Assistance to Firefighters Program:
Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Lennard G. Kruger
Specialist in Science and Technology Policy
June 18, 2009
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL32341
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress

Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

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 Grant Programs Directorate of 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 ninth year. Over $4.8 billion has been appropriated to the fire
grant program since FY2001. The Fire Act statute was reauthorized in 2004 (Title XXXVI of P.L.
108-375) and provides overall 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).
On February 17, 2009, the President signed P.L. 111-5, the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA) of 2009. The ARRA included an additional $210 million in firefighter assistance
grants for modifying, upgrading, or constructing state and local non-federal fire stations, provided
that 5% be set aside for program administration and provided that no grant shall exceed $15
million. The application period for Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants
(SCG) grants opened on June 11 and will close on July 10, 2009.
For FY2010, the Obama Administration is proposing $170 million for fire grants, a 70% decrease
from the FY2009 level, and $420 million for SAFER, double the amount appropriated in
FY2009. The total amount requested for firefighter assistance (AFG and SAFER) is $590 million,
a 24% decrease from FY2009. The House FY2010 Department of Homeland Security
appropriations bill (H.R. 2892; H.Rept. 111-157) provided $800 million for firefighter assistance,
including $380 million for AFG and $420 million for SAFER.
The Obama Administration’s FY2010 budget proposal for firefighter assistance is likely to
receive heightened scrutiny from the fire community, given what was viewed as inadequate past
budget proposals by the Bush Administration, and given the national economic downturn and
local budgetary cutbacks that many fire departments are now facing. Concerns over local fire
departments’ budgetary problems may also frame debate of the assistance to firefighters grant
program reauthorization bill, which is expected to be considered during the first session of the
111th Congress.
This report will be updated as events warrant.

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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Contents
Background ................................................................................................................................ 1
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program .................................................................................... 1
Reauthorization..................................................................................................................... 1
Appropriations ...................................................................................................................... 2
FY2009........................................................................................................................... 3
FY2010........................................................................................................................... 4
Fire Station Construction Grants in the ARRA............................................................................. 5
SAFER Grants ............................................................................................................................ 5
Program Evaluation .................................................................................................................... 6
Distribution of Fire Grants .......................................................................................................... 7
Issues in the 111th Congress......................................................................................................... 9

Tables
Table 1. Major Provisions of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
Reauthorization Act ................................................................................................................. 2
Table 2. Appropriations for Firefighter Assistance, FY2001-FY2009 ........................................... 3
Table 3. Recent and Proposed Appropriations for Firefighter Assistance ...................................... 3
Table 4. State-by-State Distribution of Fire Grants, FY2001-FY2008......................................... 9
Table 5. State-by-State Distribution of SAFER Grants, FY2005-FY2008.................................. 11
Table 6. Requests and Awards for Fire Grant Funding, FY2008 ................................................. 13

Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 14

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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Background
Firefighting activities are traditionally the responsibility of states and local communities. As such,
funding for firefighters is provided mostly by state and local governments. During the 1990s,
shortfalls in state and local budgets, coupled with increased responsibilities of local fire
departments, led many in the fire community to call for additional financial support from the
federal government. Although federally funded training programs existed (and continue to exist)
through the National Fire Academy, and although federal money was available to first responders
for counterterrorism training and equipment through the Department of Justice,1 there did not
exist a dedicated program, exclusively for firefighters, which provided federal money directly to
local fire departments to help address a wide variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-
related needs.
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
During the 106th Congress, many in the fire community asserted that local fire departments
require and deserve greater support from the federal government. The Assistance to Firefighters
Grant Program (AFG), 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).2 Currently
administered by the Grant Programs Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) in the 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.
Reauthorization
On October 28, 2004, the President signed the FY2005 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L.
108-375). Title XXXVI of P.L. 108-375 is the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
Reauthorization Act of 2004, which reauthorizes the fire grant program through FY2009. Table 1
provides a summary of key provisions of the current reauthorization.

