Welcome to the Fire Management Assistance Grant course.

This course discusses the Fire Management Assistance Grant, the declaration process, and eligibility requirements.

By the end of the course, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial prospective Applicants and Recipients will be able to understand basic elements of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify the types of assistance that can be provided through the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Review the criteria, steps, and sequencing of key activities needed to apply for a Fire Management Assistance Grant
• Explain the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program administrative and documentation requirements

This lesson provides an overview of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

Upon completion of this lesson, participants will be able to:

• Identify administrative requirements of the course
• State the goals and objectives of the course
• Describe the overall purpose of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Explain the types of Fire Management Assistance Grant Program assistance

As previously stated, FEMA's Public Assistance Program administers Public Assistance Grants and the Fire Management Assistance Grants. Though the Public Assistance Program administers both grants, the two types of grants are different and are provided under different circumstances. The following information provides the key elements of each grant type:

Public Assistance Grants:

• Public Assistance Grants provide supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged publicly-owned facilities, and the facilities of certain private nonprofit organizations
• FEMA Public Assistance only provides these grants when an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration occurs
• Categories of Work are linked to debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged publicly-owned facilities, and the facilities of certain private nonprofit organizations
• Without an Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration, Applicants cannot apply for a Public Assistance Grant

Fire Management Assistance Grants:

• Fire Management Assistance Grants are FEMA's primary method for providing financial assistance to State, Local, and Tribal governments responding to wildland fires
• FEMA Public Assistance only provides these grants when a Fire Management Assistance Declaration occurs
• Eligible Work is directly linked to firefighting activities
• Without a Fire Management Assistance Grant Program Declaration, the Recipient cannot apply for a Fire Management Assistance Grant

Note: This course only discusses the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

The Fire Management Assistance Grant Program is based on a hierarchy of statutes, regulations, and policies. Each of these documents guides, shapes, and describes the program and its parameters.

• Robert T. Stafford Act, section 420
• Authorizes the President to provide fire management assistance to State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial governments
• Requires coordination with the State, Tribal, and Territorial Department of Forestry
• Allows the President to provide essential assistance under section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Act
• Requires the establishment of rules and regulations to carry out the program
• 2 Code of Federal Regulations Part 200
• Provides regulations regarding grant administration and allowable costs

As with most grant programs under FEMA, the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program is based on a partnership of FEMA, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial officials.

In administering the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, each of these entities has a different role:

• Program administrator
• The FEMA Regional Administrator
• Recipient
• State, Tribal, or Territorial government
• Applicant
• Local or Tribal government
• State or Territorial agency

The Public Assistance Program has many responsibilities in administering the Fire Management Assistance Grant. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Administering the program
• Reviewing and approving declaration requests
• Approving grants
• Providing technical assistance to the Recipient

A State, Tribe, and Territory can act as the Recipient for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program. However, only State and Territorial governments can request a Fire Management Assistance Declaration. Once the State or Territory receive the declaration, a Tribe can decide if they want to act as the Recipient or Applicant.

The Recipient's responsibilities under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program include, but are not limited to:

• Completing and maintaining required documents for a Fire Management Assistance Declaration
• Requesting the Fire Management Assistance Declaration (excluding Tribes)
• Educating potential Applicants on necessary document collection required by the grant upon the Recipient
• Working with FEMA to administer the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Implementing and monitoring the grant awarded under the Fire Management Declaration

A Local and Tribal government, as well as a State or Territorial agency can act as the Applicant for a Fire Management Assistance Grant. The Applicant within the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program receives grant funding through the program. The Applicant’s responsibilities for the administration of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program include, but are not limited to:

• Applying for a Fire Management Assistance Grant
• Providing accurate and sufficient data to the State
• Documenting costs incurred in response to a Fire Management Assistance Grant Program declaration
• Conducting fire suppression efforts

To receive financial assistance under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, the Applicant must have eligible work that meets the requirements for one of the program's Category of Work.

For work to be eligible, it must be:

• The legal responsibility of the Applicant, whether it was performed by the Applicant's own agents or through a secondary party
• Required as a result of a declared fire
• Located within the designated area

Eligible work must also directly relate to a Category of Work for the Applicant to receive grant funding. Generally eligible Categories of Work for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program include:

• Category B: Emergency protective measures
• Category H: Fire-fighting activities
• Category Z: Indirect and Direct Administrative Costs

The last Category of Work an Applicant can receive grant funding for under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program is indirect and direct administrative costs.

Indirect costs are costs related to managing the Fire Management Declaration. Direct Administrative Costs are costs related to managing the projects.

