AFG update?

[nicoyaspa]

Last year by this time this forum was busting at the seams with rumors of announcements, 10 questions, celebration threads, grown men weeping openly, etc. Am I missing something this year, or did we all have our fill of the rumor mill last year and are waiting patiently for an announcement?

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Last year DHS let loose with the 10 Q's and 1199A links before they realized the NOFA wasn't signed and they couldn't spend the money. This year they're waiting until the NOFA is signed (tomorrow, last day it can remain unsigned supposedly) to send all of that stuff out. So it won't be much longer until the prenotifications start flying and the celebration starts. For real that is, not the 12 pages of the celebration thread I started that's turned into something other than celebration. Still a good dicussion going on, but not the purpose that I began it for. Details. At least it's not a smooth/fog fiasco.

- Brian

[DellroyVFD08]

was it signed?

Was the NOFA signed yesterday? I haven't heard anything.

[firedup6]

Dear Johns

Maybe Kurt or Earl can answer this one for me. If the electronic scoring and peer review are completed, why wouldn't the Dear John letters start going out? Is anyone aware of a department that has received one for either AFG or Safer? If you didn't make it to peer review, it doesn't matter when or if the NOFA is signed?

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Because the Dear Johns aren't truly set in stone until departments actually accept the awards. Believe it or not, many awards are not accepted by the departments thus creating additional awards for people that were out of the money.

And the awards aren't actually set in stone for anyone until the day they are publicly announced. That's why you have to get real bids dated after the announcement date, what you got for the application doesn't count.

Part of the reasoning is probably that there should always be some good news before bad. So several rounds of awards before the first set of Dear Johns, which is those that didn't make Peer. After that, because of the aforementioned refusals, anyone that went to Peer could possibly be awarded if enough depts refuse the money. As they have acceptance of the awards, additional denials go out where there is no mathematical possibility of awards going that deep in the scoring list.

No Dear Johns or prenotifications have gone out for AFG or SAFER. AFG will be soon, SAFER won't be for another couple of months for either awards or denials.

[ktb9780]

I would have to concur with Brians assessment here also.

[Greenacres2]

Brian took the words right out of my mouth!!

Actually Firedup, i'm still pretty much a novice at this and when i do comment it's often not much more than rephrasing something i've picked up from Kurt, Brian, Alana, OneBugle, k3twp, neiowa, or one of 15 or 20 other contributors here. Of all i've learned, the most important thing is that grant writing is an art which requires practice and patience. Maybe someday i'll get good.

About the only thing i could add to Brian's reply is a reminder that the apps going to peer review are in the "competitive range" which is described as approximately 200% of funding. My guess is that it is 200% dollar value of each sub-area of the program (i.e. equipment, vehicle, EMS, etc). So...if there was $60 million available for non-affiliated EMS, the top $120 million in computer scored applications would go to peer. What i don't know is if the competitive range is drawn proportionately for each funding area, but that would be a logical assumption.

Another delay that we don't see is that after peer review there is a period set aside for State Technical review for CBRN and interoperability. While not every app has to go through that, final rankings cannot happen until that review is complete at the State level.

All that said, i'm with you--if i didn't make peer, tell me now and get it over with!! With apps representing 200% of the available funds outscoring me, funding won't trickle that far and we could move on with continuing to find ways to improvise. Finally, as much as i'd like to know the outcome immediately after hitting submit--it is amazing to me that they get as much done as they do as quickly and orderly as they do!!

earl

[firedup6]

Thanks for the responses guys. I understand exactly what you are saying. It might be interesting to see an updated stat posted on the AFG site that states how many apps went to peer review. If nothing else, it would give us something else to chat about and speculate on. I have figured out one thing from all the anticipation....this time of year is a bad time to try and quit drinking! Maybe I will wait until winter.

[Greenacres2]

That's just wrong!!Now i'll spend the afternoon with visions of Lloyd Bridges in the control tower dancing in my head!!
earl (So Tommy, have you ever....)

[ktb9780]

That's just wrong!!Now i'll spend the afternoon with visions of Lloyd Bridges in the control tower dancing in my head!!
earl (So Tommy, have you ever....)

Earl ,Lloyd was inthe control tower but wasn't it Peter Graves ( Mission Impossible) in the cockpit propositioning Tommy! Lloyd was just having another "bad day to quit smoking and drinking". LOL!

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

So Tommy, do you like Gladiator movies?

And yes, it was Peter Graves in the cockpit.

[Greenacres2]

Yes, Peter Graves talking to Tommy in the cockpit. Was Kareem still Lew Alcindor at that point? That i can't recall. ("what do you make of that?" "i can make a hat, i can make a brooch, i can make a pteradactyl.") Yep, i knew it was Captain Over in the cockpit with Tommy--but i had mentally shifted gears to the inflatable doll smoking a cigarette. "the white zone is for loading and unloading only" What a great movie!!

We're beating a dead horse here, but i do like the way that the RKB people did the occaisional update on the CEDAP application status. Posting here would not be necessary, just a weekly update on the website. Wouldn't have to be all that detailed--when peer review is scheduled, a brief article after it ends, approx how many apps were reviewed, status of state level reviews, etc. A little news every 3 or 4 weeks would appease a lot of people and help the time pass.

Again, it's a great system and program. I sincerely believe that the folks who work there work awfully hard and stay very busy--year-round. I'd hesitate to fix too much, may not end up being in our best interest.

earl (i sure picked a bad day to quit taking amphetamines!!)