1 For a list of federal programs providing assistance to state and local first responders, see CRS Report R40246,
Department of Homeland Security Assistance to States and Localities: A Summary and Issues for the 111th Congress,
by Shawn Reese.
2 “Firefighter assistance” is codified as section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2229).
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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Table 1. Major Provisions of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
Reauthorization Act
Grant recipient limits:
populations over 1 million—lesser of $2.75 million or 0.5% of total appropriation
populations of 500K to 1 million—$1.75 million
populations under 500K—$1 million
no single grant can exceed 0.5% of total funds appropriated for a single fiscal year
DHS can waive the funding limits for populations up to 1 million in instances of extraordinary need; however the
lesser of $2.75 million or 0.5% limit cannot be waived
Nonfederal match requirements:
20% for populations over 50K
10% for populations 20K to 50K
5% for populations less than 20K
No match requirement for non-fire department prevention and firefighter safety grants
Authorized for five years:
FY2005—$900 million
FY2006—$950 million
FY2007—$1 billion
FY2008—$1 billion
FY2009—$1 billion
Expands grant eligibility to emergency medical service squads, not less than 3.5% of fire grant money for EMS, but no
more than 2% for nonaffiliated EMS
Provides grants for firefighter health and safety R&D
Requires the USFA Administrator to convene an annual meeting of non-federal fire service experts to recommend
criteria for awarding grants and administrative changes
Requires fire service peer review of grant applications
Requires the USFA, in conjunction with the National Fire Protection Association, to conduct a $300,000, 18-month
study on the fire grant program and the need for federal assistance to state and local communities to fund firefighting
and emergency response activities
Source: Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2004, Section XXXVI of P.L. 108-375,
FY2005 National Defense Authorization Act
Appropriations
From FY2001 through FY2003, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program (as part of
USFA/FEMA) received its primary appropriation through the VA-HUD-Independent Agencies
Appropriation Act. In FY2004, the Assistance to Firefighters Program began to receive its annual
appropriation through the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Homeland
Security. The fire grant program is in its ninth year. Table 2 shows the appropriations history for
firefighter assistance, including AFG, SAFER, and the Fire Station Construction (FSC) grants
provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Over $4.8 billion has been
appropriated to the AFG program since FY2001, its initial year. Table 3 shows recent and
proposed appropriated funding for the AFG and SAFER grant programs.
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Table 2. Appropriations for Firefighter Assistance, FY2001-FY2009

AFG
SAFER
SCGa Total
FY2001 $100
million


$100 million
FY2002 $360
million


$360 million
FY2003 $745
million


$745 million
FY2004 $746
million


$746 million
FY2005
$650 million
$65 million

$715 million
FY2006
$539 million
$109 million

$648 million
FY2007
$547 million
$115 million

$662 million
FY2008
$560 million
$190 million

$750 million
FY2009
$565 million
$210 million
$210 million
$985 million
Total
$4.812 billion
$689 million
$210 million
$5.711 billion
a. Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants (SCG) grants were funded by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5).

Table 3. Recent and Proposed Appropriations for Firefighter Assistance
(millions of dollars)
FY2009
FY2010
FY2010

(Admin.
FY2009
(Admin.
(House)
request)
(P.L. 110-329)
request)
FIRE Grants
300 565 170
380
(AFG)
SAFER
0 210