Examples of indirect and direct administrative costs include, but are not limited to:

• Evaluation of hazard mitigation measures
• Collection, copying, filing, or submittal of documents to support the claim
• Request of disbursement of Public Assistance Fire Management Assistant Grant funds

In this lesson, participants learned how to:

• Identify administrative requirements of the course
• State the goals and objectives of the course
• Describe the overall purpose of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Explain the types of Fire Management Assistance Grant Program Assistance

This lesson provides an overview of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program declaration request process.

Upon completion of this lesson, the participants will be able to:

• Describe the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program declaration process
• Identify the roles and responsibilities in submitting, processing, and approving a fire declaration request

• Pre-incident actions
• Submission of FEMA-State/Tribal/Territorial Agreement
• Submission of a State Administration Plan
• Pre-declaration actions
• The incident
• State or Territory request for declaration
• FEMA review of the request
• Regional Administrator evaluation and determination of the request
• Determination of qualifying fires in a fire complex
• FEMA communication of the determination
• Post-declaration activities
• Submission of Attachment C amendment to the FEMA-State/Tribal/Territorial Agreement
• Modification of a request to add counties
• Determination of the incident period

For Applicants impacted by a wildfire to be considered for Fire Management Assistance grant funding, the Recipient should provide FEMA with the following documents prior to an incident:

• FEMA-State/Tribal/Territorial Agreement
• Submission of a State Administration Plan

The Agreement consists of 10 articles and three attachments.  A FEMA-State Agreement template is available from the FEMA HQ Declarations Unit. The ten articles and three Attachments are listed below:
Articles

I. Purpose and Background

II. General Provisions

• Grant Award Package
• FEMA Responsibilities
• State Responsibilities• 
• Certification and Waivers
• Federal Assistance
• Controlling Authorities

III. Funding

• Payment Process
• Availability of Funding

IV. Reporting

• Federal Financing and Performance Reports
• Project Closeout
• Enforcement
• Records Retention

V. Recovery of Funds

• In General
• Duplication of Benefits
• Cooperation
• State Responsibilities
• Statute of Limitations
• Refunds, Rebates, and Credits

VI. Performance Periods

VII. Remedies for Non-Compliance

VIII. Attachments

IX. Amendments

X. Signatures and Effective Date

• Counterpart Signatures
• Effective Date

Attachments

• Attachment A – State Certification Officers
• Attachment A designates the Governor’s Authorized Representative and Alternate Governor’s Authorized Representative empowered by the Governor to execute all necessary documents for Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, including the declaration request and application for a Fire Management Assistance Grant
• Note: In cases where a FEMA-Tribal Agreement has been signed by the Chief Executive of the tribal government, the State Certification Officers listed in Attachment A of the agreement designates and empowers a Tribal representative and Alternate representative to execute the application for a Fire Management Assistance Grant. Until Attachment A has been completed, only the Chief Executive of the Tribal government has the authority to submit the application for a Fire Management Assistance Grant
• Attachment B - Certification for Contracts, Grants, Loans, and Cooperative Agreements
• This attachment certifies that no Federal appropriated funds are used to influence or attempt to influence officers or employees of an agency, member of Congress, an officer of employee of Congress in connection with the awarding of a Federal grant or loan, cooperative agreement, or an extension continuation, renewal, amendment or modification of these
• This certification is required by the regulations implementing the “New Restrictions on Lobbying”, 44 CFR part 18
• Attachment C - Declaration Amendments
• After a State’s declaration request has been approved, the Governor or Governor’s Authorized Representative should immediately sign the Amendment of the FEMA-State Agreement for Fire  Management Assistance Grant Program
• The Amendment must be signed by the State (or Tribal Government when appropriate) and FEMA for each declared fire that occurs within the calendar year

Once a wildfire threatens to become a major disaster, the State or Territory can begin the process to request a Fire Management Assistance Declaration. The pre-declaration events and actions include:

• The incident
• State or Territory request for declaration
• Regional Administrator evaluation and determination of the request
• FEMA Regional Administrator review, evaluation, and determination of the request
• Determination of qualifying fires (if a fire complex is requested)

The first step in the Fire Management Assistance Declaration process is the State or Territory submitting the request.

If an uncontrolled fire or fire complex threatens such destruction that would constitute a major disaster, the Governor or Governor’s Authorized Representative may submit a request for a Fire Management Assistance Declaration.

The Governor or Governor’s Authorized Representative must submit a request while the fire is burning uncontrolled. As the program declaration request process operates in real time during an incident, declaration requests may be submitted day or night.

When submitting a request for a declaration, the governor or governor's authorized representative completes two steps:

• Verbal declaration request
• Written declaration request

To expedite processing of the State or Territory's declaration request, the Governor or Governor's authorized representative should submit the request verbally by telephone to the appropriate FEMA Regional Administrator or designated FEMA Regional Fire Duty Liaison.

