Order Code RL32341
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Assistance to Firefighters
Program: Distribution of
Fire Grant Funding
Updated July 15, 2004
Lennard G. Kruger
Specialist in Science and Technology
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire
Grant Funding
Summary
The Assistance to Firefighters Program, also known as 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 Office for
Domestic Preparedness (ODP) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
the program provides federal grants directly to local fire departments to help address
a variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-related needs.
The fire grant program is now in its fourth year (FY2004). Nearly $2 billion has
been appropriated to the fire grant program since FY2001. The Fire Act statute
provides overall guidelines on how fire grant money should be distributed – that at
least 5% of the funds go to prevention programs, that recipients agree to contribute
a 30% nonfederal cash match (10% for fire departments serving jurisdictions of
50,000 or less), that a grant recipient may not receive more than $750,000 for any
fiscal year, and that volunteer departments receive a proportion of the total grant
funding that is not less than the proportion of the U.S. population that those
departments protect (currently 55%). 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 should 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).
Activities in the 108th Congress include consideration of the reauthorization of
the Fire Act and enactment of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response (SAFER) Act. Currently, the authorization for the Fire Act extends
through FY2004. On April 1, 2004, Representative Boehlert introduced H.R. 4107
– the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Reauthorization Act of 2004. On May 11,
2004, Senator Dodd introduced S. 2411, the Assistance to Firefighters Act of 2004.
On June 17, 2004, the text of S. 2411 was adopted as an amendment (offered by
Senator Dodd) to the FY2005 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2400). On
June 23, S. 2400 was passed by the Senate and incorporated into the House Defense
Authorization bill (H.R. 4200).
The SAFER Act (P.L. 108-136) authorizes federal grants of over $1 billion per
year through 2010 directly to fire departments for the hiring of personnel. The
program can not be implemented until Congress appropriates money specifically for
that purpose. No money was appropriated for SAFER grants in FY2004, and the
Bush Administration requested no funding for SAFER grants in FY2005. A floor
amendment adopted during House consideration of the FY2005 Homeland Security
Appropriations bill (H.R. 4567) would provide $50 million for SAFER grants in
FY2005.
This report will be updated as events warrant.

Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
FY2001 Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
FY2002 Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
FY2003 Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
FY2004 Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Program Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Distribution of Fire Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Activities in the 108th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Fire Act Reauthorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SAFER Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

List of Tables
Table 1. Appropriations for Assistance to Firefighters Program,
FY2001 - FY2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 2. FY2001 Fire Grant Award Recipients, By Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 3. FY2002 Awards Recipient, By Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table 4. FY2003 Award Recipients, By Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Table 5. Comparison of House and Senate Fire Grant Reauthorization Bills . . . 8
Table 6. State-by-State Distribution of Fire Grants, FY2001-FY2003 . . . . . . . . 10
Table 7. Requests and Awards for Fire Grant Funding, FY2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Assistance to Firefighters Program:
Distribution of Fire Grant Funding
Background
The Assistance to Firefighters Program,1 also known as the FIRE Act grant
program, was established by Title XVII of the FY2001 National Defense
Authorization Act (P.L. 106-398).2 Currently administered by the Office for
Domestic Preparedness (ODP) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),3
the program provides federal grants directly to local fire departments to help address
a variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-related needs. The
authorization for the Fire Act currently extends through FY2004. On April 1, 2004,
Representative Boehlert introduced H.R. 4107 – the Assistance to Firefighters Grant
Reauthorization Act of 2004. On May 11, 2004, Senator Dodd introduced S. 2411,
the Assistance to Firefighters Act of 2004. One of the key reauthorization issues will
likely be how statutory requirements for the distribution of fire grant funding may
be modified.
Current law stipulates that at least 5% of the funds go to prevention programs,
that recipients agree to contribute a 30% nonfederal cash match (10% for fire
departments serving jurisdictions of 50,000 or less), that a grant recipient may not
receive more than $750,000 for any fiscal year, and that volunteer departments
receive a proportion of the total grant funding that is not less than the proportion of
the U.S. population that those departments protect (currently 55%).
The FIRE Act statute prescribes 14 different purposes for which fire grant
money may be used (see 15 USC 2229(b)(3)). These are: hiring firefighters; training
firefighters; creating rapid intervention teams; certifying fire inspectors; establishing
wellness and fitness programs; funding emergency medical services provided by fire
departments; acquiring firefighting vehicles; acquiring firefighting equipment;
acquiring personal protective equipment; modifying fire stations; enforcing fire
codes; funding fire prevention programs; educating the public about arson prevention
1 See CRS Report RS21302, Assistance to Firefighters Program, by Lennard G. Kruger.
2 “Firefighter assistance” is codified as section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act (15 USC 2229).
3 Previous to FY2004, the fire grant program was administered by the U.S. Fire
Administration (USFA), a component of the Emergency Preparedness and Response
Directorate of DHS. Although the fire grant program is currently located in ODP, USFA
continues to participate in the grant administration process. On January 26, 2004, DHS
Secretary Ridge informed Congress of his intention to consolidate ODP, including the
Assistance to Firefighters Program, into the Office of State and Local Government
Coordination Preparedness (SLGCP).