420
420
Grants
Total 300 775 590
800

FY2009
The Bush Administration proposed $300 million for fire grants in FY2009, a 46% cut from the
FY2008 level of $560 million. No funding was proposed for SAFER grants. The total request for
firefighter assistance was 60% below the FY2008 level for fire and SAFER grants combined.
According to the budget justification, “the Administration believes that $287 million is an
appropriate level of funding given the availability of significant amounts of funding for first
responder preparedness missions from other DHS grant programs which are coordinated with
state and local homeland security strategies and, unlike AFG, are allocated on the basis of risk.”
Priority would be given to applications that enhance capabilities needed for terrorism response
and other major incidents. Funding would only be available for critical response equipment,
training, and personal protective gear, and would not be available for wellness/fitness activities or
modifications to facilities for firefighter safety.
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On June 19, 2008, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY2009 appropriations bill
for the Department of Homeland Security (S. 3181; S.Rept. 110-396). The bill would provide
$750 million for firefighter assistance, including $560 million for fire grants and $190 million for
SAFER grants. This is the same funding level approved for FY2008. The Committee directed
DHS to continue the present practice of funding applications according to local priorities and
those established by the U.S. Fire Administration, and further directed DHS to continue direct
funding to fire departments and the peer review process. Additionally, $3 million was made
available for foam firefighter equipment used in remote areas.
On June 24, 2008, the House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY2009
appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security, and reported its bill on September 18,
2008 (H.R. 6947; H.Rept. 110-862). The Committee would provide $800 million for firefighter
assistance, consisting of $570 million for fire grants and $230 million for SAFER grants. The
Committee directed FEMA to continue granting funds directly to local fire departments and to
include the U.S. Fire Administration during the grant administration process, while also
maintaining an all-hazards focus and not limiting the list of eligible activities. The Committee
would continue the requirement that FEMA peer review grant applications that meet criteria
established by FEMA and the fire service, rank order applications according to peer review, fund
applications according to their rank order, and provide official notification detailing why
applications do not meet the criteria for review. The Committee also directed FEMA to encourage
regional applications.
The Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L.
110-329)—which contains the FY2009 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act—
provided $775 million for firefighter assistance, including $565 million for fire grants and $210
million for SAFER. The DHS explanatory statement directed FEMA to continue the present
practice of funding applications according to local priorities and those established by the USFA.
FY2010
For FY2010, the Obama Administration is proposing $170 million for AFG, a 70% decrease from
the FY2009 level, and $420 million for SAFER, double the amount appropriated in FY2009. The
total amount requested for firefighter assistance (AFG and SAFER) is $590 million, a 24%
decrease from FY2009. The FY2010 budget proposal states that the firefighter assistance grant
process “will give priority to applications that enhance capabilities for terrorism response and
other major incidents.”3
The House FY2010 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 2892; H.Rept.
111-157) provided $800 million for firefighter assistance, including $380 million for AFG and
$420 million for SAFER. Although the SAFER level matches the Administration’s request, the
AFG level is more than twice what the Administration proposed. According to the Committee
Report, the Administration’s request of $170 million for AFG “is woefully inadequate given the
vast needs of fire departments across the nation for equipment.” The Committee directed FEMA
to continue granting funds to local fire departments, include the United States Fire Administration
in the grant decision process, and maintain an all-hazard focus while prohibiting the limiting of
eligible activities including wellness.

