Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, 65679-65693 [2014-26293]

Agencies

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 214 (Wednesday, November 5, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65679-65693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26293]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA-2014-0028]


Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of grant application and application 
deadline.

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SUMMARY: This Notice describes the grant application process and the 
criteria for awarding grants in the fiscal year (FY) 2014 Assistance to 
Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) Program and announces the grant 
application deadline. It explains the differences, if any, between 
these guidelines and those recommended by representatives of the 
Nation's fire service leadership during the annual Criteria Development 
meeting, which was held January 8-9, 2014. The application period for 
the FY 2014 AFG Program year will be held November 3, 2014 through 
December 5, 2014, and will be announced on the AFG Web site 
(www.fema.gov/firegrants), www.grants.gov, and U.S. Fire Administration 
Web site (www.usfa.fema.gov).
    The AFG Program makes grants directly to fire departments, 
nonaffiliated emergency medical services (EMS) organizations, and state 
fire training academies for the purpose of enhancing the abilities of 
first responders to protect the health and safety of the public as well 
as that of first-responder personnel facing fire and fire-related 
hazards. It is anticipated that approximately 10,000 to 15,000 
applications will be submitted electronically, using the online 
application submission form and process available at https://portal.fema.gov. Before the application period, the ``FY 2014 AFG 
Funding Opportunity Announcement'' will be published on the AFG Web 
site (www.fema.gov/firegrants). Additional information to assist 
applicants will be provided on the AFG Web site, including a list of 
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), a ``Get Ready Guide,'' and a ``Quick 
Reference Guide.'' In addition, the authorizing statute requires that a 
minimum of 10 percent of available funds be expended for fire 
prevention and safety grants to be made directly to local fire 
departments and to local, regional, State, or national entities 
recognized for their expertise in the fields of fire prevention and 
firefighter safety research and development.

    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2229.

DATES: Grant applications for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants 
will be accepted electronically at https://portal.fema.gov, from 
November 3, 2014, beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern Time, and will conclude 
on December 5, 2014, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES: Assistance to Firefighters Grants Branch, DHS/FEMA, 800 K 
Street NW., MS 3620, Washington, DC 20472-3620.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine Patterson, Branch Chief, 
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Branch, 1-866-274-0960.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the AFG Program is to provide 
grants directly to fire departments, nonaffiliated emergency medical 
services (EMS) organizations, and State Fire Training Academies (SFTAs) 
to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the 
public, as well as that of first-responder

[[Page 65680]]

personnel, with respect to fire and fire-related hazards. The 
authorizing statute requires that each year DHS publish in the Federal 
Register the guidelines that describe the application process and the 
criteria for grant awards.
    Specific information about the submission of grant applications can 
be found in the ``FY 2014 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) 
Funding Opportunity Announcement,'' which is available for download at 
www.fema.gov/firegrants under Docket ID FEMA-2014-0028.
    Paper applications will not be accepted due to the inherent delays 
with processing them and because they lack the applicant ``help'' 
features that are built into the electronic application.

Appropriations

    Congress appropriated $340,000,000 for the FY 2014 AFG pursuant to 
the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014, Public 
Law 113-6. From this amount, $304,503,764 will be made available for 
AFG awards. Funds appropriated for the FY 2014 AFG will be available 
for obligation and award until September 30, 2015.
    From the approximately 10,000 to 15,000 applications that will be 
submitted to request assistance, FEMA anticipates that it will be able 
to award approximately 3,000 grants with the grant funding available.
    Congress directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to 
administer the appropriations with the following requirements:
     Career (fire department): Not less than 25 percent of 
available grant funds.
     Volunteer (fire department): Not less than 25 percent of 
available grant funds.
     Combination (fire department) and departments using paid-
on-call firefighting personnel--not less than 25 percent of available 
grant funds.
     Open Competition: Career, volunteer, and combination fire 
departments and fire departments using paid-on-call firefighting 
personnel--not less than 10 percent of available grant funds awarded.
     Emergency Medical Services Providers: Fire departments and 
nonaffiliated EMS organizations; not less than 3.5 percent of available 
grants funds awarded, with nonaffiliated EMS providers receiving no 
more than 2 percent of the total available grant funds.
     State Fire Training Academies (SFTAs): No more than 3 
percent of available grant funds shall be collectively awarded to state 
fire training academy applicants, with a maximum of $500,000 to be 
awarded per applicant.
     Vehicles: Not more than 25 percent of available grant 
funds may be used for the purchase of vehicles; 10 percent of the total 
vehicle funds will be dedicated to fund ambulances. The allocation of 
funding will be distributed as equally as possible among urban, 
suburban, and rural community applicants. The remaining Vehicle 
Acquisition funds will be awarded competitively without regard to 
community classification.
     Micro Grants: This is a voluntary funding limitation 
choice made by the applicant for requests submitted for Operations and 
Safety Grant Component Program; it is not an additional funding 
opportunity. Micro Grants are awards that have a federal participation 
(share) that does not exceed $25,000. Only fire departments and 
nonaffiliated EMS organizations are eligible to choose Micro Grants, 
and the only eligible Micro Grants activities are Training, Equipment, 
PPE, and Wellness and Fitness. Applicants that select Micro Grants as a 
funding opportunity may receive additional consideration for award. If 
an applicant selects Micro Grants in their application, they will be 
limited in the total amount of funding their organization can be 
awarded; if they are requesting funding in excess of $25,000 federal 
participation, they should not select Micro Grants.

Background of the AFG Program

    DHS awards the grants on a competitive basis to the applicants that 
best address the AFG Program's priorities and provide the most 
compelling justification. Applications that best address the Program's 
priorities will be reviewed by a panel composed of fire service 
personnel.

