Opportunity Information: Apply for DHS 15 GPD 083 000 99
Apply for DHS 15 GPD 083 000 99
- The DHS-DHS in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 97.083.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 16, 2016 and posted on Feb 16, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 25, 2016. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 300 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Opportunity Summary:
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), specifically FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate. The overall purpose of SAFER is straightforward: to strengthen day-to-day fire and emergency response capability by helping fire departments and fire service organizations maintain or increase the number of trained, frontline firefighters available for immediate deployment. In practical terms, the program is meant to keep stations staffed, preserve response capacity, and reduce the operational strain that comes from understaffing, layoffs, or unfilled vacancies.
The funding is designed to support staffing outcomes rather than equipment purchases. SAFER assistance can be used to add firefighters to the front line, rehire firefighters who were previously laid off, retain firefighters who are facing imminent layoffs, or fill positions that became empty due to normal attrition such as retirements or resignations. The idea is to stabilize and build staffing levels so communities can meet local response needs and maintain adequate coverage for fires and other emergencies.
This opportunity is organized around two main program categories. The first is the Hiring of Firefighters, which focuses on increasing or maintaining career firefighter staffing through hiring, rehiring, retention, or backfilling vacated roles. The second category is Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters, which targets departments that rely on volunteer personnel and need support to bring in new volunteers and keep existing volunteers engaged and available. Together, these two tracks recognize that many jurisdictions depend on a mix of career and volunteer staffing models, and both can face staffing shortages that directly affect response times and service reliability.
The legal authority for the SAFER program comes from the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, as amended, cited as 15 U.S.C. 2229a et seq. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) referenced in the listing is the primary document that explains how applicants must apply and how FEMA evaluates applications. It lays out the requirements, the submission and processing steps, and the criteria used to score and select projects for awards in both activity areas.
Key listing details include the opportunity number DHS-15-GPD-083-000-99 and the CFDA number 97.083. The eligible applicants include county governments and city or township governments, along with other eligible entities as clarified in the program's additional eligibility guidance. The application deadline for this posting was March 25, 2016 (both the original and current closing dates match), and the opportunity was created and posted on February 16, 2016. FEMA anticipated making about 300 awards under this cycle. The listing shows an award ceiling of 0, which typically indicates the ceiling is not specified in the summary field and that applicants should rely on the NOFO for any per-award limits, restrictions, or other funding parameters.
In short, FY 2015 SAFER is a FEMA-administered grant opportunity intended to help fire departments keep enough trained firefighters on the front line by funding hiring and staffing stabilization efforts for career departments and recruitment and retention initiatives for volunteer-based departments, with detailed application and evaluation rules provided in the official NOFO.
FY 2015 SAFER Grant (DHS/FEMA) - Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the FY 2015 SAFER grant opportunity?
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program is a discretionary federal grant administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), specifically FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate. The program is focused on improving day-to-day fire and emergency response capacity by supporting staffing outcomes for frontline firefighter availability.
2) What is the main purpose of the SAFER program?
The purpose of SAFER is to strengthen routine fire and emergency response capability by helping fire departments and fire service organizations maintain or increase the number of trained, frontline firefighters available for immediate deployment. In practical terms, it is intended to keep stations staffed, preserve response capacity, and reduce strain caused by understaffing, layoffs, or unfilled vacancies.
3) What kinds of needs is SAFER designed to address?
SAFER is designed to address staffing challenges such as understaffing, layoffs, and vacancies that can increase operational strain, affect response times, and reduce service reliability. The program aims to stabilize and build staffing levels so communities can meet local response needs and maintain adequate coverage for fires and other emergencies.
4) What activities can SAFER funding support?
Based on the information provided, SAFER assistance can support staffing-related outcomes such as:
- Hiring firefighters to add trained personnel to the frontline
- Rehiring firefighters who were previously laid off
- Retaining firefighters who are facing imminent layoffs
- Filling positions vacated through attrition (for example, retirements or resignations)
5) Is SAFER intended to fund equipment purchases?
No. The opportunity description emphasizes that SAFER is designed to support staffing outcomes rather than equipment purchases.
6) What are the main program categories under this SAFER opportunity?
This opportunity is organized around two main categories:
- Hiring of Firefighters (focused on career firefighter staffing through hiring, rehiring, retention, or backfilling)
- Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters (focused on bringing in new volunteers and keeping existing volunteers engaged and available)
7) What does the "Hiring of Firefighters" category cover?
The Hiring of Firefighters category focuses on increasing or maintaining career firefighter staffing. It is described as supporting hiring, rehiring, retention, and backfilling of vacated roles to increase or maintain frontline staffing capacity.
8) What does the "Recruitment and Retention of Volunteer Firefighters" category cover?
This category targets departments that rely on volunteer personnel and need support to recruit new volunteers and retain existing volunteers so they remain engaged and available to respond.
9) Why does SAFER include both career and volunteer tracks?
The program structure recognizes that many jurisdictions rely on different staffing models (career, volunteer, or a mix). Both models can experience staffing shortages that directly affect response capacity and service reliability, so SAFER provides separate tracks to address each need area.
10) Which federal agencies administer and oversee this grant?
The grant is administered by DHS through FEMA, specifically FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate.
11) What is the legal authority for the SAFER program?
The legal authority is the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974, as amended, cited as 15 U.S.C. 2229a et seq.
12) What document provides the detailed application and evaluation rules?
The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is the primary document referenced as explaining how applicants must apply and how FEMA evaluates applications. It outlines requirements, submission and processing steps, and the criteria used to score and select projects for awards in both activity areas.
13) What is the opportunity number for this listing?
The opportunity number is DHS-15-GPD-083-000-99.
14) What is the CFDA number associated with this grant?
The CFDA number listed is 97.083.
15) Who is eligible to apply (based on the listing information provided)?
The listing indicates eligibility includes county governments and city or township governments, along with other eligible entities as clarified in the program's additional eligibility guidance referenced in the opportunity information.
16) When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The listing states the opportunity was created and posted on February 16, 2016. The application deadline (original and current closing date) was March 25, 2016.
17) How many awards did FEMA anticipate making under this cycle?
FEMA anticipated making about 300 awards under this funding cycle.
18) Is there an award maximum (ceiling) shown in the listing?
The listing shows an award ceiling of 0. The description notes this typically means the ceiling is not specified in the summary field and that applicants should rely on the NOFO for any per-award limits, restrictions, or other funding parameters.
19) What is the program trying to achieve in operational terms?
Operationally, SAFER is meant to keep stations staffed, preserve response capacity, and reduce the strain that comes from understaffing, layoffs, and vacancies, ensuring trained frontline firefighters are available for immediate deployment.
20) Where should applicants look for the scoring and selection criteria?
The scoring and selection criteria are described as being provided in the official NOFO, which lays out how FEMA evaluates applications and selects projects for awards across both program categories.
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