CRS-2
and detection; and providing incentives for the recruitment and retention of volunteer
firefighters. The DHS has the discretion to decide which of those purposes will be
funded for a given grant year. Since the program commenced in FY2001, the
majority of fire grant funding has been used by fire departments to purchase
firefighting equipment, personal protective equipment, and firefighting vehicles. At
present, the program does not award funding for major building construction or for
hiring of personnel.
Eligible applicants are limited to fire departments (defined as an agency or
organization that has a formally recognized arrangement with a state, local, or tribal
authority to provide fire suppression, fire prevention and rescue services to a
population within a fixed geographical area). Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
activities are eligible for fire grants, but only those which fall organizationally under
the auspices of a fire department. Additionally, a separate competition is held for
“fire prevention and safety grants” which are available to national, state, local, or
community fire prevention or safety organizations (including, but not limited to, fire
departments).4 For official program guidelines, frequently-asked-questions, the
latest awards announcements, and other information, see the Assistance to
Firefighters grant program web page at [http://www.usfa.fema.gov
/fire-service/grants/afgp/grants.shtm].
The fire grant program is in its fourth year (FY2004). Table 1 shows the fire
grant’s appropriations history. Nearly $2 billion have been appropriated to the fire
grant program since FY2001, its first year. For FY2005, the Administration
requested $500 million for the fire grant program. The House passed the FY2005
Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 4567) on June 18, 2004. H.R. 4567
provides $600 million for firefighter grants in FY2005, and funds the program within
the Office for State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness
(OSLGCP). In its bill report (H.Rept. 108-541), the House Appropriations
Committee expressed concern over language in the Administration proposal that
would shift the grant to terrorism, and the proposed deletion of several eligible
activities for fire grants, specifically, wellness and fitness programs, emergency
medical services, fire prevention programs, public education programs, and
modifications of facilities for health and safety of personnel. The Committee also
emphasized that fire grants must continue to be administered in a manner identical
to FY2003, including a peer review process of applications, granting funds directly
to local fire departments, and the inclusion of the United States Fire Administration
during grant administration.
On June 17, 2004, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 2537
(S.Rept. 108-280), its version of the FY2005 Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee recommends $700 million for fire grants in
FY2005, and, like the House, funds the program under the OSLGCP. Also similar
to the House version, the Senate bill does not include bill language, requested in the
Administration proposal, which would refocus the program on enhancing terrorism
preparedness. The Committee directs DHS “to continue the present practice of
4 “Fire prevention and safety grants” are distinct from fire grants for prevention activities
given exclusively to fire departments under the primary fire grant program.

CRS-3
funding applications according to local priorities and those established by the
USFA.”

