This page addresses frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the AFG, SAFER and Fire Prevention & Safety programs.
Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program Frequently Asked Questions
The FY 2021 SAFER Program NOFO contains changes to definitions, descriptions, and priority categories, including:
- Under Applicant Eligibility Criteria (page 6)
- Added information on application submittal and Authorized Organization Representatives
- Under Narrative Evaluation Criteria (page 20)
- Added information on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) review of Narrative Statements
- Under Programmatic Performance Reporting Requirements (page 28)
- Changed the reporting frequency of Performance Progress Report from every three months to every six months
- Under Grant Writer/Preparation Fees (page 68)
- Added information on allowability of grant writer fees
The SAFER Program is separated into two activities:
- Hiring Activity: Provides federal financial assistance to help fire departments hire new, additional firefighters (or change the status of part-time or paid-on-call firefighters to full-time firefighters) and to rehire laid off firefighters or retain firefighters facing imminent layoff. National, regional, state, local, tribal, and nonprofit interest organizations are not eligible to apply for funding under the Hiring Activity.
- R&R Activity: Assists volunteer and combination fire departments and national, regional, state, local, federally recognized tribal, and nonprofit interest organizations with the recruitment and/or retention of volunteer firefighters who are involved with or trained in the operations of firefighting and emergency response. Career fire departments are not eligible to apply for funding under the R&R Activity.
- A volunteer fire department, as defined in 15 U.S.C. § 2229, has an all-volunteer force of firefighting personnel. For a fire department to have an all-volunteer force, no member may receive financial compensation (in the form of salary or wages) for their services other than life and health insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and/or a nominal stipend per call. For the purposes of this SAFER Program, a department whose membership is comprised of all volunteer firefighters, including any paid-on-call firefighters who receive only a nominal stipend, will be considered a volunteer fire department.
- A career department, as defined in 15 U.S.C. § 2229, has an all-paid force of firefighting personnel other than paid-on-call firefighters. Fire departments that provide reimbursement on a paid-on-call basis are considered a combination fire department for the purposes of this program.
- A combination department, as defined in 15 U.S.C. § 2229, has paid firefighting personnel and volunteer firefighting personnel. At a minimum, a combination fire department must have at least one active firefighter who receives financial compensation for services (including paid-on-call) and at least one active firefighter who does not receive financial compensation for services other than life, health, and workers’ compensation insurance.
For the purposes of this SAFER Program, a department whose membership is composed of any paid-on-call firefighters who receive more than a nominal stipend will be considered a combination fire department.
FEMA considers a department to be combination majority volunteer if more than 50 percent of its membership is made up of personnel who do not receive financial compensation for services. Departments are considered combination majority career if more than 50% of the active firefighting membership is salaried staff.
- A national, regional, state, local, tribal, and nonprofit volunteer firefighter interest organization is defined as an organization that supports or represents the interests of firefighters in front of legislative bodies at the local, state, tribal, and federal level. Such organizations include but are not limited to state or local firefighter and/or fire chiefs’ associations, volunteer firefighter relief organizations, and associations. FEMA shall make the final determination as to whether an applicant is an appropriate volunteer firefighter interest group. Fire departments applying for a regional grant on behalf of itself and other participating fire departments are not considered an interest organization.
Eligible applicants for the SAFER Program include fire departments; any federally recognized Indian tribe or tribal organization; and national, regional, state, local, tribal, and nonprofit interest organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters.
Yes. However, because the possibility exists that the period of performance on the open grant award(s) and the FY 2021 grant period of performance will overlap, you need to ensure that the start of your FY 2021 grant does not depend on the completion of your open grant(s), or that receipt of a FY 2021 SAFER Program award will not impact your ability to continue with and/or complete your open grant award(s). The grant activities requested in the FY 2021 SAFER Program must supplement the current award(s) and cannot be for the same activities, expenditures, or personnel funded under the open grant award(s). Applicants with an active SAFER Program award who wish to apply under the FY 2021 SAFER Program are subject to the guidelines and requirements outlined in the FY 2021 SAFER Program NOFO.
The purpose of the SAFER Program is to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to assist with increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards, to attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards, and to fulfill traditional missions of fire departments. The SAFER Program is separated into two activities: Hiring of Firefighters (Hiring) Activity and Recruitment and Retention (R&R) Activity. Using a competitive process that is informed by fire service subject-matter experts, grants in both activities are awarded to applicants whose requests best address the priorities of the FY 2021 SAFER Program.