The Governor or Governor’s Authorized Representative provides relevant information to the FEMA Regional Administrator or designated Regional Fire Duty Officer or Fire Action Officer that supports their requests and assists in the declaration determination. Information include factual data and professional estimates, if available, for the following:

• Name of the fire or fire complex
• Size of the fire(s) in acres or square miles
• Name, location, and population of community(ies) threatened
• Number of primary and secondary residences and businesses threatened
• Distance of fire to nearest communities
• Number of persons evacuated to date, if applicable
• Percent of fire contained
• High fire-danger conditions
• Current and predicted (24-hour) weather conditions
• Degree to which State and local resources are committed to this fire and other fires in Federal, State, and local jurisdictions

For the written declaration request, the Governor or Governor's Authorized Representative provides information that supports their request.

The Governor or Governor's Authorized Representative must fill out and sign the Request for Fire Management Assistance Declaration, FEMA Form 078-0-1, which has space to include the same information provided during the expedited request.

Once the State or Territory submits the Request for Fire Assistance Management Declaration, FEMA Form 078-0-1, the FEMA Regional Office is responsible for reviewing it.

For Fire Management Assistance Declarations, the FEMA Regional Fire Duty Liaison or Fire Action Officer is the primary point of contact. This individual manages the declaration requests that are submitted. The Regional Fire Duty Liaison does the following to manage requests:

• Verifies the information in the Request for Fire Management Assistance, FEMA Form 078-0-1, with the Federal Principal Advisor
• Briefs the Region's Recovery Director on the state of the request

If the declaration request is incomplete, or insufficient to make a determination for a declaration, the FEMA Regional Office may reach out to obtain additional information from the State or Territory.

After the Regional Fire Duty Liaison/Fire Action Officer receives the Principal Advisor's Report and briefs the Region's Recovery Director, s/he provides the Request for Declaration supporting information, and the Principal Advisor's Report to the Regional Administrator.

The Regional Administrator evaluates the declaration request and makes a determination to approve or deny the request. The Regional Administrator bases their determination on the following:

• Evaluation criteria
• Imminent threat to lives and improved property, including threats to critical facilities/infrastructure, and critical watershed areas
• Availability of State or Territory and Local firefighting resources
• High fire danger conditions, as indicated by nationally accepted indices such as the National Fire Danger Ratings System
• Potential major economic impact
• Information provided in the State or Territory's declaration request
• Principal Advisor's Report

• National Fire Danger Rating System
• Keetch-Byram Drought Index
• Palmer Drought Index
• Haines Index
• Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System

• Regional level
• State or Territory level
• Local level

For example, if a fire threatens a large subdivision of primary homes, or if a fire threatens a community's drinking water reservoir and other drinking water resources are not available those factors provide relevant data and information that weigh on the final determination of the Request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant declaration.

In the case of a fire complex, FEMA and the State or Territory work together to determine which fires are eligible under the Fire Management Assistance Declaration. Even though an entire complex may be designated in a declaration request, not all fires within the complex automatically qualify.

FEMA and the State or Territory assess each fire included in the fire complex against the evaluation criteria and information the Regional Administrator uses to make a determination on the Request for Fire Management Assistance Declaration. Using the criteria, FEMA and the State or Territory come to an agreement on which fires in a fire complex are eligible.

FEMA and the State or Territory can also make a decision on which fires within a fire complex qualify under the declaration after the Regional Administrator approves the State or Territory's declaration request.

In addition to externally communicating the Request for Fire Management Assistance Declaration determination, the Regional Fire Duty Liaison sends an email to Regional leadership and FEMA Headquarters leadership stating the determination and providing declaration facts.

• FEMA Headquarters leadership acknowledges the declaration upon receipt of the determination

At the same time, the FEMA Regional Public Assistance Branch compiles all documentation related to the declaration request and forwards it to the FEMA Declarations Unit.

• The FEMA Declarations Unit provides the FEMA Regional Office with an assigned Fire Management Assistance Declaration Number for the declared fire

If the Regional Administrator approves of the Request for Fire Management Assistance Declaration, FEMA and the Recipient take additional actions to complete the appropriate paperwork and the incident period is agreed upon. Paperwork and actions include, but are not limited to:

• Submission of Appendix C amendment to the FEMA-State/Tribal/Territorial Agreement
• Modification of a request to add counties
• Determination of the incident period

If the Recipient submitted their FEMA-State/Tribal/Territorial Agreement prior to the incident, then the Recipient only needs to submit Attachment C. If the Recipient has not submitted the agreement, they need to submit both at the same time to FEMA.

