accepted until the following year’s application period begins again. For the year 2010, the application period is from April 26, 2010 at 8:00 am Eastern Time (ET) until May 28, 2010 at 5:00 pm (ET).
This is an annual program to help boost the readiness of all American fire departments across the nation. The reason it came about was after 9/11, an assessment was made on the readiness and preparedness of the nation’s emergency responders, and a need was seen. This is the federal government’s response to this need.
Every year the amount that is awarded increases. For the year 2010, the total award amount is approximately $390 million. This is to be distributed in several different phases over the course of the year as the applications are reviewed and the requirements are met by the different applicants.
These federal grants are awarded based on the need to help the nation’s fire departments and non-affiliated emergency workers. This will ensure they can respond to the health and safety concerns of the public in regards to fire and other dangerous hazards they are called upon to handle.
This AFG program is being coordinated by the US Fire Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grants Program, all under the direction and supervision of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
These federal grants for fire departments are free money to improve the response time and equipment of the firefighters and emergency responders so they are better prepared to handle any emergency when called upon to do so. Your department can only be awarded a grant if they file an application and time is running out for this year.
Check with this blog sponsor, Ward Diesel, and they have experts that will help your fire department write your grant properly.
A 2010 Project Development for Fire Departments
The 2010 Department of Homeland Security offers the Assistance to Firefighters Grants through FEMA and the needs of a project to be covered by your grant proposal can be addressed and funded by this AFG program. Each department can include a number of related activities for your covered area. There are 3 things that must be remembered.
First all, projects and or activities must be completed within one year of approval of the award. Secondly, there can only be one application per project in a program area. Duplicate-applications in a single program area will make all applications ineligible. Third, each program has limited funding allocated to fulfill the needs for each fiscal year.
There are two program areas you may file an application to receive funding for. These are firefighter operations and safety, and firefighter vehicle acquisition.
The Firefighter Operations and Safety program is limited to training personnel, and the purchase of needed equipment to improve your ability to serve the community. The purchase of PPE, a wellness and fitness program for station personnel, and necessary modifications to the firehouse or station are also included.
If the firehouse has an EMS unit within its department, their needs have to be submitted as part of the firehouse they belong to. To ensure possible approval, check to see if your requests follow the national standards and are within the scope of the inter-operable communication and equipment compatibility.
The firefighter Vehicle Acquisition program includes, but is not limited to pumpers, brush trucks, tankers, tenders, rescue vehicles, ambulances, quints, aerials, foam units and fire boats. Stipulations to remember are that suburban and urban departments are allowed to apply for multiple vehicles, but only one new vehicle per station is permitted.
Rural departments are only permitted one vehicle per year. Training for personnel to drive and operate the new vehicles should be included in this programs application.
It is important to remember, applications for the AFG program that are not filled out appropriately will be deemed ineligible. If you need help with your AFG Grants application check with Ward Diesel and they will assist you with the application.
2010 Increasing the Odds of Approval in your Favor
The 2010 AFG Grants program is open now. There will be over 20,000 applicants along with yours filing for the free federal funds through the AFG program this year. Less than half will receive funding for their department. If your need is great make sure you emphasize it properly. A well thought out approach to attacking the application is needed.
Before beginning what is your game plan? What does your department need? If your department is not fully compliant in NFPA standards make becoming compliant part of your request. If all of the personnel in your department are not fully or properly trained, include this training.
Make sure all of your equipment is working properly and maintained or ask for help in this area also. Is there enough PPE for all personnel in your department? Remember people are a necessary ingredient in your department to function properly in times of an emergency. If they are not protected and become a casualty the situation will deteriorate.
The narrative is the crucial part and has to be addressed properly. Remember when writing the narrative that the reviewers read applications all day long. This is their job so make it easy to understand and informative but not to wordy. The size limit is 5 pages.
Do not run over because of electronic filing the computer will cut off everything after five pages. Have as many people inside and outside your department proofread your application narrative as you can find. The more input the better. There is only one shot at this funding a year so do your best. Follow and fully describe the 4 areas need. They are project description and budget, your financial needs and requirements, the cost to benefit ratio and what outcome this funding will provide that s beneficial to your jurisdictional area.
There are millions of dollars of free grant money to be awarded this year from the AFG program. Do your best in filing the application. Lives depend on it. For help in filling out the application, contact the sponsor of this blog, Ward Diesel. They are experts in how to apply to the Assistance to Firefighters Grants and they will assist you.
AFG Grants Program for Fiscal Year 2009 to Open on Tax Day!
This just in from AFG Grants home office:
Application Period to Open:
Fiscal Year 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grant The Department of Homeland Security has posted the FY2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program Guidance on the AFG Website. The application period is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Applications for these grants must be received by Wednesday, May 20, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Get your grants ready there is only a short window of opportunity to apply!
Lives Saved in Herman, Maine with AFG Grant
The AFG Program awarded the Herman Fire Department funding for their fire prevention program in January of 2005. The purpose of the award was to install smoke alarms equipped with 10-year lithium batteries, in every home in Herman, Maine. Herman is a small community of 4,400 people in the eastern part of the state of Maine.
The specifics of the project were to meet the protection recommendations of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). This recommendation calls for an alarm outside every bedroom or hallway, one smoke alarm on every level of the home including the basement, and a smoke alarm in every room that could be considered a sleeping quarter.
Execution of the program started in April of 2005. The installers started at one end of town and proceeded to the other end with the installation of the alarms in every house. The homes that had existing alarms had their batteries replaced with the 10-year lithium cells. Chief Larry Willis was quoted as saying; “The race was on to see if we could complete the project before we had a serious incident in a residence that had not yet been visited”.
The alarm at the firehouse in Herman went off at 3:42 a.m. on December 27, 2005. The fire department responded to the alarm and arrived at a house on Mapleleaf Lane where a report of smoke had been detected. A malfunction in the furnace of the house set off the smoke alarm in the basement. This smoke alarm was placed there less than 2 months prior as part of the AFG funded program. Upon arriving at the scene, the firefighters found flames pouring out of the firebox and the entire house filled with smoke. But due to the early warning of the smoke alarms, the entire family was safely outside the residence.
As a result of the program in Herman, two thirds of all the homes are now equipped with smoke detectors. The Herman fire department still has smoke alarms available for any resident that wishes to have them installed.
The AFG program is so very important and this is a good example of lives saved due to the benefit of this grant money.
Click Here for Help with: AFG Grant Application.
