15234 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 55 / Monday, March 23, 2015 / Notices 

Room W12–140 on the ground floor of 

the DOT West Building, 1200 New 

Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 

20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

Privacy Act 

Anyone can search the electronic 

form of comments received in dockets 

by the name of the individual 

submitting the comment (or signing the 

comment, if submitted on behalf of an 

association, business, labor union, etc.). 

You may review a Privacy Act statement 

regarding Coast Guard public dockets in 

the January 17, 2008, issue of the 

Federal Register (73 FR 3316). 

Information Collection Requests 

1. Title: Shipping Articles. 

OMB Control Number: 1625–0006. 

Summary: Title 46 United States Code 

10302 and 10502 and Title 46 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) 14.201 

requires applicable owners, charterers, 

managing operators, masters, or 

individuals in charge to make a 

shipping agreement in writing with each 

seaman before the seaman commences 

employment. Additionally, 46 CFR 

14.313 requires shipping companies to 

submit to the Coast Guard Shipping 

Articles three years after the article was 

generated; or submitted by shipping 

companies that go out of business or 

merges with another company; or upon 

request by the Coast Guard. Upon 

receipt and acceptance, Shipping 

Articles are transferred and archived at 

the Federal Records Center in Suitland, 

Maryland. 

Need: This collection provides 

verification, identification, location and 

employment information of U.S. 

merchant mariners to the following: (1) 

Federal, state and local law enforcement 

agencies for use in criminal or civil law 

enforcement purpose, (2) shipping 

companies, (3) labor unions, (4) 

seaman’s authorized representatives, (5) 

seaman’s next of kin, (6) whenever the 

disclosure of such information would be 

in the best interest of the seaman or his/ 

her family. 

Forms: CG–705A. 

Respondents: Shipping companies. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Burden Estimate: The estimated 

burden is 18,000 hours a year. 

2. Title: Official Logbook. 

OMB Control Number: 1625–0018. 

Summary: The Official Logbook 

contains information about the voyage, 

the vessel’s crew, drills, watches and 

operations conducted during the 

voyage. Official Logbook entries identify 

particulars of the voyage, including the 

name of the ship, official number, port 

of registry, tonnage, names and 

merchant mariner credential numbers of 

the master and crew, the nature of the 

voyage, and class of ship. In addition, it 

also contains entries for the vessel’s 

drafts, maintenance of watertight 

integrity of the ship, drills and 

inspections, crew list and report of 

character, a summary of laws applicable 

to Official Logbooks, and miscellaneous 

entries. 

Need: Title 46 United States Code 

(U.S.C.) 11301, 11302, 11303, and 11304 

require applicable merchant vessels to 

maintain an Official Logbook. The 

Official Logbook contains information 

about the vessel, voyage, crew, and 

watch. Lack of these particulars would 

make it difficult for a seaman to certify 

vessel employment and wages, and for 

the Coast Guard to verify compliance 

with laws and regulations concerning 

vessel operations and safety procedures. 

The Official Logbook serves as an 

official record of recordable events 

transpiring at sea such as births, deaths, 

marriages, disciplinary actions, etc. 

Absent the Official Logbook, there 

would be no official civil record of these 

events. The courts accept log entries as 

proof that the logged event occurred. If 

this information was not collected, the 

Coast Guard’s Commercial Vessel Safety 

Program would be negatively impacted, 

as there would be no official record of 

U.S. merchant vessel voyages. Similarly, 

those seeking to prove that an event 

required to be logged occurred would 

not have an official record available. 

Forms: CG–706B. 

Respondents: Shipping companies. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Burden Estimate: The estimated 

burden is 1,750 hours a year. 

Dated: March 17, 2015. 

Thomas P. Michelli, 

Chief Information Officer, Acting, U.S. Coast 

Guard. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06585 Filed 3–20–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–04–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Federal Emergency Management 

Agency 

[Docket ID FEMA–FEMA–2014–0035] 

Assistance to Firefighters Grant 

Program; Fire Prevention and Safety 

Grants 

AGENCY: Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice of guidance. 

SUMMARY: This Notice provides 

guidelines that describe the application 

process for grants and the criteria for 

awarding Fire Prevention and Safety 

(FP&S) grants in the fiscal year (FY) 

2014 Assistance to Firefighters Grant 

(AFG) Program year. It explains the 

differences, if any, between these 

guidelines and those recommended by 

representatives of the Nation’s fire 

service leadership during the annual 

Criteria Development meeting, which 

was held October 27–28, 2014. The 

application period for the FY 2014 FP&S 

Grant Program year will be held March 

16–April 17, 2015, and will be 

announced on the AFG Web site 

(www.fema.gov/firegrants), 

www.grants.gov, and U.S. Fire 

Administration Web site 

(www.usfa.fema.gov). 

