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FAQ-Eligibility

Am I eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program are limited to fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations of a State as defined herein, including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A "fire department" is defined as an agency or organization that has a formally recognized arrangement with a State, local, or tribal authority (city, county, parish, fire district, township, town, or other governing body) to provide fire suppression services to a population within a fixed geographical area. A “nonaffiliated EMS organization” is defined as a public or private nonprofit emergency medical services organization that provides direct emergency medical services to a specific geographic area but is not affiliated with a hospital and does not serve a geographic area in which DHS finds that emergency medical services are adequately provided by a fire department.

Can a for-profit fire department apply?
Fire departments that are for-profit departments (i.e., do not have specific non-profit status or are not municipally based) are not eligible to apply for assistance under this program.

I'm planning to submit an application as a host for a regional project. When I answer the questions in the Department Characteristics section of the online application, do I use the statistics for the entire region that will be affected by the project, or do I use my department's local statistics?
When applying as a host for a regional project, you should provide your department's statistics when responding to the Department Characteristics questions, but you should elaborate on the wider benefits in the narrative portion of your application.

I'm applying as the host for a regional project, but I also need some equipment for my own department. Can I submit a second application for my own department's needs?
No, we only allow one application per eligible applicant, and the application for the regional project counts as the one application. A host applicant that wishes to apply for equipment for its own department may include those items as an addendum to the regional application. The host applicant should make sure to adequately address these items in the narrative separate from the narrative describing the regional project.

The 2005 Program Guidance highlights "regional projects" whereby a county fire department acting as the host department could apply for a grant on behalf of all departments in its jurisdiction. According to the Guidance, the other benefiting departments may still apply for other needs as long as their applications did not duplicate the host applicant's request. But, the Program Guidance also states that a fire district may apply on behalf of the departments under its purview, or the individual departments may apply on their own, but not both. Isn't this contradictory?
Yes, it is contradictory, but we believe that interoperability is important; therefore, we will allow host departments to apply as well as the benefiting departments—as long as there is no duplication.

The 2005 Program Guidance states that in order for an EMS organization to be eligible for AFG funding, that EMS organization cannot be affiliated with a hospital. What does "affiliated" mean?
By "affiliated" we mean receiving any kind of direct support from the hospital in the form of funding, facilities, staff, or apparatus. Contracting with a hospital on a fee-for-service basis would not constitute an "affiliation" in the context of this program.

My EMS organization is co-located with the city fire department. Can we apply as a nonaffiliated EMS organization?
If your nonaffiliated EMS organization does not report to the fire chief and your organization has its own discretionary budget, then the nonaffiliated EMS organization is eligible to apply for the AFG program, even though they are co-located with the fire department.


It has been the AFG policy to allow up to 50 percent of the grant funds to be used for a down payment. Has that changed for this year's program?
Yes. To encourage better cash management practices, grantees may only request 25 percent for down payments.


I’ve noticed several vendors that claim their product is "FEMA Fire Act Approved." Do you have a list of products that are "Approved?"
No. The Federal government (FEMA, ODP, SLGCP, or DHS) does not approve, endorse, promote, sanction or otherwise support any specific products or services and purchasers should be wary of any vendor that makes such claims. For the AFG program, we require that any product or service purchased with grant funds comply with applicable national standards.

If my department received a grant in FY2002 are we still eligible to apply?
Yes, departments that received grants in FY2002 are eligible to apply. Applicants should indicate if the FY2003 request builds upon the program funded in FY2002. Prior performance may be considered when new awards are considered.

If I have received funds from other federal sources, am I still eligible to apply?
Applicants who meet the definition of a fire department, and receive funding through other federal grants, memorandums of agreement, or other contracts, remain eligible, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Our program will not fund activities funded by other Federal agencies.

Can my fire department partner with other fire departments to submit requests in two or more different programs?
Each fire department can apply for a grant in only one program area, and each application from a fire department will be evaluated independently. If one fire department will assume the responsibility for managing the grant and obligating their organization for the matching funds requirements, then it is acceptable for a fire department to submit one application for more than one department. It should be noted however, that the fire department(s) who are partnering with the host fire department will not be eligible for the same equipment on a grant separate from the joint grant application. There is some risk in doing this, as the population to be used is that of the one department submitting the application.

Can the grant funds be used to pay for items that are ordered prior to notification of an award?
If an applicant has purchased an item(s) that was included in their grant application after submittal, but before award, those costs may be eligible for the grant. The applicant would have to request approval of those costs and FEMA would consider each request on a case-by-case basis. Under no circumstances will expenses incurred prior to the application period be considered.

Is a paid-on-call department considered to be a career department or a volunteer/combination department?
For the purposes of eligibility, a paid-on-call department is considered a combination department.

Could grant funds be used pay off existing loans or for items already on order?
No, the grant will not cover vehicles, equipment, or projects that were initiated, ordered, or received prior to submission of your application. Likewise, grant funds may not be used to pay off existing loans.

All fourteen activities are listed in the Federal Register this year. Are all fourteen funded?
No. The personnel and volunteer recruitment and retention activities are not included in this year's grant program. Please review the Notice of Funds Availability and the Program Guidance for specifics on what this year's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is funding.

I am considering filing an application to apply a non-slip surface for my apparatus room floor, bay door expansion, and bathroom upgrades to my fire station. Can I apply for this type of work under the "Facility Modification" activity in the Fire Operations and Safety Program?
The "Facility Modification" activity is designed for only the following measures:
Installation of sprinkler systems
Installation of exhaust extraction systems
Installation of smoke and/or fire alarm systems
Specifically, the Notice of Funds Availability states:

Eligible measures under this activity are limited but focused on promoting fire and life safety in fire stations and facilities. We believe that each of the eligible measures, if incorporated, would make any facility safer for firefighters. Measures that are eligible for funding are the installation of sprinkler systems, installation of vehicle exhaust extraction systems, the installation of smoke and/or fire alarm notification systems, and minor renovations to facilities that are necessary in order to accomplish other activities under this grant [emphasis added].

While the electronic application has a provision for requesting "other" modifications, any request for modification other than the three listed above will not be funded.