3 Office of Management and Budget, Appendix: Budget of the United States Government, FY2010, p. 547.
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Fire Station Construction Grants in the ARRA
Since its inception, the traditional fire grant program has provided money specifically for health
and safety related modifications of fire stations, but has not funded major upgrades, renovations,
or construction. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (P.L. 111-5)
provided an additional $210 million in firefighter assistance grants for modifying, upgrading, or
constructing state and local non-federal fire stations, provided that 5% be set aside for program
administration and provided that no grant shall exceed $15 million. The Conference Report
(H.Rept. 111-16) cited DHS estimates that this spending would create 2,000 jobs. The ARRA also
included a provision (section 603) that waived the matching requirement for SAFER grants
funded by appropriations in fiscal years 2009 and 2010.
The application period for ARRA Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants
(SCG) opened on June 11 and will close on July 10, 2009. DHS estimates receiving 5,000 to
10,000 applications requesting over $30 billion in requested funding. Of this, DHS anticipates
awarding approximately 100 grants. There is no cost share requirement for SCG grants.
Eligible applicants are non-federal fire departments that provide fire protection services to local
communities. Ineligible applicants include federal fire departments, EMS or rescue organizations,
airport fire departments, for-profit fire departments, fire training centers, emergency
communications centers, auxiliaries and fire service organizations or associations, and search and
rescue teams or similar organizations without fire suppression responsibilities. Details on eligible
and ineligible items for funding, other allowable costs, and detailed application guidelines are
available at http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2009AFSCGguidance.pdf.
SAFER Grants
In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the 108th 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 grant program is codified as Section 34 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229a). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and
combination fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help
communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate
protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire
departments for activities related to the recruitment and retention of volunteers. P.L. 108-136
authorizes over one billion dollars per year through FY2010 for SAFER.
Two types of grants are authorized by the SAFER Act: hiring grants and recruitment and retention
grants. Hiring grants cover a four-year term and are cost-shared with the local jurisdiction.
According to the statute, the federal share shall not exceed 90% in the first year of the grant, 80%
in the second year, 50% in the third year, and 30% in the fourth year. The grantee must commit to
retaining the firefighter or firefighters hired with the SAFER grant for at least one additional year
after the federal money expires. Total federal funding for hiring a firefighter over the four-year
grant period may not exceed $100,000, although that total may be adjusted for inflation. While
the majority of hiring grants will be awarded to career and combination fire departments, the
SAFER Act specifies that 10% of the total SAFER appropriation be awarded to volunteer or
majority-volunteer departments for the hiring of personnel.
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Additionally, at least 10% of the total SAFER appropriation is set aside for recruitment and
retention grants
, which are available to volunteer and combination fire departments for activities
related to the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Also eligible for recruitment and
retention grants are local and statewide organizations that represent the interests of volunteer
firefighters. No local cost sharing is required for recruitment and retention grants.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5) included a provision (section
603) that waives the matching requirement for SAFER grants in fiscal years 2009 and 2010. For
more information on the SAFER program, see CRS Report RL33375, Staffing for Adequate Fire
and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program
, by Lennard G. Kruger.
Program Evaluation
On May 13, 2003, the U.S. Fire Administration (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.”4 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,”5 and made a number of specific recommendations for
improving the program.
At the request of DHS, the National Academy of Public Administration conducted a study to help
identify potential new strategic directions for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program and to
provide advice on how to effectively plan, manage, and measure program accomplishments.
Released in April 2007, the report recommended consideration of new strategic directions related
to national preparedness, prevention vs. response, social equity, regional cooperation, and
emergency medical response. According to the report, the “challenge for the AFG program will
be to support a gradual shift in direction without losing major strengths of its current management
approach—including industry driven priority setting and its well-respected peer review process.”6
The Administration’s FY2008 budget proposal was accompanied by program evaluations called
the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART). For assessment year 2007, PART gave the fire
grant program a rating of “Effective,” (an improvement from the previous rating of “Results Not
Demonstrated”). The PART directed DHS to embark on an improvement plan encompassing three
elements: establishing a continuing strategic planning process, improving program transparency,
and increasing outreach.7

4 For full report see http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/affgp-fy01-usda-report.pdf.
5 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/
xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_Review_Fire_Assist.pdf.
6 National Academy of Public Administration, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program: Assessing Performance,
April 2007, p. xvii. Available at http://www.napawash.org/pc_management_studies/
Fire_Grants_Report_April2007.pdf.
7 Office of Management and Budget, ExpectMore.gov, Detailed Information on the Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Grants and Training Office Assistance to Firefighters Grants Assessment, Assessment Year 2007, available at
(continued...)
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The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161), in the accompanying Joint
Explanatory Statement, directed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the
application and award process for fire and SAFER grants. Additionally, FEMA was directed to
peer review grant applications that best address the program’s priorities and criteria as established
by FEMA and the fire service. Those criteria necessary for peer-review must be included in the
grant application package. Applicants whose grant applications are not reviewed must receive an
official notification detailing why the application did not meet the criteria for review.
Applications must be rank-ordered, and funded following the rank order.
Distribution of Fire Grants
The FIRE Act statute prescribes 14 different purposes for which fire grant money may be used
(see 15 U.S.C. 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; acquiring firefighting vehicles; acquiring firefighting equipment;
acquiring personal protective equipment; modifying fire stations for health and safety; enforcing
fire codes; funding fire prevention programs; educating the public about arson prevention 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.
Eligible applicants are limited primarily 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, including a limited
number (no more than 2% of funds allocated) to EMS organizations not affiliated with hospitals.
Additionally, a separate competition is held for fire prevention and firefighter safety research and
development grants, which are available to national, state, local, or community fire prevention or
safety organizations (including, but not limited to, fire departments). 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.firegrantsupport.com/.
The FIRE Act statute provides overall guidelines on how fire grant money will be distributed and
administered. The law directs 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 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Title
XXXVI of P.L. 108-375) raised award caps and lowered nonfederal matching requirements
(based on recipient community population), extended eligibility to nonaffiliated emergency
medical services (i.e. ambulance services not affiliated with fire departments), and expanded the
scope of grants to include firefighter safety R&D.
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