The Recipient must fill out and submit Exhibit E for each declared fire. Attachment C contains the following information:

• Name of the fire or fire complex
• Fire Management Assistance Declaration number
• Affected counties
• Incident period

Incident period start date:

• The incident period may start on the date of the Fire Management Assistance Declaration or with the initial firefighting actions at the time when the fire threatened such destruction as would constitute a major disaster
• If the incident period starts before the date of the State or Territory's declaration request, the factors and circumstances (e.g., immediate threats to life including evacuation) should be documented by the State or Territory and provided to FEMA

Incident period end date:

• The incident period usually closes at the end of a shift when the fire is controlled

If the FEMA Regional Administrator denies the State or Territory's declaration request, it has one opportunity to appeal the denial. The appeal is reviewed by FEMA Headquarters.

• The Governor or the Governor's authorized representative has 30 days to submit an appeal in writing after the date of the letter denying the request
  
• The appeal should contain any necessary additional information that bolsters the State's original declaration request
  
• The Regional Administrator reviews the appeal, writes a recommendation, and forwards the appeal with the recommendation to FEMA Headquarters
  
• The FEMA Headquarters Office decides on the appeal and notifies the State of its determination within 90 days of receipt of the appeal

The State or Territory can also request an extension to submit their appeal.

• The State or Territory must submit their extension request in writing to the Regional Administrator no later than 30 days from the date of the receipt of the declaration request denial
  
• The request must include justification for the need for an extension
  
• The FEMA Headquarters office reviews the extension request and informs the FEMA Region of the determination
  
• The FEMA Region informs the State or Territory of the determination

After a State or Territory receives a Fire Management Assistance Grant Declaration, the State or Territory may also request a major disaster or emergency declaration in response to the wildfires or wildfire threat.

FEMA will generally not recommend a major disaster declaration for a wildland fire, unless the fire has significant impacts and costs that could not be addressed by the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program

In this lesson, participants learned how to:

• Describe the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program declaration process
• Identify the roles and responsibilities in submitting, processing, and approving a fire declaration request

The next lesson provides an overview of the document collection and reimbursement process for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

This lesson explains the documentation process and requirements under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program. This lesson also discusses FEMA's Annual Fire Cost threshold calculation, which is used to determine minimum grant award amounts.

Upon completion of this lesson, the participants will be able to:

• Describe the process to submit for reimbursement to the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Describe FEMA's methodology for establishing the grant award amount for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program

The FEMA Regional Office is responsible for reviewing grant applications for eligibility and approving and obligating funds. It is also responsible for maintaining a grant application file that may include the following forms:

• Standard Form 424 Request for Federal Assistance
• FEMA Form 078-0-1 Request for Fire Management Declaration
• FEMA Form 078-0-2 Principal Advisor's Report
• FEMA Form 089-0-24 Request for Fire Management Assistance Subgrant
• FEMA Form 009-0-0-7 Project Worksheet
• FEMA Form 20-16a Assurances Non-Construction Programs
• FEMA Form 20-16b Assurances Construction Programs
• Standard Form 269 Financial Status Report
• Standard Form 425 Federal Financial Report

The Recipient must submit its initial grant application (Standard Form 424) no later than nine months after the date of the fire declaration. In extenuating circumstances, such as delay in receiving bills for Federal resources ordered, the Recipient may submit a written request for a time extension to the FEMA Regional Administrator. The request for a time extension must provide a detailed justification for the delay and need for the extension. Upon receipt of the written request from the Recipient, the FEMA Regional Administrator may approve a time extension of up to six months.

The FEMA Regional Administrator has 45 days from the receipt of the Recipient's initial grant application, or an amendment to the Recipient's grant application, to approve or deny the application package or amendment or to notify the Recipient of a delay. Before the Regional Administrator can approve the Recipient's grant application, the Recipient must demonstrate that it:

• Met the fire cost threshold;
• Has an approved State/Tribal/Territorial Administrative Plan; and
• Has an approved State Mitigation Plan

State, Territorial, and Tribal government agencies not designated as a Recipient, as well as Local government entities, may be eligible for Fire Management Assistance Grant Program subgrants managed by the Recipient.

• In cases where a Tribal government is serving in a dual role as a Recipient and an Applicant under the State or Territory's declaration, all Tribal government entities applying for subgrants must submit their applications through the Tribal Government Recipient
• Privately owned entities, private nonprofits, and volunteer entities are not eligible for subgrant, but may be reimbursed through Mutual Aid agreements with an eligible Applicant

FEMA takes the following into consideration when reviewing if the Recipient meets the fire cost threshold:

• The cost for the pre-positioning of wildland firefighting resources is not considered when determining whether a grant application meets the fire cost threshold
• The costs for all eligible fires within a declared fire complex are aggregated and treated as an individual fire for purposes of meeting or exceeding the fire cost thresholds

Amendments to the initial grant application may be submitted thereafter, increasing the overall value of the grant.

