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Never Forget 343
Gave It All On
 9-11-2001

2008 Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program (AFGP)

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AFGP 2008 List of Awards Made To Minnesota Fire Departments - Click here

Main Menu is below the News Flash statements.

Help Desk: 1-866-274-0960 or firegrants@dhs.gov

MAIN MENU

  1. AFGP 2001-2007 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - Click here
  2. 1199a and email questions
  3. 2008 Workshop Locations
  4. 2008 Workshop Notes, Handouts and Guidance Document
  5. Laws, standards, 3rd party gap analysis and statistical data needed for your application
  6. NFPA Standards List
  7. Federal requirements for vehicles and radios needed for your application
  8. MN Statewide Radio Board
  9. Screen shots from the online application
  10. Critical Infrastructure Counties
  11. Narrative tips and samples
  12. Grant writers and general grant writing tips
  13. The panel review process and scoring
  14. Information from past years
  15. The team that makes it happen and writes the AFG program
  16. AFGP 2006 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - Click here
  17. AFGP 2007 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - Click here
  18. AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - Click here
  19. Comprehensive Driver Program
  20. How Long Should It take To Sign An Apparatus Contract?
  21. Legislation Affecting the AFG Program
  22. Wondering about low bid and the AFG program?  Click here.

Minnesota Help

Warren Jorgenson     320-894-5071    wrjorgen@tds.net
Bruce Roed                  218-686-7233    broed@gvtel.com

AFG Help Desk 1-866-274-0960


Comprehensive Driver Program - Information on how to comply.
The Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) program requires a comprehensive driver training program if you are awarded a vehicle. This document will provide guidance as how you can comply.

2008 Workshop Notes and Handouts


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General Information Needed For 2008 Application

Standards and Laws

  • General Duty Clause (Minnesota Statute 182.653 Subd. 2)  - Click here
  • MN Law Requiring Two Apparatuses 069.11Sub(4) f. - Click here
    • NOTE: This law pertains to qualifying for state aid.

OSHA & NIOSH


3rd Party Gap Analysis and Statistical Data

  • Insurance Service Organization (ISO) - Click here
  • League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust LMCIT - Trends in Firefighter Injuries Report  - The following is a summary of findings from a recent LMCIT study of firefighter injuries in Minnesota. LMCIT is still considering options for publishing a full report and possible injury prevention techniques. More information on the study will be presented at LMCIT's annual loss control workshops, located around the state in March and April (there's a fire track as part of the workshops this year). Registration is open at www.lmnc.org. Questions on the study or findings can be directed to Ann Gergen, LMCIT Associate Administrator, at 651-281-1291 or agergen@lmnc.org.
  • LMCIT’s firefighter injury evaluation includes data from 290 lost-time firefighter work comp claims from injuries that occurred between 2002 and 2006, excluding high-cost claims exceeding $50,000 (there are so few of these claims and the dollar amount is so great, including them would skew the findings).  Claims included in this analysis had a total incurred value of approximately $10.1 million.  Previous LMCIT research showed no significant differences in injuries based on firefighter status as full-time, paid-on-call, or volunteer.  Costs and claims from all firefighters have been combined for purposes of our analyses.

NFPA Standards
  • List of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards - Click here
  • NFPA 1901 Ch 5 Minimum equipment on engines/pumpers - Click here
  • NFPA 1901 Ch 9 Minimum equipment on quints - Click here
  • NFPA 1901 Ch 7 Minimum equipment on tenders - Click here
  • NFPA 1901 Ch 8 Minimum equipment on aerials - Click here
  • NFPA 1906 Ch   5 Vehicle requirements for wildland vehicles - Click here
  • NFPA 1906 Ch 10 Minimum equipment on wildland vehicles - Click here
  • NFPA has made all of their standards available on-line (with or without NFPA membership). You can view the standard(s) but you cannot print, download, or "cut & paste" the language.  Here is how it works: Go to:http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/list_of_codes_and_standards.asp
    Select the document you want to review.  Scroll down to the heading "Additional information about this document" and click on the link "Preview this document".
    Click on "I agree".
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Federal Requirements

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  • Statewide Radio Coordination Board and Plan - Click here
Scott Wiggins
MN Department of Public Safety
ARMER Program Director
Scott.Wiggins@state.mn.us
651-201-7546

Interim Coordinator:
Tom Johnson
MN Department of Public Safety
444 Cedar Street, Suite 137
St. Paul, MN  55101
Ofc.  (651) 201-7552
tom.m.johnson@state.mn.us



Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan "SCIP"
     *Regional SCIP Presentation

     *Homeland Security - SAFECOM Criteria 

     
*Q & A


What is Required for P25 Compliance?
At a minimum, a P25 radio system must provide interoperability with these two mandatory P25 Standard interface components:
  • The Common Air Interface (CAI)
  • The Improved Multi-Band Excitation (IMBE) vocoder
The CAI enables P25 radios to interoperate and communicate digitally across P25 networks and directly. This portion of the P25 standard suite was selected to meet the unique radio system needs of the public safety environment; coverage reliability, system design flexibility, and inter-vendor compatibility.

The IMBE vocoder sets a uniform standard for converting speech into the digital bitstream. IMBE was selected as the coding scheme most successful at making male and female voices audible against background noises such as moving vehicles, sirens, gunshots, and traffic noise – the conditions of public safety use.

These two components, when used together enable P25 users to interoperate and communicate digitally directly between units and across networks, agencies, and vendors.

P25 has also defined standard modes of operation to enable multi-vendor interoperability for additional system functions: trunking, encryption, over-the-air rekeying, to name a few.

