Revisit your FP&S application

Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S)

The Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FP&S) is nearing the closing date, and as an organization you have already prepared and submitted all of your information. Normally, this would be an excellent thing. The stress of having to deal with the application is gone, and now you are simply awaiting the response to determine if you have been awarded funding.

Unfortunately, this year there was a little snag in the electronic process, and if you don’t revisit your application starting today, a big portion of it will be considered missing.

In the past several columns, I have included a portion that discusses the need to ensure your application is complete. Without these boxes filled in, your application will certainly be discarded, and your mailbox will receive the dreaded rejection notification.

But without knowing it, this year you submitted an incomplete application. The good thing is you are being awarding a second chance to make a first impression.

The question that was left off of the e-grants system was this: Describe your organization’s need for federal financial assistance .

As you know, most federal grant applications require this information, and this information is essential to your overall score as it is worth 10 percent of the final.

If you are still working on your application and didn't submit before April 17, what does this mistake mean to you? Nothing. You will be able to continue with the process of applying and answer the question as it appears.

If you have already submitted your application, you will have a little more work yet to do. Since the guidance document for this application mentions the need, you should be in a good place to simply add the response to this section.

Because this was a mix-up on the part of the grantor, you will not be penalized. Your application will be reopened and allow for modification to include the financial section.

The overall deadline for the FP&S grant is 5 p.m. EDT on the April 27, 2012. If you haven’t submitted your application yet, review the document and ensure you have not overlooked this question.

If you have already submitted your grant application, it will be released back to you starting on April 17 via the e-grants system. Take this time to make sure all requirements, including the financial need section, are now completed before you resubmit.

According to information released regarding this error, you can't get an extension. The error was caught soon enough that the grantor feels no extension is necessary. If that changes, though, you'll receive e-mail and electronic notification.

Upcoming Grant Application

As an experienced member of the fire service or an EMS organization or an educator in these fields, you know that this time of the year is a tremendous asset for upcoming grants. But if you are new to the world of grants, there are several application processes that occur around this time every year.

The FEMA administered Assistance to Firefighters Grant is nearing the opening point. While a specific deadline hasn’t been set, the last application period was after the close of summer. Prior preparation prevents poor performance!

For educators, the U.S. Department of Labor has opened the Employment and Training Administration Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Grants Program (TAACCCT for Short).

This application is a rather lengthy document but affects EMS education on the community college level. The grant is designed to help the unemployed with trade assistance training. The way the grant is written will provide each state with a minimum award level of $2.5 million.

If multiple institutions come together in a collaborative effort, the consortium is eligible for up to $15 million. This grant has a performance period of 48 months and will allow for hiring and training new faculty, developing new curricula and upgrading classrooms.

The deadline for this application is May 24, 2012 (4 p.m. EDT). More information can be found online through www.grants.gov .

Take care, and stay safe.