Award Criteria

    All applications for grants will be prepared and submitted through 
the AFG e-Grant application portal (https://portal.fema.gov). DHS again 
will have a separate application period devoted solely to the Fire 
Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants, which is projected to occur not 
earlier than February 2015.
    DHS awards the grants on a competitive basis to the applicants that 
best address the AFG Program's priorities and provide the most 
compelling justification. Applications that best address the Program's 
priorities will be reviewed by a panel composed of fire service 
personnel. The panels will review the applications and score them using 
the following criteria areas:

 Proposed project and the project budget
 Cost benefits
 Financial need
 The extent to which the grant would enhance daily operations
 Evaluation by the Peer Reviewers relative to the critical 
infrastructure the applicant protects
 For joint/regional host applications only, a list of all the 
participating eligible organizations and ineligible benefitting 
organizations
 Critical infrastructure systems or key resources that, if 
attacked, would result in catastrophic loss of life or catastrophic 
economic loss. Critical infrastructure includes the following:

    [cir] Public water
    [cir] Power systems
    [cir] Major business centers
    [cir] Chemical facilities
    [cir] Nuclear power plants
    [cir] Major rail and highway bridges
    [cir] Petroleum and/or natural gas transmission pipelines
    [cir] Storage facilities (e.g., chemical storage)
    [cir] Telecommunications facilities
    [cir] Facilities that support large public gatherings, such as 
sporting events or concerts
Eligible Applicants
    The following organizations are eligible to apply for and receive 
an AFG award of direct financial assistance:
     Fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations 
operating in any of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, 
Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any federally 
recognized Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or an 
Alaskan native village, Alaska Regional Native Corporation, or the 
Alaska Village Initiatives. Nonaffiliated EMS organizations are defined 
by 15 U.S.C. 2229(a)(7).
     Any State Fire Training Academy operating in any of the 50 
states plus the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. For the purposes of the Assistance to 
Firefighters Grant program, a State Fire Training Academy (SFTA) is 
defined as the primary State Fire Training Academy, agency, or 
institution for each state. It provides entity-wide delivery of fire 
training (and emergency medical services training if applicable) as 
specified by legislative authorization, by general statutory 
authorization or charter, or is ad-hoc in nature with the

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general acceptance of the fire service. The State Fire Training Academy 
shall receive state funding for its program in total or part. It shall 
also have the delivery of fire training programs as the primary 
function of the agency or institution as demonstrated by the employment 
of instructional staff and the conducting of ``direct contact'' 
programs in training and education for fire service personnel of the 
entire state. A listing of eligible State Fire Training Academy 
organizations and institutions can be found at the U.S. Fire 
Administration's Web site (https://www.usfa.fema.gov/pocs/).
Ineligibility
     FEMA considers two or more separate fire departments or 
nonaffiliated EMS organizations sharing facilities as being one 
organization. If two or more organizations share facilities, and each 
organization submits an application in the same program area, FEMA may 
deem all of those program area applications to be ineligible to avoid 
any duplication of benefits.
     Fire-based EMS organizations are not eligible to apply as 
nonaffiliated EMS organizations. Fire-based EMS training and equipment 
must be requested by a fire department under the AFG component program 
Operations and Safety.

Statutory Limits to Funding

    Congress has enacted statutory limits to the amount of funding that 
a grantee may receive from the AFG Program in any single fiscal year 
(15 U.S.C. 2229(c)(2)) based on the population served. Awards will be 
limited based on the size of the population protected by the applicant, 
as indicated below. Notwithstanding the annual limits stated below, the 
FEMA Administrator may not award a grant in an amount that exceeds one 
percent of the available grants funds in such fiscal year, except where 
it is determined that such recipient has an extraordinary need for a 
grant in an amount that exceeds the one percent aggregate limit.
     In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with 
100,000 people or fewer, the amount of available grant funds awarded to 
such recipient shall not exceed $1 million in any fiscal year.
     In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with 
more than 100,000 people but not more than 500,000 people, the amount 
of available grant funds awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $2 
million in any fiscal year.
     In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with 
more than 500,000 but not more than 1 million people, the amount of 
available grant funds awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $3 
million in any fiscal year.
     In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with 
more than 1 million people but not more than 2,500,000 people, the 
amount of available grant funds awarded to such recipient shall not 
exceed $6 million for any fiscal year, but is subject to the one 
percent aggregate cap of $3,400,000 for FY 2014.
     In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with 
more than 2,500,000 people, the amount of available grant funds awarded 
to such recipient shall not exceed $9 million in any fiscal year, but 
is subject to the one percent aggregate cap of $3,400,000 for FY 2014.
     FEMA may not waive the caps on the maximum amount of 
available grant funds awarded based upon population.
    The cumulative total of the federal share of awards in Operations 
and Safety and Vehicle Acquisition will be considered when assessing 
award amounts and any limitations thereto. Applicants may request 
funding up to the statutory limit on each of their applications.
    For example, an applicant that serves a jurisdiction with more than 
100,000 people but not more than 500,000 people may request up to $2 
million on their Operations and Safety Application and up to $2 million 
on their Vehicle Acquisition Request. However, should both grants be 
awarded, the applicant would have to choose which award to accept if 
the cumulative value of both applications exceeds the statutory limits.
    Applications for Joint/Regional Projects will not be included in 
the host organization's funding limitations detailed above. However, 
Joint/Regional applicants will be subject to their own limitation based 
on the total population the joint/regional project will serve. For 
example, a Joint/Regional Project serving a cumulative population with 
more than 100,000 people but not more than 500,000 people will be 
limited to $2 million.

