FY 2010 Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FP&S) Fact Sheet Overview 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 Grant (AFG) Program. As part of the AFG program, the Grant Programs Directorate administers the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grants, which offers grants to support activities in two categories: (1) activities designed to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate incidences of deaths and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards (the “Fire Prevention and Safety Activity”; and (2) research and development activities aimed at improvements of firefighter safety (the “Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity”). The FY 2010 FP&S program hopes to provide flexibility to applicants to design innovative strategies or unique proposals that reach for a higher level of safety for the public with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The program will also include general categories of activities or projects that will be eligible for funding: public education campaigns, arson prevention, prevention-related training, fire prevention activities, and risk assessments. The authority of the AFG Program is derived from the Federal Fire Protection and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. §§ 2229 et seq.), as amended. Funding In FY 2010, the total amount of funding distributed under this grant program will be award approximately $35 million. FY 2010 FP&S funds will be awarded to to help support activities that promote activities that mitigate the number of incidences of death and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards. Eligibility Eligible applicants for FY 2010 FP&S include fire departments, and national, regional, state, local, Native American tribal organizations and/or community organizations that are recognized for their experience and expertise in fire prevention and safety programs and activities. Both private and public non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding in this activity. Allowable Costs FY 2010 FP&S has two main categories to which it prioritizes funding, including the “Fire Prevention and Safety” and “Firefighter Safety and Research and Development” category. The eligible categories for the FP&S “Fire Prevention and Safety” activities are “General Education/Awareness”, “Code Enforcement/Awareness”, “Fire & Arson Investigation”, and “National/State/Regional Program and Studies”. The eligible categories for the FP&S “Firefighter Safety Research and Development” activities include, “Behavioral, Clinical, and Social Science Studies”, “Database Systems”, “Technology and Product Development Studies”, and “Research Regarding Dissemination and Implementation of Effective Programs and Products”. Application Process and Evaluation Criteria National, state, and local organizations are eligible to apply under both the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Activity and the Firefighter Safety Research and Development (R&D) Activity on the same application. Each project within an application must be presented separately as a free-standing proposal. All eligible applications are evaluated by a Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP). The TEP is comprised of peer review panelists. The TEP assesses each application’s merits with respect to the detail provided in the narrative on the activity including all of the evaluation elements listed in the “Evaluation Criteria” section of the FY 2010 guidance document. Highest ranked applications receive further technical review to assess strengths and weaknesses, how readily weaknesses may be resolved, and the likely impact of the proposed activities on the safety of the target audience. The characteristics listed below are used as the guidelines for making funding decisions on FP&S projects. The extent to which projects reflect the characteristics below is assessed by the TEP and impacts the likelihood that a project is funded. The relative weight of the evaluation criteria in the determination of the grant award is as follows: Vulnerability Statement (20%), Implementation Plan (20%), Evaluation Plan (20%), Cost-Benefit (15%), Sustainability (15%), Financial Need (10%), Performance (additional consideration), and Funding Priorities (additional consideration). The characteristics listed below are used as the guidelines in making funding decisions. The extent to which projects reflect these characteristics is assessed by the TEP and impacts the likelihood that a project is funded. The relative weight of the evaluation criteria in the determination of the grant award is as follows: Study purpose(s), goals and objectives, and specific aims (15%), Scientific and technical merit of the proposed research (50%), Dissemination and Implementation (10%), Resources - People and Time (15%), Protections for Human Subjects (10%). “FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.” “FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”