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

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Funding Sources and Fire Station Design & Funding

  • Minnesota Sources
    • Minnesota Council on Foundations, a community of grantmakers, works actively to strengthen and expand philanthropy and improve the vitality and health of our communities. The Council is a regional membership association of family and private foundations, community and other public foundations, and corporate foundations and giving programs.
    • Minnesota Grant Givers Index
    • Otto Bremer Foundation

      • For funding in other communities: Grants and program-related investments respond to community needs by supporting programs, initiatives, and partnerships that address immediate concerns and/or long-term strategies. Grants support the following purposes:

        • Program or project development
        • General operations
        • Organizational effectiveness
        • Civic engagement
        • Capital
        • Challenge/matching grants
        • Program-related investments.
  • Other Sources For Fire Station Design
    • USDA Funding
    • USFA Documents
    • Relevant Codes and Standards
    • Department of Defense
    • Major Resources
    • Design Companies
    • Check List


What Information and Funding Resources are Available for Rural Fire Departments?

There is a wide range of information available regarding all aspects of fire department operation including funding sources for operations, facilities, firefighter equipment, fire trucks and training, and first responder emergencies. This FAQ includes general rural fire information, training programs, statistical information and publications on fire issues that include: emergency medical services, emergency preparedness and first responders facility funding, operation and management, fire safety and prevention, hazardous materials, and wildland fires.

So you want to build a fire station?


http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/cf/cp.htm

Community Programs, a division of the Housing and Community Facilities Programs, is part of the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development mission area. Community Programs administers programs designed to develop essential community facilities for public use in rural areas. These facilities include schools, libraries, childcare, hospitals, medical clinics, assisted living facilities, fire and rescue stations, police stations, community centers, public buildings and transportation. Through its Community Programs, the Department of Agriculture is striving to ensure that such facilities are readily available to all rural communities. Community Programs utilizes three flexible financial tools to achieve this goal: the Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program, the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program, and the Community Facilities Grant Program.

Fire, Rescue, & Public Safety
  • Civil Defense Building
  • Communications Center
  • Fire Department Building
  • Fire Trucks
  • Jail
  • Mobile Communications Center
  • Multi-Service Fire/Rescue Building
  • Equipment Building
  • Jaws of Life

USFA Documents

Relevant Codes and Standards

Standard federal and state building codes apply, as appropriate. There are also numerous codes and standards that apply to the staffing and operation of a fire/rescue department; key standards include the following:

  • Airport Rescue and Firefighting Station Building Design Advisory Circular 150/5210-15, by U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 1987.
  • Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS), by Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO).
  • NFPA 403: Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Services at Airports, by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). 2003.
  • NFPA 1500: Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, by NFPA. 2002.
  • NFPA 1581: Fire Department Infection Control Program, by NFPA. 2005.
  • NFPA 1710: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, by NFPA. 2004.
  • NFPA 1720: Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments, by NFPA. 2004.
Building Codes

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Department of Defense


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Major Resources

Organizations

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Design Companies



Fire station design is a complicated process of blending residential, commercial, and vehicular spaces into one building. 
Fire Station and EMS Station Design Handbook - Hard Copy FREE  

There are several great articles on their website

Karl J. Mosbacher IV
Director of Business Development
Stewart·Cooper·Newell·Architects
Toll Free:  800.671.0621
Voice:      704.865.6311
Fax:         704.865.0046

http://www.fire-station.com/


Station 19 Architectural Firm

Station 19 is a Minneapolis Architectural firm specializing in the award winning design. Station 19 Architects also provides design expertise for a diverse range of clients from governmental to office, retail to non-profits and more.

Thomas W. Peterson

Project Architect  |  Principal
Station 19 Architects, Inc.

2001 University Ave SE - Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN  55414

Phone: 612.623.1800
Fax:  612.623.0012
iPhone: 612.743.9242
Toll Free: 1.800.488.5821
Email: tpeterson@station19.com
Company Web-Site:  www.station19.com

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Buetow & Associates, Inc.

http://buetowarchitects.com/_/Home.html

2345 Rice St.#210
Saint Paul, MN 55113-3796
Phone:
(651) 483-6701
Fax:
(651) 483-2574

Projects that Buetow & Associates, Inc. has Participated in

Fire Stations
http://buetowarchitects.com/_/Projects_%26_Design/Pages/Fire_Stations.html#grid

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Federal Government Funding


Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) is a competitive program that directly awards one-year grants to fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical services organizations nationwide in an effort to give every department the basic tools needed to respond to all hazards. Departments can apply for federal assistance for training, equipment, emergency vehicles, communications equipment, health and safety programs, and fire prevention and education programs.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) generally opens the application period for the AFG in early March and accepts applications for approximately one month.

Contact:
For more information about the program and to download an application once the application period opens, visit: www.firegrantsupport.com. DHS has a help desk to assist you with the application process, which can be reached at 1-866-274-0960 or firegrants@dhs.gov.