Cost Sharing and Maintenance of Effort

    Grantees must share in the costs of the projects funded under this 
grant program as required by 15 U.S.C. 2229(k)(1) and in accordance 
with applicable Federal regulations governing grants in effect at the 
time a grant is awarded to a grantee, but they are not required to have 
the cost-share at the time of application nor at the time of award. 
However, before a grant is awarded, FEMA will contact potential 
awardees to determine whether the grantee has the funding in hand or if 
the grantee has a viable plan to obtain the funding necessary to 
fulfill the cost-sharing requirement.
    In general, an eligible applicant seeking a grant shall agree to 
make available non-Federal funds equal to not less than 15 percent of 
the grant awarded. However, the cost share will vary as follows based 
on the size of the population served by the organization:
     Applicants serving areas with populations above 20,000 but 
not more than 1 million shall agree to make available non-Federal funds 
equal to not less than 10 percent of the total project cost.
     Applicants that serve populations of 20,000 or less must 
match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal 
to 5 percent of the total project cost.
    The cost share of State fire training academies and joint/regional 
projects will be based on the entire State or region, not the 
population of the host organization.
    On a case by case basis, the AFG may allow grantees that already 
own assets (equipment or vehicles) to use the trade-in allowance/credit 
value of those assets as ``cash'' for the purpose of meeting the cost-
share obligation of their AFG award. In-kind cost-share matches are not 
allowed.
    Grantees under this grant program must also agree to a maintenance 
of effort requirement as required by 15 U.S.C. 2229(k)(3) (referred to 
as a ``maintenance of expenditure'' requirement in that statute). A 
grantee shall agree to maintain during the term of the grant the 
applicant's aggregate expenditures relating to the activities allowable 
under the Funding Opportunity Announcement at not less than 80 percent 
(80%) of the average amount of such expenditures in the two (2) fiscal 
years preceding the fiscal year in which the grant amounts are 
received.
    In cases of demonstrated economic hardship, and on the application 
of the grantee, the Administrator of FEMA may waive or reduce a 
grantee's cost share requirement or maintenance of expenditure 
requirement. As required by statute, the Administrator of FEMA has 
established guidelines for determining what constitutes economic 
hardship and published these guidelines at FEMA's Web site 
(www.fema.gov/grants).
    Prior to the start of the FY 2014 AFG application period, DHS will 
conduct applicant workshops and/or Internet webinars to inform 
potential applicants about the AFG Program. In addition, DHS will 
provide applicants with online information at the AFG Web site 
(www.fema.gov/firegrants) to help them

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prepare quality grant applications. The AFG also will staff a Help Desk 
throughout the application period to assist applicants with navigation 
through the automated application as well as assistance with any 
questions they have. Applicants can reach the AFG Help Desk through a 
toll-free telephone number (1-866-274-0960) or electronic mail 
(firegrants@dhs.gov).

Application Process

    Organizations may submit one application per application period in 
each of the three AFG Program areas, e.g., one application for 
Operations and Safety, one for Vehicle Acquisition, and/or a separate 
application to be a Joint/Regional Project host. If an organization 
submits more than one application for any single AFG Program area, 
e.g., two applications for Operations and Safety, two for Vehicles, 
etc.; either intentionally or unintentionally, FEMA will deem all 
applications submitted by that organization for the Program to be 
ineligible for funding.
    Applicants will be advised to access the application electronically 
at https://portal.fema.gov. The application also will be accessible 
from the U.S. Fire Administration's Web site (https://www.usfa.fema.gov) 
and the grants.gov Web site (https://www.grants.gov). New applicants 
will be required to register and establish a username and password for 
secure access to their application. Applicants that applied to any 
previous AFG funding opportunities will be required to use their 
previously established usernames and passwords.
    In completing the application, applicants will be asked to provide 
relevant information on their organization's characteristics, call 
volume, and existing capabilities. Applicants will be asked to answer 
questions about their grant request that reflect the AFG funding 
priorities, which are described below. In addition, each applicant will 
have to complete four separate narratives for each project or grant 
activity requested. These narratives will address statutory competitive 
factors: Project description and budget, cost benefit, financial need, 
extent to which the grant will benefit the organization's daily 
operations, and additional information. The electronic application 
process will permit the applicant to enter and save the application 
data. The system does not permit the submission of incomplete 
applications. Except for the narrative textboxes, the application will 
use a ``point-and-click'' selection process or require the entry of 
data (e.g., name and address, call volume numbers, etc.). Applicants 
will be encouraged to read the ``AFG Funding Opportunity Announcement'' 
for more details.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards

    Courtesy of the NFPA (and at no cost during the AFG application 
period), relevant standards that should be referenced in your 
applications may be viewed at https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/free-access.

Criteria Development Process

    Each year, DHS convenes a panel of fire service professionals, or 
subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop the funding priorities and 
other implementation criteria for AFG. The Criteria Development Panel 
is comprised of representatives from nine major fire service 
organizations, who are charged with making recommendations to FEMA 
regarding the creation of new funding priorities and the modification 
of existing funding priorities as well as developing criteria for 
awarding grants. The nine major fire service organizations represented 
on the panel are:

 Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI)
 International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI)
 International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
 International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
 International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI)
 National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM)
 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
 National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
 North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD)
    The FY 2014 criteria development panel meeting occurred January 8-
9, 2014. The content of the ``FY 2014 AFG Funding Opportunity 
Announcement'' reflects the implementation of the Criteria Development 
Panel's recommendations with respect to the priorities, direction, and 
criteria for awards. All of the funding priorities for the FY 2014 AFG 
are designed to address the following:

 Protecting the public
 First responder safety
 Enhancing national capabilities
 Risk
 Interoperability