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2229. 

DATES: Grant applications for the FP&S 

Grant Program will be accepted 

electronically at https://portal.fema.gov, 

from March 16–April 17, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Assistance to Firefighters 

Grants Branch, Stop 3620, DHS/FEMA, 

800 K Street NW., Washington, DC 

20472–3620. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Catherine Patterson, Chief, Assistance to 

Firefighters Grants Branch, 1–866–274– 

0960. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of the AFG Program is to 

enhance the safety of the public and 

firefighters with respect to fire and firerelated hazards. The FEMA Grant 

Programs Directorate administers the 

FP&S Grant Program as part of the AFG 

Program. 

FP&S Grants are offered to support 

projects in two activities: 

1. Activities designed to reach highrisk target groups and mitigate the 

incidence of death and injuries caused 

by fire and fire-related hazards (‘‘FP&S 

Activity’’). 

2. Projects aimed at improving 

firefighter safety, health and wellness 

through research and development that 

reduces firefighter fatalities and injuries 

(‘‘R&D Activity’’). 

The grant program’s authorizing 

statute requires that each year DHS 

publish in the Federal Register the 

guidelines that describe the application 

process and the criteria for grant 

awards. Approximately 1,200 

applications for FP&S Grant Program 

funding are anticipated to be submitted 

electronically, using the application 

submission form and process available 

at the AFG e-Grant application portal: 

https://portal.fema.gov. Specific 

information about the submission of 

grant applications can be found in the 

‘‘FY 2014 Fire Prevention and Safety 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 55 / Monday, March 23, 2015 / Notices 15235 

Program Funding Opportunity 

Announcement,’’ which will be 

available for download at 

www.fema.gov/firegrants and at 

www.regulations.gov under Docket ID 

FEMA–2014–0035. 

Appropriations 

Congress appropriated $340,000,000 

for AFG in FY 2014 pursuant to the 

Department of Homeland Security 

Appropriations Act, 2014, Public Law 

113–76. From this amount, $34,000,000 

will be made available for FP&S Grant 

awards, pursuant to 15 U.S.C. 

2229(h)(5), which states that not less 

than 10 percent of available grant funds 

each year are awarded under the FP&S 

Grant Program. Funds appropriated for 

all FY 2014 AFG awards, pursuant to 

Public Law 113–76, will be available for 

obligation and award until September 

30, 2015. 

From the approximately 1,200 

applications that will be requesting 

assistance, FEMA anticipates that it will 

award approximately 150 FP&S Grants 

from available grant funding. 

Background of the AFG Program 

DHS awards grants on a competitive 

basis to the applicants that best address 

the FP&S Grant Program’s priorities and 

provide the most compelling 

justification. Applications that best 

address the Program’s priorities will be 

reviewed by a panel composed of fire 

service personnel. 

Award Criteria 

All applications for grants will be 

prepared and submitted through the 

AFG e-Grant application portal 

(https://portal.fema.gov). 

The FP&S Grant Program panels will 

review the applications and score them 

using the following criteria areas: 

• Vulnerability 

• Implementation 

• Evaluation Plan 

• Cost Benefit 

• Sustainability 

• Financial Need 

• Funding Priorities 

• Experience and Expertise 

The applications submitted under the 

R&D Activity will be reviewed first by 

a panel of fire service members to 

identify those applications most 

relevant to the fire service. The 

following evaluation criteria will be 

used for this review: 

• Purpose 

• Potential Impact 

• Implementation by the fire service 

• Partners 

• Barriers 

The applications that are determined 

most likely to be implemented to enable 

improvement in firefighter safety, 

health, or wellness will be deemed to be 

in the ‘‘competitive range’’ and will be 

forwarded to the second level of 

application review, which is the 

scientific panel review process. This 

panel will be comprised of scientists 

and technology experts who have 

expertise pertaining to the subject 

matter of the proposal. 

The Scientific Technical Evaluation 

Panel for the R&D Activity will review 

the application and evaluate it using the 

following criteria: 

• Project purpose(s), goals and 

objectives, and specific aims 

• Literature Review 

• Project Methods 

• Project Measurements 

• Project Analysis 

• Dissemination and Implementation 

• Cost vs. Benefit (additional 

consideration) 

• Financial Need (additional 

consideration) 

Eligible Applicants 

The following entities are eligible to 

apply directly to FEMA under this 

solicitation: 

1. Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) 

Activity: Eligible applicants for this 

activity include fire departments, 

national, regional, state, local, Native 

American tribal, and nonprofit 

organizations that are recognized for 

their experience and expertise in fire 

prevention and safety programs and 

activities. Both private and public nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply 

for funding in this activity. For-profit 

organizations, federal agencies, and 

individuals are not eligible to receive a 

FP&S Grant Award under the FP&S 

Activity. 

