[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23785-23792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10385]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
[Docket ID FEMA-2010-0014]
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of guidance.
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SUMMARY: This Notice provides guidelines that describe the application
process for grants and the criteria for awarding grants in the 2010
Assistance to Firefighters Grant program year, as well as an
explanation for any differences from the guidelines recommended by
representatives of the Nation's fire service leadership during the
annual Criteria Development meeting. The program makes grants directly
to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical services
organizations for the purpose of enhancing first-responders' abilities
to protect the health and safety of the public as well as that of
first-responder personnel facing fire and fire-related hazards. In
addition, the authorizing statute requires that a minimum of 5 percent
of appropriated funds be expended for fire prevention and safety
grants, which are also made directly to local fire departments and to
local, regional, State or national entities recognized for their
expertise in the field of fire prevention and firefighter safety
research and development.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2229, 2229a.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Harrington, Acting Director,
Assistance to Firefighters Program Office, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security/FEMA, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, TechWorld
Building--5th Floor South Tower, 800 K Street, NW., Washington, DC,
20472-3620.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Assistance to
Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program is to provide grants directly to fire
departments and nonaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
organizations to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety
of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel, with
respect to fire and fire-related hazards.
Appropriations
For fiscal year 2010, Congress appropriated $390,000,000 to carry
out the activities of the AFG Program. The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) is authorized to use up to
[[Page 23786]]
$19,500,000 for administration of the AFG program (5 percent of the
appropriated amount); however, the Executive Branch has limited the
funds available for administration to 4 percent of the appropriation
($15,600,000). In addition, DHS must set aside no less than $19,500,000
of the funds (5 percent of the appropriation) for the Fire Prevention
and Safety Grants (FP&S). However, for fiscal year 2010, DHS will award
$35,000,000 for FP&S. Under FP&S, DHS may make grants to, or enter into
contracts or cooperative agreements with, national, State, local or
community organizations or agencies, including fire departments, for
the purpose of carrying out fire prevention grants and firefighter
safety research and development grants.
The $339,400,000 will be used for competitive grants to fire
departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations for equipment, training
and first responders' safety. Within the portion of funding available
for these competitive grants, DHS must assure that no less than 3.5
percent of the appropriation, or $13,650,000, is awarded for EMS
equipment and training. However, awards to nonaffiliated EMS
organizations are limited to no more than 2 percent of the
appropriation or $7,800,000. Therefore, at least the balance of the
requisite awards for EMS equipment and training must go to fire
departments.
Background
DHS awards the grants on a competitive basis to the applicants that
best address the AFG program's priorities and provide the most
compelling justification. Applicants whose requests best address the
program's priorities will be reviewed by a panel composed of fire
service personnel. The panel will review the narrative and evaluate the
application in four different areas: (1) The clarity of the proposed
project description, (2) the organization's financial need, (3) the
benefit to be derived from the proposed project relative to the cost,
and (4) the extent to which the grant would enhance the applicant's
daily operations and/or how the grant would positively impact the
applicant's ability to protect life and property.
The AFG program for 2010 generally mirrors previous years' AFG
programs. The program will again segregate the FP&S program from the
AFG. DHS will have a separate application period devoted solely to FP&S
tentatively scheduled to occur in the Fall of 2010. All applications
will be accessible from https://portal.fema.gov.
Congress has enacted statutory limits to the amount of funding that
a grantee may receive from the AFG program in any fiscal year (15
U.S.C. 2229(b)(10)). These limits are based on population served. A
grantee that serves a jurisdiction with 500,000 people or less may not
receive grant funding in excess of $1,000,000 in any fiscal year. A
grantee that serves a jurisdiction with more than 500,000 but not more
than 1,000,000 people may not receive grants in excess of $1,750,000 in
any fiscal year. A grantee that serves a jurisdiction with more than
1,000,000 people may not receive grants in excess of $2,750,000 in any
fiscal year. DHS may waive these established limits to any grantee
serving a jurisdiction of 1,000,000 people or less if DHS determines
that extraordinary need for assistance warrants the waiver. No grantee,
under any circumstance, may receive ``more than the lesser of
$2,750,000 or one half of one percent of the funds appropriated under
this section for a single fiscal year.'' (15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(10)(B)).