Project 25 also continues to develop a set of defined system interfaces allow the P25 system elements to communicate with host computers, data terminals and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). These interfaces are critical to assure that P25 systems maintain compatibility with the evolving telecommunications and data-communications world.

http://www.project25.org/index.php



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Application Screens

  • On Line Application Web Site - Click here
  • Get a D&B D-U-N-S Number  - Click here
  • Your Fire Departments Identification Number  FDID Number
  • Your Fire Departments Identification Number (FDID is the same as NFIRS)  FDID Number

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Critical Infrastructure

Does your organization protect critical infrastructure of the state?  YES

MN COUNTIES WITH CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE - HSEM

Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Blue Earth, Brown, Carlton,
Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing,
Dakota, Douglas, Fairbault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin,
Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac
Qui Parle, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin,
McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman,
Olmstead, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope,
Ramsey, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Roseau, Scott, Sherburne,
Sibley, St. Louis, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha,
Washington, Watonwan, Winona, Wright, Yellow Medicine.

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Narrative Tips

  • AFG Narrative Samples MN Winners - Click here

  • For Specific Tips To Match Questions (Important) - Click here

  • Sample Winning Narratives From The Idea Bank - Click here

  • SAFER Narrative Tips - Click here


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Grant Writers and Grant Writing

  • General Information on Grant Writing - Click here
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The Panel Review Process

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  •  Past Award Rounds

    • AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - 2007
    • AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - 2006
    • AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - 2005
    • AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - 2004
    • AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - 2003
    • AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - 2002
    • AFGP 2008 Awards to Minnesota Fire Departments - 2001
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How Long Should It take To Sign An Apparatus Contract?

AFG Staff Responds

We recognize that normal build times for custom/semi-custom fire apparatus is 270 to 360 days depending on the type of vehicle and the various specifications included in the vehicle. 

We also recognize that the Federal government requires open and fair competition which can take 30 to 60 days.  Given these two ‘givens’, it is not always possible to have a vehicle purchased and delivered within the 12-month performance period provided with the grants.  BUT, there is very little excuse for not completing the project within 15 months. 

We are willing to work with grantees that need the extra three months IF the grantee does everything in their power to assure that the project is completed in the most expeditious manner. 

We see no reason why a vehicle grantee couldn’t meet the following schedule:  develop specs and advertise their purchase within the first 30 days of the performance period; receive and evaluate bid proposals within 60 days; and, sign a contract for purchase within 90 days.

In the past, we’ve heard the excuses like, “We’ve never had the opportunity to buy a new vehicle before, so we wanted to make sure the vehicle meets all of our needs.”  But wrestling over the placement of the chrome bell shouldn’t take the entire 12-month performance period. 

All awards are made on the premise of urgency, i.e., based on claims that if the applicant doesn’t replace this vehicle immediately, lives will be lost. 

If a grantee has the luxury of delaying action on their vehicle award, then we believe we have reasonable doubt about any statements in their application regarding the urgency.    

If a grantee doesn’t get a signed contract within 90 days, they should hope that their build time is relatively short. 

Currently, grantees that seek extensions to their period of performance when little or nothing has been done during the original POP are being denied and the grantee is being instructed to find a commercial vehicle that fits their scope of work.


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Legislation Affecting the AFG Program

Congress Increases 2008 AFG Program

Dec. 20, 2007

Money for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants will be available again next year as the Fiscal Year 2008 omnibus appropriations bill heads to President Bush's desk for signing.

The money is part of the Department of Homeland Security funding section and is slightly more then last year. AFG program funding is $560 million ($547 million in 2007) and SAFER funding is $190 million ($115 million in 2007).

Grant administrator Brian Cowan said the rule written to govern applications will be much like last year's adding that discussions with fire service officials suggested a greater interest in fire prevention and safety. Normally five percent of the AFG funds are set aside for specific FP&S grants but that might increase this year.

Otherwise, Cowan said, the timeline for the programs will be much like previous years. In February workshops for AFG applicants will be held around the country. Applications will be taken in March and peer review from April into May. Look for the first awards to come out in mid June. The final 2007 grants should awarded toward the end of January, 2008

It is expected that SAFER program application submissions for 2008 will begin sometime in June. SAFER grants for 2007 have not yet been awarded but are expected to start soon and be finished toward the end of February, 2008.

The 2008 Fire Prevention and Safety grant applications will be taken beginning sometime in September, 2008. FP&S 2007 applications have not yet been through peer review but that is set to happen toward the end of January. Schedule for awards has not been set.

DHS Funding: The bill includes the following funding levels:

$ In Millions

  FY 2007 President's FY 2008 Budget Req. FY 2008
USFA 46.8 43.3 43.3
FIRE Grant program 547.0 300.0 560.0
SAFER Grant program 115.0 0.0 190.0

AFG Program Information

SAFER Program Information

Fire Prevention and Safety Grants




President Bush Cuts 2008 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program  

February 5, 2007, 11: 40 am 

Today, the President's Budget request for FY 2008 was released. The information below is based on the budget documents released this morning by the Office of Management and Budget, particularly the Budget Appendix.  

You will notice large reductions in the funds for the Firefighter grants.

2008 Firefighter Assistance Grants    $300,000,000.  (FY 07 was $662,000,000 which included $547,000,000 plus $115,000,000 for Safer)  

Internet Site for the OMB budget documents follows: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2008
Office of Management and Budget --budget documents.  The one to look at is the Appendix.  DHS starts on page 443 of this over 1200 page document. FEMA starts on page 480 and the national Protection and Programs Directorate on page 476.


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