Table 1. Appropriations for Assistance to Firefighters Program,
FY2001 - FY2004
FY2001
FY2002
FY2003
FY2004
Total, FY2001-

FY2004
$100 million
$360 million
$745 million
$746 million
$1.95 billion
FY2001 Grants
For the initial year of the program, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency/U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA/USFA) received 31,295 grant applications
from 18,915 fire departments, totaling $2.99 billion in requests. Between July 23 and
September 30, 2001, FEMA/USFA awarded 1,855 grants to local fire departments
throughout the nation, and 31 grants to fire prevention or safety organizations, for a
total of 1,886 grants worth $96,586,668. Table 2 provides a breakdown of FY2001
award recipients by category.
Table 2. FY2001 Fire Grant Award Recipients, By Category

Category
Number of Awards
Amount of Awards
Training
160
$5,199,356
Wellness & Fitness
168
$8,256,720
Vehicles
208
$20,412,605
Fire Prevention
209
$9,071,484
Fire Fighting Equipment
404
$14,919,463
Personal Protective
706
$34,136,809
Equipment
Total, Fire grants
1,855
$91,996,439
Fire Prevention and Safety
31
$4,590,156
Grants
TOTAL
1,886
$96,586,668
Source: U.S. Fire Administration

CRS-4
FY2002 Grants
In FY2002, USFA received over 19,900 applications requesting a total of $2.98
billion. Volunteer and combination5 fire departments accounted for approximately
91% of applications, with career departments filing the remaining 9%.6 In all, $334
million in grant money was awarded in FY2002 in four broad program areas: fire
operations and firefighter safety; firefighting vehicles; emergency medical services;
and fire prevention programs. USFA began announcing FY2002 awards on July 11,
2002.7 Table 3 provides a breakdown of FY2002 award recipients by category.
Table 3. FY2002 Awards Recipient, By Category
Category
Number of Awards
Amount of Awards
Fire Operations &
4,731
$281,091,066
Firefighter Safety
Fire Prevention
215
$10,926,998
Firefighting Vehicles
315
$39,277,630
Emergency Medical
53
$3,069,736
Services
Total, Fire Grants
5,314
$334,365,430
Fire Prevention and Safety
51
$4,806,165
Grants
TOTAL
5,365
$339,171,595
Source: U.S. Fire Administration
FY2003 Grants
The FY2003 grant application period began on March 10, 2003, and ended on
April 11, 2003. About 19,950 applications were received, requesting approximately
$2.5 billion in funding (including both the federal and nonfederal share).
Approximately $2 billion in federal funding was requested. The first round of
awards was announced on June 12, 2003; the final round (35th Round) was
announced on March 5, 2004 (see Table 4). Separate fire prevention and safety
awards (totaling $27.5 million) will also be awarded. The first round of fire
prevention and safety awards was announced on April 9, 2004.
5 A “combination fire department” is a fire department with a mixture of paid and volunteer
personnel.
6 Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspections, Evaluations, and Special
Reviews, A Review of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, OIG-ISP-01-03,
September 2003, p. 39.
7 For award totals and recipients, see [http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/grants/afgp/
awards/2002awards/02awards.shtm].

CRS-5
Table 4. FY2003 Award Recipients, By Category
Category
Number of Awards
Amount of Awards
Fire Operations &
6,901
$492,671,198
Firefighter Safety
Fire Prevention
295
$14,070,509
Firefighting Vehicles
1,367
$184,233,676
Emergency Medical
67
$4,145,676
Services
Total, Fire grants
8,630
$695,121,059
Fire Prevention and Safety
270
$14,871,553
Grants (First, Second, and
Third Rounds)
TOTAL
8,900
$709,992,612
Source: U.S. Fire Administration
FY2004 Grants
The application period for the FY2004 grants opened on March 1, 2004 and
closed on April 2. Over 20,000 applications were received, requesting approximately
$2.664 billion in funding (including both the federal and nonfederal share).
Approximately $2.345 billion in federal funding was requested. The first round of
awards was announced on June 4, 2004. Subsequent rounds are announced weekly.
Program Evaluation
On May 13, 2003, the USFA released the first independent evaluation of the
Assistance to Firefighters Program. Conducted by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Leadership Development Academy Executive Potential Program, the
survey study presented a number of recommendations and concluded overall that the
program was “highly effective in improving the readiness and capabilities of
firefighters across the nation.”8 Another evaluation of the fire grant program was
released by the DHS Office of Inspector General in September 2003. The report
concluded that the program “succeeded in achieving a balanced distribution of
funding through a competitive grant process,”9 and made a number of specific
recommendations for improving the program.
The Administration’s FY2005 budget proposal is accompanied by program
evaluations called the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). PART gave the
fire grant program a rating of “Results Not Demonstrated,” and found that “the
8 For full report see [http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/affgp-fy01-usda-report.pdf].
9 Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspections, Evaluations, and Special
Reviews, “A Review of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program,” OIG-ISP-01-03,
September 2003, p. 3. Available at [http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_
Review_Fire_Assist.pdf].