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SAFER Grant Program

The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program provides grants to fire departments for hiring personnel and to fire departments and regional and state fire associations to implement volunteer recruitment and retention programs. SAFER grant money for hiring personnel, which is disbursed over a five-year period, decreases annually and is gradually replaced with local dollars until the fire department bears the entire cost. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) generally opens the application period for the AFG in late May and accepts applications for approximately one month.

Contact:

For more information on the program and to download an application once the application period opens, visit: www.firegrantsupport.com. DHS has a help desk to assist you with the application process, which can be reached at 1-866-274-0960 or firegrants@dhs.gov.

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Volunteer Fire Assistance Program
The purpose of the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Program, formerly known as the Rural Community Fire Protection (RCFP) Program, is to provide federal financial, technical, and other assistance to state foresters to train and equip fire departments in rural areas and rural communities to prevent and suppress fires. A rural community is defined as having 10,000 or less population. This 10,000-population limit for participation in the VFA Program facilitates distribution of available VFA funding to the neediest fire departments. The funding must be matched on a 50-50% basis by non-federal dollars or in-kind.

Contact:
Your State Forester. For a list of State Foresters go to: www.stateforesters.org/SFlist.html.
Or for more information on the program, visit: http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/partners/vfa/help/guide.htm

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Department of Interior Rural Fire Assistance Program
The Department of Interior (DOI) Rural Fire Assistance Program is aimed at enhancing the fire protection capabilities of rural fire districts in the wildland urban interface. The program assists with training, equipment purchase, and prevention activities on a 90/10 cost-share basis. The rural fire department must serve a community with a population of 10,000 or less and must have a statewide agreement with the state forester who maintains cooperative agreements with the rural fire departments or volunteer fire departments or a cooperative fire agreement with an agency in the DOI. The money from Congress is divided among the four DOI agencies - Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the National Park Service (NPS) - and the agencies distribute the money to their local offices. This program is aimed at enhancing close coordination among local, state, tribal, and federal firefighting resources.
 
Contact:
To find out the contact in your state go to: http://www.nifc.gov/rfa/index.html
Rural Safety Initiative
Six million of the nation’s 8.4 million road-miles are considered rural, and fatal incidents on rural roads exceed the national average in every quantifiable measure. In order to address this problem, Department of Transportation (DoT) Secretary Mary Peters has launched the Rural Safety Initiative (RSI). The focus of the RSI is to concentrate on highway injuries and fatalities that occur on rural roads. It addresses five specific areas, including: safe drivers; better roads; smarter roads; better trained emergency responders; and outreach and partnerships. All relevant DoT agencies are working together to promote and implement this program. For more information, visit www.dot.gov/affairs/ruralsafety/ruralsafetyinitiativeplan.htm.
 
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Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Grant Program
The Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grant program provides financial resources to help rural communities respond to hazmat incidents. The program focuses on hazmat training and the establishment of Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs). According to the U.S. Fire Administration’s A Second Needs Assessment of the U.S. Fire Service, seven out of 10 rural fire departments provide hazardous materials response. Of those rural departments, 41 percent rely on personnel without formal hazmat training to respond to incidents involving hazardous materials. Administered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the $28 million HMEP grant program is an integral part of the Rural Safety Initiative that will help address the significant challenges facing rural departments. For more information, visit http://hazmat.dot.gov/training/state/hmep/hmep.htm.
 
Contact:
 
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Federal Excess Property Program
Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) is federal personal property that was originally purchased for use by a federal agency, but is no longer needed. It is then acquired by the USDA Forest Service for loan to one of the 50 states or 6 territories for use in the state's rural or wildland fire protection program.

Contact:

Your State Forester. For a list of State Foresters go to: www.stateforesters.org/SFlist.html
Or for more information on the program, visit: http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/partners/fepp/
 
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Community Facilities Grants and Loans
The Rural Housing Service (RHS) of the Department of Agriculture offers loans and grants to construct, enlarge, extend, or otherwise improve community facilities providing essential services to rural residents. Priority for funding will be given to those projects that will enhance public safety, such as fire, police, rescue, and ambulance services, and projects for health care facilities. The fire service can use the funding for fire stations, fire trucks, and rescue vehicles.
 
Contact:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Rural Development Administration
Community Facilities Division
14th and Independence Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20250
Phone: (202) 720 4323
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/cf/cp.htm

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Office of Grants and Training Terrorism Formula Grants
The Office of Grants and Training (OG&T) provides funding through the states to enhance the capacity of emergency responders to prevent, deter, or respond to terrorist incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. The funding is awarded to a point of contact in each state and then distributed within the state for training, technical assistance, equipment, planning, and exercises. To learn more about the various terrorism grant programs administered by OG&T, check out the NVFC�s Terrorism Awareness Guide at http://www.nvfc.org/resourcecenter-terrorism-resources.html#grants.

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Community Development Block Grants
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) provides eligible communities with annual direct grants that they can use for community projects that benefit low- and moderate-income persons, including fire and life safety protection.
 
Contact:
Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 Seventh St., SW
Washington, DC 20410
Phone: (202) 708-1455
http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/
Or contact the CDBG Coordinator at your county courthouse.

