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FAQ-Other

What is the definition of interoperability?
Interoperability is described as fire department technology, equipment, programs, and/or procedures that give the department the capability of operating with a variety of other departments and/or communities within a region, and/or with Federal/State agencies.

How do you determine whether you are a volunteer, combination, or career department?
A volunteer fire department is composed entirely of members who do not receive compensation, other than a length of service retirement program (LSOP) and insurance. A career department is a department in which all members are compensated for their services. A combination department has at least one volunteer, with the balance being career; or one career member with the balance being volunteer. Also, if a volunteer fire department provides stipends to their members or provides "pay on call" for their members, the department is considered to be combination.

How are the grant applications scored?
In the first phase, each application will receive a numerical score based upon the response to the activity-specific questions. Applications will then be rank-ordered and the competitive applications will be forwarded on for review by a technical application panel, comprised of peer fire service professionals. The panel will evaluate the narrative portion of the application and will assign a numerical score based upon the project description, cost/benefit statement, and the financial need of the applicant.

Are there targeted funding amounts for the four program areas?
It is FEMA's intent to fund the best applications regardless of the program area with the following legally required exceptions: (1) Not more than 25% of grant funds can be used to purchase firefighting vehicles and (2) At least 5% of funds must be expended on fire prevention programs.
Will there be any partial funding of grants?
Applications will be scored based on their entire request. We anticipate that the majority of grant awards will be for the funding level requested, provided that all items requested are eligible and meet the priorities of the program. In some cases, it may be necessary to negotiate the final grant award with an applicant. This will be accomplished on a case-by-case basis.

We reserve the right to adjust any request, in whole or in part, that we deem to be excessive or otherwise contrary to the best interest of the program.

Do I need to hire a professional grant writer in order to complete an application?
No, the on-line application is designed to be straight forward and user friendly. There are a number of help buttons and pull-down screens that will clarify items on the application. The application is also designed to prevent incomplete or inaccurate applications from being submitted. Anyone with basic computer skills and knowledge of the fire service should be able to complete and submit an application.

In addition, panels of your peers will review competitive applications. Therefore, your applications simply need to be written in a manner that your colleagues can understand.

How will the determination for an award be made?
In selecting applications for award, we will use the established applicant eligibility criteria, program priorities, the financial needs of the applicant, and an analysis of the benefits that would result from the grant award. In the initial screening of the applications, every application will be evaluated based on the answers to the activity-specific questions. The applications that most closely address the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program's established priorities will be deemed to be in the "competitive range" and subject to a second level of review.

This second level of review is conducted using technical review panels (made up of individuals from the fire service or fire service organizations) that assess the application's merits with respect to the detail provided in the narrative about the project, the applicant's financial need, and the project's benefit to be derived from the cost. At least three technical evaluation panelists will independently score each application and then discuss the merits/shortcomings of the application in order to reconcile any major discrepancies. A consensus on the score is not required. The scores of the panelists will be added together, and then divided by the number of panelists to arrive at the final score of the application. The highest scoring applications will then be considered for award. We will provide equal consideration to applications in each evaluation phase, regardless of the program applied for, or the number of activities requested.

The law requires a specific distribution of grant funds between career departments and combination/volunteer fire departments. Specifically, we must ensure that fire departments that have either all-volunteer forces of firefighting personnel or combined forces of volunteer and career firefighting personnel receive a portion of the total grant funding that is not less than the proportion of the United States population that those departments protect. According to a 2000 survey by the National Fire Protection Association, volunteer and combination departments protect 55 percent of the population of the United States and career departments protect 45 percent of the population.

In order to fulfill our obligations under the law, we may also make funding decisions using rank order as the preliminary basis then based on the size and character of the community a department serves (urban, suburban, or rural), and the geographic location of the fire department. In these instances where we are making final decisions by including geographic location, we will use States as the basic geographic unit.
Is the "Single Audit Process" for grant awardees based on a one-time expenditure of $300,000 or is it accumulative?
The requirements for the "Single Audit Process" would apply in both cases.

Is the fire department required to participate in NFIRS?
As a condition of receipt of grant funds under this program, the recipient must agree to provide information to the United States Fire Administration's National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). This information can be provided through a State agency or directly to the USFA. Recipients are encouraged to participate for longer than the one-year minimum period specified by the program requirements, as this data is used to more accurately assess and subsequently combat the fire problem at a national level.

Can I get reimbursed for costs associated with submitting information to NFIRS?

If you are not currently reporting to NFIRS, new costs associated with this activity may be included in the applicant's administrative costs. The anticipated cost should be included in the budget and explained in the program narrative. Applicants should be aware that administrative costs will be taken into consideration in the evaluation process with respect to cost-benefit. Therefore, excessive charges to administrative costs may result in a lower rating in the evaluation of the application.

Can I apply for a grant through the competitive program and the Fire Prevention and Safety grants?
You are eligible to apply for both grants however; the Fire Prevention and Safety grant program should not be a substitute for applying for fire prevention activities through the competitive grant. The priorities for the Fire Prevention and Safety grants focus on national programs and innovative local programs - not local basic prevention needs.

Where should I send letters of support for fire department applications from the community, political leaders, and others?
Letters of support should be sent to the following address:

R. David Paulison
USFA Grant Program Technical Assistance Center
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, Maryland
21727-8998