Changes for FY 2014

     FY 2014 AFG Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Operations and Safety Program

    (1) Requests for Ballistic Protective Equipment (BPE) are now 
eligible as a new mission. A set of BPE will be comprised of one vest, 
one helmet, one triage bag, and one pair of goggles. Fire and EMS 
personnel should be properly trained and qualified in the use of the 
ballistic protection equipment and active shooter/mass casualty 
incident tactics and procedures. Interagency training and exercises are 
highly encouraged and should be fully explained as part of the 
applicant's narrative, if applicable.
    (2) In FY 2013, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program 
introduced as an option within the AFG application of requesting a 
micro grant, which is an AFG award for which the federal share does not 
exceed $25,000. Only fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS 
organizations are eligible to choose Micro Grants, and the only 
activities that are eligible are Training, Equipment, PPE, and Wellness 
and Fitness. Micro Grants are not an additional funding opportunity, 
but Micro Grant applicants may receive additional consideration for an 
award. Micro Grant activities will be limited to those activities 
identified within the FOA as ``Priority 1'' or ``High Priority'' only. 
Overmatching of local funds by the applicant will not be permitted for 
Micro Grant applications.
    (3) All simulators, as well as mobile or fixed fire/evolution 
props, (e.g. burn trailers, forcible entry, rescue/smoke maze) and Tow 
Vehicles have been moved from the Training activity to the Equipment 
Activity.
    (4) Mobile computers, to include tablets (for use on scene/in the 
field) and mobile repeaters shall have the highest funding priority. 
Fixed repeaters and ``backup'' or secondary, communications systems 
will not be eligible in FY 2014.
    (5) Mechanical Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) Compression 
Devices are eligible and will be a high funding priority.

Vehicle Acquisition Program

    (1) Only new custom, stock, or demonstration vehicles are eligible 
for reimbursement under the AFG Vehicle Acquisition program. 
Refurbishment of vehicles is not eligible in FY2014.

Regional Grant Program

    (1) Two or more eligible entities may submit an application under 
the name of a single participating organization (the ``host'') to fund 
a regional program or initiative (acquisition activities are limited to 
shared Training, Equipment, PPE, and Vehicle Acquisition).

[[Page 65683]]

    (2) A Regional Applicant (the host organization) is not prevented 
from also submitting applications on behalf of their own organization 
for any or all remaining AFG Component Programs (Vehicle Acquisition 
and/or Operations and Safety); however, duplicative acquisition 
requests for the same activities, submitted both as a singular 
applicant and Regional applicant, are not allowed.

System for Award Management (SAM)

    In 2012, SAM.gov replaced the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). 
Per 2 CFR 25.200, all grant applicants and awardees are required to 
register in SAM.gov, which is available free of charge. They must 
maintain validated information in SAM that is consistent with the data 
provided in their AFG grant application and in the DUNS database. AFG 
will not accept any application, process any awards, or consider any 
payment or amendment requests, or consider any amendment until the 
applicant or grantee has complied with the requirements to provide a 
valid DUNS number and an active SAM registration with current 
information. The banking information, employer identification number 
(EIN), organization/entity name, address, and DUNS number provided in 
the application must match the information that provided in SAM.gov.

Revised Environmental and Historical Review Screening Form

    FEMA's Environmental and Historic Preservation (EHP) Screening Form 
was revised and made available for download from the AFG application 
portal. AFG-funded projects that involve the installation of equipment 
(including but not limited to antennas, sprinklers, alarm systems, 
generators, vehicle exhaust systems, air improvement systems, permanent 
mounted signs, or renovations to facilities) are subject to FEMA's EHP 
screening process. Additional details are included in the ``AFG Funding 
Opportunity Announcement''.

National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)

    Although NFIRS reporting is strongly encouraged, NFIRS reporting is 
not a requirement to apply for or be awarded a grant within any AFG 
component program. However, any fire-based organization(s) that 
receives an AFG award must begin reporting to NFIRS prior to the 
beginning of their period of performance. Any grantee that stops 
reporting to NFIRS during their grant's period of performance is 
subject to having their award(s) modified or withdrawn.

Changes to Criteria Development Panel Recommendations

    DHS must explain any differences between the published guidelines 
and the recommendations made by the criteria development panel and 
publish this information in the Federal Register prior to making any 
grants under the Program. For FY 2014, DHS accepted and is implementing 
all of the Criteria Development Panel's recommendations.

Application Review Process and Considerations

    The authorizing statute requires that each year DHS publish in the 
Federal Register a description of the grant application process and the 
criteria for grant awards. This information is provided below.
    DHS will review and evaluate all AFG applications submitted using 
the funding priorities and evaluation criteria described in this 
document, which are based on recommendations from the AFG Criteria 
Development Panel. FEMA will rank all submitted applications based on 
how well they match the funding priorities for the type of community 
served. Answers to the application's activity-specific questions 
provide information used to determine each application's ranking 
relative to the stated priorities.

Preliminary Review Process

    DHS will evaluate all applications received first through an 
automated preliminary review process to determine which projects best 
address the AFG Program's announced funding priorities. The automated 
preliminary review will evaluate and score the applicants' answers to 
the activity-specific questions in terms of the funding priorities and 
the evaluation criteria described in this document.
    The projects that best meet the AFG Program priorities as 
determined by the preliminary review will be deemed to be in the 
``competitive range'' and will be forwarded for the second level of 
application review, which is the peer review process. Once the 
competitive range is established, DHS will review the list of 
applicants that were not included in the competitive range to determine 
if any are responsible for protecting DHS-specified critical 
infrastructure or key resources.

