Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response - 2011 Frequently Asked Questions

The page contains a list of frequently asked questions and anwsers for the 2011 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program application period. The intended for AFG stakeholders, which include but are not limited to award recipients and the communities they serve.

What is the purpose of SAFER?

What is the purpose of SAFER?

The SAFER Grants intend to improve or restore local fire departments' staffing and deployment capabilities so they may more effectively respond to emergencies. With the enhanced or restored staffing, a SAFER grantee's response time will be reduced sufficiently and an appropriate number of trained personnel will be assembled at the incident scene. The goal of SAFER is to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities, as established by NFPA 1710 and/or NFPA 1720, in order to respond to emergencies, assuring communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Go to 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 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.

Are there any funding limits for SAFER?

There are no annual salary limits and there are no cost-sharing requirements for funds under the FY 2011 appropriations.

What kinds of activities are eligible for funding in SAFER?

SAFER offers grants to support activities in two categories:

Hiring of Firefighters Category  grants provide financial assistance to help fire departments rehire firefighters that have been laid off, retain firefighters facing imminent layoffs, fill positions that were vacated through attrition, or hire new firefighters. The goal is to assist departments to ensure they have adequate personnel to respond and safely perform at incident scenes, providing protection from fire and fire-related hazards for their communities. This category provides 2-year grants to assist fire departments by paying the salaries and benefits of the SAFER-funded firefighters.

Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category grants are to assist departments with the recruitment and/or retention of volunteer firefighters that are involved with, or trained in, the operations of firefighting and emergency response. The goals 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. Recruitment and Retention category grants can have a period of performance of up to four years.

Hiring of Firefighters Category

Who is eligible to apply for funding in the Hiring of Firefighters Category?

Combination and career fire departments may apply for funding in the hiring category.

In addition to the number of funded SAFER firefighters, do I have to maintain the number of firefighters at the time of the application or the number of firefighters at time of award?

Grants awarded under the Hiring category must maintain their staffing at the level that existed at the time of award.

What is the Period of Performance (POP) for the hiring activities?

The 2011 SAFER Period of Performance for the Hiring of Firefighters Category remains at two (2) years. However, a technical issue with the SAFER e-grant application will require that applicants requesting funds for the Hiring of Firefighters Category enter data for 4 budget years even though only 2 years of funding can be awarded for this Category. Unfortunately, the application format cannot be changed, and therefore applicants should follow these special instructions on how to complete the application:

• For budget years one (1) and two (2), input the requested salary and benefits for each line item;
• For budget years three (3) and four (4) insert $1.00 for both the salary and benefits.


•  

NOTE: The system will not accept a $0 value. If an applicant submits a budget request for year three (3) and year four (4), the budget will be reduced by the amounts requested for those years prior to the grant award.

If you need additional information or instructions, the SAFER Help Desk and Fire Program Specialists will be available throughout the application period to answer questions about the SAFER Program Guidance and the online grant application. The Help Desk can be contacted at 1-866-274-0960 or via e-mail at firegrants@dhs.gov. The Help Desk hours of operation during the application period are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. All times listed are eastern daylight times.

Are firefighters hired prior to award eligible under the Hiring category?

Firefighters hired and/or rehired prior to award are not eligible under the Hiring category. The only exception is those positions under the retention activity.

What are the requirements for the matching funds in the Hiring of Firefighters Category?

There are no matching funds requirements for the Hiring category grants.

What happens after the grant concludes? Do I have to keep the SAFER-funded firefighters employed?

Awarded recipients do not have any obligation to retain the SAFER-funded firefighters after the conclusion of the period of performance for FY 2011 SAFER awards.

What type of firefighter positions will be funded?

Only full-time firefighter positions will be funded. Full-time positions are those funded for at least 2,080 hours per year, i.e., 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. The grant program recognizes that many fire departments have shifts beyond this typical 40-hour work week. The grant program will consider funding job-share positions if sufficient justification is provided.

What is a job-share position?

A job-share position is a full-time position occupied by more than one person. In previous years, job-share positions were limited to four (4) employees per position. For FY 2011, there is no cap on the number of employees who may share a single job-share position.

Can our department apply for job-share positions, even if we have never utilized job- share employees?

For applicants who are applying under the rehire, retention, and/or attrition activities, if your department did not utilize job-share positions prior to the time of application, then you will not be eligible to apply for such positions. New job-sharing positions are only eligible for applicants applying in the new hire activity.

If I apply for both SAFER grant categories - Hiring of Firefighters and Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters - do I have to write two narrative statements?

