Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program FY 2021 opened on Monday, November 8, and will close on Friday, December 17. If you’re submitting a grant for PPE, here’s what you need to know:

General Information

• Available funding will be $414,000,000 with a projected 2,500 grants awarded. This is a higher funding level than in previous years and includes $90,000,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding.
• Funding limits will remain consistent with the previous year for recipients serving a population of 1 million people or less; funding limits will increase again this year for recipients serving a population of more than 1 million people:
• FEMA’s online application portal, FEMO GO (Grants Outcomes), is the platform for submitting, approving, and managing FEMA grants. https://go.fema.gov

High Priority Items for FY 2021 Tied to Safety Equipment

• Under Basic Equipment priorities:
  • NFPA 1801-Compliant Thermal Imaging Cameras
  • Personal Accountability Systems
• Under SCBA priorities:
  • Replace unusable or unrepairable equipment to current standard, NFPA 1981, 2002 Edition or prior. (These SCBA(s) are out-of-service and not being used by emergency responders).
  • Acquire or replace an individual SCBA face piece for each operational member of an organization.
  • Increase supply for new hires and/or existing firefighters that do not have one set of SCBA for allocated seated positions.
• Respiratory list:
  • Air-Line Unit
  • Face Pieces
  • Respirators
  • SCBA Spare Cylinders
  • SCBA (SCBA Unit includes: Harness/Backpack, Face Piece, and 2 cylinders)
• Under PPE priorities:
  • Increase supply for new hire/existing firefighters that do not have one set of turnout gear (PPE) or allocated seated position (SCBA). This includes replacing out-of-service PPE and SCBA.
  • Replace in-service/in-use/damaged/unsafe/unrepairable PPE or SCBA to meet current standard.
  • Replace in-service/in-use/expired/noncompliant PPE or SCBA to current standard.
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• Structural/Proximity PPE list:
  • Boots
  • Coats
  • Complete Set of Turnout Gear
  • Helmets
  • Hoods
  • Pants
  • Suspenders

New: MSA LUNAR™ Connected Device as Personal Accountability System

Due to advancements in technology, fire service accountability can go beyond how it’s thought of today, extending to visibility of all users, equipment maintenance, and incident reporting.

As part of the MSA Connected Firefighter Platform, the LUNAR Connected Device provides the tools to promote accountability in the traditional sense, while expanding to other areas on- and off-scene as well.

The LUNAR Connected Device is eligible for AFG funding as a personal accountability system. Personal Accountability Safety Systems are part of the Equipment category, and are considered a high funding priority.

Need Help with Grants for SCBA or Turnout Gear?

MSA sponsors free grant consultation through FireGrantsHelp.com:

• Grant help for SCBA https://us.msasafety.com/fire-gear-grant-assistance
• Grant help for Turnout Gear https://globe.msasafety.com/fire-gear-grant

The FireGrantsHelp staff of grant consultants offers invaluable assistance, whether you’re just starting your project and aren’t sure where to begin or you need to add the final touches to an application.