Peer Review Process

    All projects that are deemed to be in the competitive range after 
the preliminary review process will be subjected to a second level of 
review by a technical evaluation panels (TEP) of peer reviewers. The 
TEPS are made up of individuals from the fire service, including, but 
not limited to, firefighters, fire marshals, and fire training 
instructors.
    A panel of at least three peer reviewers will evaluate each project 
in the competitive range using the project narratives, along with 
answers to the general questions and the activity-specific questions. 
Panelists will provide a subjective but qualitative judgment on the 
merits of each request. They will review and score projects based on 
the following evaluation criteria:

 The proposed project description and budget
 Financial need
 Cost benefits
 The extent to which the grant would enhance daily operations
 How the grant will positively impact the regional ability to 
protect life and property
 For joint/regional host applications, the list of all the 
participating eligible and ineligible benefitting organizations
 Evaluation by the peer reviewers relative to the critical 
infrastructure the applicant protects within its first-due area of 
response
 Critical infrastructure includes systems or key resources 
that, if attacked, would result in catastrophic loss of life or 
catastrophic economic loss. Examples include the following:

    [cir] Public water
    [cir] Power systems
    [cir] Major business centers
    [cir] Chemical facilities
    [cir] Nuclear power plants
    [cir] Major rail and highway bridges
    [cir] Petroleum and/or natural gas transmission pipelines
    [cir] Storage facilities (such as chemicals)
    [cir] Telecommunications facilities
    [cir] Facilities that support large public gatherings, such as 
sporting events or concerts
 Additional information provided by the applicant

    Each project will be judged on its own merits and not compared to 
other projects. As part of the cost-benefit review, the panelists will 
consider all expenses budgeted, including the individual costs of the 
items requested as well as the extraneous costs, such as warranties or 
maintenance costs, administrative costs, and/or indirect costs. 
Panelists may object to costs that are requested but not fully 
explained in the application.
    The panelists will evaluate and score each project individually and 
then

[[Page 65684]]

discuss the merits and shortcomings of each application in an effort to 
reconcile any major discrepancies. However, a consensus among reviewers 
on the scores is not required. The project's total peer review score 
will be an average of the individual peer reviewers' scores. The 
projects receiving the highest scores during the peer review process 
will be deemed in the fundable range.
    The total peer review score will be combined with the score earned 
from the preliminary review, with each score representing 50 percent of 
the total project score. Projects will be ranked according to the total 
project scores with DHS considering the highest-scoring projects for 
awards.

Technical Review Process

    Projects receiving the highest scores then will undergo a technical 
review by a subject matter specialist to assess the technical 
feasibility of the project and a programmatic review to assess 
eligibility and other factors.
    DHS generally makes funding decisions using rank order resulting 
from the panel evaluation. However, DHS may deviate from rank order and 
make funding decisions based on the type of department (career, 
combination, or volunteer) and/or the size and character of the 
community the applicant serves (urban, suburban, or rural) to the 
extent it is required to satisfy statutory provisions.
    After the completion of the technical reviews, DHS will select a 
sufficient number of awardees from this application period to obligate 
all of the available grant funding. It will evaluate and act on 
applications within 90 days following the close of the application 
period. Award announcements will be made on a rolling basis until all 
available grant funds have been committed. Awards will not be made in 
any specified order, i.e., awards will not be made by State, program, 
etc. DHS will notify unsuccessful applicants as soon as it is feasible.

State Strategy and Communications Technical Review

    Each state will provide a SMS to the AFG Program Office to conduct 
a Technical Review of Peer reviewed applications from the state's 
perspective. This state review will focus on requests for CBRNE 
requested equipment and training. This state review will focus on 
requests for communications systems equipment and related training that 
should conform to the state's Statewide Communication Interoperability 
Plan (SCIP).

Funding Priorities

    The funding priorities described in this Notice have been 
recommended by a panel of representatives from the Nation's fire 
service leadership and have been accepted by DHS for the purposes of 
implementing the AFG. These rating criteria provide an understanding of 
the AFG Program's priorities and the expected cost-effectiveness of any 
proposed project(s). The activities listed below are in no particular 
order of priority.
 (1) Operations and Safety Funding Priorities
(i) Training Activities
     Priorities for Fire Departments and Joint/Regional Hosts. 
Due to inherent differences among urban, suburban, and rural 
firefighting needs, AFG has different priorities for Training for fire 
departments and joint/regional applicants that serve different types of 
communities, e.g., urban, suburban, or rural. These are described below 
and in the ``FY 2014 AFG Funding Opportunity Announcement.''