Grantees must share in the costs of the projects funded under this
grant program (15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(6)). Fire departments and
nonaffiliated EMS organizations that serve populations of less than
20,000 must match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal
funds equal to 5 percent of the total project cost. Fire departments
and nonaffiliated EMS organizations serving areas with a population
between 20,000 and 50,000, inclusive, must match the Federal grant
funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to 10 percent of the
total project cost. Fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS
organizations that serve populations of over 50,000 must match the
Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to 20
percent of the total project costs. All non-Federal funds must be in
cash, i.e., in-kind contributions are not eligible. The only waiver
granted for this requirement will be for applicants located in Insular
Areas as provided for in 48 U.S.C. 1469a.
The authorizing statute imposes additional requirements on ensuring
a distribution of grant funds among career, volunteer, and combination
(volunteer and career personnel) fire departments, and among urban,
suburban and rural communities. More specifically with respect to
department types, DHS must ensure that all-volunteer or combination
fire departments receive a portion of the total grant funding that is
not less than the proportion of the United States population that those
departments protect (15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(11)). There is no corresponding
minimum for career departments. Therefore, subject to the other
statutory limitations on DHS ability to award funds, DHS will ensure
that, for the 2009 program year, no less than 34 percent of the funding
available for grants will be awarded to combination departments, and no
less than 21 percent will be awarded to all-volunteer departments.
These figures were obtained from the National Fire Protection
Association report entitled U.S. Department Profile Through 2008,
issued October 2009. If, and only if, other statutory limitations
inhibit DHS ability to ensure this distribution of funding, DHS will
ensure that the aggregate combined total percent of funding provided to
both combination and volunteer departments is no less than 55 percent.
DHS generally makes funding decisions using rank order resulting
from the panel evaluation. However, DHS may deviate from rank order and
make funding decisions based on the type of department (career,
combination, or volunteer) and/or the size and character of the
community the applicant serves (urban, suburban, or rural) to the
extent it is required to satisfy statutory provisions.
Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Program
In addition to the grants available to fire departments in fiscal
year 2010 through the competitive grant program, DHS will set aside
$35,000,000 of the funds available under the AFG program to make grants
to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, national,
State, local or community organizations or agencies, including fire
departments, for the purpose of carrying out fire prevention and injury
prevention projects, and for research and development grants that
address firefighter safety.
In accordance with the statutory requirement to fund fire
prevention activities, support to Fire Prevention and Safety Grant
activities concentrates on organizations that focus on the prevention
of injuries to children from fire. In addition to this priority, DHS
places an emphasis on funding innovative projects that focus on
protecting children under 14, seniors over 65, and firefighters.
Because the victims of burns experience both short- and long-term
physical and psychological effects, DHS places a priority on programs
that focus on reducing the immediate and long-range effects of fire and
burn injuries.
DHS will issue an announcement regarding pertinent details of the
Fire Prevention and Safety Grant portion of
[[Page 23787]]
this program prior to the application period.
Application Process
Prior to the start of the application period, DHS will conduct
applicant workshops across the country to inform potential applicants
about the AFG program for 2010. In addition, DHS will provide
applicants an online Web-based tutorial and other information to use in
preparing a quality application. Applicants are advised to access the
application electronically at https://portal.fema.gov. New applicants
will have to register and establish a username and password for secure
access to their application. Applicants that have applied to any AFG
funding opportunities in the past will have to use their established
username and passwords. In completing the application, applicants will
provide relevant information on the applicant's characteristics, call
volume, and existing capacities. Applicants will answer questions
regarding their assistance request that reflects the funding priorities
(iterated below). In addition, each applicant will complete a narrative
addressing statutory competitive factors: financial need, benefits/
costs, and improvement to the organization's daily operations. During
the application period, applicants will be encouraged to contact DHS
via a toll free number or online help desk with any questions. The
electronic application process will permit the applicant to enter data
and save the application for further use, and will not permit the
submission of incomplete applications. Except for the narrative, the
application uses a ``point-and-click'' selection process, or requires
the entry of information (e.g., name and address, call volume numbers,
etc.).
