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.

The SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grants were created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase the number of trained, frontline firefighters available in their communities.

The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire department's ability to comply with staffing, response, and operational standards established by NFPA and OSHA (NFPA 1710 and/or NFPA 1720 and OSHA 1910.134). See page 5 of the 2009 SAFER Program Guidance or www.nfpa.org/SAFERActGrant for more details. Specifically, SAFER funds should assist local fire departments with increasing their staffing and deployment capabilities to respond to emergencies whenever they may occur. As a result of the enhanced staffing, response times should be sufficiently reduced with an appropriate number of personnel assembled at the incident scene. Also, the enhanced staffing should provide all front-line/first-due apparatus of SAFER grantees have a minimum of four trained personnel to meet the OSHA standards referenced above. Ultimately, a faster, safer, and more efficient incident scene will be established and communities will have more adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.

1. Hiring of Firefighters Activity. The goal of the Hiring of Firefighters Activity is to award grants directly to volunteer, combination, and career fire departments to help them increase the number of frontline, active firefighters. The goal is to assure departments have adequate personnel to respond and safely perform at incident scenes, providing protection from fire and fire-related hazards for their communities. This activity provides 2-year grants to assist fire departments by paying the salaries of newly hired firefighters or to rehire recently laid-off firefighters. Any hired firefighters must be in addition to the authorized and/or funded firefighter positions the department had at the time of application.

SAFER grantees who are using SAFER funding to hire new firefighters must commit to retaining the SAFER-funded firefighters for one full year after the two-year period of performance. There is NO retention commitment for grantees who are rehiring previously laid-off firefighters.

2. Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Activity. The goal of this activity is to create a net increase in the number of trained, certified, and competent firefighters capable of safely responding to emergencies likely to occur within the fire department's geographic response area. The primary focus is the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters who are involved with, or trained in, the operations of firefighting and emergency response. Volunteer, paid-on-call, and combination fire departments as well as local and statewide volunteer firefighter interest organizations are eligible to receive grants in this activity. While many different types of recruitment and retention activities may be eligible for funding, it is important to link the R&R activity being requested to an identified R&R issue or problem within the applicant's department. With proper justification, applications for assistance in the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters could include activities requiring as many as four years to complete. There is no local match requirement for this activity and no maximum federal share limit.

No. You have a choice of dividing your narrative into two separate parts and addressing each activity or combining your requests into one narrative statement.

If you choose to combine your requests into one narrative, you may discuss the four items (shown below) required for both the Hiring of Firefighters Activity and the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Activity.

1. A statement that describes why the applicant needs the grant funds, i.e., how the recruitment of new firefighters and retention of current firefighters will be used within the department and a description of the specific benefit these firefighters will be to the fire department and community. This statement should include specifics about the recruitment and/or retention plan and what specific benefit the efforts would provide to the community.

2. A statement regarding how the community and current firefighters are at risk without the needed firefighters, and to what extent that risk will be reduced if the applicant is awarded.

3. An explanation of the applicant's inability to address the need without federal assistance.

4. A statement relating to how the applicant will ensure, to the extent possible, that it will seek, recruit, and hire members of racial and ethnic minority groups and women to increase their ranks within the department.

There are two additional items (shown below) that also must be discussed in the Hiring Firefighters Activity.

• A statement regarding how the applicant plans to meet the match requirements for the 5 years required under the grant award. This statement should include any long-term plans to retain the new firefighter positions.
• A statement regarding how the applicant plans to meet the requirement to ensure firefighter positions filled under the SAFER grants are not discriminated against for, or prohibited from, engaging in volunteer activities in another jurisdiction during off-duty hours.

You may choose to discuss the four items for both activities in the early portion of your presentation and add the two additional items for the Hiring Firefighters Activity at the end of your narrative. Remember, you are limited to six pages for your narrative. It is recommended you type your narrative offline in a word processing document and paste it into the space provided. Please check it to make sure all your text is shown in the six pages provided.

