Rahall Announces Fire Safety Projects Funding Opportunities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) Thursday announced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be accepting applications for grant opportunities to support activities and projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards.

“I have long been an ardent supporter of federal funding to support public safety on the local level,” said Rahall. “We cannot overstate the importance of raising the public’s awareness of fire prevention measures and improving firefighter safety to reduce fatalities and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards every year.  The meaning of these words becomes more profound, barely describing the commitment made every day by our firefighters, who risk their own well-being each time they answer an emergency call.”

FEMA will award funding under its Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grant Program. FP&S grants are awarded to local fire departments to support projects in two categories: activities designed to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate the incidence of death and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards (“Fire Prevention and Safety Activity”) and projects aimed at improving firefighter safety, health and wellness through research and development that reduces firefighter fatalities and injuries (“Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity”).

The application period for the FY 2012 FP&S Grant Program opens Monday, December 17, 2012 and will close on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).  In the interim, the FY 2012 FP&S Funding Opportunity Announcement, application materials, and Get Ready Guides are available for review at www.fema.gov/firegrants.

-30-