U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Washington, DC 20528 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 
(ARRA) Fire Station Construction Grants (SCG) Frequently Asked 
Questions (FAQs) 

 

 

1. What is the purpose of the FY 2009 ARRA SCG? 


 

The purpose of the FY 2009 ARRA SCG is to build new or modify existing fire stations to 
enhance response capabilities and protect communities from fire-related hazards. 

 

2. How much funding was available under the FY 2009 ARRA SCG? 


 

The total amount of funds available under the FY 2009 ARRA SCG was $210 million. 
Approximately $166 million of funding was announced in September, 2009. In February, 
2010, FEMA announced an additional approximate amount of $23 million in awards. In 
June, 2010, FEMA announced an additional $11.9 million in awards. Remaining funds will 
be obligated by Sept. 30, 2010. 

 

3. What are the priorities for the FY 2009 ARRA SCG? 


 

. 
Projects in areas of the country where unemployment has been the highest; 
. 
Projects that are ready to begin shortly after award (i.e. applicant already owns land and 
have building plans, etc.); 
. 
Projects that improve emergency response time and firefighter safety; and 
. 
Projects that are environmentally friendly; conform to national consensus codes and 
standards; provide best value for cost; and can be constructed within the proposed budget. 


 

4. Who was eligible to apply for FY 2009 ARRA SCG funds? 


 

Non-federal fire departments and state, local and tribal governments that fund or operate fire 
departments were eligible to apply for FY 2009 ARRA SCG funds. 

 

5. What are the eligible uses of FY 2009 ARRA SCG funds? 


 

 The following project types are eligible uses of FY 2009 ARRA SCG funds: 

. 
Construction of new fire stations. 
. 
Renovation of fire stations to enhance response capacity and firefighter safety. 



 

6. How were the FY 2009 ARRA SCG allocations determined? 


 

Awards were determined through a fully competitive process. Competition was carried out 
in two phases: 1) alignment of applications with announced funding priorities; and 2) peer 
review of those applications that best met the funding priorities. 

 

7. What legislation authorizes funding for the FY 2009 ARRA SCG? 


 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) provides funding for this 
program. 

 

8. What other resources are available to address programmatic, technical and financial 
questions? 


 

. 
For additional program-specific information, please contact the Assistance to Firefighters 
Grants Help Desk at (866) 274-0960 or via email at firegrants@dhs.gov. Help Desk 
hours of operation are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. 
. 
For financially-related questions, please contact the FEMA Call Center at (866) 927-5646 
or via E-mail to ASK-GMD@dhs.gov. 


 

9. What is the FY 2009 ARRA SCG period of performance? 


 

The period of performance of the grants will be a maximum of 36 months.