Fiscal Year 2010: Accomplishments are service wide for the Department of the Interior.
An average of 1,100 Rural Fire Departments are provided assistance each year for technical assistance, training, supplies, equipment and public education support. Fiscal Year 2011: No information available. Fiscal Year 2012: No information available.

Uses and Use Restrictions

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.

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Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

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.

Beneficiary Eligibility

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.

Credentials/Documentation

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. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program.

Aplication and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is not applicable.

Environmental impact information is not required for this program.

This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.

12372.

Application Procedures

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. 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.

Award Procedures

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 .

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Authorization

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.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

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.

Appeals

None.

Renewals

None.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

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.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

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.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

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.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

Records relating to work performed and costs are kept by the recipient. There is no fixed records schedule. Records for grants awarded to State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments will be maintained in accordance with the provisions of 43 CFR Part 12, Subpart C, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments." Records for grants awarded to nonprofit organizations will be maintained in accordance with the provisions of 43 CFR Part 12, Subpart F, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations".

Financial Information

Account Identification

14-1125-0-1-302.

Obigations

(Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 10 $9,557,000; FY 11 $0; FY 12 $0

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Estimated Range and average are service wide for the Department of the Interior.
$1000 to $20,000; $9,100.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature

Recipients of awards will comply with the applicable regulations and OMB Circular and DOI Regulations governing Financial Assistance awards at 43 CFR Part 12.

For grants awarded, cost will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and Local Governments; OMB Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions; OMB Circular No. A-122 for nonprofit organizations; and Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 31.2 for private foundations, firms, individuals, and other nonprofits excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-122.

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.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. See Catalog Appendix IV for addresses.

Headquarters Office

National RFA Program Lead National Park Service, National Interagency Fire Center, 3833 S. Development Ave, Boise, Idaho 83705 Phone: (208) 387-5200

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

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.