Press Releases

Offers Local Hose Companies, EMS and Fire Departments Assistance in the Application Process

Today, Congressman Matt Cartwright announced the Fiscal Year 2017 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) application period will open on Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 8 AM ET and will close on Friday, February 2, 2018 at 5 PM ET. Applicants are encouraged to thoroughly review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) prior to beginning the application. It contains the latest updates to the FY 2017 AFG Grant Program.

The primary goal of the AFG is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and nonaffiliated 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 needed to protect the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards.

“Ensuring first responders have reliable and up-to-date equipment should be one of our highest national priorities, said Cartwright, a member of the Congressional Fire Caucus and the House Appropriations Committee. “I annually advocate for full funding to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant. We need programs like this to help communities with limited budget reserves get the equipment and training they need to protect lives and property.”

This year, the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) Grant Program will award $310,500,000 to assist first-responder organizations that need to improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types. The goal of the AFG Program is to enhance, through direct financial assistance, the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel and to provide a continuum of support for emergency responders regarding fire, medical, and all-hazard events. The AFG Program awards grants directly to fire departments, nonaffiliated EMS organizations, and State Fire Training Academies for critically needed resources to protect the public, train emergency personnel, foster interoperability, and support community resilience.

Applicants can contact Congressman Cartwright’s Economic Development Director, April Niver, at 484-546-0776 or the AFG Help Desk at firegrants@fema.gov or 1-866-274-0960. Application assistance tools are available online http://www.fema.gov/firegrants.