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Under the leadership of President
Trump, states and localities will be empowered to manage disasters
and emergencies. These fire grant programs align with that vision
by helping communities build the response capabilities they need to
keep their citizens safe.
Today, FEMA announced that $360
million is available for the Fiscal Year 2024 Staffing for Adequate
Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. At the direction
of Secretary Kristi Noem, SAFER will award these funds directly to
fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations
across the nation to help them increase or maintain the number of
trained firefighters available in their community.
FEMA also announced that
applications will be accepted for $36 million available through the
Fiscal Year 2024 Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grant
program. These funds help strengthen community fire prevention
programs and support scientific research on innovations that
improve firefighter safety, health and well-being.
During 2024, there were
approximately 4,200 home fire fatalities in the United States,
including 70 firefighters. To help keep communities and
firefighters safer, FEMA will award SAFER 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,
provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards and
fulfill traditional missions of fire departments.
The purpose of the FP&S Grant
Program is to award grants directly to fire departments, national,
regional, state, local, Tribal Nation and non-profit organizations
such as research foundations, public safety institutes and
academic, public health, occupational health and injury prevention
institutions for fire prevention programs and to support
firefighter health and safety research and development, such as
clinical studies that address behavioral, social science and
cultural research.
The application
period for both the FY24 SAFER and FP&S programs will open at 9
a.m. ET on May 23, 2025, and close on July 3, 2025, at 5 p.m. ET.
Since 2005, the SAFER program has
awarded approximately $5.2 billion in grant funding. FP&S has
awarded nearly $900 million since its inception in 2002.
The FY 2024 SAFER and FP&S
Notices of Funding opportunity and technical assistance documents
for both programs are available at grants.gov and
on the FEMA website here: SAFER
and FP&S.
Additional information about upcoming webinars to assist applicants
is also available on the FEMA website.
Last week, Senior Official
Performing the Duties of Administrator David Richardson stated that
ensuring the American people are well-served during a disaster is
FEMA’s top priority.
One of the many teams in FEMA ensuring their readiness for the 2025
hurricane season is National Incident Management Assistance Team
Blue. During disasters, Incident Management Assistance Teams can
establish a unified command, provide situational awareness for
federal and state decision-makers and recommend appropriate assistance.
To kick off its hurricane
readiness week, the team travelled to Bluemont, Virginia, to
practice setting up a shelter they'd use after a hurricane. The
shelter is a key resource for the team because it can serve as
lodging or office space when the team is deployed to austere
conditions and no other accommodations are available.
The team also revisited its 2024
After Action Report following hurricanes Helene and Milton. The
goal was to ensure a solution has been identified for each item
addressed in the report. This discussion included looking ahead at
the 2025 hurricane season and addressing potential gaps, progress
and areas where additional cross training may be beneficial.
National
Incident Management Assistance Team Blue sets up a shelter as it
prepares for the 2025 hurricane season.
Learn how you
can prepare for hurricane season on Ready.gov.
The Homeland Security Digital
Library is the nation’s premier collection of open-source resources
related to homeland security, emergency management and national
defense, curated by the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for
Homeland Defense and Security. Whether you're a student,
practitioner or policymaker, the library provides access to a vast
knowledge base to support decision-making and continuous
improvement.
Why Is the
Homeland Security Digital Library Useful?
By using the library, emergency
managers and homeland security professionals can access credible,
evidence-based information to inform planning, training, response
and recovery efforts. For survivors and communities, the library
can support understanding of policies or programs affecting
recovery and preparedness.
You can use the library to:
- Research
disaster response and recovery best practices.
- Review
official policy documents and plans.
- Prepare
for exercises and drills with case studies.
- Support
grant applications or project proposals with credible data.
- Develop
training materials or presentations.
- Stay
informed of emerging threats and trends.
Here are some examples of what
you might find in the library:
- After-action
reports from events like Hurricane Katrina or the COVID-19
pandemic.
- National
Response Framework and other FEMA policy documents.
- Congressional
Research Service reports on homeland security topics.
- Government
Accountability Office reports on disaster funding and
recovery.
- Congressional
hearings and testimony on issues of importance to homeland
security.
- Strategic
plans from the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and state
agencies.
- Guidance
on cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection.
- Academic
theses and dissertations on homeland defense and security
topics.
How to
Access the Library
The library is available for free
online at HSDL.org.
Most documents are available to the public, while some require an
account to access. You can request an account if you’re affiliated
with an eligible organization, such as a government agency or
academic institution.
To request full access:
- Go
to HSDL.org/c/access.
- Under
“Individual Access”, click “Request this access from CHDS” and
follow the prompts to create an account.
- Once
approved, log in with your credentials to unlock the full
collection.
May 25
Deadline to Apply for FEMA Assistance Approaching for Kentuckians
Affected by February Storms
Kentucky homeowners and renters
who suffered uninsured or underinsured damage to their property
from the February severe storms, flooding and straight-line winds
have until May
25 to apply for FEMA assistance.
FEMA assistance for individuals affected by the severe weather can
cover rental assistance, temporary housing, home repairs, personal
property losses and other disaster-related needs not covered by
insurance. Money from FEMA does not have to be repaid. FEMA
assistance is nontaxable and will not affect eligibility for Social
Security, Medicaid or other federal benefits.
Survivors are encouraged to file insurance claims for damage to
their homes, personal property and vehicles before they apply for
FEMA assistance. FEMA Individual Assistance cannot duplicate
insurance benefits or other sources of assistance.
There are four ways to apply for
FEMA assistance:
- Go
online to
DisasterAssistance.gov.
- Call
the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service,
such as Video Relay Services (VRS), captioned telephone or
other services, give FEMA your number for that service.
- Download
the FEMA App.
- Visit
a Disaster Recovery Center. To find a
Disaster Recovery Center, visit fema.gov/DRC or text DRC along
with your ZIP Code to 43362 (Example: “DRC 29169”).
To view an accessible video on
how to apply for assistance, visit Three Ways to
Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube.
Disaster Recovery Centers are physically accessible to people with
disabilities and others with access and functional needs. They are
equipped with assistive technology and other resources to ensure
all applicants can access resources.
For more information, visit fema.gov/disaster/4860.
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Emergency
Management Capacity Survey for Tribal Nations Open Through June 1
In collaboration with Argonne
National Laboratory, FEMA and several emergency management
associations are conducting the Emergency Management Organizational Structures,
Staffing and Capacity Study.
This study will provide a better understanding of current state,
local, tribal and territorial emergency management structures,
staffing and capacity.
As part of the study, emergency
managers from all federally recognized tribes are invited to
complete a survey open through June 1, which should take no more
than 20 minutes to complete. All information will be collected, and
individual responses will be kept confidential.
The results of the study can
support and inform the examination of FEMA roles and functions to
support state, local, tribal and territorial partners.
The tribal survey was sent to
tribal leaders on Jan. 29. If you have not received the survey,
please fill out the Tribal
Emergency Management Capacity Study Contact Information Form
and someone from the research team will contact you.
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