Send a letter explaining why you need this information, and if you also need to change the Primary Contact information. Please be aware changing the Primary Contact on one grant will cause the Primary Contact to be changed on all other department grants submitted under the same user ID. The letter must be on fire department letterhead and signed by the Fire Chief of the department. To expedite this change you can fax a copy of the letter to Annette Robinson at 1-866-274-0942.

After faxing the letter to Annette Robinson, please mail the original letter to:

DHS/FEMA/Grant Programs Directorate
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
Annette Robinson - Room 5066D
Tech World Bldg - South Tower 5th Floor
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472

The following information must be included in the letter:

• Grant number
• Previous primary contact person's name
• Explanation of why access to the grant is needed
• New contact person's name
• New contact person's mother's maiden name
• New contact person's date of birth
• New contact person's e-mail address
• Two phone numbers for the new contact person

A mailed letter may take two weeks to process. However, soon after faxing the letter to Annette Robinson, you will receive an e-mail from Pinky Sheets telling you she has updated the system and placed your name on the grant as the main contact person. You will also receive an automated e-mail from EOPS@dhs.gov with your user ID and temporary password.

If you do not receive this automated e-mail from EOPS@dhs.gov within two days of faxing your request and receiving the e-mail from Ms. Sheets, you should look in your junk mail file. The electronic e-mails are sometimes filtered and sent directly to junk mail.

If you are still unable to get a new user ID and password, go onto the Web site at www.firegrantsupport.com and choose e-grant application. You will get an application sign-in screen. Click on forgot password, answer the two security questions and submit your request.

The screen should indicate you successfully submitted your request and a temporary password is being e-mailed to you. Go into your e-mail and retrieve the user ID and temporary password. Again, if the message is not there, look in the junk mail file. If it is not in your junk mail file then your e-mail address is not compatible with the DHS system. You will have to set up a new e-mail account. You may want to use the free e-mail accounts such as Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.

When you click on submit, if you get an error message indicating you gave incorrect information, you need to call Annette Robinson (202) 786-9626.

Please note: This information can only be changed by authorized personnel.

There are many reasons why you may not have received any e-mails from the AFG system. Some e-mail services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, SBCGlobal or MSN have a tendency to place e-mails from us (dhs.gov) in the junk mail folder of the e-mail program. You can remedy this problem by allowing our e-mail addresses to be accepted by your e-mail provider/program. Different programs have different procedures, so check with your e-mail provider for details on how to allow e-mail addresses. The e-mail address always has a dhs.gov extension. The following e-mail addresses should be allowed:

eops@dhs.gov
afg@dhs.gov
firegrants@dhs.gov

Other e-mail programs that are within a local government or state government, for example, joe.smith@skokie.il.us or pinky@parkland.cc.ca.us , have a tendency to block dhs.gov e-mails entirely. If your e-mail is a .us account, please speak with your e-mail provider or your systems administrator and request they allow e-mails with the dhs.gov extension or tell them to allow e-mails from the following addresses:

eops@dhs.gov
afg@dhs.gov
firegrants@dhs.gov

For the Primary Contact – There can be only one Primary Contact for your department/agency.

Changing the Primary Contact on one grant will cause the Primary Contact to be changed on all other department grants submitted under the same user ID. If you do not wish to do this, consider changing Alternate Contact information for a particular grant instead (see next paragraph). To update personal information such as Primary Contact name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address, or change password, grantees should log into their grant and at the Status screen click on Edit Profile , which is located at the upper middle part of the screen. The page that comes up will allow you to update any personal information that has changed. Type in the updated personal information and click Save at the bottom of the page. A note will state, "Your profile has been updated. Thank You." To make the changes permanent, you must log out of your application for the new information to take effect. To do this, click on the Authorized Applications link on the upper left-hand side of the "Thank You" page, and then click on Firefighter's Grants on the new page so the new information will be set and updated.