CRS-6
program is unfocused and has not been able to demonstrate its impact on public
safety, though the grant administration process is generally well-managed.” The
PART recommendation is as follows: “In 2004, ODP will strengthen performance
measures and place greater emphasis on the unique role of Federal funds, particularly
for terrorism preparedness. In addition, $250 million is shifted to grants for ‘high-
threat’ urban areas.”10
Distribution of Fire Grants
As discussed above, the Fire Act statute provides overall guidelines on how fire
grant money will be distributed and administered. The law provides that at least 5%
of the funds go to prevention programs, that recipients agree to contribute a 30%
nonfederal match (10% for fire departments serving jurisdictions of 50,000 or less),
that a grant recipient may not receive more than $750,000 for any fiscal year, and that
volunteer departments receive a proportion of the total grant funding that is not less
than the proportion of the U.S. population that those departments protect (currently
55%).
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 should 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).11 The Fire Act’s implementing regulation provides that:

In a few cases, to fulfill our obligations under the law to make grants to a
variety of departments, we may also make funding decisions using rank
order as the preliminary basis, and then analyze the type of fire department
(paid, volunteer, or combination fire departments), the size and character
of the community it serves (urban, suburban, or rural), and/or the
geographic location of the fire department. In these instances where we are
making decisions based on geographic location, we will use States as the
basic geographic unit.12
According to the FY2004 Program Guidance for the Assistance to Firefighters
Program, career (paid) departments will be competing against other career
departments for up to 45% of the available funding, while volunteer and combination
departments will compete for at least 55% of the available funding. However, given
that less than 10 percent of fire grant applications are historically received from
career departments, funding levels are likely not to reach the 45% ceiling for career
departments.13 Additionally, each fire department that applies is classified as either
10 Budget of the United States Government, FY2005, p. 177.
11 15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(9)
12 44 CFR Part 152.6(c)
13 Department of Homeland Security, Program Guidance for the 2004 Assistance to
(continued...)

CRS-7
urban, suburban, or rural. The Bush Administration’s Program Assessment Rating
Tool (PART) that accompanied the FY2005 budget proposal notes that in FY2002,
9% of fire grant funds went to urban areas, 20% to suburban areas, and the rest (71%)
went to rural areas.
Finally, in an effort to maximize the diversity of awardees, the geographic
location of an applicant (using states as the basic geographic unit) is used as a
deciding factor in cases where applicants have similar qualifications.14 Table 6
shows a state-by-state breakdown of fire grant funding for fiscal years 2001 through
2003. Table 7 provides an in-depth look at the FY2003 grants, showing, for each
state, the number of fire departments in each state,15 the number of fire grant
applications, the total amount requested, the total amount awarded, and the amount
of funds awarded as a percentage of funds requested. As Table 7 shows, fire
departments in a given state cumulatively averaged about 33% of the funds they
requested in FY2003.
Activities in the 108th Congress
Fire Act Reauthorization. Currently, the authorization for the Fire Act
(Section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act, 15 USC 2229) extends
through FY2004. On April 1, 2004, Representative Boehlert introduced H.R. 4107
– the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Reauthorization Act of 2004. H.R. 4107 would
extend the authorization (at a yearly level of $900 million) through FY2007. The
USFA Administrator is specifically designated as the entity who shall administer the
program. Additionally, H.R. 4107 seeks to increase the current award caps for grant
recipients, while reducing required cost-sharing nonfederal matches. Of perhaps
greatest controversy is a provision which would prohibit grant recipients from
discriminating against or prohibiting firefighters from engaging in volunteer
firefighting activities in other jurisdictions during off-duty hours. The House
Committee on Science held a hearing on H.R. 4107 on May 12, 2004.
On May 11, 2004, the Senate version of the fire grant reauthorization was
introduced by Senator Dodd. S. 2411, the Assistance to Firefighters Act of 2004,
would authorize the fire grant program through FY2010 and designate the Secretary
of the Department of Homeland Security as the program’s administering authority.
Unlike the House bill, S. 2411 does not contain a provision on volunteer firefighter
discrimination. On June 17, 2004, the text of S. 2411 was adopted as an amendment
(offered by Senator Dodd) to the FY2005 National Defense Authorization Act (S.
2400, Division D, Sections 4001-4013). On June 23, 2004, S. 2400 was passed by
13 (...continued)
Firefighters Program, February 2004, p. 24.
14 Ibid.
15 The fire grant program sets a limit of one application per fire department. Thus, the
number of fire departments in a state plays a major factor in the number of fire grant
applications submitted and the amount of total funding awarded within a given state. For
example, because Pennsylvania has – by far – the largest number of fire departments, it is
not surprising that it leads the nation in the number of fire grants applications and the
amount of funding awarded.