2. Firefighter Safety Research and 

Development (R&D) Activity: Eligible 

applicants for this activity include 

national, state, local, Native American 

tribal, and nonprofit organizations, such 

as academic (e.g., universities), public 

health, occupational health, and injury 

prevention institutions. Both private 

and public non-profit organizations are 

eligible to apply for funding in this 

activity. 

The aforementioned entities are 

encouraged to apply, especially those 

that are recognized for their experience 

and expertise in firefighter safety, 

health, and wellness research and 

development activities. Fire 

departments are not eligible to apply for 

funding in the R&D activity. 

Additionally, for-profit organizations, 

federal agencies, and individuals are not 

eligible to receive a grant award under 

the R&D Activity. 

Statutory Limits to Funding 

Applications and awards are limited 

to a maximum federal share of $1.5 

million dollars, regardless of applicant 

type. 

Cost Sharing 

Grantees must share in the costs of the 

projects funded under this grant 

program as required by 15 U.S.C. 

2229(k)(1) and in accordance with 44 

CFR 13.24 and 2 CFR 215.23, but they 

are not required to have the cost-share 

at the time of application nor at the time 

of award. However, before a grant is 

awarded, FEMA will contact potential 

awardees to determine whether the 

grantee has the funding in hand or if the 

grantee has a viable plan to obtain the 

funding necessary to fulfill the costsharing requirement. 

In general, an eligible applicant 

seeking an FP&S grant to carry out an 

activity shall agree to make available 

non-federal funds to carry out such 

activity in an amount equal to, and not 

less than, five percent of the grant 

awarded. Cash match and in-kind 

matches are both allowable in the FP&S 

Grant Program. Cash (hard) matches 

include non-federal cash spent for 

project-related costs. In-kind (soft) 

matches include, but are not limited to, 

the valuation of in-kind services. Inkind is the value of something received 

or provided that does not have a cost 

associated with it. For example, where 

an in-kind match (other than cash 

payments) is permitted, then the value 

of donated services could be used to 

comply with the match requirement. 

Also, third party in-kind contributions 

may count toward satisfying match 

requirements provided the grantee 

receiving the contributions expends 

them as allowable costs in compliance 

with provisions listed above. 

Grantees under this grant program 

must also agree to a maintenance of 

effort requirement as required by 15 

U.S.C. 2229(k)(3) (referred to as a 

‘‘maintenance of expenditure’’ 

requirement in that statute). Per this 

requirement, a grantee shall agree to 

maintain during the term of the grant 

the grantee’s aggregate expenditures 

relating to the activities allowable under 

the FP&S Funding Opportunity 

Announcement at not less than 80 

percent (80%) of the average amount of 

such expenditures in the two (2) fiscal 

years preceding the fiscal year in which 

the grant amounts are received. 

In cases of demonstrated economic 

hardship, and on the application of the 

grantee, the Administrator of FEMA 

may waive or reduce certain grantees’ 

cost share or maintenance of 

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15236 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 55 / Monday, March 23, 2015 / Notices 

expenditure requirements. This policy 

applies to FP&S per § 33 of the Federal 

Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

(Pub. L. 93–498, as amended) (15 U.S.C. 

2229). For complete requirements 

concerning these waivers, including a 

description of how a grantee may 

demonstrate economic hardship and 

apply for a waiver, please refer to FEMA 

Policy FP 207–088–01, dated April 8, 

2014, at: http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary-data/1398109239435- 

ec23997d8351382710896fa77d02bc7d/

AFG+Economic+/

Hardship+Waiver+Policy.pdf. Per 15 

U.S.C. 2229(k)(4)(C), FP&S Grantees that 

are not fire departments are not eligible 

to receive a waiver of their cost share or 

economic hardship requirements. 

System for Award Management (SAM) 

On July 29, 2010, the Central 

Contractor Registration (CCR) was 

moved into the System for Award 

Management (SAM). The Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) issued 

guidance to federal agencies requiring 

all prime recipients of federal grants to 

register in SAM. SAM is the primary 

vendor database for the Federal 

Government to collect, validate, store, 

and disseminate data from a secure 

centralized system. SAM consolidated 

the capabilities found in CCR and other 

federal procurement systems into one 

new system. 