The application period for the AFG grants will open on or about
March 29, 2010, and close on or about April 30, 2010. Interested
applicants are encouraged to read the Program Guidance for more
details. During the approaching application season, the program office
expects to receive between 20,000 and 25,000 applications.
Application Review Process
DHS evaluates all applications in the preliminary screening process
to determine which applications best address the program's announced
funding priorities. This preliminary screening evaluates and scores the
applicants' answers to the activity specific questions. Applications
containing multiple activities will be given prorated scores based on
the amount of funding requested for each activity. The best
applications as determined in the preliminary step are deemed to be in
the ``competitive range.''
Once the competitive range is established DHS will review the list
of applicants that are not included in the competitive range to
determine if any of those applicants are responsible for protecting
DHS-specified critical infrastructure or key resources. If it is
determined that an applicant has responsibility for protecting one or
more critical infrastructure or key resources but is not included in
the competitive range, DHS will determine whether it is appropriate to
place that application before the peer review panel due to the
importance of its mission to protect these critical resources. Adding
additional applications to peer review will not affect the number of
applications that would have been reviewed by the peer reviewers or
otherwise undermine the process used to determine the competitive
range. Peer review panelists will not be aware of which applications
may have been added to the universe of applications at panel as a
result of this initiative. All applications will be peer reviewed
against the criteria described in this document.
All applications in the competitive range are subject to a second
level review by a technical evaluation panel made up of individuals
from the fire service including, but not limited to, firefighters, fire
marshals, and fire training instructors. The panelists will assess the
application's merits with respect to the clarity and detail provided
about the project, the applicant's financial need, the project's
purported benefit to be derived from the cost, and the effectiveness of
the project to enhance the health and safety of the public and fire
service personnel.
Using the evaluation criteria included here, the panelists will
independently score each application before them and then discuss the
merits and shortcomings of the application in an effort to reconcile
any major discrepancies. A consensus on the score is not required. The
panelists will assign a score to each of the elements detailed above.
DHS will then consider the highest scoring applications resulting from
this second level of review for awards. Applications that involve
interoperable communications projects will undergo a separate review by
the State Administrative Agency to assure that the communications
project is consistent with the Statewide Communications
Interoperability Plan (SCIP). If the State determines that the project
is inconsistent with the State SCIP, the project will not be funded.
After the completion of the reviews, DHS will select a sufficient
number of awardees from this application period to obligate all of the
available grant funding. DHS will announce the awards over several
months and will notify non-successful applicants as soon as feasible.
DHS will not make awards in any specified order, i.e., not by State,
program, nor any other characteristic.
Modification to facility projects (including renovations associated
with equipment installations) are subject to all applicable
environmental and historic preservation requirements. Applicants
seeking assistance to modify their facilities or to install equipment
requiring renovations may undergo additional screening. Specifically,
DHS is required to ascertain to what degree the proposed modifications
and renovations might affect an applicant's facility relative to the
National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act
of 1966, National Flood Insurance Program regulations, and any other
applicable laws and Executive Orders. No project that involves a
modification to facility can proceed--except for project planning--
prior to formal written approval from DHS. If your award includes a
modification to a facility, you are responsible for contacting the
Program Office so you can be given direction on how to proceed.
Noncompliance with these provisions may jeopardize an applicant's award
and subsequent funding.
Criteria Development Process
Each year, DHS conducts a criteria development meeting to develop
the program's priorities for the coming year. DHS brings together a
panel of fire service professionals representing the leadership of the
nine major fire service organizations:
Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI),
International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI),
International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC),
International Association of Fire Fighters (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), and
North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD).
[[Page 23788]]
The criteria development panel is charged with making
recommendations to the grants program office regarding the creation
and/or modification of program priorities as well as development of
criteria and definitions as necessary.