Applicants who propose to initiate a recruitment and/or retention plan as a part of their application will receive equal consideration for the recruitment activities and the retention activities. Proposals in this activity may include providing incentives for volunteer firefighter members to continue their service in a fire department. Examples of the type of initiatives that may receive assistance include but are not limited to the following:

• Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
• College education cost reimbursement
• Reimbursement for lost wages while attending training
• Marketing program costs to recruit new volunteer members
• Staffing needs assessment
• Explorer, cadet, and/or mentoring programs
• Tuition assistance for higher education and professional certifications
• Workers compensation
• Length of service awards and other retirement benefits
• Initial physicals may be eligible if the applicant can adequately demonstrate that providing the physicals would enhance the applicant's ability to recruit and/or retain volunteer firefighters

Pre-award expenditures are only allowable in the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Activity. Grantees may be eligible for funding if they meet the following criteria:

• The expenditures occurred after the end of the application period ( June 27, 2008 ) but prior to award
• There was an urgent and compelling reason for the expenditures
• The expenditure is consistent with the grant's approved scope of work
• The request must be approved by DHS on a case-by-case basis

Pre-award expenditures are not allowable in the Hiring of Firefighters Activity.

No. You have a choice of dividing your narrative into two separate parts and addressing each activity or combining your requests into one narrative statement.
If you choose to combine your requests into one narrative, you may discuss the four items (shown below) required for both the Hiring of Firefighters Activity and the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Activity.

1. A statement that describes why the applicant needs the grant funds, i.e., how the recruitment of new firefighters and retention of current firefighters will be used within the department and a description of the specific benefit these firefighters will be to the fire department and community. This statement should include specifics about the recruitment and/or retention plan and what specific benefit the efforts would provide to the community.
2. A statement regarding how the community and current firefighters are at risk without the needed firefighters, and to what extent that risk will be reduced if the applicant is awarded.
3. An explanation of the applicant's inability to address the need without federal assistance.
4. A statement relating to how the applicant will ensure, to the extent possible, that it will seek, recruit, and hire members of racial and ethnic minority groups and women to increase their ranks within the department.

There are two additional items (shown below) that also must be discussed in the Hiring Firefighters Activity.

• A statement regarding how the applicant plans to meet the match requirements for the 5 years required under the grant award. This statement should include any long-term plans to retain the new firefighter positions.
• A statement regarding how the applicant plans to meet the requirement to ensure that firefighter positions filled under the SAFER grants are not discriminated against for, or prohibited from, engaging in volunteer activities in another jurisdiction during off-duty hours.

You may choose to discuss the four items for both activities in the early portion of your presentation and add the two additional items for the Hiring Firefighters activity at the end of your narrative. Remember, you are limited to six pages for your narrative. It is recommended that you type your narrative offline in a word processing document and paste it into the space provided. Please check it to make sure all your text is shown in the six pages provided.

If you are a municipally based organization, i.e., an organization that provides services on behalf of a governmental entity, or if you are registered with the IRS as a 501(c) corporation, you are NOT a for-profit organization and are therefore eligible to receive SAFER funding.

This number should include the sum of only career uniformed/operational personnel in the following categories:

• Firefighters, engineers (driver/operators), and fire officers employed at time of application;
• SAFER-funded firefighters;
• Any additional operational personnel hired since the time of application.

Remember that the SAFER grant identifies the staffing and assembly portions of NFPA 1710 and 1720. NFPA 1710, Section 5.2.4.2 calls for the assembly of 14 qualified personnel (15 if an aerial device is used) within an 8-minute response time to 90 percent of structure fires. NFPA 1720, Section 4.3, calls for differing levels of staffing and response time based on the type of demand zone (urban, suburban, rural, and remote) served by the department. Types of information that should be addressed in the performance report include:

