‘‘(6) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graphs (B) and (C) and paragraph (8), the Di-
rector may provide assistance under this sub-
section only if the applicant for such assistance 
agrees to match 10 percent of such assistance for 
any fiscal year with an equal amount of non- 
Federal funds. 
‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT FOR SMALL COMMUNITY 
ORGANIZATIONS.—In the case of an applicant 
whose personnel serve jurisdictions of 20,000 or 
fewer residents, the percent applied under the 
matching requirement of subparagraph (A) shall 
be 5 percent. 
‘‘(C) FIRE PREVENTION AND FIREFIGHTER 
SAFETY GRANTS EXCEPTION.—There shall be no 
matching requirement for a grant described in 
paragraph (4). 
‘‘(7) MAINTENANCE OF EXPENDITURES.—Subject 
to paragraph (8), the Director may provide assistance 
under this subsection only if the applicant for the as-
sistance agrees to maintain in the fiscal year for 
which the assistance will be received the applicant’s 
aggregate expenditures for the uses described in para-
graph (3) or (4) at or above 80 percent of the average 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
level of such expenditures in the 2 fiscal years pre-
ceding the fiscal year for which the assistance will be 
received. 
‘‘(8) ECONOMIC HARDSHIP WAIVER.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In exceptional cir-
cumstances, the Director may waive or reduce 
the matching requirement under paragraph (6) 
and the maintenance of expenditures require-
ment under paragraph (7) for applicants facing 
demonstrated economic hardship. 
‘‘(B) CRITERIA
DEVELOPMENT.—The cri-
teria under which the Director may waive or re-
duce such requirements shall be developed in con-
sultation with individuals who are— 
‘‘(i) recognized for expertise in fire-
fighting, emergency medical services pro-
vided by fire services, or the economic af-
fairs of State and local governments; and 
‘‘(ii) members of national fire service 
organizations or national organizations 
representing the interests of State and local 
governments. 
‘‘(C) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Director 
shall make the criteria developed under subpara-
graph (B) publicly available. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(9) VARIETY OF FIRE DEPARTMENT GRANT RE-
CIPIENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts made 
available under subsection (e), the Director shall 
ensure that grants under paragraph (1)(A) for a 
fiscal year are allocated, to the extent that there 
are eligible applicants to carry out the activities 
under paragraph (3), as follows: 
‘‘(i) 25 percent shall be made available 
to career fire departments. 
‘‘(ii) 25 percent shall be made avail-
able to volunteer fire departments. 
‘‘(iii) 25 percent shall be made avail-
able to combination fire departments. 
‘‘(B) EVALUATION CRITERIA.— 
‘‘(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—In 
awarding 
grants under paragraph (1)(A), the Director 
shall, within each category of applicants 
under subparagraph (A), consider a broad 
range of factors important to the appli-
cant’s ability to respond to fires and related 
hazards, such as population served, geo-
graphic response area, hazard vulnerability, 
call volume, financial situation, and need 
for training or equipment. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(ii) HIGH POPULATION AND INCIDENT 
RESPONSE.—In considering such factors 
under clause (i), applicants serving areas 
with high population and with a high num-
ber of incidents requiring a response shall 
receive a higher level of consideration. 
‘‘(C) REMAINDER.—Of the amounts made 
available under subsection (e) that are not allo-
cated for use and awarded under subparagraph 
(A) or designated for use under any other provi-
sion of this section, the Director shall provide for 
an open competition for grants among career fire 
departments, volunteer fire departments, and 
combination fire departments to carry out the 
activities under paragraph (3). 
‘‘(10) REPORT TO THE DIRECTOR.—The Director 
may provide assistance under this subsection only if 
the applicant for the assistance agrees to submit to 
the Director a report, including a description of how 
the assistance was used, with respect to each fiscal 
year for which the assistance was received. 
‘‘(11) GRANT LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) RECIPIENT LIMITATIONS.—A grant re-
cipient under paragraph (1)(A)— 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(i) that serves a jurisdiction with 
100,000 people or less may not receive 
grants in excess of $1,000,000 for any fiscal 
year; 
‘‘(ii) that serves a jurisdiction with 
more than 100,000 people but less than 
500,000 people may not receive grants in 
excess of $2,000,000 for any fiscal year; 
‘‘(iii) that serves a jurisdiction with 
500,000 people or more but less than 
1,000,000 people may not receive grants in 
excess of $3,000,000 for any fiscal year; 
‘‘(iv) that serves a jurisdiction with 
1,000,000 people or more but less than 
2,500,000 people may not receive grants in 
excess of $6,000,000 for any fiscal year; and 
‘‘(v) that serves a jurisdiction with 
2,500,000 people or more may not receive 
grants in excess of $9,000,000 for any fiscal 
year. 
The Director may award grants in excess of the 
limitations provided in clauses (i), (ii), (iii), 
and (iv) if the Director determines that extraor-
dinary need for assistance by a jurisdiction war-
rants a waiver. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(B) LIMITATION
ON
EXPENDITURES
FOR 
FIREFIGHTING
VEHICLES.—Not more than 25 
percent of the funds appropriated to provide 
grants under this section for a fiscal year may 
be used to assist grant recipients to purchase ve-
hicles, as authorized by paragraph (3)(G). 