The governing statute requires that DHS publish each year in the
Federal Register the guidelines that describe the application process
and the criteria for grant awards. DHS must also include an explanation
of any differences between the published guidelines and the
recommendations made by the criteria development panel. The guidelines
and the statement regarding the differences between the guidelines and
the criteria development panel recommendations must be published in the
Federal Register prior to making any grants under the program. (15
U.S.C. 2229(b)(14)).
The Fiscal year 2010 criteria development panel meeting occurred
July 20-24, 2009. During the criteria development panel meeting, the
group discussed the 2010 program year under the assumption that the
changes that had been proposed in draft reauthorization language would
be implemented in 2010. But, the reauthorization has not been enacted,
so the 2010 AFG funding opportunity will replicate the 2009 program
with the following exception:
In 2009, we gave a higher consideration for ``source
capture'' vehicle exhaust extraction systems over either vehicle
mounted systems or ambient air systems. For 2010, any system that
handles vehicle exhaust will receive the same consideration. The
criteria development group did not recommend this equality; they
recommended that ambient air systems receive a lower priority.
Review Considerations
Fire Department Priorities
Specific rating criteria for each of the eligible programs and
activities are discussed below. The funding priorities described in
this Notice have been recommended by a panel of representatives from
the Nation's fire service leadership and have been accepted by DHS for
the purposes of implementing the AFG. These rating criteria provide an
understanding of the grant program's priorities and the expected cost-
effectiveness of any proposed project(s). The activities listed below
are in no particular order of priority. Within each activity, DHS will
consider the population served by the applicant with higher populations
afforded a higher consideration than applicants with lower populations.
DHS will further explain program priorities in program guidance to be
published separately.
(1) Operations and Firefighter Safety Program.
(i) Training Activities. In implementing the fire service's
recommendations, DHS has determined that the most benefit will be
derived from instructor-led, hands-on training that leads to a
nationally sanctioned or State certification. Training requests that
include Web-based home study or distance learning or the purchase of
training materials, equipment, or props are a lower priority.
Therefore, applications focused on national or State certification
training, including train-the-trainer initiatives, will receive a
higher competitive rating. Training that (1) involves instructors, (2)
requires the students to demonstrate their grasp of knowledge of the
training material via testing, and (3) is integral to a certification
will receive a high competitive rating. Instructor-led training that
does not lead to a certification, and any self-taught courses, are of
lower benefit, and therefore will not receive a high priority.
DHS will give higher priority, within the limitations imposed by
statute, to training proposals which improve coordination capabilities
across disciplines (Fire, EMS, and Police), and jurisdictions (local,
State, and Federal). Training related to coordinated incident response
(i.e., bomb threat or Improvised Explosive Device response), tactical
emergency communications procedures, or similar types of
interdisciplinary, inter-jurisdictional training will receive the
highest competitive rating.
Due to the inherent differences between urban, suburban, and rural
firefighting characteristics, DHS has accepted the recommendations of
the criteria development panel for different priorities in the training
activities of departments that service these different types of
communities. CBRNE awareness training has a high benefit, however, and
will receive the highest consideration regardless of the type of
community served and regardless of the absence of any national
standard.
For fire departments serving rural communities, DHS has determined
that funding basic, operational-level firefighting, operational-level
rescue, driver training, and first-responder EMS, Emergency Medical
Technician-Basic (EMT-B), and Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate
(EMT-I) training (i.e., training in basic firefighting, EMS, and rescue
duties) has greater benefit than funding officer training, safety
officer training, or incident-command training. In rural communities,
after basic training, there is a greater cost-benefit ratio for officer
training than for other specialized types of training such as mass
casualty, hazardous materials (HAZMAT), advanced rescue and Emergency
Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P), or inspector training.
Conversely, for departments that are serving urban or suburban
communities, DHS has determined that, due to the number of firefighters
and the relatively high percentage of the population protected, any
training requests will receive a high priority rating regardless of the
level of training requested. As such, when considering applications for
training from departments serving urban and suburban communities, DHS
will give higher priority to training proposals which improve
coordination capabilities across first-responder disciplines (fire,
EMS, and law enforcement), and jurisdictions (local, State, and
Federal). Training related to coordinated incident response (e.g.,
weapons of mass destruction awareness and incident operations, chemical
or biological operations, or bomb threats), tactical emergency
communications procedures, or similar types of interdisciplinary,
inter-jurisdictional training will receive the highest competitive
rating.
