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Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach

School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies

Cornell University

16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky

New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau

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Congressional Research Service (CRS)

 

Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Lennard G. Kruger, Specialist in Science and Technology Policy

January 10, 2013

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32341.pdf

[full-text, 21 pages]

 

Summary

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, also known as fire grants or the FIRE Act

grant program, was established by Title XVII of the FY2001 National Defense Authorization Act

(P.L. 106-398). Currently administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the program provides federal grants directly to local

fire departments and unaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations to help

address a variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-related and EMS needs. A related

program is the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Firefighters (SAFER)

program, which provides grants for hiring, recruiting, and retaining firefighters.

 

The fire grant program is now in its 13th year. The Fire Act statute was reauthorized in 2012 (Title

XVIII of P.L. 112-239) and provides new guidelines on how fire grant money should be

distributed. There is no set geographical formula for the distribution of fire grants—fire

departments throughout the nation apply, and award decisions are made by a peer panel based on

the merits of the application and the needs of the community. However, the law does require that

fire grants be distributed to a diverse mix of fire departments, with respect to type of department

(paid, volunteer, or combination), geographic location, and type of community served (e.g.,

urban, suburban, or rural).

 

For FY2012, P.L. 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, provided $675 million for

firefighter assistance, including $337.5 million for AFG and $337.5 million for SAFER. The

Administration’s FY2013 budget proposed $670 million for firefighter assistance, including $335

million for AFG and $335 million for SAFER. The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013

(P.L. 112-175), funds firefighter assistance programs through the first six months of FY2013 at an

increase of 0.612% of the FY2012 level. Therefore, under the FY2013 continuing resolution,

AFG is funded at $339.5 million and SAFER is funded at $339.5 million through March 2013.

 

The 113th Congress will likely consider FY2013 and FY2014 budget appropriations for AFG and

SAFER. As is the case with many federal programs, concerns over the federal budget deficit

could impact budget levels for AFG and SAFER. At the same time, firefighter assistance budgets

will likely receive heightened scrutiny from the fire community, given the local budgetary

cutbacks that many fire departments are facing.

 

Contents

Background ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program ........................................................................................ 1

Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012 ................................................................................... 1

Appropriations ........................................................................................................................... 4

FY2011 ................................................................................................................................ 5

FY2012 ................................................................................................................................ 6

FY2013 ................................................................................................................................ 7

Fire Station Construction Grants in the ARRA ................................................................................ 8

SAFER Grants ................................................................................................................................. 9

Program Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 9

Reports Mandated by Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012 ............................................. 10

Distribution of Fire Grants ............................................................................................................. 11

Issues in the 113th Congress ........................................................................................................... 12

 

Tables

Table 1. Key Provisions of Fire Grant Reauthorization ................................................................... 2

Table 2. Appropriations for Firefighter Assistance, FY2001-FY2013 ............................................. 4

Table 3. Recent and Proposed Appropriations for Firefighter Assistance ....................................... 5

Table 4. State-by-State Distribution of AFG Grants, FY2001-FY2011 ......................................... 13

Table 5. State-by-State Distribution of SAFER Grants, FY2005-FY2010 .................................... 15

Table 6. Requests and Awards for AFG Funding, FY2010 ............................................................ 17

Contacts

Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 18

 

 

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