Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Grant

Grants to Ohio Fire Departments for the Development
of Rural Fire Departments in Eligible Areas

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Agency Type:

State

Funding Source:

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Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) - Division of Forestry

Deadline Date:

01/15/21 - Postmarked or Emailed

Description:

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Grants of up to $10,000 to Ohio fire departments in eligible areas for projects and equipment that promote the development of rural fire departments. Funding is intended to support multi-community projects and the purchase of equipment, clothing, vehicles, and communications apparatus. Fire departments must be located within the ODNR Forestry Wildfire Protection Areas.

Priority will be given to departments in greatest need for the following projects:

A. Multi-community projects (county-wide projects or bulk purchases with four or more fire departments) or projects sponsored by county or regional fire associations

B. Purchase of wildland slip in pump units for trucks and all-terrain and utility vehicles (ATV/UTV)

C. Purchase of wildland personal protective equipment meeting NFPA 1977 Standard for Wildland Fire Protective Clothing (includes wildland fire shelters)

D. Conversion of Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) and Fire Fighter Property (FFP) equipment to fire fighting apparatus

E. Purchase of communication equipment with preference given to equipment compatible with Ohio’s MARCS system

F. Purchase of Utility Vehicles and All-Terrain Vehicles (UTV and ATV)

G. Purchase of structure fire PPE including turnout gear and airpacks meeting NFPA standards

H. Purchase of hand tools, power tools, hose, nozzles, fittings, dry hydrants, UAVs, training items, accessory items, other items used to carry forth the mission of the FD

Projects not in the priority list will receive secondary consideration for funding.

Any single piece of equipment purchased through the VFA program that costs $5,000 or greater is subject to USDA Forest Service property management and property disposal guidelines. ODNR Forestry will provide further instructions to successful candidates who are in this situation.

GrantWatch ID#:

GrantWatch ID#: 149244

Estimated Size of Grant:

A maximum of $10,000 has been placed upon the amount of federal reimbursement grant dollars to be awarded to any one multi-community project or individual fire department.

Term of Contract:

Only purchases made after grants are awarded will be eligible for reimbursement. Proof of purchase and proof of payment made by the department must be submitted to ODNR Forestry by October 30, 2021.

Eligibility:

See RFP and/or Grant Guidelines for full eligibility

Additional Eligibility Criteria:

Eligible applicants:
- Only Fire Departments who provide primary fire service coverage within the ODNR Forestry Wildfire Protection Area are eligible for this opportunity.
- Only Fire Departments who serve a community under 10,000 population qualify for this grant. FDs may serve a total population of over 10,000 as long as they do serve an individual community (township, village, etc.) with a qualifying population. For multi-community projects, the 10,000 limit may be exceeded and still qualify, providing none of the participating communities individually exceeds the 10,000 population limit.

Communities imposing strict boundary limits which exclude rural residences or using a subscription or a fee response system will not be considered.

Pre-Application Information:

Applications must be postmarked or emailed no later than January 15, 2021.

The grants are 50/50 matching reimbursement grants. Local funding must be available for the initial purchase of all items if the application is approved.

Departments must have a Fire Department Identification number (FDID) to qualify.

Applicants must have a DUNS Number that is registered with SAM.gov in order to receive funding. If you don’t have a DUNS number, you can request one at the following: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. The DUNS number must be registered with SAM.gov. For information on registering or updating your DUNS number information, please visit the “Help” section at http://www.sam.gov/.

Applicants must have a State of Ohio supplier number in order to receive funding. Applicants can verify/sign
up as a State of Ohio supplier and manage their account at https://supplier.ohio.gov.

Contact Information:

Before starting your grant application, please review the funding source's website listed below for updates/changes/addendums/conferences/LOIs.

Send applications to:
Aaron Kloss
ODNR - Ohio Division of Forestry
2045 Morse Road, H-1
Columbus, OH 43229

Email: aaron.kloss@dnr.state.oh.us
Phone: (614) 265-6896