[[Page 65685]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.000


[[Page 65686]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.001

    Additional Considerations. Factors such as whether multiple 
departments will be trained, instructor-led vs. media-led training, and 
the number of firefighters to be trained. Large departments with a high 
number of active firefighters also will receive additional 
consideration.
     Priorities for Nonaffiliated EMS Organizations. Since 
training is a prerequisite to the effective use of EMS equipment, FEMA 
has determined that it is more cost-effective to enhance or expand an 
existing EMS organization by providing training or equipment than it is 
to create a new service. Therefore, communities attempting to initiate 
EMS services will receive the lowest competitive rating.
    AFG provides training grants to meet the educational and 
performance requirements of EMS personnel. Training should align with 
the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which 
designs and specifies a National Standard Curriculum for EMT training 
and the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), a 
private, central certifying entity whose primary purpose is to maintain 
a national standard (NREMT also provides certification information for 
paramedics who relocate to another state).
    Higher priorities for training are shown below. They are based on 
the time and cost of upgrading a nonaffiliated EMS organization's 
response level.
    (1) Organizations seeking to elevate the response level from EMT 
Advanced (EMT-I) to Paramedic (EMT-P);
    (2) Organizations seeking to elevate the response level from EMT 
(EMT-B) to EMT Advanced (EMT-I); and
    (3) Organizations seeking to train a high percentage of the active 
EMR's will receive additional consideration when applying under the 
Training Activity.
    Lower training priorities due to the time and cost of upgrading an 
organization's response level are
    (1) Organizations seeking to upgrade from Emergency Medical 
Responder (First Responder) to EMT (EMT-B); and
    (2) Organizations seeking to upgrade from EMT (EMT-B) to Paramedic 
(EMT-P).
    (3) The lowest priority for EMS training is to fund Emergency 
Medical Responder (First Responders).
    (4) Organizations seeking training in rescue or Hazmat operations 
will receive lower consideration than organizations seeking training 
for medical services.
(ii.) Equipment Acquisition
     Fire Departments, Joint/Regional Hosts, SFTAs, and 
Nonaffiliated EMS Organizations. Grants are available for equipment to 
enhance the safety and effectiveness of firefighting, rescue, and fire-
based and nonaffiliated EMS emergency medical functions. Equipment 
requested must meet all mandatory requirements, as well as any 
voluntary consensus standards or national and/or state or DHS-Adopted 
Standards. The equipment requested should improve the health and safety 
of firefighters and protect the public.
Priority Equipment Types
    (1) Priority 1--Basic, communications, EMS/rescue. The only 
eligible AFG acquisition activity for interoperable communications 
equipment is the purchase of P25-compliant equipment. Grantees 
purchasing P25 equipment must obtain documented evidence from the 
manufacturer that the equipment has been tested and passed the entire 
applicable, published, normative P25 Compliance assessment test 
procedures for performance, conformance, and Equipment requested, 
particularly decontamination and interoperability.
    (2) Priority 2--Hazmat, Specialized. Hazmat equipment will only be 
funded to the current level of an organization's operational 
capabilities.
    (3) Priority 3--Investigations, CBRNE.
    Additional Considerations for Equipment: Fire Departments, Joint/
Regional Hosts, and SFTAs. Additional consideration may be given to 
equipment requests based on the following factors:
     Equipment that has a direct effect on firefighters' health 
and safety.
     Age of equipment that will be considered for replacement 
has changed from 10 to 15 years.
     Equipment that benefits other jurisdictions.
     Equipment that brings the department into compliance with 
a national recommended standard, (e.g., NFPA) or statutory compliance 
(e.g., Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)) will receive 
the highest additional consideration.

[[Page 65687]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.002

     Funding Priorities for Nonaffiliated EMS Organizations. 
Nonaffiliated EMS organizations are eligible for Equipment Activities 
that are not specific or unique to structural/proximity firefighting, 
such as but not limited to Training, Equipment, Personal Protective 
Equipment [PPE], Wellness and Fitness, and Modification to Facilities 
they deem necessary to complete their mission.
     All of the factors in the table below are considerations 
in prescoring and panelist review.
    Additional Considerations for Equipment--Nonaffiliated EMS. All of 
the following are considerations in prescoring and panelist review of 
equipment requests from nonaffiliated EMS organizations.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.003

(iii.) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Acquisition
    AFG Funds are primarily used to acquire OSHA-required and NFPA-
compliant PPE for firefighting and EMS personnel of fire departments, 
joint/regional hosts, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, and State fire 
training academies. Equipment requested should have the goal of 
increasing firefighter safety. When requesting to replace old or 
obsolete equipment, applicants will be asked to provide the age of the 
equipment being replaced. In order for SCBA/PPE to be considered 
obsolete, it must be a minimum of two NFPA cycles or 10 years of age or 
older.
    Information on the relevant NFPA standards can be obtained from the 
organization's Web site at https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/free-access. If requesting training for any items in this section, 
please list it in the ``Other'' section under Additional Funding for 
each item for which training is needed.
     Funding Priorities for Fire Departments, Joint/Regional 
Hosts, and SFTAs. The highest priorities for funding will be requests 
from departments to buy new PPE for the first time, to replace or 
update obsolete PPE to the current standard, and to replace torn, 
tattered, or damaged PPE. (Obsolete is defined as any PPE that is 10 
years or older and is outdated by two NFPA cycles.) The medium priority 
for funding will be requests to replace contaminated PPE or to address 
a new risk. A low priority for funding will be requests to replace new 
or used PPE, replace worn but usable PPE that is not compliant to the 
current edition of the NFPA standard, to meet a new mission, or to 
increase current inventory. The table below shows the priorities for 
PPE requests that will be considered during prescoring and peer 
panelist reviews.

[[Page 65688]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.004

     Funding Priorities for Nonaffiliated EMS Organizations. 
Nonaffiliated EMS organizations are eligible for PPE activities that 
are not specific or unique to structural/proximity firefighting, such, 
as but not limited to, ``NFPA1999: Standard on Protective Clothing for 
Emergency Medical Operations,'' or ``NFPA 1981: Standard on Open-
Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency 
Services.''
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.005


[[Page 65689]]


     Self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Priorities. 
Awards for all SCBAs will be based on number of seated riding positions 
in the department's or organization's vehicle fleet and the age of 
existing SCBAs, limited to one spare cylinder (unless justified 
otherwise in the Request Details narrative for the PPE activity). New 
SCBAs must have automatic-on or integrated Personal Alert Safety System 
(PASS) devices and be CBRNE-compliant to the current edition of the 
NFPA 1981 standard. Applicants will be required to provide the age of 
the PPE being replaced. All requests must be justified in the Request 
Details narrative for the PPE activity.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.006

