Top 5 fire grant misconceptions

We appear to be closing in on the halfway point of AFG awards. At this time, some departments are starting to plan for the next AFG cycle and others are trying to determine why their neighbors' grant has been funded but they haven't heard a word about theirs.

Around this time each year, a number of AFG myths continue to circulate among departments and their grant writers. Since late night television no longer has a top 10, I will touch on the top five myths I have heard in the past few weeks and provide the correct answers to them.

I will start with one I heard in two different meetings 250 miles apart in the past two weeks.

5. "I'm waiting until I have a high-priced item to apply for under AFG because once you are funded you can't be funded for another five years."
No, that is not true. Obviously, these people have never spoken to the departments whose neighbors are complaining because they have been funded for the last four straight years.

4. "We don't have to get estimates because we have a procurement policy that states we will only purchase from the ABC company."
That might be your policy, but it does not meet federal standards and you will end up returning your grant funds to AFG for following this myth.

3. "When I logged into my FEMA account, I was prompted to update my profile information. This is good news because it means our application will be funded."
There is absolutely no correlation between profile updating and being funded by FEMA. The system prompts you to update your account every so many days.

2. "If a department is the lead applicant for a regional AFG grant, it cannot apply for any other AFG grants that year."
Although FEMA has done an excellent job of making AFG program materials available year round on their website, apparently some people aren't accessing them to get factual information. Yes, if you are the lead applicant for a regional AFG, you can also apply under any or all of the other AFG categories.

And the number-one AFG myth is …

1. "Our auxiliary actual holds title to the 2010 engine in our station so I don't have to list it on our AFG vehicle inventory."
The AFG guidelines state if you own the vehicle, lease it, have it on loan or have it on order, you need to list it in your inventory. Obviously, if the auxiliary owns it and you are using it, then it is either being loaned or leased to you.

As you plan for your 2015 AFG application, please access the wealth of information that FEMA has available on its website. The actual 2015 AFG guidelines will not be posted until closer to the grant opening.

However, you can still find a vast amount of relevant information in the Get Ready Guides, the 2014 FOA and other publications on the AFG website.