Fire Station Grants Draw Congressional Scrutiny

Washington, Aug. 10 – Despite a major boost from the Recovery Act for grants to fire departments in need of new stations, it appears that requests for funding have dramatically outpaced the $210 million the law provided, meaning many applicants will likely be disappointed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the Fire Station Construction Grant Program, anticipated high demand for the program, estimating in its May 29 notice of funding availability that as many as 5,000 to 10,000 fire departments would compete for only 70 awards. As the submission period drew to a close on July 10, the department had received 6,000 requests.