Emergency Responders Urged to be Ready for Opening of FEMA Grant Applications

WASHINGTON, DC – Although FEMA officials are not in the office due to the government shut down, firefighters and other responders are encouraged to be armed and ready with grant applications.

When FEMA reopens, it may take some time before the websites and information about the grant programs go back online, according to Cathie Patterson, who oversaw FEMA’s fire service and Emergency Operations Center grant programs, before retiring last fall.

Officials will be swamped once they return as some awardees have not received their money.

When the application periods open, they will be on the fast track as grants in the current cycle must be awarded by Sept. 30.

The AFG window may open first as it involves the largest awards. But that’s not a given.

Some officials across the nation are waiting to hear how their departments fared.

“The turndown letters didn’t go out. I’m not sure why,” she said during a presentation at CFSI last week, adding that submitters don’t know how close their requests came to being granted.

She encouraged them to reach out to the regional program specialist with questions and reviews about why their requests didn’t qualify.

Patterson said it’s vital to be attentive and very selective when hiring a grant writer.

“Do you want your grant writer to have full access to your department? You have to protect your department. If there’s misinformation submitted, they are coming for you not the person you hired…”

“You tell the story about your department. Make it stick out…”

Never, ever submit a request without reviewing it thoroughly. Pay attention to registrations required to ensure they aren’t expired.

“They can’t, by law, contact you about it being expired. It takes weeks to fix…”

In addition to the fire service grants, there are other funding programs available.

FEMA Pass-Through Programs are awarded to state and local jurisdictions, who, in turn, can use the funds to enhance fire, EMS and other response agencies, Lance Harbour, formerly with FEMA.

Among the programs he encouraged officials to explore include:

·         Emergency Management Performance Grant

·         State Homeland Security Program

·         Urban Area Security Initiative

·         Emergency Operations Center

·         USDA: Volunteer Fire Assistance

·         USDA: Federal Excess Property Program

Harbour said the some of those funding sources are underutilized by the emergency services community. He urged the group to research them to determine if there’s money available to meet their specific needs.

“They hold the key to getting you money. Learn to know who the point person is…”

Some of the alternative programs focus on specific needs of departments serving rural areas.

Being clear and concise about the equipment raises the odds of the request getting a nod.