Departments interested in applying for both a Hiring grant and a Recruitment and Retention grant must submit two separate applications, one for each category. Each application will require its own unique narrative statement.

If I receive a SAFER award, how much time do I have to hire the firefighters?

The SAFER grant performance period begins 90 days after the grant has been awarded, regardless of whether the grantee has filled the funded firefighter positions or not. This delay (i.e., recruitment period) provides grantees with an opportunity to recruit new firefighters and begin hiring. Not all grantees will need the full 90 days, and some may need more.

Can I submit a payment request for pre-award expenditures?

Pre-award expenditures are not reimbursable in the Hiring category. However, costs incurred after award but prior to the start of the official period of performance (i.e. during the 90-day recruitment period) are eligible for reimbursement. Any costs incurred prior to the period of performance will be charged against the total grant budget. Firefighters hired prior to the date of award are not eligible for SAFER funding.

The 2011 SAFER Program Guidance states that grantees cannot layoff any firefighters during the two-year period of performance. What if I lose positions to retirement or other attrition? Do I have to fill those vacancies?

All FY 2011 grantees awarded in the Hiring category are required to maintain their staffing at the level that existed at the time of award, in addition to the SAFER-funded positions during the two-year period of performance. If a SAFER grantee loses any firefighters due to attrition or termination during the 2-year period of performance, the grantee must fill the position(s) or lose funding for the position(s) until the vacancy or vacancies are filled. Grantees who are unable to back-fill firefighting positions that were vacated due to documentable economic hardship may petition FEMA for a waiver of staffing maintenance requirements. In order to qualify for this waiver, the economic hardship must affect the entire public safety sector in your jurisdiction, and not only the fire department.

What are the differences between layoff notices for rehiring and retention?

Requests for grants to rehire laid-off firefighters are limited to requesting the number of firefighter positions already lost due to layoffs enacted between January 1, 2008, and the application deadline.

Requests for grants to retain firefighters who face imminent layoff are limited to those firefighters that have been issued a formal layoff notice that specifies a date for the layoff action that is prior to the start of the application period and within 90 days of the close of the application period.

Do we need to provide a copy of the layoff notice if we want to rehire or retain firefighters?

How do we attach it to the online application? Yes. A copy of the layoff notice is required of Hiring grant applicants who request funds to rehire firefighters who were laid off or to retain firefighters at risk of layoff. When you select the Rehire and/or Retention option in the Request Details section of the application, a new option line will appear that directs you to attach an electronic copy of the layoff notice. At that point, you will have the option to attach one or more files to the application. The layoff notices may be in any electronic file format, e.g., PDF, Word, JPG, GIF.

Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category

Who is eligible to apply for funding in the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category?

Nonprofit volunteer and combination fire departments and State and local interest organizations focusing on volunteer firefighters may apply for funding in the recruitment and retention category.

What are examples of eligible costs under the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category?

Proposals in this category may include providing incentives for the newly recruited volunteer firefighter or for current volunteer firefighters to continue their service in the fire department.

Examples of the types 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
• Physicals (consistent with NFPA 1582) for new recruits only

Can turnout gear for new firefighters be purchased under the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category? What are the requirements?

OSHA-required and NFPA-compliant turnout gear is an eligible expense, but it may be requested only for newly recruited firefighters who have passed the required NFPA 1582-compliant physical exam. There is no longer a training requirement associated with the request for turnout gear. Only actual costs are allowed and will be paid on a reimbursable basis.

In FY 2010, SAFER applicants were limited to requesting up to four (4) sets of turnout gear for training; is there a limit on turnout gear requests for FY 2011 SAFER?

For FY 2011 there is no limit on the number of sets of turnout gear that may be requested. Applicants should request the number of sets they think they will need. However, turnout gear is only eligible for newly recruited members, and reimbursement will be limited to the number of new recruits who received an NFPA 1582-compliant physical exam. Only actual costs are allowed and will be paid on a reimbursable basis. Grantees will be required to provide documentation of completed physicals as well as documentation to support the purchase of the turnout gear.

What types of tuition reimbursement are ineligible?

The FY 2011 SAFER grant does not limit the type of tuition reimbursement one can apply for, i.e., it doesn't have to be just related to fire science or related fields.

Do Recruitment and Retention grantees need to submit training certificates?

While grantees are not required to submit these documents, the training certificates, as well as any grant-related documents, must be retained in your grant files for a minimum of three (3) years after the grant has been closed successfully.

Can I submit a payment request for pre-award expenditures?