Additional Considerations for PPE Requests: Fire Departments, Joint/
Regional Hosts/SFTAs
     Obsolete is defined as any SCBA/PPE that is 10 years or 
older or two NFPA cycles.
     Applicants with the oldest PPE and/or trying to bring the 
department into 100 percent NFPA compliance, or the number of 
firefighters who will have compliant gear.
Additional Considerations for PPE Requests: Nonaffiliated EMS 
Organizations
     Percent of firefighters/EMS personnel served.
     Age of equipment.
     Obsolete equipment--defined as any SCBA/PPE that is 10 
years or older, and two NFPA cycles.
(iv.) Wellness and Fitness Activities
    Only fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations are 
eligible to apply for grants for Wellness and Fitness Activities. 
Wellness and Fitness Activities are intended to strengthen first 
responders so their mental, physical, and emotional capabilities are 
resilient to withstand the demands of emergency services response. To 
be eligible for FY 2014 AFG funding in this activity, fire departments 
and nonaffiliated EMS organizations must offer, or plan to offer, all 
four of the following:

    (1) Periodic health screenings
    (2) Entry physical examinations
    (3) Immunizations
    (4) Behavioral health programs

     Funding Priorities. Applicants must have all four Priority 
1 Activities already in place (or request funding for any missing 
Priority 1 Activities), or they will be unable to request funding for 
any Priority 2 Activities.
    Priority 1: Below are the four activities required to offer a 
complete Wellness and Fitness Program:

    (1) Initial medical exams
    (2) Job-related immunization
    (3) Annual medical and fitness evaluation
    (4) Behavioral health

    Priority 2: You may only apply for Priority 2 items if you offer or 
are requesting a combination of the four activities required under 
Priority 1. Departments that have some of the Priority 1 programs in 
place must apply for funds to implement the missing Priority 1 programs 
before applying for funds for any additional program or equipment. In 
addition, funded medical exams must meet current NFPA 1582, as required 
by DHS Standards.
     Simultaneous requests for Priority 1 and Priority 2 
activities will receive a lower funding consideration than requests 
that complete the bundle of the four (4) Priority 1 Activities.
     Candidate physical ability evaluation.
     Formal fitness and injury prevention program/equipment.
     Injury/illness rehabilitation.
     IAFF or IAFC peer fitness trainer program(s).
(v.) Modifications to Facilities
    Only fire departments and nonaffiliated EMS organizations are 
eligible to apply for Modifications to Facilities grants. FY 2014 AFG 
funding may be used to modify and retrofit existing fire stations and 
other facilities or structures built before 2003. Eligible projects 
under this activity must have a direct effect on the health and safety 
of firefighters. New fire station construction is not eligible for 
funding. To be eligible, the modification must not change the structure 
footprint or profile. If requesting multiple items in this activity, 
total funding for all project and activities cannot exceed $100,000 per 
fire station.
    FEMA is required to consider the effects of its actions on the 
environment and/or historic properties to ensure that all activities 
and programs funded by the agency, including grant-funded projects, 
comply with federal environmental planning and historic preservation 
(EHP) regulations, laws, and Executive Orders, as applicable.
    The Grants Program Directorate/EHP Branch will no longer be 
conducting EHP reviews on projects that have already been initiated or 
completed, and such projects that are received for review will be 
recommended to not be funded, unless the project can be modified to 
eliminate those parts/elements that have already been completed/
initiated.
    FEMA Policy 108.024.4 (linked below) provides procedural guidelines 
for completing environmental reviews as required by the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in cases where Federal Emergency 
Management Agency funded projects require initiation or action prior to 
the completion of the environmental review.
    Please see FEMA Environmental Planning and Historical Preservation 
Policy 108.024.4, dated December 18, 2013, at https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1388411752234-6ddb79121951a68e9ba036d2569aa488/18Dec13-NoNEPAReview.pdf. Grantees must comply with all applicable EHP 
laws, regulations, and Executive Orders

[[Page 65690]]

(EOs) to draw down their FY 2014 AFG funds.
     Funding Priorities. Highest priority for funding will be 
requests to install modifications such as sole/at source capture 
exhaust systems (SSCES), sprinkler systems, or smoke/fire alarm 
notification systems in stations, including maritime and air operations 
facilities, that are occupied 24/7 and offer sleeping quarters. An 
SSCES is a system where exhaust gases from a vehicle are captured via a 
conduit that attaches to/over the end of the vehicle's exhaust system 
at the tailpipe. The captured exhaust gases are expelled through the 
attached conduit via mechanical/pneumatic means to the exterior of the 
building. Medium priority will be given to requests for air quality 
systems and/or emergency generators from departments that may or may 
not offer sleeping quarters. Low priority will be given to requests to 
modify facilities that are not occupied 24/7 and do not offer sleeping 
quarters, and for training facilities.
    All of the following information is considered during prescoring 
and panelist review:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.007