‘‘(C) STATE FIRE TRAINING ACADEMIES.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with 
clause (ii), the Director shall award not 
more than 3 percent of the amounts made 
available under subsection (e) for a fiscal 
year for grants under this subsection for 
State fire training academies. 
‘‘(ii) 
LIMITATION.—The 
Director 
shall— 
‘‘(I) award not more than 1 grant 
under this subparagraph per State in 
a fiscal year; 
‘‘(II) limit the amount of a grant 
to a State fire training academy to less 
than or equal to$1,000,000 in each fis-
cal year; and 
‘‘(III) ensure that any grant 
awarded to a State fire training acad-
emy shall be used for the purposes de-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
scribed in paragraphs 3(G), 3(H), or 
3(I). 
‘‘(D) REQUIREMENTS
FOR
GRANTS
FOR 
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.—The Director 
shall award not more than 2 percent of the 
amounts made available under subsection (e) for 
a fiscal year to volunteer, non-fire service EMS 
and rescue organizations for the purposes de-
scribed in paragraph (3)(F). 
‘‘(E) APPLICATION OF SELECTION CRITERIA 
TO
GRANT
APPLICATIONS
FROM
VOLUNTEER, 
NON-FIRE SERVICE EMS AND RESCUE ORGANIZA-
TIONS.—In reviewing applications submitted by 
volunteer, non-fire service EMS and rescue orga-
nizations, the Director shall consider the extent 
to which other sources of Federal funding are 
available to provide the assistance requested in 
such grant applications. 
‘‘(F) CONSENSUS STANDARDS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Any grant amounts 
used to obtain training under this section 
shall be limited to training that complies 
with applicable national voluntary con-
sensus standards (if applicable national vol-
untary consensus standards have been estab-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
lished), unless a waiver has been granted 
under clause (ii). 
‘‘(ii) WAIVER.— 
‘‘(I) 
EXPLANATION
FOR
NON- 
STANDARD TRAINING.—If an applicant 
for a grant seeks to use the assistance 
provided under the grant to obtain 
training that does not meet or exceed 
applicable voluntary consensus stand-
ards, the applicant shall include in the 
application an explanation of why 
such training will serve the needs of 
the applicant better than training that 
does meet or exceed such standards. 
‘‘(II) PROCEDURES.—In making 
a determination whether or not to 
waive the requirement under clause (i) 
with respect to a specific standard, the 
Director shall, to the greatest extent 
practicable— 
‘‘(aa) 
consult 
with 
other 
members of the fire services re-
garding the impact on fire depart-
ments of the requirement to meet 
or exceed the specific standard; 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(bb) take into consideration 
the explanation provided by the 
applicant under subclause (I); 
and 
‘‘(cc) seek to minimize the 
impact of the requirement to meet 
or exceed the specific standard on 
the 
applicant, 
particularly 
if 
meeting the standard would im-
pose additional costs. 
‘‘(III) ADDITIONAL REQUESTS.— 
Applicants that apply for a grant 
under the terms of subclause (I) may 
include a second grant request in the 
application to be considered by the Di-
rector in the event that the Director 
does not approve the primary grant re-
quest on the grounds of the training 
not meeting applicable voluntary con-
sensus standards. 
‘‘(12) ELIGIBLE GRANTEE ON BEHALF OF ALAS-
KA NATIVE VILLAGES.—The Alaska Village Initiatives, 
a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of 
Alaska, shall be considered an eligible grantee for pur-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
poses of receiving assistance under this section on be-
half of Alaska Native villages. 
‘‘(13) ANNUAL
MEETING.—The Director shall 
convene an annual meeting of individuals who are 
members of national fire service organizations and 
are recognized for expertise in firefighting or emer-
gency medical services provided by fire services, and 
who are not employees of the Federal Government, for 
the purpose of recommending criteria for awarding 
grants under this section for the next fiscal year and 
any necessary administrative changes to the grant 
program. 
‘‘(14) GUIDELINES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Each year, prior to 
making any grants under this section, the Direc-
tor shall publish in the Federal Register— 
‘‘(i) guidelines that describe the process 
for applying for grants and the criteria for 
awarding grants; 
‘‘(ii) an explanation of any differences 
between the guidelines and the recommenda-
tions made pursuant to paragraph (13); 
and 
‘‘(iii) the criteria developed under 
paragraph (8) which the Director will use 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
to evaluate applicants for waivers from pro-
gram requirements. 
‘‘(B) SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENT.—The cri-
teria for awarding grants under paragraph 
(1)(A) shall include the extent to which the grant 
would enhance the daily operations of the appli-
cant and the impact of such a grant on the pro-
tection of lives and property. 
‘‘(15) PEER REVIEW.—The Director, after con-
sultation with national fire service organizations, 
shall appoint fire service personnel to conduct peer re-
view of applications received under paragraph (5). In 
making grants under this section, the Director shall 
consider the results of such peer review evaluations. 
