FEMA Amends Fire Assistance Grant Program
November 10, 2014
Source: EMR-ISAC
On October 24, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published a Federal Register Notice formally modifying the Fire Management Assistance Grant Program (FMAG), which provides support to state, local, and tribal governments for mitigation, management, and control of fires on public or privately-owned land. The changes increase deadlines to applicants who may benefit from additional time to prepare the needed records.
FEMA amended the program to provide grantees with additional flexibility in receiving reimbursement following a declaration. The revision lengthens the extension period that can be requested by a grantee for submitting a grant application to FEMA, and lengthens the project worksheet submission period from the current 3-month time period to a 6-month time period.
This may reduce or eliminate financial losses due to delayed invoices by third parties that exceed the maximum 3-month deadline extension. FEMA also added the requirement that a fire or fire complex must be on public or private forest land or grassland in order for a state to receive a fire declaration.
These changes will become effective on November 24, 2014. The FMAG Program is authorized by section 420 of the Stafford Act. For more detailed information on the changes, please visit the Fire Management Assistance Grant program web site.