There is no charge to register in 

SAM.gov. Registrations must be 

completed on-line at https://

www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/. The 

applicant organization is responsible for 

having a valid Dun and Bradstreet 

(DUNS) number at the time of 

registration. Organizations with an 

active record in CCR have an active 

record in SAM, but may need to validate 

their information. For registration, go to 

https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/

SAM/. 

Application Process 

Applicants may only submit one (1) 

application, but may submit for up to 

three (3) projects under each activity 

(FP&S and R&D). Any applicant that 

submits more than one (1) application 

may have all applications for any 

duplicated request(s) deemed ineligible. 

Under the FP&S Activity, applicants 

may apply under the following 

categories: 

• General Education/Awareness 

• Fire & Arson Investigation 

• Code Enforcement/Awareness 

• National/State/Regional Programs and 

Studies 

Under the R&D Activity, applicants 

may apply under the following 

categories: 

• Clinical Studies 

• Technology and Product Development 

• Database System Development 

• Dissemination and Implementation 

Research 

• Preliminary Studies 

Prior to the start of the FY 2014 FP&S 

Grant Program application period, 

FEMA will provide applicants with 

technical assistance tools (available at 

the AFG Web site: www.fema.gov/

firegrants) and other online information 

to help them prepare quality grant 

applications. AFG will also staff a Help 

Desk throughout the application period 

to assist applicants with navigation 

through the automated application as 

well as assistance with any questions 

they have. Applicants can reach the 

AFG Help Desk through a toll-free 

telephone number (1–866–274–0960) or 

electronic mail (firegrants@dhs.gov). 

Applicants are advised to access the 

application electronically at https://

portal.fema.gov. The application also 

will be accessible from the grants.gov 

Web site (http://www.grants.gov). New 

applicants are required to register and 

establish a username and password for 

secure access to their application. 

Applicants that applied to any previous 

AFG or SAFER funding opportunities 

were required to use their previously 

established usernames and passwords. 

In completing an application under 

this funding opportunity, applicants 

will be asked to provide relevant 

information on their organization’s 

characteristics and existing capabilities. 

Those applicants are asked to answer 

questions about their grant request that 

reflect the funding priorities, described 

below. In addition, each applicant will 

complete narratives for each project or 

grant activity requested. 

The following are the funding 

priorities for each category under the 

FP&S Activity: 

• General Education/Awareness— 

Under the General Education/

Awareness category there are two 

funding priorities: 

Æ The first priority will be given to 

programs that target high risk 

population to conduct both door-todoor smoke alarm installations and 

provide home safety inspections 

(including sprinkler awareness), as 

part of a comprehensive home fire 

safety campaign. 

Æ The second priority will be given to 

programs that include sprinkler 

awareness that affect the entire 

community, such as educating the 

public about residential sprinklers, 

promoting residential sprinklers, 

and demonstrating working models 

of residential sprinklers. 

• Code Enforcement/Awareness— 

projects that focus on first time or 

reinstatement of code adoption and 

code enforcement. 

• Fire & Arson Investigation—projects 

that aim to aggressively investigate 

every fire. 

• National/State/Regional Programs 

and Studies—projects that focus on 

residential fire issues and/or 

firefighter behavior and decisionmaking. 

Under the R&D Activity, in order to 

identify and address the most important 

elements of firefighter safety, FEMA 

looked to the fire service for its input 

and recommendations. In June 2005, the 

National Fallen Firefighters’ Foundation 

(NFFF) hosted a working group to 

facilitate the development of an agenda 

for the nation’s fire service, and in 

particular for firefighter safety. In May 

2011, the NFFF again hosted a working 

group to update the agenda with current 

priorities. A copy of the research agenda 

is available on the NFFF Web site at 

http://www.everyonegoeshome.com/

symposium.html. 

Projects that meet the intent of this 

research agenda with respect to 

firefighter health and safety, as 

identified by the NFFF working group, 

will be given consideration under the 

R&D Activity. However, the applicant is 

not limited to these specific projects. All 

proposed projects, regardless of whether 

they have been identified by this 

working group, will be evaluated on 

their relevance to firefighter health and 

safety, and scientific rigor. 

The electronic application process 

will permit the applicant to enter and 

save the application data. The system 

does not permit the submission of 

incomplete applications. Except for the 

narrative textboxes, the application will 

use a ‘‘point-and-click’’ selection 

process or require the entry of data (e.g., 

name and address). Applicants will be 

encouraged to read the FP&S Funding 

Opportunity Announcement for more 

details. 

