Selected Recipients for this Program

Fiscal Year 2016: An average of 1,200 Rural Fire Departments are provided assistance each year for technical assistance, training, supplies, equipment and public education support. This program enhances the knowledge and fire protection capability of rural fire districts by providing assistance in education and training. Fiscal Year 2017: No current data available. Fiscal Year 2018: No current data available.

Uses and Use Restrictions

Emphasis is placed on fire departments that protect rural communities and play a substantial cooperative role in the protection of the Department of the Interior managed public lands.

Frequency of recipient payments will be determined for each awarded assistance agreement at time of award.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

State and local government, Public nonprofit institution/organizations, Other public institution/organization, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government, Private nonprofit institution/organization, Native American Organization, and rural fire departments serving a community with a population of 10,000 or less in the wildland/urban interface.

All applicants must be rural fire departments serving a community with a population of 10,000 or less in the wildland/urban interface.

Beneficiary Eligibility

State, Local, Public Nonprofit Institution/Organization, Other Public Institution/Organization, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government, Small Business, Profit Organization, Private Organization, Anyone/General Public, Native American Organization, Farmer/Rancher/Agriculture Producer, Homeowner, Land/Property Owner, Suburban, and Rural.

Credentials/Documentation

For grants awarded, cost will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and Local Governments; OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions; OMB Circular No. A-122 for nonprofit organizations; and Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 31.2 for private foundations, firms, individuals, and other nonprofits excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-122. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.

Aplication and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Coordinate applications with the local BLM State or District Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Office, Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office, or a National Park Service Regional Office or National Park Service unit.

Environmental impact information is not required for this program.

This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.

12372.

Application Procedures

2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Rural Fire Assistance is coordinated through each State Forester and the Bureau/Service State or Regional Office. Procedures may be found on the National Fire Plan website at: http://www.fireplan.gov. No specific application forms apply, except for grants awarded, the standard application forms furnished by the Federal agency and required by 2 CFR, Part 200, Subpart C?Pre-Federal Award Requirements and Contents of Federal Awards. A Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form 424A, Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs, Standard Form 424B, Assurances for Non-Construction Programs, and a written proposal, budget spreadsheet, a budget narrative/breakdown, and any other requirements specified in the funding opportunity notice and must be submitted through www.grants.gov. State plan is not required for this application.

Award Procedures

To ensure consistency within existing rural fire assistance programs, the Department of the Interior bureaus work with the State Foresters and other Federal partners to ensure that funding is allocated in the amount of the award to qualified and suitable rural fire districts. The following criteria applies for a fire department to participate in the program: Statewide agreement with the State Forester, who maintains cooperative fire agreements with the rural fire department/volunteer fire department, or a cooperative fire agreement with an Interior Bureau; rural fire department serving a community with a population of 10,000 or less in the wildland/urban interface; and the funding request is limited to training, equipment, and prevention activities. The rural fire department must have the capability to meet cost share at a minimum of 10% which may include in-kind services.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Authorization

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, Division A, Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010, Department-Wide Programs, Wildland Fire Management, Public Law 111-88. This program was first implemented in the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2001, Title IV, Public Law 106-291.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Rural fire assistance projects are approved by the Bureau/Service/Park Unit in coordination with the State Forester and other Federal partners. Normally all grant requests are received and awards made during the same fiscal year.

Appeals

Final award decisions are not subject to appeal; however, the Bureau of Land Management will provide all applicants with information on why their proposal was not selected for award.

Renewals

Other - Not Specified.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program. Matching Requirements: Rural fire departments must have the capability to meet cost share at a minimum of 10 percent, which may include in kind services. MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Most projects are funded on a single year basis and funds are expended during the fiscal year of the award. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: For more specific information please contact headquarters office.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

As stated in the award document, recipients are required to submit quarterly, semi-annual, or annual Program Performance Reports 30 and 90 days following the end of the reporting period.

For any grant or cooperative agreement terminated, transferred to a new grantee, or will not be extended, that grantees must submit a final Program Performance Report 90 days after the end date of grant performance.

Cash reports are not applicable.

Progress reports are not applicable.

Unless otherwise stated in the award document, the recipients (grantees) are required to submit quarterly financial status reports using Standard Form 425, Federal Financial Report 30 days following the end of the reporting period.

For any grant or cooperative agreement that is terminated, transferred to a new grantee, or will not be extended, the grantees must submit a final financial status report 90 days after the end date of grant performance.

Performance monitoring required.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, non-Federal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR 200.503.

Records

All recipients of Federal awards shall maintain project records in accordance with 2 CFR 200.333 Retention requirements for records. Financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be retained for a period of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report or, for Federal awards that are renewed quarterly or annually, from the date of the submission of the quarterly or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity in the case of a subrecipient. Federal awarding agencies and pass-through entities must not impose any other record retention requirements upon non-Federal entities, except as noted in 2 CFR 200.333.

Financial Information

Account Identification

14-1125-0-1-111; 14-1125-0-1-302.

Obigations

(Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 16 $186,100; FY 17 est $0; and FY 18 est $0

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Past partnership projects have ranged from $1,600 to $125,000. Average amount is $28,600 or less.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature

The Department of the Interior's rural fire assistance program is guided by the provisions of the National Fire Plan. A variety of public information on this plan is available by contacting the appropriate Bureau/Service Office or the National Fire Plan's web site at: http://www.fireplan.gov.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Contact Regional/State/Local Office: See Catalog Appendix IV for addresses.

Headquarters Office

Director Division of Fire Planning and Fuels Management (FA-600), National Interagency Fire Center, 3833 S. Development Ave., , Boise, Idaho 83705 Phone: (208) 387-5186

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Criteria for ranking eligible Rural Fire Departments, relative to other applicants, for funding allocation are: The fire department's frequency of responses to wildland/urban fire incidents in the local area; the fire department's wildland prevention and education program needs; the fire department's training program needs; the communities and Department of the Interior's values to be protected; the percentage of wildland/urban lands; and the number of wildland fire engines in the department relative to the percentage of wildland/urban interface acres protected.