FIRE DEPARTMENTS

Pursuant to the Agriculture Appropriations Act, Section 7(b)3 of P.L. 95-313 (Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation hereby gives notice of the following:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (The Department) will administer the 2021 Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Grant program to assist eligible rural fire departments in the purchase of eligible wildland fire suppression equipment. VFA applications will be accepted through June 30, 2021.

A federal appropriation of $603,581 was awarded for fire assistance grants in NYS. Fire departments eligible to apply may receive grant funding up to $1,500 for the purchase of eligible wildland fire suppression equipment. Fire departments are required to equally match (50/50) the amount of the award. Grant funding is based on federal guidelines for use in fire districts serving a rural area or a rural community with a population of 10,000 or less. A fire department serving a population greater than 10,000 and not providing protection to a rural area or rural community is not eligible for VFA financial assistance.

Applications are scored based on established rating criteria including: population, the I.S.O. Fire Prevention Insurance rating, the presence of Native American communities in the district and the date of the last VFA grant received.

Applications are available on-line at http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/2364.html. For further information, contact: Lynne Korona, NYS DEC Division of Forest Protection, 625 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Albany, NY 12233-2560, (518) 402-8835 or email questions to: [email protected]

STATE-LEVEL AGENCIES, FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (TO INCLUDE STATE-RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBES AND AUTHORIZED INDIAN TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS), CERTAIN PRIVATE NON-PROFITS (PNPs) THAT PERFORM A GOVERNMENT-LIFE FUNCTION, ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS UNDER FEMA'S PUBLIC ASSISTANCE (PA) PROGRAM

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) is pleased to announce the availability of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds for Presidential Declaration: DR-4567 (Tropical Storm Isaias).

*It is anticipated, though not guaranteed, that available funding for the HMGP under DR-4567 may be higher. All subapplicants with potential projects, including those where costs exceed current estimated funding, are encouraged to apply.

What is the HMGP?

After a Presidential declaration, New York State receives HMGP funds to administer grant programs that support mitigation planning and long-term hazard mitigation measures that enhance the State’s resiliency posture, avoid loss of life, and reduce damages to improved property.

• The State of New York, acting through DHSES, is the applicant for FEMA’s HMGP.

• Eligible subapplicants: State-level agencies, federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments, local governments (to include State-recognized Indian Tribes and authorized Indian Tribal organizations), and certain Private Non-Profits (PNPs) that perform a government-like function. Eligible applicants under FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program are also eligible subapplicants under the HMGP.

• Ineligible subapplicants for HMGP assistance include individuals and businesses; however, eligible subapplicants may apply on their behalf.

• FEMA’s planning requirement must be met by all subapplicants at the time of project approval.

• HMGP funded projects must be cost-effective through verification that future benefits (losses avoided) are equal to or greater than the project’s cost (see more on this on page 2).

• HMGP provides up to 75% reimbursement of eligible costs, not to exceed the award. The remaining 25% non-federal match will be the responsibility of the subapplicant. The non-federal cost share may consist of cash, donated or in-kind services, materials, or any combination thereof. While most Federal funds cannot be used for the non-federal match, there are some exceptions.

• Information about the HMGP and all program requirements are available in FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Unified Guidance and Addendum (February 27, 2015).

State Priorities for Project Grants

The HMGP allows NYS to establish priorities that target damaged areas and enhance its resiliency posture by promoting strategies and activities identified in the NYS Standard Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (https://mitigateny.availabs.org/strategies) HMGP funding will be available statewide.

Each subapplicant may submit one (1) project Letter of Intent for one (1) complete project application.

To be eligible for HMGP funding, FEMA requires that a project be proven cost-effective using FEMA’s Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) Toolkit. For LOI submittal, a formal BCA is not required; however, if a formal BCA achieving a Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of 1.0 or greater (with supporting documentation) is not provided, substantive information to demonstrate that a BCR of 1.0 or greater is achievable must be included. Either instance requires supporting documentation, including but not limited to: a completed NYS DHSES BCA Worksheet, documentation of historical damages (which may include a detailed attestation by a community official), copies of invoices, Project Worksheets (PWs) from FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program, likelihood of future damages (including the population impacted).

• LOIs for eligible project types that include substantive information that demonstrates the likelihood of a positive BCA will be advanced to application development.

Following application development, complete, eligible applications will be scored based on priorities below and detailed further in the attached Pre-Application Screening. While scoring will not take place until after applications are submitted, it is recommended that subapplicants review these priorities and use the screening during the LOI period to self-assess likelihood of success.

PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA

1 Projects located in Declared Counties (excluding COVID-19)

1.1 Counties that received a declaration for DR-4567 Isaias

1.2 Counties that have received a presidential disaster declaration in the past three (3) years

1.3 Counties that have received a presidential disaster declaration in the past five (5) years

2 Projects that protect and/or mitigate risk to repetitive loss structures and critical infrastructure

2.1 Projects that protect and/or mitigate risk to repetitive loss structures

2.2 Projects that protect and/or mitigate risk to critical infrastructure

3 Projects that are explicitly identified in a FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation Plan

4 Projects that achieve community-wide benefits (>30% of the community population)

5 Projects that demonstrate consideration of the future impacts and risks associated with climate change

6 Projects where work is being completed in, or that will have direct risk reduction benefits to, vulnerable populations

For a complete list of eligible project types, see page 33 of the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance (February 27, 2015).

State Priorities for Planning Grants

Applications for planning grants for formal hazard mitigation planning and plan updates will be prioritized before planning-related activities under this funding announcement.

Preference for formal hazard mitigation planning and plan updates will be prioritized for counties that:

1. Do not have a current, FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation Plan.

2. Do not have secured grant funding in place for development of a Hazard Mitigation Plan.

3. Do not have anticipated funding in place for development of a Hazard Mitigation Plan.

4. Have existing plans that expire prior to the plans of other subapplicants.

Funding may be prorated based on available funds; however, total dollars requested may not exceed HMGP established planning limits based on county population as follows:

Planning-related activities that are not formal plan updates will be scored based on the prioritization criteria for projects.

For a complete list of eligible planning activities, see page 39 of the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance (February 27, 2015). For supplemental guidance on eligible planning related activities, please see: https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_hma-planning-related-activities_factsheet.pdf

How to Apply

There are four (4) LOIs for this grant cycle: Planning, Acquisition, Elevation, and All Other Project Types. Choose the LOI appropriate to your request(s), provide all requested information, and submit by Friday, June 11, 2021 @ 5:00 pm to:

• [email protected]

Letters of Intent, the Pre-Application Screening, Guidance Documents, and other resources can be found on DHSES’ website at: www.dhses.ny.gov/recovery/

• FEMA’s 2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Unified Guidance:

www.dhses.ny.gov/recovery/mitigation/documents/FY-2015-HMA-Unified-Guide.pdf

• FEMA’s 2015 Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Unified Guidance addendum at: www.dhses.ny.gov/recovery/mitigation/documents/FY-2015-Addendum-HMA-Unified-Guide.pdf

Questions

Please submit any questions to: [email protected]

To disseminate program information to the widest possible audience, DHSES places program information on its website and asks that County Emergency Managers, Mitigation Coordinators, and other recipients of this notice forward the information to interested eligible subapplicants. For more information, please visit: www.dhses.ny.gov/recovery/