For Alternate Contacts – Alternate Contacts can differ from grant to grant if your department/agency has more than one AFG Grant. To change the Alternate Contact name, or update any alternate contact personal information, grantees must log into their grant. From the Status screen, select Manage Grant from the drop-down menu in the Action field. Click on Update Alternate Contacts on the menu bar on the left side of the screen. Type in the updated personal information and click Save and Continue at the bottom of the page. As this request changes information that is contained within the actual grant application, it is processed as a Revision Request by Grants Management staff and must be entered manually. The updated information may not appear for several weeks.

Letters of support should be sent to:

Ms. Elizabeth M. Harman, Assistant Administrator
DHS/FEMA/Grants Program Preparedness
Tech World Building – 9th Floor South Tower
800 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20472-3620
Fax 202-786-9938

Since October 1, 2003, the Federal Government has required all applicants for federal grants and cooperative agreements, with the exception of individuals other than sole proprietors and foreign entities, have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.

The Federal Government uses the DUNS number to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements, and to provide consistent name and address data for electronic grant application systems. Additional information about DUNS numbers can be found on the D&B Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

The process is free. If you have already registered for a DUNS number, you must use the same number for every application.

We strongly encourage applicants to apply online. All you need is Internet access from any computer. Since you create a user ID and password, you can log in from anywhere and work on the application. You can save it and return later to continue working on the application from any computer that has Internet access.

If you must apply by paper, call our Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 to request a paper application be mailed to you. See the Program Guidance for information regarding the submittal dates.  Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Applications must be received at the address below by the deadline.  See the Program Guidance for information regarding the submittal dates.

U.S. Fire Administration Grant Program Technical Assistance Center
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727-8998

Faxed applications will not be accepted.

Remember to send the application early enough to ensure it is received by the deadline.

During the grant application review process, you may have been sent instructions to validate the banking information that you submitted when you signed Direct Deposit Form 1199A. The Direct Deposit Form is critical for you to receive your grant funds. Before you can draw funds from your grant, you must have a current Direct Deposit Form on file.

If you have a Direct Deposit Form 1199A currently on file for a previous AFG or Fire Prevention grant, and none of the information on the form has changed, you do not need to resubmit the form. If any information has changed, you must update the form before printing it and mailing it in.

To access or update Direct Deposit Form 1199A, you will need to login to http://www.firegrantsupport.com and select the option on the left that reads, " E-Grant Application ." This will bring you to the screen where you type in your user ID and password. You must type in the same user ID and password you used when you applied for your awarded SAFER grant.

Once you have accessed your application, you will see the " Status " screen. On the right-hand side of the " Status " screen, you will see a column with the heading " Action ." In this column, you will see a link that says, " Update/View 1199A ." Click the " Update/View 1199A " link and review, and if necessary change, the banking information previously entered on the form. Once you have submitted the form electronically, you must print the form (click the program " Print " button, not the browser's "Print" button), sign it, and take it to your banking institution to have them complete the appropriate section.

You need to send the original signed Direct Deposit Form to DHS. Do not forget to make a copy of your completed form before mailing it. To speed the processing of your banking information, DHS strongly suggests that you use Priority Mail or some other expedited mail service to send the form to DHS at the following address:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security/FEMA
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
4th Fl. Techworld Bldg. South - Grants Operation
500 C St. SW Washington , DC 20472

Attention: SAFER grants Program

It will take approximately 3 weeks to process your completed Direct Deposit Form. After the processing is completed, you will receive an e-mail confirming your Direct Deposit Form has been approved. Upon receipt of this e-mail, you will be able to request funds online when your department is ready to spend the grant funds.

Under the Hiring of Firefighters Activity, departments share in the costs of the grant. The grantee's portion of the cost of the salary and benefits under this grant must be equal to at least the following:

1. 10 percent of the actual costs in Year One
2. 20 percent of the actual costs in Year Two
3. 50 percent of the actual costs in Year Three
4. 70 percent of the actual costs in Year Four
5. 100 percent of the actual costs in Year Five