3 major changes for EMS Assistance to Firefighters Grant 2015 applicants

The largest government grant funding EMS training and equipment, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant, has made major changes to requirements for specific projects. AFG is a highly competitive grant program but for those agencies who are awarded, the benefits are substantial. Below are the major changes for EMS agencies to be aware of before applying:

1. Equipment 
"The basic mission of nonaffiliated EMS organizations is to provide BLS/ALS care and transport in support of the public and emergency responders."

• Rescue/extrication equipment has been downgraded to a medium priority for EMS organizations.
• Operational life of EMS technology-based equipment has been adjusted to 8-year replacement lifecycle is many cases. This includes AEDs, CPR compression devices, and monitor/defibrillators. PPE has remained at a 10-year replacement lifecycle.
• Mobile computing devices intended to be used at the scene of an incident are now considered a high-priority item.
• Community Paramedic Vehicles are a high priority, however it does not include emergency equipment (lights, siren, etc.) and these are non-transport vehicles.
• Dispatch consoles and CAD equipment/software are no longer eligible.

2. Training 
There have been titled changes under the training section for upgrading medical service. The U.S. Department of Transportation is in the process of changing titles for EMS providers. Those position title changes are:

• First Responder to Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
• Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) to Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
• Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate/85 (EMT-I) to Advanced EMT (AEMT)
• Emergency Medical Technician Intermediate/99 to Paramedic
• EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P) to Community Paramedics (Paramedics with Primary Care certification)

3. Regional grants 
Funding limitations have been placed on regional grant awards. The regional application funding limitation is based on the aggregate population of all regional applicants. For example:

• If the total population of the region is 150,000 then the maximum award is $2,000,000.
• If the host application with the population of 90,000, but with a regional population of 150,000 garners a $1,500,000 regional grant as a maximum.

These are the major changes to FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program that all EMS agencies should look over prior to submitting their application.

Learn more about grants for EMS agencies from EMSGrantsHelp.com.