The fire cost thresholds for each State, Tribe, or Territory are adjusted annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The individual fire cost threshold is based on total eligible costs for the declared fire. The individual fire cost threshold for a State is the greater of the following:

• $100,000; or
• 5% x the statewide per capita indicator x the State population (the statewide per capita indicator is adjusted annually for inflation. (The FY18 indicator is $1.46)

The cumulative fire cost threshold is based on total eligible costs incurred during the calendar year for all declared fires and total costs incurred on non-declared wildland fires (Federal costs not billed/payable by the State, Tribe, or Territory cannot be included in this calculation). The cumulative fire cost threshold for a State, Tribe, or Territory is the greater of the following:

• $500,000; or
• 3 x 5% the statewide per capita indicator x the State population (the statewide per capita indicator is adjusted annually for inflation. (The FY18 indicator is $1.46)

In accordance with Title 44 CFR part 204.51(d) (1), Application and Approval Procedures for a Fire Management Assistance Grant, State Administrative Plan, the State, Tribe, or Territory must develop an Administrative Plan or have a current FEMA-approved Administrative Plan on file with the FEMA Regional Office that describes the procedures for administering the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

• The plan may be a stand-alone document or an addendum to the Public Assistance Program State/Tribal/Territorial Administrative Plan
• The State should review its Fire Management Assistance Grant Program State Administrative Plan annually and make necessary amendments to reflect changes in programmatic guidance or signatory parties

At a minimum, the State/Tribal/Territorial Administrative Plan must include:

• The designation of the State, Tribal, or Territorial agency (i.e., Recipient) that will have responsibility for program administration; and
• The identification of staffing functions, sources of staff to fill these functions, and management and oversight responsibilities of each
• Procedures for:
• Notifying potential applicants of the availability of the program
• Assisting FEMA in determining applicant eligibility
• Submitting and reviewing subgrant applications
• Processing payment requests for Applicants
• Submitting, reviewing, and accepting performance and financial reports
• Monitoring, closing-out, auditing, and reconciling of subgrants
• Recovering funds for disallowed costs
• Processing appeal requests and requests for time extensions
• Providing technical assistance and materials on the application procedures, program eligibility guidance, and program deadlines

Section 322 of the Stafford Act, Mitigation Planning and implementing regulations (Title 44 CFR parts 201 and 204), requires governments to take a proactive approach to mitigation planning.

Before FEMA can approve a Recipient's Fire Management Assistance Grant Program application, the Recipient must have an approved State/Tribal/Territorial Mitigation Plan that addresses the State's wildfire risks and cost-effective mitigation measures to produce long-term benefits.

The State, Tribe, or Territory can submit their mitigation plan prior to an incident occurring.

• States, Tribes, and Territories are required to update this plan every five years
• The State, Tribe, or Territory must submit their mitigation plan within 30 days of the signature date of the Attachment C amendment of the FEMA-State/Tribal/Territorial Agreement

Once the Applicant applies for a Fire Management Assistance Grant, FEMA reviews the eligibility of the application. The three components of eligibility that FEMA reviews are:

• Applicant
• Work
• Cost

If FEMA approves of the Applicant, their work, and cost passes, they then receive grant funding.

The next component of eligibility is work eligibility. The Applicant's work to contain the fire or fire complex must meet certain eligibility requirements for the Applicant to receive grant funding.

The first requirement of work eligibility is that it must be associated with the incident period of a declared fire.

The second requirement of work eligibility is that it must meet minimum work eligibility requirements. At a minimum, work must meet each of the following criteria to be eligible:

• The legal responsibility of the eligible Applicant, whether it was performed by the Applicant's own agents or through a secondary party
• Required as a result of the declared fire
• Located within the designated area

The third requirement of work eligibility is that it must fall within one of the Categories of Work. Through the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, FEMA only provides grant funding for the following Categories of Work:

• Category B: Emergency protective measures
• Category H: Fire-fighting activities
• Category Z: Indirect and Direct Administrative Costs

Recipient

Under Title 2 Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, the Recipient may claim both indirect and direct administrative costs associated with requesting, obtaining, and administering a grant for a declared fire.

Direct costs include regular and overtime pay and travel expenses for permanent, reassigned, temporary, and contract employees who assist in administering the Grant.

Funding for other direct costs incurred by the Recipient administering a grant, such as equipment and supply purchases, may be eligible, but must be approved by the Regional Administrator.

Indirect costs incurred by the Recipient during the administration of a grant are allowed in accordance with the provisions of Title 2 Code of Federal Regulations Part 200 and OMB Circular A-87. The Recipient must submit a copy of the indirect cost proposal along with the project worksheet for indirect costs. The project worksheet is reviewed by FEMA's Disaster Finance Center for reasonableness and eligibility.

