Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) (97.083)

 

Program

97.083 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)

 

Federal Agency

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS)

 

Authorization

15 U.S.C. 2229a, FY 2005 Homeland Security Appropriation Act.

 

Program Number

97.083

 

Last Known Status

Active

 

Objectives

To increase the number of firefighters in local communities and to help them meet industry minimum standards and attain 24/7 staffing for adequate protection against fire and fire-related hazards, and fulfill related roles associated with fire departments.

 

Types of Assistance

Project Grants.

 

Uses and Use Restrictions

Not all fire departments will be eligible to apply. Training, equipment, over-time, and administrative expenses are ineligible. Individuals seeking personal scholarships or tuition assistance are ineligible. This program is intended to assist organizations and recognized fire departments as identified in the program guidance document/application kit. Only fire departments and organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters, as specified in the program guidance, are eligible. Funds may be used to recruit, hire, and retain firefighters, but cannot supplant (replace) organization/department funds budgeted for that purpose. Recipients must commit to maintaining their pre-existing (pre-grant) staffing level, and retaining personnel hired with grant funds, for at least one (1) year beyond the end of the four (4)-year grant period. Thus, recipients must maintain preexisting staffing levels and retain grant funded personnel throughout the five year period of performance. Grant funds are provided on a sliding scale, recipients must initially match 10% of the federal share the first year. Recipient match increases by certain percentages in the second, third, and fourth years, culminating in 100% of personnel costs (per position), in the fifth year and beyond. Refer to the program announcement/application kit for further information.

 

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

This program is restricted to the jurisdictions/organizations described in the program guidance. For specific information, refer to the program guidance. In summary, for the purpose of this program, "State" is defined as the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Alaska Village Initiative, a nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of Alaska, shall also be considered eligible for purposes of receiving assistance under this program on behalf of Alaska Native villages. 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 on a first-due basis to a population within a fixed geographical area. Fire departments may be comprised of members who are all volunteer, combination volunteer/career, or all career.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Local or tribal communities serviced by the fire department including, local businesses, homeowners and property owners.

Credentials/Documentation

Applicant must certify that they are an eligible applicant, i.e., a fire department, as described in the program guidance. Refer to program guidance document for specific information.

 

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Depending on the type of applicant, this program may or may not be excluded from E.O. 12372 ("Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs"). Applicants should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his/her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure

Two options exist under the SAFER program: Hiring of Firefighters Activity and Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Activity. All fire departments are eligible for the Hiring of Firefighters Activity. Only volunteer and combination fire departments, along with organizations on a local or statewide basis representing the interests of volunteer firefighters, are eligible for the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Activity. Applicants may submit only one application to the Grants Management System per application period. A municipality or fire district may submit an application on behalf of a fire department when that department lacks the legal status to do so, e.g., when the fire department falls within the auspices of the municipality or district. If an application is submitted on behalf of a fire department, that department is precluded from submitting any additional or independent applications. Only one (1) application will be accepted from applicants each program year. Eligible applicants can access program guidance information and apply online via the website listed in this program description.

Award Procedure

This is a competitive process, awards will be made using rank order as the primary basis, regardless of program. However, the law requires 10 percent set-aside of the available "hiring firefighters" funding for a "majority volunteer or all volunteer fire departments;" it also mandates at least a 10 percent designation of program funds, for "recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters." Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of their response to project-specific questions. Additional reviews based on technical merit, of qualified applications, will be performed by subject-matter specialists. Subsequent re-programming of un-awarded grant funds may occur depending on results from the initial allocation of funds. Refer to the program guidance document for further information.

Deadlines

It is anticipated that the application period will commence on/about May 31, 2005, and remain open for 28 days. It is the responsibility of interested applicants to remain alert to the application deadlines for this program.

 

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Appeals

Applicants that receive an adverse decision or denial, can request reconsideration of the decision. Request for reconsideration must be submitted in writing, to the address contained in the program description, within 30 days after notification of denial is issued by the administering program office.

Renewals

None.

 

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has a match requirement, refer to program description for specific information on the match requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

60 months from the date of award.

 

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Grantees are required to submit quarterly progress report with their payment requests; grantees are also required to submit a final financial report and a final program summary narrative upon grant completion.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular A-133. These audits are due to the cognizant Federal agency not later than nine months after the end of the grantee's fiscal year.

Records

Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to a grant shall be retained for a period of at least three years after the grant has been closed or until an audit has been conducted that does not show any questionable costs.

 

Program Accomplishments

None. New Program.

 

Financial Information

Account Identification

70-0561-0-1-999.

Obligations

FY 04 $0; FY 05 est $65,000,000; and FY 06 est to be determined.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

$10,000 to $2,000,000 (average award is anticipated at $500,000; grant-funds capped at a maximum of $100,000 per position).

 

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

U.S.C. 2201 et seq.; Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974.

 

Related Programs

15.031, Indian Community Fire Protection; 15.228, National Fire Plan - Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance; 97.018, National Fire Academy Training Assistance; 83.542, Fire Suppression Assistance; 97.038, First Responder Counter-Terrorism Training Assistance; 97.043, State Fire Training Systems Grants.

 

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

None.

Headquarters Office

Department of Homeland Security, Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (OSLGCP), Fire Grants Program Office, C/O 245 Murray Lane - Bldg. #410, Washington, DC 20523. E-mail: firegrants@dhs.gov. Telephone: 866-274-0960.

Web Site Address

http://www.firegrantsupport.com/safer/sguidance.aspx

 

Examples of Funded Projects

None.

 

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

This is a competitive process. Applications will be subjected to a preliminary screening to determine the degree to which the application meets the program's published criteria. The priorities of the program will be published in the Federal Register and other program guidance. A panel of subject matter experts review applications that best address the program's priorities and rate applications based on the information contained in the narrative. Refer to the program announcement for further information.