Criteria Development Process 

Each year, DHS convenes a panel of 

fire service professionals to develop the 

funding priorities and other 

implementation criteria for AFG. The 

Criteria Development Panel is 

comprised of representatives from nine 

major fire service organizations who are 

charged with making recommendations 

to FEMA regarding the creation of new 

funding priorities, the modification of 

existing funding priorities, and the 

development of criteria for awarding 

grants. The nine major fire service 

organizations represented on the panel 

are: 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 55 / Monday, March 23, 2015 / Notices 15237 

• Congressional Fire Services Institute 

(CFSI) 

• International Association of Arson 

Investigators (IAAI) 

• International Association of Fire 

Chiefs (IAFC) 

• International Association of Fire 

Fighters (IAFF) 

• International Society of Fire Service 

Instructors (ISFSI) 

• National Association of State Fire 

Marshals (NASFM) 

• National Fire Protection Association 

(NFPA) 

• National Volunteer Fire Council 

(NVFC) 

• North American Fire Training 

Directors (NAFTD) 

The FY 2014 criteria development 

panel meeting occurred January 8–9, 

2014. The content of the FY 2014 FP&S 

Funding Opportunity Announcement 

reflects the implementation of the 

Criteria Development Panel’s 

recommendations with respect to the 

priorities, direction, and criteria for 

awards. All of the funding priorities for 

the FY 2014 FP&S Grant Program are 

designed to address the following: 

• First responder safety 

• Enhancing national capabilities 

• Risk 

• Interoperability 

Changes for FY 2014 

FY 2014 FP&S Funding Opportunity 

Announcement. 

(1) The ‘‘Guidance and Application 

Kit’’ has been reformatted to match the 

DHS Funding Opportunity 

Announcement (FOA) template. 

(2) Sprinkler awareness was added as 

a priority under the General Education/ 

Awareness category. 

(3) The period of performance for 

applicants under the FP&S Activity was 

extended to up to 24 months. 

Applicants will now have the option to 

select either a 12 month period of 

performance or 24 month period of 

performance, based on the complexity 

of the project. 

Application Review Process and 

Considerations 

The program’s authorizing statute 

requires that each year DHS publish in 

the Federal Register a description of the 

grant application process and the 

criteria for grant awards. This 

information is provided below. 

DHS will review and evaluate all 

FP&S applications submitted using the 

funding priorities and evaluation 

criteria described in this document, 

which are based on recommendations 

from the AFG Criteria Development 

Panel. 

Peer Review Process 

Technical Evaluation Process—Fire 

Prevention and Safety Activity 

All eligible applications will be 

evaluated by a Technical Evaluation 

Panel (TEP). The TEP is comprised of a 

panel of Peer Reviewers. The TEP will 

assess each application’s merits with 

respect to the detail provided in the 

Narrative Statement on the activity, 

including the evaluation elements listed 

in the Evaluation Criteria identified 

above. 

The panel of Peer Reviewers will 

independently score each project within 

the application, discuss the merits and/ 

or shortcomings of the application, and 

document the findings. A consensus is 

not required. The highest ranked 

applications will receive further 

technical review to assess strengths and 

weaknesses, how readily weaknesses 

may be resolved, and the likely impact 

of the proposed activities on the safety 

of the target audience. 

Technical Evaluation Process— 

Research and Development Activity 

R&D applications will go through a 

two-phase review process. First, all 

applications will be reviewed by a panel 

of fire service experts to assess 

relevance, meaning the likely impact of 

the proposed R&D application to enable 

improvement in firefighter safety, 

health, or wellness. They will also 

assess the need for the research results 

and the likelihood that the results 

would be implemented by the fire 

service in the U.S. Applications that are 

deemed likely to be implemented to 

enable improvement in firefighter 

safety, health, or wellness will then 

receive further consideration by a 

science review panel. This panel will be 

comprised of scientists and technology 

experts who have expertise pertaining to 

the subject matter of the proposal. 

Reviewers will independently score 

applications and, if necessary, discuss 

the merits or shortcomings of the 

application in order to reconcile any 

major discrepancies identified by the 

reviewers. A consensus is not required. 

With input from these panels, for the 

highest ranked applications, FEMA will 

review each application’s strengths and 

weaknesses, how best the strengths fit 

the priorities of the FP&S Program, and 

how readily the weaknesses may be 

resolved to support likely impact of the 

project to improve firefighter safety, 

heath, or wellness. 

Technical Review Process 

Projects receiving the highest scores 

then will undergo a technical review by 

a subject matter specialist to assess the 

technical feasibility of the project and a 

programmatic review to assess 

eligibility and other factors. 

