Grants for Volunteer Fire Departments, Career Departments, and EMS Agencies
Federal AFG and SAFER grants, state firefighter assistance funds, and foundation grants for fire departments and volunteer firefighter organizations.
FEMA administers the two largest federal grant programs for fire departments: the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) for equipment and training, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant for personnel.
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Common questions about grants for fire departments
What is the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)?
AFG is FEMA's primary equipment and training grant for fire departments. It funds turnout gear, breathing apparatus, vehicles (when no other path exists), training (especially EMT-B and EMT-P), wellness programs, and operational equipment. Total AFG funding is approximately $370 million annually. Applications open in winter and close in late winter or early spring each year.
What is SAFER and who qualifies?
SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) funds the hiring and retention of firefighters. Both career and volunteer departments qualify. Career-hiring SAFER awards fund firefighter salaries and benefits for up to three years; recruitment and retention SAFER awards fund volunteer firefighter recruitment campaigns, retention efforts, and incentives.
Do volunteer fire departments qualify for federal grants?
Yes. AFG, SAFER, and the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grants all explicitly include volunteer fire departments. Many volunteer departments receive AFG awards for SCBA, turnout gear, and small fire apparatus. State-level firefighter assistance funds, the National Volunteer Fire Council, and rural-development USDA funds also support volunteer departments specifically.
What state funding is available for fire departments?
Most states administer their own firefighter assistance funds, often using state fire-insurance premium taxes as the funding source. State EMS bureaus typically operate parallel grant programs for ambulance services. State homeland-security grant programs (SHSP, UASI in metro areas) pass federal DHS dollars through to local fire departments for hazmat and special-rescue equipment.
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