Oak Square Consultants Announces Guidelines Issued for FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grants

Aug. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- Oak Square Consultants announces that FEMA issued guidelines this week for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. AFG provides funding for essentials that firefighters and first responders need to be safe and effective on the job.

Congress has appropriated $380,747,000 for the 2011 AFG program. This money will provide much-needed help in the operations of a fire agency, and the funding assistance provided by the AFG program can provide long-term benefits for a fire department or nonaffiliated EMS organization.

In 2010, FEMA approved AFG grants totaling approximately $339 million (for details of the recipients, categories, and amounts, visit http://www.fema.gov/firegrants/afggrants/award_year/2010/AFG2010.shtm).

The window of opportunity for submittal of grant applications is short: the deadline is September 9, 2011.

For more details, contact Oak Square Consultants or visit the FEMA website  at http://www.fema.gov/firegrants. The following information is from their summary.

Eligibility
•  Paid, volunteer and combination fire departments and agencies are all eligible to apply.
•  Nonaffiliated EMS organizations are also eligible.

Funding Categories
•  Firefighting and EMS equipment - including boats under 20ft (new for FY2011)
•  Personal protective equipment (PPE)
•  Fire and EMS vehicles – applicants may apply for more than one vehicle (new for FY2011)
•  Training programs
   -  Wellness and fitness
   -  Behavioral health (new for FY2011)
•  Modifications to facilities

Funding limits for FY2011 (based on population protected by the applicant)
•  $1,000,000 for population under 500,000
•  $1,750,000 for population between 500,000 and one million
•  $2,750,000 for population over one million

Application Period
•  August 15, 2011 – September 9, 2011
•  All applications must be submitted by 5PM EST September 9th

Fire or EMS agencies who desire to submit an application are advised to note the short time available for preparation and take immediate action to ensure that their needs are submitted for funding consideration by the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program.


NEW FEMA GRANT ANNOUNCEMENTS (COMING SOON)

•  SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response), estimated at $405 million for FY2011, provides money to fund increasing the number of front-line firefighters, including recruiting and retention of firefighters.

•  FP&S (Fire Prevention & Safety), estimated at $35 million for 2011, provides money to fund general education/awareness, code enforcement/awareness, and fire and arson investigation activities.

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Oak Square Consultants, a grantwriting and integrative consulting firm, identifies, brings together, and blends the resources needed to assist its clients to succeed.