Pennsylvania COVID-19 Crisis Grant Program In late May, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed emergency legislation creating a new, $50 million grant program for fire and EMS departments. Funded by Pennsylvania’s share of the Federal CARES Act stimulus package, this new COVID-19 Crisis Grant Program will provide $44 million to fire companies and $6 million to...
The FY2020 Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant (AFG) program is slated to open in the fall, and fire and EMS departments across the country are gearing up for this golden opportunity. Given the sizeable appropriation of $319.5 million – and the immense strain on department budgets due to the COVID-19 pandemic – the AFG program represents...
The grant programs administered by FEMA – specifically, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) – only accept applications during a brief period each year (typically 4-5 weeks). The actual application period dates have varied significantly in recent years due to disaster-related deployments of FEMA...
The COVID-19 pandemic is straining fire department budgets across the country. With so many businesses closed, municipal budgets are suddenly starved for tax revenue. Restrictions on large gatherings have also choked volunteer departments that rely on bingo nights, barbeques, and similar fundraisers. For departments with career firefighters, finding the budget to maintain payroll has always...
