Fire Prevention & Safety Grants

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offer grants to promote fire prevention and support firefighters and fire companies nationwide. Several other federal agencies---like the U.S. Department of Agriculture---also offer firefighters and other emergency responders grants to cover specialized equipment or training.

FEMA

• Federal grants are available to help pay for training, equipment, education and facilities.

  The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers four grant programs. The awards in each program can reach into the millions depending upon the needs of the fire departments.

  The Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) are designed to help fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations obtain equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources. Included in the AFGs are Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FP&S). These grants are used to enhance the safety of residents and firefighters. The grants include firefighter safety research and development.

  The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) are training-oriented grants for fire departments and organizations supporting volunteer firefighters. The grants help local departments train and maintain adequate staffing to meet response, personnel and operational standards set by the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Station Construction Grants (SCG) provide financial assistance in the construction of new fire department buildings or the modification of existing fire department buildings that enhance the response capabilities of the station.

NFPA

• The NFPA offers a grant to help train HAZMAT teams.

  The NFPA offers the Warren E. Isman Educational Grant, a $5,000 grant for one hazardous materials response team each year. In previous years it has been used to pay for the winning team to attend the International Association of Fire Chiefs' International Hazardous Materials Reponse Team Conference and the Midwest Hazardous Materials Response Conference.

Other federal grants

• Other federal grants are meant to help rural departments buy equipment.

  The U.S. Department of Agriculture awards a Rural Development Grant intended to fund local emergency responders in rural communities. The funds are used to finance equipment and services. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration offers financial assistance through its Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness grant program for Hazmat emergency training and planning. And the National Telecommunications and Information Administration issues grants to aide public safety agencies in acquiring, deploying and training for interoperable communications systems on the 700 MHz band for emergency radios.

  Many states also offer grants through each state's fire marshal's office or other state fire agencies.