The US Fire Administration administers three major funding programs each year. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program is the most well known, followed by the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and the Fire Prevention and Safety Programs. All three were reauthorized in the recent National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (P.L. 112-239), and we’re expecting to see a fairly significant amount of funding coming out for each of them for 2013 and beyond. Learn more about these programs at www.firegrants.info.

By Vince Siragusa
May 2011

As an indication that federal lawmakers are increasingly committed to deficit reduction and reining in spending, the recent congressional compromise trims $38.5 billion over the remainder of federal fiscal year 2011. Inevitably, those asked to do more with less will continue to be called upon to follow up on this daunting assignment. While thrifty public and private organizations have long ago trimmed the proverbial fat from their operational costs, many homeland security grant programs, no longer exempt from the broader discretionary spending freezes, will now be required to meet the same task. Let us take some look at what we can expect in Department of Homeland Security spending in 2011.