After the completion of the technical 

reviews, DHS will select a sufficient 

number of awardees from this 

application period to obligate all of the 

available grant funding. It will evaluate 

and act on applications within 90 days 

following the close of the application 

period. Award announcements will be 

made on a rolling basis until all 

available grant funds have been 

committed. Awards will not be made in 

any specified order. DHS will notify 

unsuccessful applicants as soon as it is 

feasible. 

Evaluation Criteria for Projects—Fire 

Prevention and Safety Activity 

Funding decisions will be informed 

by an assessment of how well the 

application addresses the criteria and 

considerations listed below. 

Applications will be reviewed by the 

TEP using weighted evaluation criteria 

to score the project. These scores will 

impact the ranking of a project for 

funding. 

The relative weight of the evaluation 

criteria in the determination of the grant 

award is listed below. 

• Vulnerability Statement (20%): The 

assessment of fire risk is essential in 

the development of an effective 

project goal, as well as meeting 

FEMA’s goal to reduce risk by 

conducting a risk analysis as a basis 

for action. Vulnerability is a ‘‘weak 

link’’ demonstrating high risk 

behavior, living conditions or any 

type of high risk situation or behavior. 

The Vulnerability Statement should 

include a description of the steps 

taken to determine the vulnerability 

(weak link) and identify the target 

audience. The methodology for 

determination of vulnerability (how 

you found the weak link) should be 

discussed in-depth in the 

application’s Narrative Statement. 

Æ The specific vulnerability (weak 

link) that will be addressed with the 

proposed project can be established 

through a formal or informal risk 

assessment. FEMA encourages the 

use of local statistics, rather than 

national statistics, when discussing 

the vulnerability. 

Æ The applicant should summarize 

the vulnerability (weakness) the 

project will address in a clear, tothe-point statement that addresses 

who is at risk, what the risks are, 

where the risks are, and how the 

risks can be prevented. 

Æ For the purpose of the FY2014 

FP&S FOA, formal risk assessments 

consist of the use of software 

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15238 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 55 / Monday, March 23, 2015 / Notices 

programs or recognized expert 

analysis that assess risk trends. 

Æ Informal risk assessments could 

include an in-house review of 

available data (e.g., National Fire 

Incident Reporting System) to 

determine fire loss, burn injuries or 

loss of life over a period of time, 

and the factors that are the cause 

and origin for each occurrence. 

• Implementation Plan (20%): Projects 

should provide details on the 

implementation plan which 

discusses the proposed project’s 

goals and objectives. The following 

information should be included to 

support the implementation plan: 

Æ Goals and objectives. 

Æ Details regarding the methods and 

specific steps that will be used to 

achieve the goals and objectives. 

Æ Timelines. 

Æ Where applicable, examples of 

marketing efforts to promote the 

project, who will deliver the project 

(e.g., effective partnerships), and 

the manner in which materials or 

deliverables will be distributed. 

Æ Requests for props (i.e., tools used 

in educational or awareness 

demonstrations), including specific 

goals, measurable results, and 

details on the frequency for which 

the prop will be utilized as part of 

the implementation plan. 

Applicants should include 

information describing the efforts 

that will be used to reach the high 

risk audience and/or the number of 

people reached through the 

proposed project. 

• Evaluation Plan (20%): Projects 

should include an evaluation of 

effectiveness and should identify 

measurable goals. Applicants seeking 

to carry out awareness and 

educational projects, for example, 

should identify how they intend to 

determine that there has been an 

increase in knowledge about fire 

hazards, or measure a change in the 

safety behaviors of the audience. 

Applicants should demonstrate how 

they will measure risk at the outset of 

the project in comparison to how 

much the risk decreased after the 

project is finished. There are various 

ways to measure the knowledge 

gained including the use of surveys, 

pre- and post-tests or documented 

observations. 

• Cost-Benefit (10%): Projects will be 

evaluated based on how well the 

applicant addresses the fire 

prevention needs of the department or 

organization in an economic and 

efficient manner. It should show how 

to maximize the level of funding that 

goes directly into the delivery of the 

project. The costs associated with the 

project must also be reasonable for the 

target audience that will be reached, 

and a description of how the 

anticipated benefit(s) of their projects 

outweighs the cost(s) of the requested 

item(s) should be included. Providing 

justification for costs assists the 

Technical Evaluation Panel with this 

review. 

• Sustainability (15%): Each project 

will also be evaluated to determine 

whether the overall activity will be 

sustained (continued) beyond the 

grant performance period and 

whether it has a greater potential for 

long-term benefits. Examples of 

sustainable projects can be shown 

through the long-term benefits 

derived from the delivery of the 

project, the number of non-Federal 

partners likely to continue the effort, 

or the demonstrated long-term 

commitment of the applicant. 