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Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program
This program provides a death benefit ($283,385 as of October 1, 2005) to the eligible survivors of federal, state, or local public safety officers whose death is the direct and proximate result of a personal (traumatic) injury sustained in the line of duty. The program also provides the same benefit to a public safety officer who has been permanently and totally disabled as the direct result of a catastrophic personal injury sustained in the line of duty. The injury must permanently prevent the officer from performing any gainful work.
 
Contact:
Benefits Office
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
Phone: 202-307-0635
Toll free: 1-888-SIGNL13 (744-6513)
Fax: (202) 616-0314
Email: AskPSOB@usdoj.gov
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/psob/psob_main.html

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Federal Property Reimbursement Agreement
Under Section 11 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, reimbursement may be made to fire departments for fighting fire on property owned by the Federal government. Only firefighting costs over and above normal operating costs are reimbursable. Claims are submitted to USFA and are reviewed by the Deputy Administrator to ensure they meet the criteria outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Contact:
United States Fire Administration
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Phone: (301) 447-1000
Fax: (301) 447-1441
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/grants/rfff/

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Federal Surplus Property Programs
Federal surplus property is sold, or otherwise disposed of, primarily by the General Services Administration (GSA) who manages surplus property of civilian Federal departments and agencies. The Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service handles military surplus and excess property, however the donation of excess military property is handled through GSA via state agencies for surplus property.

GSA transfers federal surplus personal property to state agencies for surplus property. They in turn can distribute this surplus property for use by eligible recipients, which include public agencies (such as local-level governmental agencies which could include fire departments).

Each state agency responsible for the distribution of federal surplus property can set additional requirements for doing so within the parameters of federal law. A listing of the address and telephone numbers of these state surplus agencies can be found at: http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/channelView.do?pageTypeId=10430&channelId=-13241

Contact:

Property Management Division
Office of Transportation and Property Management
Federal Supply Service
General Services Administration
Washington, DC 20406
Phone: (703) 605-2912

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Local Governments Reimbursement Program
EPA'S Local Governments Reimbursement (LGR) program provides federal funds to local governments for costs related to temporary emergency measures conducted in response to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances. The program serves as a safety net to provide supplemental funding to local governments that do not have funds available to pay for these response actions. Eligible local governments may submit applications to EPA for reimbursement of up to $25,000 per incident.

Contact:
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M. Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (800) 431-9209
www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/er/lgr

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National Fire Academy Training Assistance
(Student Stipend Reimbursement Program)
Presently, the program covers reimbursement for the cost of a 21-day pre-purchase, nonrefundable ticket for round-trip transportation by common carrier, or privately owned vehicle mileage reimbursement not to exceed the cost of the airline ticket, for the resident program courses at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and a limited stipend for selected regional delivery courses throughout the nation. For Regional Delivery courses, a limited stipend of up to $100 for a one-week course and up to $200 for a two-week course is provided to help offset students' transportation and lodging.

Any student who is a member of a fire department or has significant responsibility for fire prevention and control and has been accepted into an eligible course at the National Fire Academy may apply for stipend reimbursement. Reimbursements are not made to federal employees who are attending on behalf of their employer, employees from private industry, or foreign students.

Contact:
National Emergency Training Center
Office of Admissions
16825 S. Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
Phone: (301) 447-1000
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/training/nfa

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State Fire Training Assistance
As partners with the National Fire Academy (NFA), state fire service training systems are enfranchised to deliver 2-day and 6-day NFA courses. States bear the entire cost of the courses. Currently there is a grant program to provide that funding. NFA will provide a master set of course materials, a list of qualified NFA instructors, and quality control oversight. States will continue to report student participation in all courses for inclusion in the NFA database, and students may receive NFA course certificates.

Contact:
Diane Close
National Fire Academy
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD  21727
Phone: 301-447-1376  
Email: diane.close@dhs.gov

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United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/cf/cp.htm

Community Programs, a division of the Housing and Community Facilities Programs, is part of the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development mission area. Community Programs administers programs designed to develop essential community facilities for public use in rural areas. These facilities include schools, libraries, childcare, hospitals, medical clinics, assisted living facilities, fire and rescue stations, police stations, community centers, public buildings and transportation. Through its Community Programs, the Department of Agriculture is striving to ensure that such facilities are readily available to all rural communities. Community Programs utilizes three flexible financial tools to achieve this goal: the Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program, the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program, and the Community Facilities Grant Program.

Fire, Rescue, & Public Safety
  • Civil Defense Building
  • Communications Center
  • Fire Department Building
  • Fire Trucks
  • Jail
  • Mobile Communications Center
  • Multi-Service Fire/Rescue Building
  • Equipment Building
  • Jaws of Life
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Mn Funding Source

The AgStar Fund for Rural America, the corporate giving program of AgStar Financial Services is proud to announce the AgStar Fund’s Emergency Response Equipment Grant Program.  The mission of the program is to support rural areas in AgStar’s service area by funding emergency response equipment for volunteer fire, rescue or ambulance departments.

Shaded areas are the above counties

click image to enlarge

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Last Updated:  2005