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15 U.S. Code § 2229. Firefighter assistance
(a) DefinitionsIn this section:
(1) Administrator of FEMA
The term “Administrator of FEMA” means the Administrator of FEMA, acting through the Administrator.
(2) Available grant funds
The term “available grant funds”, with respect to a fiscal year, means those funds appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in subsection (q)(1) for such fiscal year less any funds used for administrative costs pursuant to subsection (q)(2) in such fiscal year.
(3) Career fire department
The term “career fire department” means a fire department that has an all-paid force of firefighting personnel other than paid-on-call firefighters.
(4) Combination fire departmentThe term “combination fire department” means a fire department that has—
(A)
paid firefighting personnel; and
(B)
volunteer firefighting personnel.
(5) Firefighting personnel
The term “firefighting personnel” means individuals, including volunteers, who are firefighters, officers of fire departments, or emergency medical service personnel of fire departments.
(6) Institution of higher education
The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given such term in section 1001 of title 20.
(7) Nonaffiliated EMS organization
The term “nonaffiliated EMS organization” means a public or private nonprofit emergency medical services organization that is not affiliated with a hospital and does not serve a geographic area in which the Administrator of FEMA finds that emergency medical services are adequately provided by a fire department.
(8) Paid-on-call
The term “paid-on-call” with respect to firefighting personnel means firefighting personnel who are paid a stipend for each event to which they respond.
(9) Volunteer fire department
The term “volunteer fire department” means a fire department that has an all-volunteer force of firefighting personnel.
(b) Assistance program
(1) AuthorityIn accordance with this section, the Administrator of FEMA may award—
(A)
assistance to firefighters grants under subsection (c); and
(B)
fire prevention and safety grants and other assistance under subsection (d).
(2) Administrative assistanceThe Administrator of FEMA shall—
(A)
establish specific criteria for the selection of grant recipients under this section; and
(B)
provide assistance with application preparation to applicants for such grants.
(c) Assistance to firefighters grants
(1) In generalThe Administrator of FEMA may, in consultation with the chief executives of the States in which the recipients are located, award grants on a competitive basis directly to—
(A)
fire departments, for the purpose of protecting the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel throughout the United States against fire, fire-related, and other hazards;
(B)
nonaffiliated EMS organizations to support the provision of emergency medical services; and
(C)
State fire training academies for the purposes described in subparagraphs (G), (H), and (I) of paragraph (3).
(2) Maximum grant amounts
(A) PopulationThe Administrator of FEMA may not award a grant under this subsection in excess of amounts as follows:
(i)
In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with 100,000 people or fewer, the amount of the grant awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $1,000,000 in any fiscal year.
(ii)
In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with more than 100,000 people but not more than 500,000 people, the amount of the grant awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $2,000,000 in any fiscal year.
(iii)
In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with more than 500,000 but not more than 1,000,000 people, the amount of the grant awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $3,000,000 in any fiscal year.
(iv)
In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with more than 1,000,000 people but not more than 2,500,000 people, the amount of the grant awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $6,000,000 for any fiscal year.
(v)
In the case of a recipient that serves a jurisdiction with more than 2,500,000 people, the amount of the grant awarded to such recipient shall not exceed $9,000,000 in any fiscal year.
(B) Aggregate
(i) In general
Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A) and (B) [1] and except as provided under clause (ii), the Administrator of FEMA may not award a grant under this subsection in a fiscal year in an amount that exceeds the amount that is one percent of the available grant funds in such fiscal year.
(ii) Exception
The Administrator of FEMA may waive the limitation in clause (i) with respect to a grant recipient if the Administrator of FEMA determines that such recipient has an extraordinary need for a grant in an amount that exceeds the limit under clause (i).