• Financial Need (10%): Applicants 

should provide details on the need for 

financial assistance to carry out the 

proposed project(s). Included in the 

description might be other 

unsuccessful attempts to acquire 

financial assistance or specific 

examples of the applicant’s 

operational budget. 

• Funding Priorities (5%): Applicants 

will be evaluated on whether or not 

the proposed project meets the stated 

funding priority (listed below) for the 

applicable category. 

Æ General Education/Awareness 

Priority: Comprehensive home fire 

safety campaign with door-to-door 

smoke alarm installations or 

residential sprinkler awareness 

projects/activities. 

Æ Fire/Arson Investigation Priority: 

Projects that aim to aggressively 

investigate every fire. 

Æ Code Enforcement/Awareness 

Priority: Projects that focus on first 

time or reinstatement of code 

adoption and code enforcement. 

Æ National/State/Regional Programs 

and Studies Priority: Projects that 

focus on residential fire issues, and/ 

or firefighter safety projects or 

strategies that are designed to 

measurably change firefighter 

behavior and decision-making. 

• Experience and Expertise (additional 

consideration): Applicants that 

demonstrate their experience and 

ability to conduct fire prevention and 

safety activities, and to execute the 

proposed or similar project(s), will 

receive additional consideration. 

Evaluation Criteria for Projects— 

Firefighter Safety Research and 

Development Activity 

Funding decisions will be informed 

by an assessment of how well the 

application addresses the criteria and 

considerations listed below. 

All applications will reviewed by a 

fire service expert panel using weighted 

evaluation criteria, and those 

applications deemed to be in the 

‘‘competitive range’’ will then be 

reviewed by a scientific peer review 

panel evaluation using weighted 

evaluation criteria to score the project. 

Scientific evaluations will impact the 

ranking of the project for funding. 

In addition, other Science Panel 

considerations are indicated in the list 

below: 

Fire Service Evaluation Criteria 

• Purpose (25%): Applicants should 

clearly identify the benefits of the 

proposed research project to improve 

firefighter safety, health, or wellness, 

and identify specific gaps in 

knowledge that will be addressed. 

• Implementation by Fire Service 

(25%): Applicants should discuss 

how the outcomes/products of this 

research, if successful, are likely to be 

widely/nationally adopted and 

accepted by the fire service as changes 

that enhance firefighter safety, health, 

or wellness. 

• Potential Impact (15%): Applicants 

should discuss the potential impact of 

the research outcome/product on 

firefighter safety by quantifying the 

possible reduction in the number of 

fatal or non-fatal injuries, or on 

wellness by significantly improving 

the overall health of firefighters. 

• Barriers (15%): Applicants should 

recognize that all research contains 

some level of risk and that the 

proposed outcomes may not be 

realized. The applicant needs to 

identify and discuss potential fire 

service and other barriers to 

successfully complete the study on 

schedule, including contingencies 

and strategies to deal with barriers if 

they materialize. This may include 

barriers that could inhibit the 

proposed fire service participation in 

the study or the adoption of 

successful results by the fire service 

when the project is completed. 

• Partners (20%): Applicants should 

recognize that participation of the fire 

service as a partner in the research, 

from development to dissemination, 

is regarded as an essential part of all 

projects. Applicants should describe 

the fire service partners and 

contractors that will support the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 55 / Monday, March 23, 2015 / Notices 15239 

project to accomplish the objectives of 

the study. The specific roles and 

contributions of the partners should 

be described. Partnerships may be 

formed with local and regional fire 

departments, and also with national 

fire-related organizations. Letters of 

support and letters of commitment to 

actively participate in the project 

should be included in the appendix of 

the application. Generally, 

participants of a diverse population, 

including both career and volunteer 

firefighters, are expected to facilitate 

acceptance of results nationally. In 

cases where this is not practical, due 

to the nature of the study or other 

limitations, these circumstances 

should clearly be explained. 

Science Panel Evaluation Criteria 

• Project goals, objectives, and specific 

aims (15%): Applicants should 

address how the purpose, goals, 

objectives, and aims of the proposal 

will lead to results that will improve 

firefighter safety, health, or wellness. 

For multi-year projects, greater detail 

should be given for the first year. 

• Literature Review (10%): Applicants 

should provide a literature review 

that is relevant to the project’s goals, 

objectives, and specific aims. The 

citations should be placed in the text 

of the narrative statement, with 

references listed at the end of the 

Narrative Statement (and not in the 

Appendix) of the application. The 

review should be in sufficient depth 

to make it clear that the proposed 

project is necessary, adds to an 

existing body of knowledge, is 

different from current and previous 

studies, and offers a unique 

contribution. 

