IAFC NEWS ALERT
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
IAFC Government Relations Department
International
Association of Fire Chiefs
703/273-0911
www.iafc.org
DHS announces that SAFER Grant application period
scheduled to start May 30
Fairfax, VA May 19, 2006…The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that the grant application period for the 2006 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants program is scheduled to begin on or about May 30, 2006, at 8:00 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The deadline for receipt of the SAFER grant applications will be 5:00 pm EDT on June 30, 2006. The IAFC will notify its members when the application period opens.
DHS also has posted the Program Guidance for the SAFER grants program online at
http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2006AFGguidance.pdf. The SAFER grants are administered by the DHS Office of Grants and Training in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration. Through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2006, Congress provided $110 million for the SAFER grants.The Program Guidance is an important document for any interested applicant as it provides details regarding eligibility and priorities of the two activities that will be funded under the program, specifically, the Hiring of Firefighters Activity and the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters Activity.
Eligible applicants for the Hiring of Firefighters Activity include fire departments (whether they are career, combination, or volunteer). Eligible applicants for the Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters include volunteer and combination fire departments as well as state or local organizations that have interests. All interested applicants are strongly encouraged to read the program guidance, and review all other materials dedicated to the SAFER grants at the AFG website (
www.firegrantsupport.com).Upon the opening of the application period, the applications will be accessible from the grant program's Web site at
www.firegrantsupport.com. An applicant tutorial on the SAFER grant process, designed to instruct users on the preparation and submittal of competitive applications, will also be available at the Web site by Monday, June 5.Applicants who have questions regarding the SAFER grant opportunities should contact the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov. During the SAFER application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm EDT, but is prepared to revise hours of operation based on volume and demand.
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