CRS-8
the Senate and incorporated into the House-passed Defense Authorization bill (H.R.
4200). The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a
hearing on S. 2411 on July 8, 2004. Table 5 provides a detailed comparison of the
House and Senate reauthorization bills.
Table 5. Comparison of House and Senate Fire Grant
Reauthorization Bills
H.R. 4107 – Assistance to
S. 2400/S. 2411 – Assistance to
Firefighters Grant Reauthorization
Firefighters Act of 2004 (as passed)
Act of 2004 (as introduced)
Places program under the authority of
Places program under the authority of the
the USFA Administrator
Secretary of Homeland Security
Grant recipient limits:
Grant recipient limits:
$3 million – populations over 1 million
$2.25 million – populations over 1 million
$2 million --500K to 1 million
$1.5 million --500K to 1 million
$1 million – under 500K
$1 million – under 500K
DHS can waive these limits in instances of
extraordinary need
Nonfederal match requirements:
Nonfederal match requirements:
20% for populations over 50K
20% for populations over 50K
10% for populations under 50K
10% for populations 20K to 50K
No match requirement for prevention
5% for populations less than 20K
and firefighter safety grants
No match requirement for prevention and
firefighter safety grants
Prohibit grant recipients from
No comparable provision
discriminating against or prohibiting
firefighters from engaging in volunteer
firefighting activities in other
jurisdictions during off-duty hours
Authorized for three years:
Authorized for six years:
FY2005 – $900 million
FY2005 – $900 million
FY2006 – $900 million
FY2006 – $950 million
FY2007 – $900 million
FY2007 – $1 billion
FY2008 – $1 billion
FY2009 – $1 billion
FY2010 – $1 billion
Expands grant eligibility to volunteer
Expands grant eligibility to volunteer
emergency medical service squads,
emergency medical service squads, capped
capped at 4%
at 3.5%
No comparable provision
Provides grants for fire departments to
acquire automated external defibrillator
devices (AEDs)
Provides grants for firefighter health and
Provides grants for firefighter health and
safety
safety

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H.R. 4107 – Assistance to
S. 2400/S. 2411 – Assistance to
Firefighters Grant Reauthorization
Firefighters Act of 2004 (as passed)
Act of 2004 (as introduced)
Requires the USFA Administrator to
Requires the Secretary of Homeland
convene an annual meeting of non-
Security to convene an annual meeting of
federal fire service experts to
non-federal fire service experts to
recommend criteria for awarding grants
recommend criteria for awarding grants
and administrative changes
and administrative changes
Requires fire service peer review of
Requires fire service peer review of grant
grant applications
applications
Requires the USFA to conduct a
Requires the Secretary of Homeland
$300,000, 18-month study on the need
Security, in conjunction with the National
for federal assistance to state and local
Fire Protection Association, to conduct a
communities to fund firefighting and
$300,000, 18-month study to assess the
emergency response activities
effect and need for federal funding by fire
services
Requires GAO report on the
administration of fire grant assistance and
the success of the Secretary in
administering FEMA