(ii) Wellness and Fitness Activities. In implementing the criteria
panel's recommendations, DHS has determined that fire departments must
offer periodic health screenings, entry physical examinations, and an
immunization program to have an effective wellness/fitness program.
Accordingly, applicants for grants in this category must currently
offer or plan to offer with grant funds all three benefits to receive
funding for any other initiatives in this activity. After the provision
of the three requisite benefits, the criteria development panel
recommended providing the highest consideration to candidate physical
agility evaluations. DHS will give a lower priority to formal fitness
and injury prevention programs. DHS will give the lowest priority to
stress management, injury/illness rehabilitation, and employee
assistance.
DHS has determined the greatest relative benefit will be realized
by supporting new wellness and fitness programs. Therefore, applicants
for new wellness/fitness programs will receive higher competitive
ratings when compared with applicants whose wellness/fitness programs
lack one or more of the three top priority items cited above, and
applicants that already
[[Page 23789]]
employ the requisite three activities of a wellness/fitness program.
Finally, because participation is critical to achieving any benefits
from a wellness or fitness program, applications that mandate
participation and are open to all personnel or provide incentives for
participation will receive higher competitive ratings.
(iii) Equipment Acquisition. As stated in the AFG statute, DHS
administers this grant program to protect the health and safety of
firefighters and the public from fire and fire-related hazards. As
such, equipment that has a direct effect on the health and safety of
either firefighters or the public will receive a higher competitive
rating than equipment that has no such effect. Equipment that promotes
interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions (especially for
communications equipment interoperable with a regional shared system)
will receive additional consideration in the cost-benefit assessment if
the application makes it into the competitive range.
The criteria development panel concluded that this grant program
will achieve the greatest benefits if the grant program provides funds
to purchase firefighting equipment (including rescue, EMS, and/or CBRNE
preparedness) that the applicant has not owned prior to the grant, or
to replace used or obsolete equipment.
According to the panel, a department takes on a ``new mission''
when it expands its services into areas not previously offered, such as
a fire department seeking funding to provide emergency medical services
for the first time. A ``new risk'' presents itself when a department
must address risks that have materialized in the department's area of
responsibility, e.g., the construction of a plant that uses significant
levels of certain chemicals could constitute a ``new risk.'' An
organization taking on ``new risks'' should be afforded higher
consideration than departments taking on a ``new mission.'' New
missions receive a lower priority due to the potential that an
applicant will not be able to financially support and sustain the new
mission beyond the period of the grant.
Departments responding to high call volumes will be afforded a
higher competitive rating than departments responding to lower call
volumes. In other words, those departments that are required to respond
more frequently will receive a higher competitive rating then those
that respond less frequently.
The purchase of equipment that brings the department into statutory
or regulatory compliance will provide the highest benefit and therefore
will receive the highest consideration. The purchase of equipment that
brings a department into voluntary compliance with national standards
will also receive a high competitive rating, but not as high as for the
purchase of equipment that brings a department into statutory
compliance. The purchase of equipment that does not affect statutory
compliance or voluntary compliance with a national standard will
receive a lower competitive rating.
(iv) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Acquisition. The primary
purpose of AFG is to protect the health and safety of the public and of
firefighters. To achieve this goal and maximize the benefit to the
firefighting community, the FY 2010 AFG will give higher priority to
funding applicants needing to purchase PPE for the first time (i.e.,
for new firefighters) than departments replacing old and obsolete or
substandard equipment (e.g., equipment not meeting current NFPA and
Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards). In
applications that request funding to replace equipment, the age and
condition of the PPE that is to be replaced will be the primary
consideration with the replacement of older or worn-out equipment
receiving higher consideration than requests for replacement of newer
equipment.
