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FY 2007 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG)

In Fiscal Year 2007, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program will award over $490 million directly to fire departments and EMS organizations to enhance their response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public and emergency response personnel with respect to fire and all other hazards.

Overview

The Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program is an important component of the Administration's larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation's overall level of preparedness and ability to respond to fire and fire-related hazards.  Since 2001, and including Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, over $3.3 billion in AFG funds have been distributed to first-responder organizations to purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, and vehicles. AFG is a highly competitive program.  FEMA received more than 20,000 applications requesting over $3 billion in funding under the FY 2007 AFG.

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Purpose

The purpose of the FY 2007 AFG is to award grants directly to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service (EMS) organizations.  These awards aim to enhance first responders' ability to protect the health and safety of the public, as well as that of first-responder personnel, with respect to fire-related hazards.  Using a competitive process overseen by fire service subject matter experts, AFG awards grants to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the AFG program. 

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Funding

The FY 2007 AFG will provide over $490 million in competitive grants to fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations. 

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Eligibility

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

A "fire department" is defined as an agency or organization that has 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 services organization that provides direct emergency medical services, including medical transport, to a specific geographic area on a first-due basis, but which is not affiliated with a hospital and does not serve a geographic area where emergency medical services are adequately provided by a fire department.

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Program Highlights

Eligible AFG activities are detailed below according to the type of eligible entity:

Fire Departments:

Emergency Medical Services Organizations:

Funding for vehicles (fire or EMS) is limited to 25 percent of available funds.  No less than 3.5 percent of available funds must be spent on EMS training, equipment, and vehicles.  However, awards to nonaffiliated EMS organizations are limited to 2 percent of funds available.  No less than 22 percent of AFG funds must be awarded to fire departments that have all-volunteer firefighting personnel, and no less than 33 percent of AFG funds must be awarded to fire departments that have combined forces of volunteer and career firefighting personnel.

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Evaluation Criteria

Funding priorities and criteria for evaluating AFG applications are established from recommendations provided by a criteria development panel that is composed of fire service professionals representing the nine major fire service organizations.  Funding priorities for the FY 2007 AFG included:  achieving national baseline capabilities; risk-based funding; and communications and equipment interoperability. 

Applications are ranked based on the substance of the application relative to the established funding priorities for the type of community served.  Highest scoring applications are determined to be in a "competitive range" and undergo further evaluation by a panel of peers - that is members of the fire service.  Applications requesting CBRNE-related equipment or training or interoperable communications equipment also are reviewed by a designated state homeland security official to ensure requests are consistent with the State Homeland Security Strategy and interoperable communications plan and do not duplicate assistance provided through the state.

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Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Jun-2009 11:56:09 EDT