The Dilemma

If your fire department is like any other volunteer, combination or fully paid department, you probably struggle with maintaining adequate staffing. Perhaps you worry about getting the trucks out during daytime hours when most of your volunteers head out to work or maybe you're more concerned that your volunteers don't turn out for nighttime Automatic Fire Alarms or other nonsense calls. Has your call volume increased beyond the capacity of your current staffing and you're considering the need to hire career firefighters to fill the gaps?

The Opportunity

If you've ever dealt with these types of staffing issues, you may want to consider applying for a 2009 SAFER grant. The SAFER program (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) is a competitive federal grant administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The purpose of the SAFER program is to help fire departments increase the number of active firefighters to better comply with NFPA 1710 or 1720 (the staffing standards for career and volunteer departments, respectively). The program accomplishes these goals by providing funds to hire new career firefighters or implement programs for recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Unlike previous years, there is no matching financial requirement for either the hiring or recruitment and retention activities. The application process is similar to the Assistance to Firefighter's Grant Program (AFG) and links to the full guidance document and online application system can be found at www.firegrantsupport.com/safer. The 2009 SAFER application period is expected to begin in June and last for 30 days. As with all grant programs, interested applicants should read the guidance documents and begin preparing their requests as soon as possible to avoid any last minute crunches. For 2009, the available SAFER funding is $190 million. Importantly, far fewer departments apply for SAFER compared with AFG, therefore the chances of success for those who apply is much higher because the program is generally less competitive.

Application Advice

The most successful SAFER applications address two fundamental aspects of the grant program. First, the department should perform a staffing assessment to systematically understand whether its staffing levels are compliant to NFPA 1710 or 1720. This analysis will help you determine how many new firefighters are needed and will ultimately help you tailor programs to meet your needs. If possible, describe how and when staffing is most critical by highlighting responses during daytime vs. nighttime, weekday vs. weekend, or confirmed fire vs. box alarm. Once you've adequately documented your need for additional firefighters you should describe in detail the projects that you intend to implement. When requesting funds to hire new firefighters, make sure to explain the timing of their shifts and how the additional staffing will fill the current gaps (will you be able to meet the 2 in 2 out rule?).

For recruitment and retention programs, be sure to provide sufficient detail regarding the type of program. In other words, answer questions such as; what is the program - is it an ad campaign, a pay per call program, or accidental death insurance? What are the criteria for receiving the award? Who will the program target? Why do you think the program will be effective? How many new volunteers will likely join due to the program? How many years will it take to work? Ultimately, your application will be highly competitive if you can effectively justify why your department needs additional firefighters and why you think your proposed programs will accomplish its goals and objectives.

Again, now is the time to begin preparing your application if you're serious about requesting funding to solve your staffing dilemma. If you decide to try your hand at this year's SAFER application, be sure to avoid the following top ten application pitfalls!

Top 10 Application Pitfalls

1. 1. Including false or inaccurate information
2. 2. Copying a narrative written by somebody else
3. 3. Preparing an application without reading the Program Guidance
4. 4. Requesting funding for low priority or ineligible projects
5. 5. Not providing enough detail about your proposed programs
6. 6. Not providing enough detail to demonstrate financial need
7. 7. Not providing enough information to demonstrate the importance of your department and community
8. 8. Not asking an objective third-party to review your narrative
9. 9. Waiting until the last minute to prepare your application
10. 10. Failing to write with the reviewer in mind

David Schwartz is the President of Firehouse Grants LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in preparing grant applications for emergency services organizations. David has been a volunteer firefighter since 2001 and currently serves as President of a volunteer fire company in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He has been directly involved in raising over $1.3 million in funding from local, state, and federal grant programs such as AFG and SAFER. The most recently awarded application prepared by David was a SAFER grant from which a consortium of five volunteer fire departments received $834,000. Firehouse Grants' strategy for success is built on a fundamental understanding of emergency services, superior technical writing, and attention to detail. Each of these elements is combined to produce unparalleled grants with an impressive success rate. Recognizing that firefighters are too busy fighting fires to prepare grant applications, the goal of Firehouse Grants is to enable firefighters to focus on serving the community without missing out on valuable funding opportunities.

If you'd like assistance in preparing a SAFER grant for your department or if you have general questions about grant programs please email David at