For departments replacing equipment such as ``turnout gear,'' the
condition of the equipment to be replaced will be factored into the
score with a higher priority given to replacing equipment that is
damaged, torn, or contaminated over equipment that is worn but usable.
For departments replacing old or damaged equipment, departments with
the oldest equipment will receive the highest priority, and departments
with the newest equipment will receive a low priority.
Finally, DHS takes into account the number of fire response calls
that a department makes in a year with the higher priority going to
departments with higher call volumes, while applications from
departments with low call volumes are afforded lower competitive
ratings.
(v) Modifications to Fire Stations and Facilities. DHS believes
that more benefit is derived from modifying fire stations than by
modifying fire-training facilities or other fire-related facilities.
The highest priority has been assigned to initiatives that have an
immediate effect on life and safety of firefighters. Initiatives such
as sprinkler systems, and fire/smoke alarm systems will be afforded the
highest priority. The next priority has been assigned to generators,
exhaust evacuation systems, vehicle mounted exhaust filtration systems
and ambient air systems. The frequency of use for any structure has a
bearing on the benefits derived from grant funds. As such, DHS will
afford facilities occupied 24-hours-per-day/7-days-a-week the highest
consideration when contrasted with facilities used on a part-time or
irregular basis. Fire stations with sleeping quarters will receive
higher consideration than stations where there are no sleeping quarters
for firefighters. Facilities open for broad usage and have a high
occupancy capacity receive a higher competitive rating than facilities
that have limited use and/or low occupancy capacity. The frequency and
duration of a facility's occupancy have a direct relationship to the
benefits realized from funding in this activity.
(2) Firefighting Vehicle Acquisition Program. Due to the inherent
differences between urban, suburban, and rural firefighting
conventions, DHS has developed different priorities in the vehicle
program for departments that service different types of communities.
The following chart delineates the priorities in this program area for
each type of community. Due to the competitive nature of this program
and the imposed limits of funding available for this program, it is
unlikely that DHS will fund many vehicles not listed as a Priority One
during the 2010 program year.
Firefighting Vehicle Program Priorities
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority Urban communities Suburban communities Rural communities
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority One Pumper Pumper Pumper
Aerial Aerial Brush/Attack
Quint (Aerial < 76') Quint (Aerial > 76') Tanker/Tender
Quint (Aerial < 76') Quint (Aerial > 76') Quint (Aerial < 76')
[[Page 23790]]
Rescue
Priority Two Command Command
HAZMAT HAZMAT HAZMAT
Light/Air Rescue Rescue
Rehab Tanker/Tender Aerial
Foam Truck Brush/Attack Quint (Aerial > 76')
Foam Truck Foam Truck
Priority Three ARFFV \1\ ARFFV \1\ ARFFV \1\
Brush/Attack Rehab Rehab
Tanker/Tender Light/Air Command
Ambulance Ambulance Ambulance
Fire Boat Fire Boat Fire Boat
Light/Air
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\1\ Airport Rescue and Firefighting Vehicle.
DHS will evaluate the marginal value derived from an additional
vehicle of any given type on the basis of call volume. As a result,
departments with fewer vehicles of a given type than other departments
who service comparable call volumes are more likely to score
competitively than departments with more vehicles of that type and
comparable call volume unless the need for an additional vehicle of
such type is made apparent in the application.
Applicants from urban and suburban communities may submit requests
for more than one vehicle. Applicants must supply sufficient
justification for each vehicle contained in the request. For those
applications with multiple vehicles, the panelists will be instructed
to evaluate the marginal benefit to be derived from funding the
additional vehicle(s) given the potential use and the population
protected. DHS anticipates that the panels will only recommend an award
for a multiple-vehicles application when the cost-benefit justification
is adequately compelling.