Costs included in the computation of the indirect cost rate are not allowable as direct administrative costs.

Costs claimed by the Applicant is the final eligibility component. It is important to understand that not all costs incurred due to the incident are eligible. As with eligible work, all eligible costs must be associated with the incident period of a declared fire. All eligible costs are subject to the established cost share structure for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program: 75 percent Federal, 25 percent non-Federal.

To typically be eligible, costs must meet all the following criteria:

• Directly tied to the performance of eligible work
• Adequately documented
• Reduced by all applicable credits, such as insurance proceeds and salvage values
• Authorized and not prohibited under Federal, State, Territorial, Tribal, or Local government laws or regulations
• Consistent with the Applicant's internal policies, regulations, and procedures that apply uniformly to both Federal awards and other activities of the Applicant
• Necessary and reasonable to accomplish the work properly and efficiently

FEMA will reimburse Applicants for costs associated with equipment and supplies used for declared fires. Some generally eligible costs include, but are not limited to:

• Personal comfort and safety items normally provided by the State under field conditions for firefighter health and safety
• Replacement of firefighting supplies, tools, and materials that are expended, lost, or destroyed, with comparable items to the extent not covered by reasonable insurance
• Reimbursement for ownership and operation costs of applicant-owned equipment based on equipment rate guidelines in 44 CFR 206.228(a)(1), Allowable costs
• Operation and maintenance costs of publicly owned, contracted, rented, or volunteer firefighting department equipment to the extent any of these costs are not included in applicable equipment rates
• Payment for use of U.S. government-owned equipment based on reasonable actual costs as billed by a Federal agency and paid by the State. Reimbursement for the use of Federal Excess Personal Property is based only on the direct cost for use of the equipment

Purchase of supplies and equipment that are necessary to respond to the declared fire may be eligible.

• The Recipient or Applicant may be required to compensate FEMA for the fair market value of the equipment and supplies when the items are no longer needed for fire suppression activities
• FEMA Policy No. 9525.12, Disposition of Equipment, Supplies and Salvaged Materials provides guidance

Equipment use and supply cost for the management of the grant or application may also be eligible for reimbursement under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

Certain labor costs are also typically eligible for reimbursement under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program. These labor costs include:

• Overtime for force account permanent or reassigned State, Territory, Tribal, or local governmental employees, including firefighters, police, logistical support, and other personnel involved in eligible fire suppression-related activities
• Seasonally employed personnel, when covered under existing budgets and used for fire suppression activities during the season of employment, are considered permanently employed for the purpose of cost eligibility
• Regular-time and overtime for temporary and contract employees hired to perform eligible fire suppression-related activities
• Increased portion of overtime costs for regular full-time employees backfilling (one level) for other regular full-time employees within the same entity who are performing eligible fire suppression-related work
• Permanent employees who are funded from an external source (e.g., by a grant from a Federal agency, statutorily dedicated funds, or rate-payers) to work on specific tasks not related to a declared fire may be paid for regular-time and overtime for fire suppression-related work

Travel and per diem are also generally eligible costs for Applicants under a declared fire. Eligible travel and per diem may include:

• Travel and per diem for all State, Territory, Tribal, and local governmental employees who provide services requested by the Incident Commander and directly associated with declared and eligible fire-related activities, and
• Field camps and meal costs when provided in lieu of per diem

Another potential eligible cost is the prepositioning of resources for a declared fire.

Pre-positioning is the temporary relocation of existing fire prevention or suppression resources from an area of low fire danger to one of higher fire danger in anticipation of an increase in fire activity likely to constitute the threat of a major disaster.

Pre-positioning costs incurred up to a maximum of 21 days before the date of the fire declaration may be eligible under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, even when staged outside the designated area.

• Pre-positioning costs for out-of-state, Federal, and International pre-positioned resources that were actually used on the declared fire are eligible. Pre-positioning of privately owned local resources (those physically located within a State) may be eligible
• State or Local government-owned/operated resources are not eligible. Costs incurred to pre-position resources that remained at the staging area and were not used on the declared fire are not eligible

The Regional Administrator must approve all pre-positioning costs. For pre-positioning costs to be eligible under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program, the Recipient must:

• Notify the FEMA Regional Administrator of its intention to seek funding for pre-positioning resources at the time it submits the declaration request (or immediately thereafter)
• Since pre-positioning is undertaken in anticipation of an event, it is reasonable for a State to know whether it anticipates submitting costs for pre-positioning at the time the declaration request is approved or immediately thereafter
• Document specific pre-positioned resources by number, type, and location
• Estimate the cost of the pre-positioned resources and the duration of pre-positioning
• Provide detailed justification for pre-positioning, including scientific indicators such as drought indices, current allocation of State firefighting resources, weather conditions, and the number of wildland fires currently burning in the State

Parties are encouraged to have a written mutual aid agreement in place prior to a declared fire that addresses pre-positioning costs.