(...continued)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/detail/10001071.2007.html.
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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).8 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.9
According to the FY2009 Program Guidance for the Assistance to Firefighters Program, career
(paid) departments will compete 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.10 However, given that less than 10% of fire grant applications are historically
received from career departments, funding levels are likely not to reach the 45% ceiling for career
departments. Additionally, each fire department that applies is classified as either urban,
suburban, or rural. In FY2006, 4.3% of the total number of fire grant awards went to urban areas,
17.8% to suburban areas, and 77.7% to rural areas. Of the total amount of federal funding
awarded, 7.7% went to urban areas, 18.2% to suburban areas, and 73.9% to rural areas.11
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. Table 4 shows a state-by-state breakdown of fire grant funding for
FY2001 through FY2008, while Table 5 shows a state-by-state breakdown of SAFER grant
funding for FY2005 through FY2008. Table 6 provides an in-depth look at the FY2008 fire
grants, showing, for each state, the number of fire departments in each state,12 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 6 shows, the entire pool of fire department
applicants received about 14% of the funds they requested in FY2008. This is down from 16% in
FY2007, 21% in FY2006, 22% in FY2005, 28% in FY2004, and 34% in FY2003. This reflects
the fact that the number of applications and federal funds requested have trended upward over
these years, while appropriations for the fire grant program have declined over the same period.

8 15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(9).
9 44 CFR Part 152.6(c).
10 For the FY2008 round of awards, no less than 34% of AFG funds must be awarded to combination departments, and
no less than 21% of AFG funds must be awarded to all-volunteer departments. See Department of Homeland Security,
Fiscal Year 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grants: Guidance and Application Kit, April 2009, p. 25.
11 Department of Homeland Security, Grant Programs Directorate, Grant Development and Administration Division,
Report on Fiscal Year 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grants, p. 11.
12 The fire grant program sets a limit of up to three applications per fire department per year (a vehicle application, an
application for operations and safety, and a regional application). 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.
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Issues in the 111th Congress
The Obama Administration’s FY2010 budget proposal for firefighter assistance is likely to
receive heightened scrutiny from the fire community, given what was viewed as inadequate past
budget proposals by the Bush Administration, and given the national economic downturn and
local budgetary cutbacks that many fire departments are now facing. Concerns over local fire
departments’ budgetary problems may also frame debate of the assistance to firefighters grant
program reauthorization bill, which is expected to be considered during the first session of the
111th Congress. Possible reauthorization issues might include whether the scope and size of the
program should be altered, as well as how grant allocation rules and criteria might be modified.
Table 4. State-by-State Distribution of Fire Grants,
FY2001-FY2008
(millions of dollars)

FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004 FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 Total
AL 3.085 12.503 23.329 25.097
20.836