DHS believes that a greater benefit will be derived from funding an
additional vehicle(s) to departments that own fewer or no vehicles of
the type requested. As such, DHS assigns a higher competitive rating in
the apparatus category to fire departments that own fewer firefighting
vehicles relative to other departments serving similar types of
communities (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural). DHS assesses all
vehicles with similar functions when assessing the number of vehicles a
department possesses within a particular type. For example, the
``pumper'' category includes: pumpers, engines, pumper/tankers
(apparatus that carries a minimum of 300 gallons of water and has a
pump with a capacity to pump a minimum of 750 gallons per minute),
rescue-pumpers, quints (with aerials less than 76 feet in length), and
urban interface vehicles (Type I). Apparatus that has water capacity in
excess of 1,000 gallons and a pump with pumping capacity of less than
750 gallons per minute are considered to be a tanker/tender.
DHS assigns a higher competitive rating to departments possessing
an aged fleet of firefighting vehicles. In evaluating the age of an
applicant's fleet, DHS will take into account the oldest vehicle in the
class requested as well as the youngest vehicle in the class requested.
DHS will also take into account the average age of the applicants'
fleet. In each of these instances, older vehicles will receive higher
consideration. DHS will also assign a higher competitive rating to
departments that respond to a high volume of incidents.
DHS will give lower priority to funding departments seeking
apparatus with the goal to expand into new mission areas unless the
applicant demonstrates that they will be able to support and sustain
the new mission or service area beyond the grant program.
DHS will assign no competitive advantage to the purchase of
standard model commercial vehicles relative to custom vehicles, or the
purchase of used vehicles relative to new vehicles in the preliminary
evaluation of applications. DHS has noted that, depending on the type
and size of department, the peer review panelists often prefer low-cost
vehicles when evaluating the cost-benefit section of the project
narratives. DHS also reserves the right to consider current vehicle
costs within the fire service vehicle manufacturing industry when
determining the level of funding that will be offered to the potential
grantee, particularly if those current costs indicate that the
applicant's proposed purchase costs are excessive.
DHS will allow departments serving urban or suburban communities to
apply for more than one vehicle. DHS, however, will only allow
departments serving rural communities to apply for one vehicle. DHS
will limit applications from suburban or urban departments to one
vehicle per station as well as per statutory funding limits. DHS will
not limit 2010 applications because of a vehicle award from previous
AFG program years.
(3) Administrative Costs. Panelists will assess the reasonableness
of the administrative costs requested in any application and determine
if the request is reasonable and in the best interest of the program.
Nonaffiliated EMS Organization Priorities.
DHS may make grants for the purpose of enhancing the provision of
emergency medical services by nonaffiliated EMS organizations. The
authorizing statute limits funding for these organizations to no more
than 2 percent of the appropriated amount. DHS has determined that it
is more cost-effective to enhance or expand an existing emergency
medical service organization by providing training and/or equipment
than to create a new service. Communities that do not currently offer
emergency medical services but are turning to this grant program to
initiate such a service received the lowest competitive rating. DHS
does not believe creating a nonaffiliated EMS program is a substantial
and sufficient benefit under the program.
Specific rating criteria and priorities for each of the grant
categories are provided below following the descriptions of this year's
eligible programs. The rating criteria, in conjunction with the program
description, provide an understanding of the evaluation standards. In
each
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activity, the amount of the population served by the applicant will be
taken into consideration with higher populations afforded more
consideration than low populations served. DHS will further explain
program priorities in the Program Guidance upon publication thereof.
(1) EMS Operations and Safety Program.
Five different activities may be funded under this program area:
EMS training, EMS equipment, EMS personal protective equipment,
wellness and fitness, and modifications to facilities. Requests for
equipment and training to prepare for response to incidents involving
CBRNE were available under the applicable equipment and training
activities.
(i) Training Activities. DHS believes that EMS training is a
prerequisite to the effective use of EMS equipment, organizations whose
requests are more focused on training activities will receive a higher
competitive rating than organizations whose requests are more focused
on equipment. A higher competitive rating will be given to
nonaffiliated EMS organizations that are planning to upgrade services
to Advanced Life Support (ALS) level of response. Specifically,
organizations that are seeking to elevate their response level from
EMT-B to EMT-I will receive the highest priority and organizations that
are seeking to elevate their response level from EMT-I to EMT-P will
receive a high priority. Our second priority is to elevate emergency
responders' capabilities from first-responder to a Basic Life Support
(BLS) level of response (i.e., 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 or
rescue operations will receive lower consideration than organizations
seeking training for medical services. Our lowest priority is to fund
first responder training. Organizations that are seeking to train a
high percentage of their active first responders will receive
additional consideration when applying under the training activity.