• Project Methods (20%): Applicants 

should provide a description of how 

the project will be carried out, 

including demonstration of the 

overall scientific and technical rigor 

and merit of the project. This includes 

the operations to accomplish the 

purpose, goals and objectives, and the 

specific aims of the project. Plans to 

recruit and retain human subjects, 

where applicable, should be 

described. Where human subjects are 

involved in the project, the applicant 

should describe plans for submission 

to the Institutional Review Board 

(IRB) (for further guidance and 

requirements, see Appendix A— 

Application Guidelines and Program 

Priorities, Section IX. Human Subjects 

Research). 

• Project Measurements (20%): 

Applicants should provide evidence 

of the technical rigor and merit of the 

project, such as data pertaining to 

validity, reliability, and sensitivity 

(where established) of the facilities, 

equipment, instruments, standards, 

and procedures that will be used to 

carry out the research. The applicant 

should discuss the data to be 

collected to evaluate the performance 

methods, technologies, and products 

proposed to enhance firefighter safety, 

health, or wellness. The applicant 

should demonstrate that the 

measurement methods and equipment 

selected for use are appropriate and 

sufficient to successfully deliver the 

proposed project objectives. 

• Project Analysis (20%): The applicant 

should indicate the planned approach 

for analysis of the data obtained from 

measurements, questionnaires, or 

computations. The applicant should 

specify within the plan what will be 

analyzed, the statistical methods that 

will be used, the sequence of steps, 

and interactions as appropriate. It 

should be clear that the Principal 

Investigator (PI) and research team 

have the expertise to perform the 

planned analysis and defend the 

results in a peer review process. 

• Dissemination and Implementation 

(15%): Applicants should indicate 

dissemination plans for scientific 

audiences (such as plans for 

submissions to specific peer review 

publications) and for firefighter 

audiences (such as Web sites, 

magazines, and conferences). Also, 

assuming positive results, the 

applicant should indicate future steps 

that would support dissemination and 

implementation throughout the fire 

service, where applicable. These steps 

are likely to be beyond the current 

study, so those features of the 

research activity that will facilitate 

future dissemination and 

implementation should be discussed. 

All applicants should specify how the 

results of the project, if successful, 

might be disseminated and 

implemented in the fire service to 

improve firefighter safety, health, or 

wellness. It is expected that 

successful R&D Activity Projects may 

give rise to future programs including 

FP&S Activity Projects. 

• Cost vs. Benefit (additional 

consideration): Cost vs. benefit in this 

evaluation element refers to the costs 

of the grant for the research and 

development project as it relates to 

the benefits that are projected for 

firefighters who would have improved 

safety, health, or wellness. Applicants 

should demonstrate a high benefit for 

the cost incurred, and effective 

utilization of federal funds for 

research activities. 

• Financial Need (additional 

consideration): In the Applicant 

Information section of the application, 

applicants should provide details on 

the need for federal financial 

assistance to carry out the proposed 

project(s). Applicants may include a 

description of unsuccessful attempts 

to acquire financial assistance. 

Applicants should provide detail 

about the organization’s operating 

budget, including a high-level 

breakdown of the budget; describe the 

department’s inability to address 

financial needs without federal 

assistance; and discuss other actions 

the department has taken to meet 

their staffing needs (e.g., state 

assistance programs, other grant 

programs, etc.). 

Other Selection Information 

Awards will be made using the results 

of peer-reviewed applications as the 

primary basis for decisions, regardless 

of activity. However, there are some 

exceptions to strictly using the peer 

review results. The applicant’s prior 

AFG, Staffing for Adequate Fire and 

Emergency Response (SAFER), and 

FP&S grant management performance 

will also be taken into consideration 

when making recommendations for 

award. All final funding determinations 

will be made by the Administrator of 

FEMA, or the Administrator’s delegate. 

Fire departments and other eligible 

applicants that have received funding 

under the FP&S program in previous 

years are eligible to apply for funding in 

the current year. However, DHS may 

take into account an applicant’s 

performance on prior grants when 

making funding decisions on current 

applications. 

Once every application in the 

competitive range has been through the 

technical evaluation phase, the 

applications will be ranked according to 

the average score awarded by the panel. 

The ranking will be summarized in a 

Technical Report prepared by the AFG 

Program Office. A Grants Management 

Specialist will contact the applicant to 

discuss and/or negotiate the content of 

the application and SAM.gov 

registration before making final award 

decisions. 

Dated: March 3, 2015. 

W. Craig Fugate, 

Administrator, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06547 Filed 3–20–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–12–P 

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