National Fire Plan - Rural Fire Assistance

 

To implement the National Fire Plan by increasing firefighter safety and enhancing the knowledge and fire protection capability of rural fire departments by providing assistance in education and training, protective clothing and equipment purchase, and support to public education efforts on a cost share basis.

Deleted 04/02/2020 (Archived.) 15.949 Agency: Department of the Interior
Office: National Park Service Advisory Services and Counseling; Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants); Dissemination of Technical Information; Provision of Specialized Services; Training; Use of Property, Facilities, and Equipment Fiscal Year 2014: Three awards were made to the State of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Fiscal Year 2015: No information available. Fiscal Year 2016: No information available. Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2005, Title I, Public Law 108-447. This program was first implemented in the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2001, Title IV, Public Law 106-291; 16 USC 1f, NPS Challenge Cost Share. State and local government, Public nonprofit institution/organizations, Other public institution/organization, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government, Private nonprofit institution/organization, Native American Organization, and rural fire departments serving a community with a population of 10,000 or less in the wildland/urban interface. All applicants must be rural fire departments serving a community with a population of 10,000 or less in the wildland/urban interface. State, Local, Public Nonprofit Institution/Organization, Other Public Institution/Organization, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government, Small Business, Profit Organization, Private Organization, Anyone/General Public, Native American Organization, Farmer/Rancher/Agriculture Producer, Homeowner, Land/Property Owner, Suburban, and Rural. The following criteria applies for a fire department to participate in the program:
Statewide agreement with the State Forester, who maintains cooperative fire agreements with the rural fire department/volunteer fire department, or a cooperative fire agreement with an Interior Bureau; rural fire department serving
a community with a population of 10,000 or less in the wildland/urban interface; and the funding request is limited to training, equipment, and prevention activities. The rural fire department must have the capability to meet cost share at a
minimum of 10% which may include in-kind services.

2 CFR Part 200, in its entirety, applies to this program. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. This program is excluded from coverage under 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. Rural Fire Assistance is coordinated through each State Forester and the Regional Office, or National Park unit. Procedures may be found on the National Interagency Fire Center website at: http://www.nifc.gov/rfa/index.html. No specific application forms apply, except for grants awarded, the standard application forms furnished by the Federal agency and required by 43 CFR Part 12, Subpart C, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments," and 43 CFR Part 12, Subpart F, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations", must be used by this program. To ensure consistency within existing rural fire assistance programs, the Department of the Interior bureaus work with the State Foresters and other Federal partners to ensure that funding is allocated in the amount of the award to qualified and suitable rural fire districts. Specific information will be provided at the local or regional office, as appropriate for application deadlines or visit the National Interagency Fire Centers website at: http://www.nifc.gov/rfa/index.html . Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines. Rural fire assistance projects are approved by the Bureau/Service/Park Unit in coordination with the State Forester and other Federal partners. Normally all grant requests are received and awards made during the same fiscal year. None. None. Criteria for ranking eligible Rural Fire Departments, relative to other applicants, for funding allocation are: The fire department's frequency of responses to wildland/urban fire incidents in the local area; the fire department's wildland prevention and education program needs; the fire department's training program needs; the communities and Department of the Interior's values to be protected; the percentage of wildland/urban lands; and the number of wildland fire engines in the department relative to the percentage of wildland/urban interface acres protected. Emphasis is placed on fire departments that protect rural communities and play a substantial cooperative role in the protection of the Department of the Interior managed public lands. For further information, please contact the regional office. No program reports are required. No cash reports are required. Performance monitoring schedules and/or progress reports will be developed in consultation with the applicant, but at a minimum will take place at least once during the life of a project, in accordance with 43 CFR Part 12, Department of the Interior regulations for Federal Financial Assistance. SF 425. Performance monitoring is not applicable. In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, non-Federal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR 200.503. Per 2 CFR Part 200.333 – 200.337. Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.
Matching Requirements: This program includes matching requirements. For example, rural fire departments must have the capability to meet cost share at a minimum of 10% which may include in kind services.
MOE requirements are not applicable to this program. Projects are funded on a single year basis and normally funds are expended during the fiscal year of the award. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: For further information, please contact the regional office. See Regional Agency Offices. See Catalog Appendix IV for addresses. Jeff Scott National Park Service, National Interagency Fire Center, 3833 S. Development Ave, Boise, Idaho 83705 Phone: (208) 387-5206 http://www.nifc.gov/rfa/index.html 14-1125-0-1-302. (Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 14 $52,913; FY 15 est $16,100; and FY 16 est $30,000 Range: $4,900. 00 to $25,000.00
Average: $6,000.00. The Department of the Interior's rural fire assistance program is guided by the provisions of the National Fire Plan. A variety of public information on this plan is available by contacting the appropriate Bureau/Service Office or the National Interagency Fire Center website at: http://www.nifc.gov/rfa/index.html.

2 CFR, Part 200, 43 CFR, OMB Circulars, standard forms, and program information
Fiscal Year 2014: Funding provided was utilized for the reduction of hazardous fuel and removal of brush and debris. Fiscal Year 2015: No information available. Fiscal Year 2016: No information available.