Overview: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) will support states, local communities, tribes and territories as they undertake hazard mitigation projects, reducing the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards.

The BRIC program guiding principles are supporting communities through capability- and capacity-building; encouraging and enabling innovation; promoting partnerships; enabling large projects; maintaining flexibility; and providing consistency.

Eligibility: Local governments (county, municipal), State agencies, Tribal agencies/governments

Offering: Annually, late summer/early fall

FEMA BRIC Grant Information

Overview: The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program is a competitive grant program that provides funding to states, local communities, federally recognized tribes and territories. Funds can be used for projects that reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program.

FEMA chooses recipients based on the applicant’s ranking of the project and the eligibility and cost-effectiveness of the project.

FEMA requires state, local, tribal and territorial governments to develop and adopt hazard mitigation plans as a condition for receiving certain types of non-emergency disaster assistance, including funding for hazard mitigation assistance projects. For more information, go to the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance.

Eligibility: Local governments (county, municipal), State agencies, Tribal agencies/governments

Offering: Annually, late summer/early fall

FEMA FMA Grant Information

Overview: FEMA gives Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding to states to perform long-term hazard reduction after a major disaster. The purpose is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters. HMGP funds also support reduction and removal of hazards during the immediate recovery from a disaster. Section 404 of the Stafford Act authorizes the program.

Funds are for projects to reduce or prevent loss from future disasters. Projects must provide a long-term solution to a problem. One example is lifting a home to reduce the risk of flood damage instead of using sandbags and pumps to fight the flood. Potential savings must be more than the cost of the project. Funds can help protect public or private property.

Eligibility: **Available only within a Presidentially-declared disaster area. Local governments (county, municipal), State agencies, Tribal agencies/governments, and certain non-profits

Offering: Post Presidentially-declared disaster

HMGP Grant Information

Overview: The General Assembly established the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Loan Fund Law with Act 91 of 2020, as amended. The Fire and Emergency Medical Services Loan Program (FEMSLP) provides loans at a fixed 2% interest rate to fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) companies for the acquisition, rehabilitation, or improvement of apparatus, facilities, and equipment.

Since its inception, the program has approved more than $587 million in loans for the commonwealth’s volunteer emergency services community.

FEMSLP provides low-interest loans to fire and EMS companies for the purpose of purchasing and modernizing apparatus, facilities, and equipment. Forms and informational materials are available to interested organizations.

OSFC staff provides technical assistance and regulatory guidance to applicants; receives, analyzes and approves loan applications; supplies loan closing services; maintains financial and historical files and services all accounts until they are closed.

Loans are made for the following purposes:

• • Apparatus: to purchase new, or to repair/rehabilitate apparatus that no longer meets NFPA standards and to bring it into such compliance
  • Facility: to construct or modernize those portions which house apparatus or purchase a used facility
  • Equipment: to purchase accessory, communications, or protective equipment

More information:

• • Loan Amount: The type of project and the project cost will determine the loan amount
  • Application and Instructions: The FEMSLP application and instructions are available online.
  • FEMSLP staff provide professional, courteous assistance to all applicants.  Contact us at 800-670-3473 or (717) 651-2200 or via email using RA-VLAP@pa.gov.

Fire & EMS Loan Program Information

Overview: The Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program (FCEMSGP) makes an annual grant program available for volunteer and career fire companies, emergency medical services and rescue squads. The program provides grant eligibility information and makes an online grant application available for all eligible applicants.

Based on applicant and project criteria, staff reviews and approves or disapproves all applications, processes signed grant agreements, and authorizes dispersal of grant funds. Final grant reports are reviewed for compliance with project description and program guidelines.