22.027
19.903 22.276 149.056
AK 1.303 2.641 5.242 2.522
3.111

0.754
2.454 0.990 19.017
AZ 1.37 3.6 7.490 9.808
7.905
4.041
4.932 4.793 43.939
AR 1.337 4.635 10.675 13.680
10.402
7.699
7.799 6.680 62.907
CA 5.905 18.978 30.060 29.793
25.631
17.856
18.730 24.071 171.024
CO 1.003 3.968 6.168 5.585
6.073
3.213
4.742 2.265 33.017
CT 1.828 4.675 10.841 9.991
7.287
5.479
6.630 6.781 53.512
DE 0.132 0.372 1.096 1.755
1.161
1.107
0.518 0.220 6.361
DC
0 0.22 0 0 0.453
0 0.376 1.171 2.22
FL
2.865 10.16 16.344 15.969
17.922
6.787
8.288 6.
549 84.883
GA 2.375 6.079 13.791 11.857
10.168
8.887
9.068 7.669 69.894
HI
0 1.182 0.947 0.864
1.205
0.264
0.436 0.772 5.67
ID 0.916 2.744 6.001 4.828
4.684
2.712
4.297 2.428 28.61
IL
2.417 13.398 28.810 27.238
25.433
21.120
21.923 19.961 160.3
IN
2.703 8.739 20.456 18.646
15.779
14.447
13.831 12.134 106.735
IA
1.301 7.284 16.087 16.430
13.119
10.064
9.298 8.805 82.388
KS
1.153 5.118 10.850 10.211
7.165
4.984
5.502 3.624 48.607
KY 2.215 7.896 19.832 16.150
14.215
13.308
13.081 16.384 103.081
LA 3.344 10.084 12.248 11.101
11.630
6.935
5.473 5.978 66.793
ME 1.296 4.319 10.323 10.031
6.124
6.702
5.486 4.490 48.771
MD 0.739 4.08 8.153 10.227
8.771
10.368
7.712 5.393 55.443
MA 2.301 8.386 15.715 13.958
13.529
8.957
11.644 8.520 83.01
MI
2.815 8.948 17.247 20.005
15.088
15.798
15.399 13.895 109.195
MN 2.133 8.149 17.510 18.609
14.894
14.718
16.600 11.833 104.446
MS 1.763 6.755 15.679 11.329
9.856
7.885
8.052 7.480 68.799
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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding


FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004 FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 Total
MO 3.079 10.291 19.573 17.757
14.246
13.202
10.611 10.772 99.531
MT 1.164 3.726 8.361 7.271
6.656
5.839
7.330 4.112 44.459
NE 1.034 2.392 7.820 6.577
5.116
4.399
4.443 3.981 35.762
NV 0.282 1.446 3.312 1.405
1.946
0.857
1.530 0.687 11.465
NH 0.594 1.887 4.584 5.694
4.563
3.307
3.219 2.623 26.471
NJ
2.596 6.339 19.982 16.488
14.691
12.386
13.266 11.702 97.45
NM 1.455 3.463 5.048 3.653
2.259
1.461
1.367 0.912 19.618
NY 3.978 14.728 34.320 35.030
36.009
33.804
22.664 27.901 208.434
NC 1.949 10.239 22.864 22.360
19.315
18.309
20.031 16.806 131.873
ND 0.546 2.613 5.105 3.391
2.673
2.459
3.100 2.944 22.831
OH 2.731 13.742 26.997 29.107
27.344
25.380
26.433 24.795 176.529
OK 1.864 4.939 10.540 10.393
8.757
10.852
7.220 6.278 60.843
OR 1.596 4.892 9.896 10.122
10.014
9.288
5.943 8.185 59.936
PA
2.89 16.97 45.179 47.898
39.233
41.259
43.610 37.401 274.44
RI 0.407 1.507 2.327 1.917
2.129
2.025
0.855 1.378 12.545
SC 1.554 5.257 11.832 14.150
10.544
8.028
10.470 10.257 72.092
SD 0.904 3.142 5.602 4.693
3.570
2.989
2.474 1.933 25.307
TN
2.46 11.509 19.306 18.686
15.047
11.209
12.955 15.529 106.701
TX 3.697 15.644 29.264 30.118
23.480
18.035
17.691 18.382 156.311
UT
0.9 2.754 4.628 3.880
2.188
2.213
3.378 0.909 20.85
VT 0.451 1.971 5.163 4.747
2.071
1.456
1.820 1.046 18.725
VA 2.066 8.79 15.816 16.668
14.357
8.317
10.403 7.738 84.155
WA 1.535 7.544 18.808 19.565
15.763
16.150
12.951 11.361 103.677
WV 1.067 3.966 9.942 9.133
10.143
5.838
7.164 6.642 53.895
WI 2.077 7.518 18.234 19.668
17.685
13.994
19.439 13.862 112.477
WY 1.09 1.612 3.507 1.811
2.032
1.197
1.645 1.023 13.917
PR 0.657 0.382 1.643 1.140
1.104
0.528
0.019 0.074 5.547
MP
0.145
0.225 0 0
0.220
0.172

0 0
0.762
GU 0
0.016 0 0 0
0.287

0 0
0.303
AS
0.164 0 0
0.284
0 0 0 0
0.448
VI 0.741 0
0.544 0 0 0 0 0
1.285
Tot 91.972 334.417 695.121 679.305
585.619
491.375
494.221 454.403
3826.433
Source: Department of Homeland Security. FY2008 awards data current as of June 10, 2009.

