DHS issues guidance for fire station stimulus grants

By FireRescue1 Staff

WASHINGTON — Grant guidance was released Friday for the $210 million in fire station construction funding appropriated in February's stimulus package.

The fire station construction grant funding will be administered by FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate. The guidance can be seen at Fema.gov/government/grant/arra/index.shtm.

Grants will be awarded to fire departments to build new or modify existing fire stations in order to "enhance response capabilities and protect communities from fire-related hazards."

According to DHS, the grants will "replace unsafe or uninhabitable structures and expand fire protection coverage to meet increased service demand in compliance with NFPA standards.

Priorities for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Fire Station Construction Grants (SCG) are:

• Projects in areas of the country where unemployment is highest
• Projects that are ready to begin shortly after award (i.e. applicant already owns land and has required permits in hand, etc.)
• Projects that improve emergency response time (NFPA Standards) and firefighter safety
• Projects that are environmentally friendly; conform to national consensus codes and standards, provide best value for cost and can be constructed within the proposed budget
  

The guidance released Friday also included $150 million for both the Port Security Grant Program and the Transit Security Grant Program.

"The grants announced today will go directly to local projects, revitalizing communities while updating our nation's infrastructure and enhancing our security," DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said.

The $787 billion stimulus bill signed by President Obama also included nearly $8.8 billion in the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund that will be provided to states to address "high priority needs, such as public safety and other critical services."

Both the IAFF and the IAFC have urged members to champion the fire service and work with their governors and local government administrations to get access to the funding.

Applications for the Fire Station Construction Grant Program will be submitted electronically at https://portal.fema.gov. The program office expects the e-application will be available the week of June 8.