FEMA could tweak its fire grant award process

By Mickey McCarter
HSToday.com

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) generally met requirements for awarding Fire Grants in the past several years but the agency usually did not provide useful feedback to rejected applicants, congressional investigators said in a recent report.

FEMA should make certain to provide specific feedback to rejected applicants and to align questions for Fire Grant applications to grant priorities, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended in the report Fire Grants: FEMA Has Met Most Requirements for Awarding Fire Grants, but Additional Actions Would Improve Its Grant Process , issued Oct. 30.

GAO also was unable to determine if FEMA met a statutory requirement to award at least 3.5 percent of its fiscal year 2008 grant funds as Emergency Medical Service (EMS) awards because FEMA's grant system does not specifically track grants awarded to fire departments for EMS awards. GAO recommended that FEMA establish the means to do so. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agreed with the recommendations.

Full story: Four out of nine major fire service organizations said FEMA did not provide adequate feedback to rejected applications