Mitigation, management, and control are those activities undertaken, generally during the incident period of a declared fire, to minimize the immediate adverse effects and to manage and control the fire. Only emergency work performed during the incident period of a declared fire is potentially eligible for funding.

Essential mitigation, management, and control activities under section 403 may include:

• Police barricading and traffic control
• Extraordinary emergency operations center expenses;
• Evacuation and sheltering (people, household pets, and service animals)
• Search and rescue
• Arson patrol and investigation teams, operating during the declared fire incident period when there is a clear continuing threat
• Public information dissemination to inform people what to do during the declared fire
• Limited removal of burned or unburned trees (i.e., snags) that pose a threat to the safety of the general public

Mitigation activities designed to reduce the potential for future fires or to minimize damage from future fires are ineligible for funding under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

Another generally eligible cost is a temporary repair. Temporary repair of damage caused by firefighting activities are short-term actions to repair damage directly caused by firefighting efforts or activities.

• All temporary repair must be completed within 30 days of the close of the incident period for the declared fire. It should be noted that temporary does not include repair of damage caused by the declared fire. Additionally, the eligible cost of temporary repairs is less any proceeds covered by insurance

Examples of temporary repair activities that may be eligible for funding include:

• Minimal repairs to bulldozer lines, field camps, and staging areas to address safety concerns. For example, severe gouging of the grounds of a heavily trafficked park or recreation area may be eligible to be filled or boarded over to mitigate public safety and health concerns. However, temporary repairs would not include a complete re-grading of an entire park or recreation area
• Minimal repairs to facilities, such as fences, buildings, bridges, and roads, damaged by firefighting activities. For example, repair of a portion of a fence that was removed to gain access to a declared fire with a section of chain link fence may be eligible

In contrast to eligible costs, there are also costs that are generally ineligible. Common ineligible costs include the following, but are not limited to:

• Costs not directly associated with the fire's incident period (with the exception of pre-positioning, and mobilization/demobilization of eligible resources)
• Costs incurred in the mitigation, management, and control of undeclared fires
• Costs for the straight or regular-time salaries and benefits of permanently employed or reassigned personnel of an Applicant
• Costs for mitigation, management, and control of a declared fire on commingled Federal land when such costs are reimbursable to the State by a Federal agency under another statute
• Time and costs expended by volunteer labor, which by nature is offered on a donated basis and is not bound by contract or employment terms
• Costs related to planning, pre-suppression, recovery, and mitigation of possible future damage related to the burn area of the declared fire, such as:
• Planning actions such as risk assessments
• Cutting fire-breaks without the presence of an imminent threat
• Pre-planned non-field training;
• Timber salvage
• Restoration of facilities damaged by fire

The Request for a Fire Management Assistance Subgrant is an Applicant's official notification to both the Recipient and FEMA of its intent to apply for a subgrant. The form includes information identifying the Applicant, including the Applicant's name, address, and primary and secondary contacts. The Recipient reviews the request and forwards it to the FEMA Regional Office. The Regional Administrator then determines Applicant eligibility and informs the Recipient of his/her determination. The Recipient then notifies the Applicant. If approved, the subgrant application process may begin.

Once approved, the Recipient coordinates with the FEMA Region to develop a project for all eligible costs to be reimbursed.

After approving a Recipient or Applicant's request, FEMA Regional staff may begin to work with the Recipient and local staff to prepare projects in Grants Portal. The project:

• Identifies actual costs incurred by the eligible Applicant as a result of eligible firefighting activities
• Is used to document the location, damage description and dimensions, scope of work, and cost estimates for materials, labor, and other costs for each project
• Acts as the basis for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program

The Regional Administrator may request the Principal Fire Advisor to assist with project preparation. If a Recipient or FEMA prepares a project for an Applicant, the Applicant must review and concur with the project.

The Applicant must submit all projects to the Recipient for review. The Recipient then submits them to the Regional Administrator as part of its grant application. With the exception of Category Z – Direct Administrative Cost projects, all other projects must be greater than $1,000 to be eligible under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

Projects must be submitted within the timeframe established by the Recipient, but no later than six months from the close of the incident period. At the request of the Recipient, the Regional Administrator may grant a six-month extension.

The Recipient must submit a copy of the indirect cost proposal along with the project for indirect costs. The project is reviewed by FEMA's Disaster Finance Center for reasonableness and eligibility.