• How the firefighters are being used in your department to achieve NFPA compliance improvements, (e.g., 4th on the engine company; daytime driver Monday - Friday; etc.);
• A comparison of your pre-SAFER and post-SAFER assembly capabilities (e.g., before SAFER we averaged 8 firefighters on a structure fire and now we are averaging 10; our average response time to assemble the full complement of personnel on the fire ground used to be 12.5 minutes, now it is 9.3 with the SAFER personnel; etc.);
• A brief description NFPA standard compliance improvements you are able to achieve with SAFER staffing (e.g., while our average response time is now 9.3 minutes, we are arriving within 8 minutes to 70 percent of our calls, which is much higher than before we had the SAFER staffing; we can only get 12 personnel on scene within 8 minutes, and have to wait for mutual aid to arrive for the remaining personnel, which usually takes an additional 4 to 5 minutes; our SAFER firefighter is able to respond with the engine right away, so our volunteer personnel can respond directly to the scene and we now get at least 6 firefighters on scene within 14 minutes most of the time; etc.)
• This last point is best addressed at the end of each of the SAFER grant years - a description of any results you are able to see in your department and community as a result of the increased SAFER staffing (e.g., because we are able to get more firefighters on the incident more quickly, we have seen an 10 percent reduction in fire loss; because we now have a full complement of firefighters deployed, we were able to make two successful rescues during the past year that we might not have been able to make before SAFER; since hiring the SAFER firefighters, we have noted a 27 percent reduction in firefighter injuries).

There are two ways of obtaining technical assistance for completing the SAFER application: the SAFER grant program Help Desk and the online SAFER Applicant Tutorial.

SAFER grant program Help Desk. Use the toll-free information line at
1-866-274-0960 to ask questions about the grant program and the application. Normal business hours for the Help Desk are Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. During the application period ( May 27 - June 27, 2008 ), the Help Desk will be staffed between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday; and until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 27, 2008 . However, these hours may change as the application period progresses. The toll-free number also will accept voicemail messages after hours or if the line is busy. Questions also may be sent to a toll-free fax line at 1-866-274-0942, or e-mailed to FireGrants@dhs.gov .

The industry minimum standards to be addressed include NFPA 1710, Section 5.2.4.2 (Initial Full Alarm Assignment Capability), which primarily applies to all-career fire departments and at the combination department's election; and NFPA 1720 Section 4.3 (Staffing and Deployment), which primarily applies to all-volunteer fire departments and combination departments that do not elect to comply with NFPA 1710. Note: The SAFER grant is focused only on the staffing and deployment sections of these two standards. The NFPA has established a special link www.nfpa.org/SAFERActGrant that provides text of the 2 sections of NFPA 1710 and NFPA 1720 that applies to the above. The specific OSHA Respiratory Protection standards referred to in SAFER address the two-in two-out rule and can be found in section 1910.134(g) (4).

NFPA 1710
Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2004 Edition.

5.2.4.2 Initial Full Alarm Assignment Capability.
5.2.4.2.1* The fire department shall have the capability to deploy an initial full alarm assignment within an 8-minute response time to 90 percent of the incidents as established in Chapter 4 .
5.2.4.2.2 The initial full alarm assignment shall provide for the following:

(1) Establishment of incident command outside of the hazard area for the overall coordination and direction of the initial full alarm assignment. A minimum of one individual shall be dedicated to this task.
(2) Establishment of an uninterrupted water supply of a minimum 1520 L/min (400 gpm) for 30 minutes. Supply line(s) shall be maintained by an operator who shall ensure uninterrupted water flow application.
(3) Establishment of an effective water flow application rate of 1140 L/min (300 gpm) from two hand lines, each of which shall have a minimum of 380 L/min (100 gpm). Each attack and backup line shall be operated by a minimum of two individuals to effectively and safely maintain the line.
(4) Provision of one support person for each attack and backup line deployed to provide hydrant hookup and to assist in line lays, utility control, and forcible entry.
(5) A minimum of one victim search and rescue team shall be part of the initial full alarm assignment. Each search and rescue team shall consist of a minimum of two individuals.
(6) A minimum of one ventilation team shall be part of the initial full alarm assignment. Each ventilation team shall consist of a minimum of two individuals.
(7) If an aerial device is used in operations, one person shall function as an aerial operator who shall maintain primary control of the aerial device at all times.
(8) Establishment of an IRIC that shall consist of a minimum of two properly equipped and trained individuals.

NFPA 1720
Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments, 2004 Edition.