(ii) EMS Equipment Acquisition. As noted above, training received a
higher competitive rating than equipment. DHS believes that equipment
is of no use if the operator is not trained to use it. As such,
applicants must demonstrate that users of equipment purchased with the
grant either are or will be sufficiently trained to use the equipment.
Inability to demonstrate and fulfill this training requirement will
result in ineligibility for equipment funding.
Organizations that request training to the ALS level of response,
along with basic support equipment, will receive a higher priority.
Requests seeking assistance to purchase equipment to support BLS level
of response are a secondary priority. Organizations seeking equipment
for rescue or HAZMAT operations will receive lower consideration than
organizations seeking equipment used to provide medical services. Our
lowest priority is to fund first responder training.
As discussed previously, organizations taking on ``new risks'' will
be afforded much higher consideration than an organization taking on a
``new mission.''
(iii) EMS Personal Protective Equipment. DHS gives the same
priorities for EMS PPE as it did for fire department PPE discussed
above. Acquisition of Personal Alert Safety Systems or any firefighting
PPE is not eligible, however, for funding for EMS organizations.
(iv) Wellness and Fitness Activities. DHS believes that to have an
effective wellness/fitness program, nonaffiliated EMS organizations
must offer periodic health screenings, entry physical examinations, and
an immunization program similar to the programs for fire departments
discussed previously. Accordingly, applicants for grants in this
category must currently offer or plan to offer with grant funds all
three benefits (periodic health screenings, entry physical
examinations, and an immunization program) to receive funding for any
other initiatives in this activity. The priorities for EMS wellness/
fitness programs are the same as for fire departments as discussed
above.
(v) Modification to EMS Stations and Facilities. DHS believes that
the competitive rankings and priorities applied to modification of fire
stations and facilities, discussed above, apply equally to EMS stations
and facilities.
(2) EMS Vehicle Acquisition Program.
DHS gives the highest funding priority to acquisition of ambulances
and transport vehicles due to the inherent benefits to the community
and EMS service provider. Due to the costs associated with obtaining
and outfitting non-transport rescue vehicles relative to the benefits
derived from such vehicles, DHS will give non-transport rescue vehicles
a lower competitive rating than transport vehicles. DHS anticipates
that the EMS vehicle awards will be very competitive due to very
limited available funding. Accordingly, DHS will likely only fund
vehicles that are listed as a ``Priority One'' in the 2010 program
year.
The following chart delineates the priorities in this program area
for EMS vehicle program. The priorities are the same regardless of the
type of community served.
EMS Vehicle Program Priorities
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority one Priority two Priority three
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ambulance or transport First responder non- Command vehicles.
unit to support EMS functions. transport vehicles.
Special operations Hovercraft
vehicles.
Other special access vehicles.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Along with the priorities illustrated above, DHS has accepted the
fire service recommendation that emerged from the criteria development
process that funding applicants that own few or no vehicles of the type
sought will be more beneficial than funding applicants that own
numerous vehicles of that same type. DHS assesses the number of
vehicles an applicant owns by including all vehicles of the same type.
For example, transport vehicles will be considered the same as
ambulances. DHS will give a higher competitive rating to applicants
that have an aged fleet of emergency vehicles, and to applicants with
old, high-mileage vehicles. DHS will give a higher competitive rating
to applicants that respond to a significant number of incidents
relative to applicants responding less often. Finally, DHS will afford
applicants with transport vehicles with high mileage more consideration
than applicants with vehicles that are not driven extensively.
(3) Administrative Costs. Panelists assess the reasonableness of
the administrative costs requested in each application and determined
whether the
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request will be reasonable and in the best interest of the program.
Dated: April 28, 2010.
W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2010-10385 Filed 5-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-64-P