     Priorities by Level of Facility Occupancy:
     Full-time (24/7)
     Daily (part-time or selected coverage; not on a regular 
basis)
     Occasionally (no schedule coverage; volunteers respond to 
the station.)
    Additional Considerations will be given for the age of the 
building, with older facilities receiving higher priority. If 
requesting multiple items in this activity, funding cannot exceed a 
maximum of $100,000 per station.
    (2) Joint/Regional Host Organizations. A Regional application is an 
opportunity for a fire department or a nonaffiliated EMS organization 
to act as a ``host'' applicant and apply for large-scale projects on 
behalf of itself and any number of other participating local AFG-
eligible organizations. Eligible Regional Program activities are 
Vehicle Acquisition and Operations and Safety (but only Training, 
Equipment, and PPE). Regional Program activities should achieve cost 
effectiveness, support regional efficiency and resilience, and benefit 
more than one local jurisdiction (county, parish, town, township, city, 
or village) directly from the activities implemented with the grant 
funds.
    Host organizations should provide specific details in their 
application narrative, fully explaining the distribution of any grant-
funded acquisitions or grant-funded contracted services between the 
Host and the partner organizations.
    Regional host applicants and participating partner agencies must 
execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or equivalent document, 
signed by all parties participating in the award, prior to submitting 
an application under the Regional Program activities. The agreement 
should specify the individual and mutual responsibilities of the 
participating partners, the participant's level of involvement in the 
project(s), and the proposed distribution of all grant-funded assets. 
Successful Regional applicants shall provide a copy of the signed MOU 
at the time of award. Any entity named in the application as benefiting 
from the award shall be a party the MOU or equivalent document.
    State Fire Training Academies are not eligible to apply under the 
Regional Program.
(1) Vehicles Acquisition Program
    Not more than 25 percent of available grant funds may be used for 
the purchase of vehicles. Of the 25 percent set aside for vehicle 
funding, FEMA intends to allocate 10 percent of the total Vehicle funds 
for ambulances. The allocation of vehicle funding will be distributed 
as equally as possible among urban, suburban, and rural community 
applicants. The remaining Vehicle Acquisition funds will be awarded 
competitively without regard to community classification.
    In FY 2014, fire departments, joint/regional hosts, nonaffiliated 
EMS organizations, and SFTAs may apply for more than one vehicle. 
Requests cannot exceed the financial cap based on population listed in 
the application. If a department submits multiple types of 
applications, and more than one of those requests are approved, the 
department will be held to the same financial cap based on the 
population listed in the application.
(i) Compliance With Standards
     New fire apparatus must be compliant with NFPA 1901 or 
1906 for the year ordered/manufactured.
     Ambulances, Edition 2013, or GSA Federal Standard KKK-A-
1822F.
     Applicants must certify that unsafe vehicles will be 
permanently removed from service if awarded a grant. Acceptable uses of 
unsafe vehicles include farm, nursery, scrap metal, salvage, 
construction, etc.

When requesting more than one vehicle, the applicant will be asked to 
fill out a separate line item and answer all the questions including a 
separate Narrative for each vehicle. For example, if requesting to 
replace three ambulances, the applicant must fill out the age and 
vehicle identification number (VIN) of each vehicle being replaced. The 
same VIN cannot be used in each line item.
    Applicants may request funding for a driver training program in the 
Vehicle Acquisition section but must add the request in the Additional 
Funding area in the Request Details section of the application. Driver 
training program(s)

[[Page 65691]]

must be in place prior to the delivery of the vehicle. Applicants 
requesting vehicles that do not have drivers/operators trained to NFPA 
1002 or equivalent, and are not planning to have a training program in 
place by the time the vehicle is delivered, will not receive a vehicle 
award.
(ii) Vehicle Funding Priorities
    Inherent differences exist between urban, suburban, and rural 
firefighting conventions. For this reason, DHS has developed different 
priorities in Vehicle Acquisition for departments that serve different 
types of communities. The U.S. Census Bureau's urban--rural 
classifications are fundamentally a delineation of geographical areas. 
The FY2014 demographics for determining urban, suburban, and rural are 
shown in the table below.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Factors                          Urban                   Suburban                  Rural
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Population Size......................  >3,000/sq. mi. or        1,000-2,999/sq. mi. or   0-999/sq. mi. or
                                        50,000+ population.      25,000-50,000            <25,000 population.
                                                                 population.
Water Supply.........................  75-100% hydrants         50-74% hydrants........  <50% hydrant.
                                        (municipal water).
Land Use.............................  <25% for agriculture     25-49% used for          50% used for
                                        (based on zoning)        agriculture (based on    agriculture (based on
                                        industrial and           zoning) industrial and   zoning) industrial and
                                        commercial combined      commercial combined      commercial combined
                                        >50%.                    >25-49%.                 <25%.
Number of Stations per square mile...  <3 sq. mi. per station.  3-9 sq. mi. per station  >10 sq. mi. per
                                                                                          station.
Number of Occupancies................  >100...................  11-100.................  0-10.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Fire Department, Joint/Regional, and SFTA Priorities. Fire 
departments, joint/regional applicants, and SFTAs are eligible to 
request funding for the Vehicle Acquisition activities and funding 
priorities shown below, but they are not limited to these Vehicle 
activities. The funding priorities for firefighting vehicles--High (H), 
Medium (M), or Low (L)--are organized by community type. Within each 
separate funding priority, the vehicles listed have equal value. The 
chart below delineates the priorities for firefighting vehicles for 
each type of community.

[[Page 65692]]

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[[Page 65693]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.009

     Nonaffiliated EMS Organization Vehicle Priorities. They 
are eligible for Vehicle Acquisition Activities that are not specific 
or unique to structural/proximity firefighting.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN05NO14.010

(iii) Additional Considerations
 Departments that have automatic aid agreements, mutual aid 
agreements, or both.
 Population and call volume of primary first due response area 
or region.
 Replacement of open cab/jump seat configurations.
 Age of the vehicle being replaced; older equipment receive 
higher consideration.
 Age of the newest vehicle in the department's fleet that is 
like the vehicle to be replaced.
 Disclose vehicles on loan to the organization in the 
application narrative but not in the organization's inventory.
 Disclose damaged vehicles and out of service vehicles in the 
organization's inventory.
 Average age of the fleet; older equipment within the same 
class.
 Converted vehicles not designed or intended for use in the 
fire service.
(4) Administrative Costs
    Panelists will assess the administrative costs requested in each 
application and determine whether the request is reasonable and in the 
best interest of the Program.

    Dated: October 24, 2014.
W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2014-26293 Filed 11-4-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-78-P