4.3 Staffing and Deployment. 
4.3.1 The fire department shall identify minimum staffing requirements to ensure that a sufficient number of members are available to operate safely and effectively.  4.3.2* Table 4.3.2 shall be used by the AHJ to determine staffing and response time capabilities, and the fractal accomplishment of that for reporting purposes as required in 4.4.2. 

4.3.3* Personnel responding to fires and other emergencies shall be organized into company units or response teams and shall have required apparatus and equipment. 

4.3.4* Standard response assignments and procedures, including mutual aid response and mutual aid agreements predetermined by the location and nature of the reported incident, shall regulate the dispatch of companies, response groups, and command officers to fires and other emergency incidents. 

OSHA Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR) Respiratory Protection. - 1910.134
Section 1910.134(g) (4)
Procedures for interior structural firefighting. In addition to the requirements set forth under paragraph (g)(3), in interior structural fires, the employer shall ensure that:

1910.134(g)(4)(i)
At least two employees enter the IDLH* atmosphere and remain in visual or voice contact with one another at all times;

1910.134(g)(4)(ii)
At least two employees are located outside the IDLH atmosphere;

Note 1 to paragraph (g): One of the two individuals located outside the IDLH atmosphere may be assigned to an additional role, such as incident commander in charge of the emergency or safety officer, so long as this individual is able to perform assistance or rescue activities without jeopardizing the safety or health of any firefighter working at the incident.

Note 2 to paragraph (g): Nothing in this section is meant to preclude firefighters from performing emergency rescue activities before an entire team has assembled.

*immediate danger to life and health

NFPA 1001
Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications (FFI and II)
This standard identifies the minimum job performance requirements for career and volunteer firefighters whose duties are primarily structural in nature. The purpose of this standard is to specify the minimum job performance requirements for firefighters. It is not the intent of the standard to restrict any jurisdiction from exceeding these requirements.

NFPA 1001
Standard for Firefighter Professional Qualifications (FFI and II)

This standard identifies the minimum job performance requirements for career and volunteer firefighters whose duties are primarily structural in nature. The purpose of this standard is to specify the minimum job performance requirements for firefighters. It is not the intent of the standard to restrict any jurisdiction from exceeding these requirements.

Yes. Beginning October 1, 2005, all recipients of federal preparedness funds (including recipients of federal grants and contracts) must adopt NIMS as a condition for the receipt of the federal funds. Recipients of 2009 SAFER funds will be considered to be in compliance with the NIMS requirement if their command staff has an operational knowledge of the Incident Command System (ICS) and an understanding of NIMS principles and policies. In addition, they must adhere to any NIMS requirements passed down through local governing bodies in 2009. Responders who have already been trained in ICS do not need retraining if their previous training is consistent with FEMA standards. In order to document compliance, grantees will be required to certify their recognition of NIMS/ICS as part of their grant closeout process.

There are four levels of compliance in terms of organizational responsibility and training requirements:

• Entry level first responder or administrative staff
  IS100 and IS700
• First Line Supervisor, Single Resource Leader, Field Supervisor
  IS100, IS200 and IS700
• Middle Manager (station/shift commander, battalion or division chief)
  IS100, IS200, IS300, IS700, IS800B
• Command and General Staff (chief, deputy/assistant chief, agency head)
  IS100, IS200, IS300, IS700, IS800B and IS400 in FY 2009

If you have completed a previous version of IS800, it is strongly recommended (but not required) that you complete 800B.

NOTE: Not all persons required to take ICS-300 and ICS-400 will need to take IS-800.B. Emergency managers and personnel whose primary responsibility is emergency management will need to complete this training.

See NIMS Alert Number 03-08 at the following web address:
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/NIMSalerts.shtm

FEMA offers training for those fire departments that have not implemented ICS or who are unfamiliar with the principles and policies of NIMS. For information regarding ICS and NIMS training, visit the NIMS Web site at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims . For more information about ICS training, contact the FEMA Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498, or visit the FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Web site at www.training.fema.gov or the National Fire Academy (NFA) at http://www.usfa.fema.gov . Your state emergency management training office may also be a source of information in this regard. In addition, recipients of AFG funds should participate in any community-wide NIMS efforts initiated to implement NIMS in accordance with the guidance provided to each state Governor on September 8, 2004.