Grant Program fouled up?

[island hopper]

I'm very dissapointed to learn that FEMA funded station improvements (e.g. exhaust capture systems) under the "Personal Protective Equipment" category, when requests for bunker gear were routinely denied. On what possible basis can these decisions be justified. My understanding was that station improvements were not even eligible activities, let alone aprovable under PPE.

Has anyone had similar experiences?

[dragonfyre]

Where did you hear this? Where is the station that got the grants? You're right that station improvements were not one of the categories. It was one of the original 17 but got cut when they whittled it down to 5.

If it's true that someone did get it under PPE all I can say is that they really have a creative writer doing their application.

I hope that this is just an urban myth.

I have had several replies to my posting for FEMA grant success stories under the RIT forum if you want to check them out.

[island hopper]

I filed a freedom of information request to access four grant applications in VT. And two of them were funded for a total of $ 150,000. for station exhaust systems under Personal Protective Equipment!! I brought this to the attention of the FEMA grant administrators who on the one hand said that at least 3 screeners read all of these applications, and; that station improvements were not a fundable activity period (let alone under PPE). So which is it?

Sure they had a lot of applications to look at. But make sure you have the time and personnel to do the job correctly. I don't think tax payers dollars should be funding station enhancements when other firefighters are working at scenes in Jeans!

VERY dissapointed in FEMA.

Scott Newman

[MOBrian]

Scott,

This is very true that this should not fall under PPE, but on the other hand have you heard anything about OSHA requiring station exhaust in all stations? This could be the reason for the request. As you are well aware these are very expensive systems to install and that may be the need of the fire department. I guess you can always ask, I would hope that FEMA would find other ways to spend money especially in the PPE area.

[CHIEF500]

The funding just doesn't make sense to me.

We put in 2 requests from my station. We're not poor. We do ok financially.

The 2 departments that got funding in our area are departments that seem to be well off financially. There are departments on our area that need the money a little more. So what's the use.

[mongofire_99]

The program doesn't make sense at all.

How much of your tax base is my department entitled to for the simple reason my city refuses to fund the fire department properly?

[island hopper]

MO'Brian -

I checked, OSHA does not require deisel exhaust systems in fire stations. Secondly, as I said, the program director told me that these systems are not fundable under any category (yet they are funded).

Even if they were required, they would definately be several rungs lower on the prioroty ladder than turnout gear, wouldn't you think? In any case, they are not PPE.

I'm sure that the systems will help these departments, but grant programs should be about weighing needs and priorities. If a station is so well equiped that the biggest need it has is air cleaning, then it should go out and raise the money themselves and let the grant money go to where it is needed the most. Thanks

Check out the RIT Fema Grant thread for more on this topic.

[the7tower]

If that is so obvious then why did they award the grants the way they did???

Was a univeral gym more significant??