When a pre-event agreement provides for reimbursement, but also provides for an initial period of unpaid assistance, FEMA will pay the eligible costs of assistance after the initial unpaid period. When a pre-event mutual aid agreement provides for reimbursement and there is a consistent record of reimbursement without Federal funds, FEMA reimbursement will follow the provisions of the agreement.

For example, states A and B have a pre-event agreement that provides for reimbursement beyond an initial period of unpaid assistance of 48 hours. Following a governor's emergency declaration, State A activates the agreement and State B sends support resources. State A reimburses State B for costs incurred in providing support following the initial 48-hour period. State A can request reimbursement from FEMA for the funds State A provided to State B for reimbursement outside of the initial 48-hour period of unpaid assistance.

When the parties do not have a pre-event written mutual aid agreement, the Requesting and Providing entities may verbally agree on the type and extent of mutual aid resources to be provided to the current event, and the terms, conditions, and costs of such assistance. Post-event verbal agreements must be documented in writing and executed by an official of each entity with authority to request and provide assistance, and provided to FEMA as a condition of receiving reimbursement.

FEMA may not duplicate benefits received by or available to the Applicant from insurance, other assistance programs, legal awards, or any other source to address the same purpose. An Applicant must notify the Recipient of all benefits that it receives or anticipates receiving from other sources for the same purpose and must seek all such benefits available to them. FEMA will reduce the grant by the amount available for the same purpose from other sources.

Assistance may be provided under the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program when other benefits do not fully cover the eligible work. However, the Applicant must repay FEMA for any duplicated amounts that it receives or has available to it from other sources.

FEMA does not provide assistance for activities for which another Federal agency has more specific or primary authority to provide assistance. FEMA may disallow or recoup amounts that fall within another Federal agency's statutory authority. FEMA may provide assistance in such situations, but the Applicant must agree to seek assistance from the appropriate Federal agency and to repay FEMA for amounts that are within another agency's authority.

For example, if an Applicant is eligible to receive funds through the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program, the Applicant must seek Small Business Administration funding and report this assistance to FEMA.

It is the Applicant's responsibility to notify the Recipient of any duplicate costs recovered from another Federal agency.

Documentation is the process of establishing and maintaining accurate records of events and expenditures related to suppression and recovery work. The information required for documentation basically describes the "who, what, when, where, why, and how much" for each item of disaster recovery work.

Supporting documentation substantiates all claims on the project. Accurate and complete documentation will facilitate the validation, approval, and funding processes for projects.

All documentation pertaining to a project should be filed together with the corresponding project and maintained as part of the permanent record of the project. These records become the basis for verifying project costs.

The grant award will be based on the projected amount of total eligible costs for which a State, Tribe, or Territory applies, and that FEMA approves, related to a declared fire. Only the costs accrued during the incident period will be reimbursed at the cost share rate. Eligible Category B and H costs will be calculated based upon FEMA's equipment rates. Labor amounts and overtime are calculated from the rates set by the Recipient.

All Fire Management Assistance Grants are subject to a cost-share. Under Title 44 CFR section 204.61 the Federal cost share for a Fire Management Assistance Grant is 75 percent. The remaining 25 percent non-Federal cost share can be provided in its entirety by the Recipient, Applicant, or a combination of the two. Under programmatic regulations, FEMA may not adjust the cost-share. All terms and conditions are outlined in the FEMA-State/Tribal/Territorial Agreement and apply to all declared fires within each calendar year.

FEMA typically provides reimbursement to the Recipient who then provides reimbursement to Applicant.

In this lesson, participants learned how to:

• Describe the process to submit for reimbursement to the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Describe FEMA's methodology for establishing the grant award amount for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program

The next lesson provides a review of the course objectives.

This lesson will review the course objectives. Participants will take a Post-Course Assessment at its conclusion.

At the end of this lesson, participants will be able to summarize the content of this course.

In this course, participants learned how to:

• Identify the types of assistance that can be provided through the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Review the criteria, steps, and sequencing of key activities needed to apply for a Fire Management Assistance Grant
• Explain the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program administrative and documentation requirements

Lesson 1 described the overall purpose of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.

Participants should now be able to:

• Describe the overall purpose of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Explain the types of Fire Management Assistance Grant Program assistance

Lesson 2 provided an overview of the fire declaration request process in order to access Fire Management Assistance Grants.

Participants should now be able to:

• Describe the declaration process for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Identify the roles and responsibilities in submitting, processing, and approving a fire declaration request

Lesson 3 covered the processes for requesting reimbursement through the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program and the required documentation.

Participants should now be able to:

• Describe the process to submit for reimbursement to the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program
• Describe FEMA's methodology for establishing the grant award amount for the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program

This course is complete.

The course provided participants with an overview of the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program.