Applying for SAFER Grants

Last year we missed the boat with the SAFER grants. While in 2005 over 20,000 departments applied for an AFG grant, less than 3,000 departments applied for a SAFER grant. SAFER stands for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Services. Not only does the SAFER grants provide for paid staffing over five years, they also provide funds for recruitment and retention of volunteers!

From the website ( http://www.firegrantsupport.com ), “The purpose of the SAFER grants is to award grants directly to volunteer, combination, and career fire departments to help the departments increase their cadre of firefighters. Ultimately, the goal is for SAFER grantees to enhance their ability to attain 24-hour staffing and thus assuring their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. The SAFER grants have two activities that will help grantees attain this goal: 1) hiring of firefighters and 2) recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters”

Exactly how you want to use the grant funds are up to you, but VolunteerFD.org has hundreds of recruitment programs at http://www.volunteerfd.org/recruitment.php . I have also set up a discussion area for SAFER grant ideas and discussion at http://www.volunteerfd.org/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=48&t=48 . A key point to the SFER grant is that there are NO matching requirements for recruitment and retention programs.

The Department of Homeland Security has sent out the following press release about the SAFER grants:

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OPENS APPLICATION PERIOD FOR STAFFING FOR ADEQUATE FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES (SAFER) GRANTS
Beginning May 30, 2006 at 8:00 a.m. eastern daylight time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin accepting applications for SAFER grants.  The deadline for receipt of the SAFER grant applications will be 5:00 p.m. eastern daylight time on June 30, 2006.

The applications will be automated and will be accessible from the website for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program at www.firegrantsupport.com .   The Website also provides useful information on the program priorities and process that are discussed in the SAFER Program Guidance.  A list of Frequently Asked Questions is available and will be updated as the program staff learns the areas of inquiry that are most often presented.  An applicant tutorial on the SAFER grant, designed to instruct users on the preparation and submittal of competitive applications, will also be available at www.firegrantsupport.com on or about Tuesday, May 30. Applicants who have questions regarding the SAFER grant opportunities should contact the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov .  During the SAFER application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EDT), but is prepared to revise hours of operation based on volume and demand.

Eligible applicants for SAFER grants include fire departments (for the hiring of firefighters) and state or local organizations as well as volunteer and combination fire departments (for volunteer recruitment and retention grants).  Applicants will note that the SAFER application is very similar in appearance to the "fire grants" application, but all applicants are strongly encouraged to read the program guidance, and utilize all other materials at the AFG website.The AFG is administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Grants and Training (G&T) in cooperation with the United States Fire Administration.  Through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2005, Congress provided $108 million for the SAFER grants.