Eligibility: All fire companies, emergency medical services and, volunteer rescue squads

Eligible Projects: Eligible organizations may apply for grant funding for a combination of up to two projects in the following categories:

• • Facilities:  Construction and/or renovation of the fire company’s or ambulance service’s facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.
  • Equipment:  Purchase or repair of firefighting, ambulance, or rescue equipment. This includes the purchase of fuel for company vehicles.
  • Debt Reduction:  Debt reduction associated with the facility (1) or equipment (2) categories above.
  • Training:  Training and certification of members.
  • Training and Education:  Materials regarding fire prevention for the general public.
  • Career Departments Only:  Overtime costs associated with backfilling positions while firefighters are attending training.
  • Recruitment and Retention:  Including, but not limited to, volunteer firefighter length of service award programs and programs for minors.
  • Revenue Loss for Grant Issued in 2021 and 2022:  Funds may be used to supplement operational expenses incurred by the lack of opportunities for fundraising and the inability to create revenue due to compliance with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
  • Construction Savings Account – Fire Companies Only:  A fire company may apply for a grant for the purpose of constructing a new facility. The grant funds shall be deposited into a Construction Savings Account. The account will be administered by the Commissioner. A fire company may only apply for a grant for up to 5 years. THIS PROJECT CANNOT BE AMENDED.

Fire & EMS Grant Program Information

Overview: The primary goal of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations.

Since 2001, AFG has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

Eligibility: Fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations & State Fire Training Academies

Offering: Annually, early in new year

AFG Grant Information

Overview: The Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants are part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) and support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards. The primary goal is to reduce injury and prevent death among high-risk populations. In 2005, Congress reauthorized funding for FP&S and expanded the eligible uses of funds to include Firefighter Safety Research and Development.

Eligibility: Fire departments, Firefighter Safety R&D Activity

Offering: Annually, early in new year

FP&S Grant Information

Overview:The objectives of the SAFER Program are to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities to respond to emergencies and assure that communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Local fire departments accomplish this by improving staffing and deployment capabilities, so they may more effectively and safely respond to emergencies. With enhanced staffing levels, recipients should experience a reduction in response times and an increase in the number of trained personnel assembled at the incident scene.

Eligibility: Fire departments, R&R Activity

Offering: Annually, early in new year

SAFER Grant Information

Overview: The Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) provides funding to communities for technical assistance and analyses of local pipeline safety issues. Technical assistance is defined as engineering or other scientific analysis of pipeline safety issues. Local projects can range from public awareness activities to technology solutions, such as the conversion of paper maps into electronic format.

Eligibility: Eligible grant recipients are communities (cities, towns, villages, counties, parishes, townships, and similar governmental subdivisions, or consortiums of such subdivisions) and groups of individuals (not including for-profit entities).

Award Funding Information: The awards have funded a broad range of activities, including:

• • Improvement of local pipeline emergency response capabilities
  • Improvement of safe digging programs
  • Development of pipeline safety information resources
  • Implementation of local land use practices that enhance pipeline safety
  • Community and pipeline awareness campaigns
  • Enhancements in public participation in official proceedings pertaining to pipelines

The funding can also be used to help promote public participation in official proceedings. However, the funding may not be used for lobbying, in direct support of litigation, or for activities associated with regulatory compliance or typical operations and maintenance of pipeline facilities.

PHMSA first awarded technical assistance grants for projects beginning in 2009. By law, the amount of any grant may not exceed $100,000 for a single grant recipient and the funds authorized for these grants may not be derived from user fees collected under 49 U.S.C. 60301. The number of awards will depend on the quality and number of applications received and the dollar amounts requested.

Past Projects: Please visit the archive for all past and current projects to get more detailed information on the types of TAG grants awarded. Previous grants have funded nearly 200 projects in communities all across the United States.

Offering: Annually, spring

US DOT TAG Grant Information

Overview: The ALERT grant promotes hazmat response training for volunteer or remote emergency responders. Response activities include the transportation of crude oil, ethanol, and other flammable liquids by rail consistent with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.

The ALERT grant is competitively awarded to non-profit organizations capable of delivering an established curriculum to emergency responders.

Funding: Based on the amount recovered from prior year grant awards

Examples: Direct delivery training on crude oil, ethanol, and other flammable liquids by rail; web-based training for volunteer or remote emergency responders

Eligibility: The ALERT grant is open to nonprofit organizations representing regional public-private partnerships. The nonprofit organizations must be able to provide hazardous materials direct or web-based training to individuals with statutory responsibility to respond to accidents and incidents involving hazardous materials. The training will focus on response activities related to the transportation of crude oil, ethanol, and other flammable liquids by rail.

Offering: N/A

US DOT ALERT Grant Information