Pre-award expenditures are not reimbursable in the recruitment and retention category. However, costs incurred after award but prior to the start of the official period of performance (i.e. during the recruitment period) are eligible for reimbursement. Any costs incurred prior to the official period of performance will be charged against the total grant budget.

Is there a matching funds requirement for the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category?

There is no local matching funds requirement for this category, and no maximum federal share limit.

If I apply for both SAFER Grant Categories - Hiring of Firefighters and Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters- do I have to write two narrative statements?

Departments interested in applying for both a Hiring grant and a Recruitment and Retention grant must submit two separate applications, one for each category. Each application will require its own unique narrative statement.

Eligibility

Who is eligible for SAFER funding?

Eligible departments or organizations are limited to one application for Recruitment and Retention and/or one application for Hiring per application period. Your organization type determines your eligibility for SAFER categories.
 

Can my career fire department apply under the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category?

No. Career fire departments are not eligible for funds in the Recruitment and Retention Category. They are only eligible for funding in the Hiring of Firefighters Category.

I represent a volunteer firefighter interest organization that received a Fire Prevention and Safety grant. Are we eligible for a SAFER grant too?

Statewide or local volunteer firefighter interest organizations are eligible to receive funding under the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Category regardless of whether they received a Fire Prevention and Safety grant. However, these organizations are not eligible for funding in the Hiring of Firefighters Category.

If I was awarded an AFG grant last fall and/or spring, can I still apply for SAFER?

Yes. While the SAFER Grants and the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) are administered by the same office, there are no restrictions with respect to having concurrent awards.

Is an independent rescue squad or emergency medical services unit eligible for SAFER funding?

No. Independent rescue squads or emergency medical services unit are not eligible for SAFER funding. Only fire departments and statewide or local volunteer firefighter interest organizations are eligible for SAFER grants.

If I was awarded a prior-year SAFER grant that still has an active performance period, am I eligible to apply for a SAFER grant this year?

Yes. Applicants are eligible to receive more than one SAFER award. Applicants wishing to apply for additional grants are subject to the same guidelines and requirements as discussed in the FY 2011 SAFER Grants Program Guidance and must indicate if the activities they are requesting are new initiatives or if they are building upon the previously awarded program.

Definition of Applicant Types

How do I determine whether I represent a volunteer, combination, or career fire department?

A volunteer fire department is composed entirely of members who do not receive financial compensation other than life and health insurance, workers' compensation insurance, and/or stipends on a per call basis. A career department is one in which all members are compensated for their services. A combination department has at least one active firefighter who receives financial compensation for services (including paid-on-call) and/or at least one active firefighter does not receive financial compensation for services, other than life, health, and workers' compensation insurance. Additionally, fire departments that provide reimbursement on a paid-on-call basis are considered to be a combination department for the purposes of this program.

How do you define a Statewide or Local Volunteer Firefighter Interest Organization?

These are defined as organizations that support or represent the interests of firefighters in front of legislative bodies at the local, state, and federal level. Such organizations include state or local firefighters and/or fire chiefs associations, volunteer firefighter relief organizations, and associations. FEMA shall make the final determination as to whether an applicant is an appropriate firefighter interest group.

The SAFER grants prohibit "for-profit" organizations from applying for grant funding. How do I determine if I am for-profit?

If you are a municipally based organization, i.e., an organization providing services on behalf of a governmental entity, or if you are registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) corporation, you are NOT a for-profit organization and are eligible to receive SAFER funding. According to the IRS definition, a 501(c)(3) corporation is "A corporation, or any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes . . . no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. . . ."

A 501(c)(4) corporation is, according to the IRS, "A civic league or organization not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare . . . and the net earnings of which are devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes."

Completing the Application

When can I apply?

Applications will be accepted only from 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Time), January 30, 2012, until 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on February 24, 2012.

When is the grant application due?

The application deadline is February 24, 2012. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications received after the close of the application period will not be accepted.

When I go to the website for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (www.fema.gov/firegrants), how do I access the e-grant application?

There are several ways to access the e-grant application. On the home page of the AFG website, below the rotating images, there will be an orange banner that reads, "Click here to access E-grant application."

You can also access the e-grant application by clicking on the SAFER icon and then selecting E-Grant Application Access on the left side of the screen.

Regional Applications

Who may apply for a regional grant?

Eligible statewide or local volunteer firefighter interest organizations and individual volunteer and combination fire departments may apply for regional grants in the Recruitment and Retention Category if their request will have a region-wide impact. An eligible organization will serve as the host applicant and apply on behalf of the other eligible organizations and fire departments benefitting from the grant.