‘‘(16) APPLICABILITY
OF
FEDERAL
ADVISORY 
COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to activities 
under paragraphs (13) and (15). 
‘‘(17) ACCOUNTING
DETERMINATION.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, rule, regulation, 
or guidance, for purposes of receiving assistance 
under this section, equipment costs shall include all 
costs attributable to any design, purchase of compo-
nents, assembly, manufacture, and transportation of 
equipment not otherwise commercially available. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(b) AUDITS.—A recipient of a grant under this sec-
tion shall be subject to audits to ensure that the grant pro-
ceeds are expended for the intended purposes and that the 
grant recipient complies with the requirements of para-
graphs (6) and (7) of subsection (a) unless the Director has 
granted a waiver under subsection (a)(8). 
‘‘(c) FIRE SAFETY RESEARCH CENTERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director may make a 
grant under subsection (a)(4)(A)(iii) to an institution 
of higher education, a national fire service organiza-
tion, or a national fire safety organization to estab-
lish and operate a fire safety research center. 
‘‘(2) OBJECTIVES.—A grant received under this 
subsection shall be used by such an institution or or-
ganization to advance significantly the Nation’s abil-
ity to reduce the number of fire-related deaths and in-
juries among firefighters and the general public 
through research, development, and technology trans-
fer activities. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION.—The Director may establish 
no more than 3 fire safety research centers. An insti-
tution of higher education, a national fire service or-
ganization, or a national fire safety organization 
may not directly receive a grant under this section for 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
a fiscal year for more than 1 fire safety research cen-
ter. 
‘‘(4) APPLICATION.—In order to be eligible to re-
ceive a fire safety research center grant, an institu-
tion of higher education, a national fire service orga-
nization, or a national fire safety organization shall 
submit to the Director an application that is in such 
form and contains such information and assurances 
as the Director may require. 
‘‘(5) GENERAL SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Di-
rector shall select each recipient of a grant under this 
subsection through a competitive process on the basis 
of the following: 
‘‘(A) The demonstrated research and exten-
sion resources available to the recipient to carry 
out the research, development, and technology 
transfer activities. 
‘‘(B) The capability of the recipient to pro-
vide leadership in making national contributions 
to fire safety. 
‘‘(C) The recipient’s ability to disseminate 
the results of fire safety research. 
‘‘(D) The strategic plan the recipient pro-
poses to carry out under the grant. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(6) CONSIDERATION.—The Director shall give 
special consideration under paragraph (5) to an ap-
plicant for a grant that consists of a partnership be-
tween a national fire service organization or a na-
tional fire safety organization and at least 1 of the 
following: 
‘‘(A) An institution of higher education. 
‘‘(B) A minority-serving institution (de-
fined as an eligible institution under section 
371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1067q(a))). 
‘‘(7) RESEARCH NEEDS.—Within 90 days after 
the date of enactment of the Fire Grants Reauthoriza-
tion Act of 2009, the Director shall convene a work-
shop of the fire safety research community, fire service 
organizations, and other appropriate stakeholders to 
identify and prioritize fire safety research needs. The 
results of the workshop shall be made public, and the 
Director shall consider such results in making awards 
under this section. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi-
nitions apply: 
‘‘(1) CAREER FIRE DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘ca-
reer fire department’ means a firefighting department 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
that has an all professional force of firefighting per-
sonnel. 
‘‘(2) COMBINATION
FIRE
DEPARTMENT.—The 
term ‘combination fire department’ means a fire-
fighting department that has a combined force of pro-
fessional and volunteer firefighting personnel. 
‘‘(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means the 
Director, acting through the Administrator. 
‘‘(4) 
FIREFIGHTING
PERSONNEL.—The 
term 
‘firefighting personnel’ means individuals, including 
volunteers, who are firefighters, officers of fire depart-
ments, or emergency medical service personnel of fire 
departments. 
‘‘(5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘institution of higher education’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 101 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
‘‘(6) VOLUNTEER, NON-FIRE SERVICE EMS AND 
RESCUE ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘volunteer, non- 
fire service EMS and rescue organization’ means a 
public or private nonprofit emergency medical serv-
ices organization that— 
‘‘(A) is not affiliated with a hospital; 
‘‘(B) does not serve a geographic area in 
which the Director finds that emergency medical 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS
services are adequately provided by a fire de-
partment; and 
‘‘(C) is staffed primarily by volunteers. 
‘‘(7) VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT.—The term 
‘volunteer fire department’ means a firefighting de-
partment that has an all volunteer force of fire-
fighting personnel. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated for the purposes of this section 
$1,000,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 
through 2014. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Of the funds appro-
priated pursuant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal 
year, the Director may use not more than 3 per-
cent of the funds to cover salaries and expenses 
and other administrative costs incurred by the 
Director to make grants and provide assistance 
under this section. 
‘‘(B) FORMULA.—The Director shall sub-
tract the amount to be used for subparagraph 
(A) from the amount appropriated pursuant to 
paragraph (1) before making any allocations or 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
21:26 Nov 13, 2009
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3791.RH
H3791
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with BILLS