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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Table 5. State-by-State Distribution of SAFER Grants,
FY2005-FY2008
(millions of dollars)

FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 Total
Alabama
1.611 6.215 4.236 6.418 18.48
Alaska
1.051 0.205 0.418 1.438 3.112
Arizona
1.560 3.559 4.428 4.337 13.884
Arkansas
0.394 1.820 0.377 1.873 4.464
California
5.221 5.212 4.259 3.738 18.43
Colorado
1.584 3.479 1.730 1.642 8.435
Connecticut
0.130 0.191 0.856 0.949 2.126
Delaware
0
0.135 0
0.398 0.533
District
of
Columbia 0 0 0 0 0
Florida
6.576 9.329 6.217 18.378 40.5
Georgia
5.354 2.085 2.842 11.103 21.384
Hawai
0 0 0 1.626
1.626
Idaho
0.063 0.621 0.626 0.309 1.619
Illinois 1.340 4.463 9.933 3.035 18.771
Indiana
0
0.099 2.687 4.877 7.663
Iowa
0.169 0.144 0.980 1.288 2.581
Kansas
0.667 0.045 1.029 1.465 3.206
Kentucky
0.152 2.890 0.429 1.335 4.806
Louisiana
3.430 3.078 4.728 3.743 14.979
Maine
0.081 0
0.316 0.535 0.932
Maryland
0.096 1.862 1.526 3.171 6.655
Massachusetts
1.300 2.079 4.372 1.823 9.574
Michigan
1.759 0.592 0
0.655 3.006
Minnesota
0.300 1.089 0.375 0.491 2.255
Mississippi
0.756 0.594 0.115 0.875 2.34
Missouri
1.467 3.547 4.551 1.549 11.114
Montana
0.034 0.255 2.635 2.748 5.672
Nebraska
0
0.873 0.632 1.951 3.456
Nevada
1.500 1.714 0.632 0
3.846
New
Hampshire
0.400 1.035 1.528 0.008 2.971
New
Jersey
6.374 3.971 2.953 3.724 17.022
New
Mexico
0
3.123 1.309 0.108 4.54
New
York
1.540 2.991 2.845 3.579 10.955
North
Carolina
2.155 5.533 5.371 13.762 26.821
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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding


FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 Total
North
Dakota
0
0.609 0
1.518 2.127
Ohio
1.319 1.881 2.255 3.520 8.975
Oklahoma
0.147 0.699 0.531 0.622 1.999
Oregon
1.710 2.141 2.649 2.015 8.515
Pennsylvania
1.244 1.475 2.633 2.283 7.635
Rhode
Island
0.400
0 0.105
0 0.505
South
Carolina
0.456 0.863 3.218 5.373 9.91
South
Dakota
0.063 0.311 0.211 0.048 0.633
Tennessee
2.700 2.719 3.683 1.176 10.278
Texas
0.951 10.961 8.779 12.575 33.266
Utah
0.900 3.312 2.098 4.512 10.822
Vermont
0 0.621
0.632
0 1.253
Virginia
2.091 3.554 0.782 1.374 7.801
Washington
2.298 2.897 7.340 8.336 20.871
West
Virginia
0 0.187
0.681
0 0.868
Wisconsin
0
0.072 1.223 4.227 5.522
Wyoming
0 0 0.316
2.329
2.645
Puerto
Rico
0 0 0 0 0
Northern
Mariana
Islands
0 0 0 0 0
Marshal
Islands
0 0 0 0 0
Guam
0 0 0 0 0
American
Samoa
0 0 0 0 0
Virgin
Islands
0 0 0 0 0
Republic
of
Palua
0 0 0 0 0
Total
61.356 105.142
113.665 152.847 433.01
Source: Department of Homeland Security. FY2008 awards data current as of June 11, 2009.
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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Table 6. Requests and Awards for Fire Grant Funding, FY2008
Federal
Funds
Number of
Federal funds
funds
awarded as a %
fire/EMS
Number of
requested
awarded
of funds
State
departments
applications
($millions)
($millions)
requested
Alabama 966 779 98.572
22.276
22.5%
Alaska 75
56
11.639
0.990
8.5%
Arizona 283 178 37.546
4.793
12.7%
Arkansas 826 420 57.787
6.680
11.5%
California 823 534 107.544
24.071
22.3%
Colorado 375 166 23.557
2.265
9.6%
Connecticut 401
253
48.993 6.781
13.8%
Delaware 77 34 6.658
0.220
3.3%
District of
18 1 1.171
1.171
100.0%
Columbia
Florida 755
289 61.767
6.549
10.6%
Georgia 799 395 65.445
7.669
11.7%
Hawai 20 3 0.790
0.772
9.7%
Idaho 212
116
17.866
2.428
13.5%
Illinois
1090 885 139.872
19.961 14.2%
Indiana 670
507 79.752
12.134
15.2%
Iowa 864
560
66.413
8.805
13.2%
Kansas 680
276 36.251
3.624
10.0%
Kentucky 796 630 93.814
16.384
17.4%
Louisiana 557 262 43.389
5.978
13.7%
Maine 431
307
42.884
4.490
10.4%
Maryland 418 205 39.909
5.393
13.5%
Massachusetts 408
349
70.441 8.520
12.1%
Michigan 865 776 110.679
13.895
12.5%
Minnesota 770 521 66.066
11.833
17.9%
Mississippi 756 435 58.775
7.480
12.7%
Missouri 865 520 67.270
10.772
16.0%
Montana 283 193 25.466
4.112
16.1%
Nebraska 486 180 25.167
3.981
15.8%
Nevada 161 32 6.619
0.687
10.3%
New Hampshire
256
145
22.804
2.623
11.5%
New Jersey
1044
618
95.824
11.702
12.2%
New Mexico
341
91
16.717
0.912
5.4%
New York
1894
1315
186.879
27.901
14.9%
North Carolina
1411
728
111.791
16.806
15.0%
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Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

Federal
Funds
Number of
Federal funds
funds
awarded as a %
fire/EMS
Number of
requested
awarded
of funds
State
departments
applications
($millions)
($millions)
requested
North Dakota
322
153
21.491
2.944
13.6%
Ohio 1338
1062
171.359
24.795
14.4%
Oklahoma 772 397 52.973
6.278
11.8%
Oregon 360 231 37.603
8.185
21.7%
Pennsylvania 2635
2255
342.725 37.401
10.9%
Rhode Island
101
74
12.840
1.378
10.7%
South Carolina
592
419
59.058
10.257
17.3%
South Dakota
345
179
23.363
1.933
8.2%
Tennessee 649 660 92.595
15.529
16.7%
Texas 1883
775
132.007
18.382
13.9%
Utah 221
120
17.539
0.909
5.1%
Vermont 255 104 13.314
1.046
7.8%
Virginia 822
327 57.327
7.738
13.4%
Washington 543 357
67.575
11.361
16.8%
West Virginia
476
365
55.026
6.642
12.0%
Wisconsin 901 713 98.293
13.862
14.1%
Wyoming 135 51
7.779
1.023
13.1%
Puerto Rico
7
8
1.354
0.074
5.4
Northern
Not available
2
0.497
0
0
Marianas
Virgin Islands
Not available
2
0.437
0
0
Guam Not
available 2
1.145
0 0
Total
30,185
21,015
3212.427
454.403 14.1%
Sources: Department of Homeland Security (FY2008 application and awards data as of 6/10/2009) and
firehouse.com (number of firehouse/EMS departments, updated June 2009).


Author Contact Information

Lennard G. Kruger

Specialist in Science and Technology Policy
lkruger@crs.loc.gov, 7-7070




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