I'm planning to submit an application as a host for a regional project. When I answer the questions in the Applicant Characteristics section of the online application, do I use the statistics for the entire region that will be affected by the project, or do I use my department's local statistics?

When applying as a host for a regional project, you should provide regional statistics to answer the questions in the application. Be sure to elaborate on the enhanced regional benefits in the Narrative Statement of your application.

I'm applying as the host for a regional project, but I also have needs in my own department. Can I include my own department needs in the application?

You may seek funding for both regional and internal needs, but you must combine the requests on one application and clearly identify which activities are regional and which are internal. Your organization may not submit more than one application for the Recruitment and Retention grant category.
 

Technical Assistance for Applicants

Where can I obtain technical assistance in filling out the application?

There are two ways of obtaining technical assistance for completing your SAFER application: the AFG Program Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 and the SAFER Applicant Tutorial available on the Web site at www.fema.gov/firegrants/. Normal business hours for the Help Desk are Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. During the application period, January 30, 2012 - February 24, 2012, the Help Desk will be staffed between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday; and until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 24, 2012. However, these hours may change as the application period progresses. The toll-free number also accepts voicemail messages after hours or if the line is busy. In addition, questions may be faxed to 1-866-274-0942, or e-mailed to FireGrants@dhs.gov .

What is the "Request Details" section of the application?

The Request Details section is where applicants enter budget details of their grant proposal. For FY 2011, applicants applying under the Hiring of Firefighters category will enter the actual dollar figures of salaries and benefits for year one (1) and year two (2) in the Request Details section. There are no more percentages for benefits and projected increase for year two (2) salaries and benefits.

As a reminder, the SAFER e-grant application will require that applicants requesting funds for the Hiring of Firefighters Category enter data for 4 budget years even though only 2 years of funding can be awarded for this Category. Applicants will input the budget for years one (1) and two (2) and insert $1.00 (not zeros) in the budget for years three (3) and four (4).

The system will not accept a $0 value. If an applicant submits a budget request for year three (3) and year four (4), the budget will be reduced by the amounts requested for those years prior to the grant award.

In the Recruitment and Retention Category, the Request Details section no longer has a drop-down menu for the budget item as in years past. Recruitment and retention applicants will now need to enter their own description of the budget item(s) (i.e. R&R Coordinator Salary and Benefits) being requested.
 

Where do I find the SAFER Applicant Tutorial?

On the SAFER Grants webpage, an online tutorial is available to assist applicants with completing the automated application. This SAFER Grant Applicant Tutorial explains the application screens, provides tips for navigating the application screens, reviews lessons learned from previous program years, and summarizes the changes in the grant program for the current year. This year's SAFER Tutorial will be available only in TEXT format.

Can I download the online SAFER Applicant Tutorial to my desktop?

No. However, you may print out the individual screens of the text-only version of the tutorial.

How many elements are there to the FY 2011 SAFER narrative?

There are five elements in the SAFER narrative. Each element of the narrative will have its own text box with room for a maximum of 4,000 characters.
 
 
 

National Standards for SAFER

What standards does SAFER involve?

The industry minimum standards to be addressed by SAFER are the staffing and deployment sections of: 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. The NFPA established a special link providing information regarding these standards: www.nfpa.org/SAFERActGrant . The specific OSHA Respiratory Protection standards addressed by SAFER refer to 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. 

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.

National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)

Do fire departments who apply for a SAFER Grant have to report to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)?

No. FEMA does not require FY 2011 SAFER applicants to report to NFIRS.

Do volunteer firefighter interest organizations have to report to NFIRS?

No. Only fire departments provide reports to NFIRS.
 

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Do fire departments that receive SAFER Grants have to comply with the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)?

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: 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 /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 //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.

For Regional applications, are all of the benefiting organizations required to be NIMS compliant or just the host applicant?

Yes. All departments receiving equipment or services from a regional SAFER grant must be compliant with all local edicts regarding NIMS.

Miscellaneous

Are there targeted funding amounts for the two SAFER activities?

A total of $380,747,000 has been appropriated for the FY 2011 SAFER grants. Of that total, no less than ten percent (10%), or $38,074,700, must be awarded for recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Up to ninety percent (90%), or $342,672,300, can be awarded for the purposes of hiring firefighters.

Within the Hiring category, FEMA has set aside no less than 15 percent (15%) of the appropriation, or $51,400,845.00, for the hiring of new firefighters.

Also, no less than ten percent (10%) of the appropriation, or $34,267,230.00, must be awarded within the Hiring Category to volunteer or mostly volunteer departments, i.e., departments where more than fifty percent (50%) of their membership are volunteers.