SAFER Act. In the first session of the 108th Congress, Congress enacted the
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Act as Section 1057
of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136; signed into law
November 24, 2003). The SAFER Act authorizes federal grants of over $1 billion
per year through 2010 directly to fire departments for the hiring of personnel. The
SAFER Act gives the U.S. Fire Administrator authority to issue four-year grants for
new hires, with the condition that the recipient fire department must assume an
increasing percentage of the cost in each year. The SAFER provision is an
authorization; the program can not be implemented until Congress appropriates
money specifically for that purpose. No money was appropriated for SAFER grants
in FY2004.
Whether or not the SAFER Act should be funded has proven controversial. The
Bush Administration has requested no funding for SAFER grants in FY2005. While
firefighters argue that inadequate state and local budgets leave many fire departments
critically understaffed and in need of federal assistance, the Administration argues
that funding local firefighter hiring is not an appropriate federal role. On June 17,
2004, Representative Curt Weldon offered a floor amendment to the FY2005
Homeland Security Appropriations bill (H.R. 4567) which would provide $50
million for SAFER grants in FY2005. The amendment was adopted and the bill was
subsequently passed by the House on June 18, 2004. To date, no money for the
SAFER Act has been included in the Senate version of the FY2005 Department of
Homeland Security Appropriations bill (S. 2537).

CRS-10
Table 6. State-by-State Distribution of Fire Grants,
FY2001-FY2003
(millions of dollars)
FY2001 FY2002
FY2003

Total,
FY01-FY03
Alabama
3.085
12.503
23.329
38.917
Alaska
1.303
2.641
5.242
9.186
Arizona
1.37
3.6
7.490
12.46
Arkansas
1.337
4.635
10.675
16.647
California
5.905
18.978
30.060
54.943
Colorado
1.003
3.968
6.168
11.139
Connecticut
1.828
4.675
10.841
17.344
Delaware
0.132
0.372
1.096
1.6
District of Columbia
0
0.22
0
0.22
Florida
2.865
10.16
16.344
29.369
Georgia
2.375
6.079
13.791
22.245
Hawaii
0
1.182
0.947
2.129
Idaho
0.916
2.744
6.001
9.661
Illinois
2.417
13.398
28.810
44.625
Indiana
2.703
8.739
20.456
31.898
Iowa
1.301
7.284
16.087
24.672
Kansas
1.153
5.118
10.850
17.121
Kentucky
2.215
7.896
19.832
29.943
Louisiana
3.344
10.084
12.248
25.676
Maine
1.296
4.319
10.323
15.938
Maryland
0.739
4.08
8.153
12.972
Massachusetts
2.301
8.386
15.715
26.402
Michigan
2.815
8.948
17.247
29.01
Minnesota
2.133
8.149
17.510
27.792
Mississippi
1.763
6.755
15.679
24.197
Missouri
3.079
10.291
19.573
32.943
Montana
1.164
3.726
8.361
13.251
Nebraska
1.034
2.392
7.820
11.246
Nevada
0.282
1.446
3.312
5.04
New Hampshire
0.594
1.887
4.584
7.065
New Jersey
2.596
6.339
19.982
28.917
New Mexico
1.455
3.463
5.048
9.966
New York
3.978
14.728
34.320
53.026
North Carolina
1.949
10.239
22.864
35.052

CRS-11
FY2001 FY2002
FY2003

Total,
FY01-FY03
North Dakota
0.546
2.613
5.105
8.264
Ohio
2.731
13.742
26.997
43.47
Oklahoma
1.864
4.939
10.540
17.343
Oregon
1.596
4.892
9.896
16.384
Pennsylvania
2.89
16.97
45.179
65.039
Rhode Island
0.407
1.507
2.327
4.241
South Carolina
1.554
5.257
11.832
18.643
South Dakota
0.904
3.142
5.602
9.648
Tennessee
2.46
11.509
19.306
33.275
Texas
3.697
15.644
29.264
48.605
Utah
0.9
2.754
4.628
8.282
Vermont
0.451
1.971
5.163
7.585
Virginia
2.066
8.79
15.816
26.672
Washington
1.535
7.544
18.808
27.887
West Virginia
1.067
3.966
9.942
14.975
Wisconsin
2.077
7.518
18.234
27.829
Wyoming
1.09
1.612
3.507
6.209
Puerto Rico
0.657
0.382
1.643
2.682
Saipan
0
0.225
0
0.225
Rota
0.145
0
0
0.145
Guam
0
0.016
0
0.016
American Samoa
0.164
0
0
0.164
Virgin Islands
0.741
0
0.544
1.285
TOTAL
91.972
334.417
695.121
1,121.51
Source: U.S. Fire Administration

