Fiscal Year 2022 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program

Background
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate implements and administers the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants. SAFER grants provide financial assistance to help fire departments increase frontline firefighters. The SAFER Program is part of a comprehensive set of measures authorized by Congress and implemented by DHS. Among the five basic homeland security missions noted in the DHS Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024, the SAFER Program supports the goal to Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience.

Grant Details
The objectives of the SAFER Program are to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities to respond to emergencies and ensure that communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. The program provides funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to assist in increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate fire protection from fire and fire-related hazards, and to fulfill traditional missions of fire departments. The grant recipient is required to collect data to allow FEMA to measure performance of the awarded grant in support of the SAFER Program metrics, which are tied to the programmatic objectives and priorities.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants for the Hiring Activity include fire departments operating in any of the 50 states, as well as fire departments in specific territories or federally recognized Indian tribes or tribal organizations. For the R&R Activity, volunteer and combination fire departments operating in any of the 50 states, as well as specific territories or federally recognized Indian tribes or tribal organizations are eligible. National, regional, state, local, tribal, and nonprofit interest organizations representing the interests of volunteer firefighters are not eligible under the Hiring Activity but are eligible under R&R Activity.

Period of Performance
The period of performance for applications funded under the Hiring Activity will be 36 months. For applications funded under the R&R Activity, it will be 12, 24, 36, or 48 months with extensions allowed.

Grant Value
$360,000,000 available funding for the NOFO with projected number of awards being 300.