CRS-12
Table 7. Requests and Awards for Fire Grant Funding, FY2003
Number of
Number of
Federal funds
Federal funds
Funds awarded as a
Fire/EMS
Applications
requested
awarded
percentage of funds
Departments
($millions)
($millions)
requested
(source:
firehouse.com)
Alabama
935
586
56.426
23.329
41.34%
Alaska
110
90
12.798
5.242
40.95%
Arizona
267
162
20.534
7.490
36.47%
Arkansas
818
441
31.120
10.675
34.30%
California
757
589
79.188
30.060
37.96%
Colorado
354
217
19.468
6.168
31.68%
Connecticut
365
227
31.609
10.841
34.29%
Delaware
72
33
3.990
1.096
27.46%
Dist. of Columbia
11
2
0.939
0
0%
Florida
696
366
47.715
16.344
34.25%
Georgia
767
358
38.870
13.791
35.47%
Hawaii
16
4
1.245
0.947
76.06%
Idaho
206
136
15.394
6.001
38.98%
Illinois
1041
862
92.147
28.810
31.26%
Indiana
621
527
64.139
20.456
31.89%
Iowa
856
587
49.335
16.087
32.60%
Kansas
664
364
29.886
10.850
36.30%
Kentucky
779
549
55.034
19.832
36.03%
Louisiana
538
337
34.856
12.248
35.13%
Maine
416
295
33.279
10.323
31.01%
Maryland
381
172
28.106
8.153
29.00%
Massachusetts
398
331
49.263
15.715
31.90%
Michigan
824
652
56.590
17.247
30.47%
Minnesota
755
526
46.814
17.510
37.40%
Mississippi
746
451
37.472
15.679
41.84%
Missouri
846
553
55.612
19.573
35.19%
Montana
271
224
16.966
8.361
49.28%
Nebraska
483
231
18.620
7.820
41.99%

CRS-13
Number of
Number of
Federal funds
Federal funds
Funds awarded as a
Fire/EMS
Applications
requested
awarded
percentage of funds
Departments
($millions)
($millions)
requested
(source:
firehouse.com)
Nevada
151
74
10.390
3.312
31.87%
New Hampshire
247
158
14.480
4.584
31.65%
New Jersey
988
509
58.549
19.982
34.12%
New Mexico
324
135
15.375
5.048
32.83%
New York
1815
1245
120.489
34.320
28.48%
North Carolina
1372
717
81.267
22.864
28.13%
North Dakota
319
168
12.961
5.105
39.38%
Ohio
1312
832
92.668
26.997
29.13%
Oklahoma
760
416
26.797
10.540
39.33%
Oregon
346
213
25.469
9.896
38.85%
Pennsylvania
2563
1660
191.967
45.179
23.53%
Rhode Island
95
56
7.203
2.327
32.30%
South Carolina
576
336
34.267
11.832
34.52%
South Dakota
341
209
15.710
5.602
35.65%
Tennessee
625
503
44.852
19.306
43.04%
Texas
1808
837
91.884
29.264
31.84%
Utah
218
137
14.282
4.628
32.40%
Vermont
248
156
14.579
5.163
35.41%
Virginia
769
340
42.583
15.816
37.14%
Washington
524
359
46.049
18.808
40.84%
West Virginia
465
278
32.995
9.942
30.13%
Wisconsin
881
585
53.424
18.234
34.13%
Wyoming
128
76
9.446
3.507
37.12%
TOTAL
31,822
19,949
2,093.800
695.121
33.19%
Source: U.S. Fire Administration