SEC. 3. FIREFIGHTERS ASSISTING SENIORS TO EMER-
GENCY RESPONSE. 
(a) 
FALL
PREVENTION
AND
HOME
SAFETY 
GRANTS.— 
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Administrator 
of 
FEMA shall make grants directly to career fire de-
partments, combination fire departments, and volun-
teer fire departments for the purpose of imple-
menting programs to improve home safety and pre-
vent falls for older adults, including through fall pre-
vention programs. 
(2) PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE.—Grants made 
under this subsection shall be for three years. 
(3) 
CONSIDERATION.—In 
awarding 
grants 
under this subsection, the Administrator of FEMA 
may give preferential consideration to applications 
that involve non-Federal contributions that exceed 
the difference between 100 percent and the max-
imum percentage allowable Federal contribution 
specified in paragraph (5) for a year. 
(4) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—The Adminis-
trator of FEMA may provide technical assistance to 
States, units of local government, Tribal govern-
ments, and other public entities in furtherance of 
the purposes of this section. 
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(5) LIMITATION ON COSTS.—The portion of the 
costs of implementing programs to improve home 
safety and prevent falls for older adults provided by 
a grant under this paragraph may not exceed the 
following: 
(A) Seventy-five percent in the first year of 
such grant. 
(B) Seventy-five percent in the second year 
of such grant. 
(C) Thirty-five percent in the third year of 
such grant. 
(6) ADMINISTRATION.—Grants made pursuant 
to this subsection shall be awarded on a competitive 
basis through a neutral peer review process. 
(b) APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) RESTRICTION.—No grant may be made 
under this section unless an application has been 
submitted to, and approved by, the Administrator of 
FEMA. 
(2) FORM.—An application for a grant under 
this section shall be submitted to the Administrator 
of FEMA in such form, and containing such infor-
mation, as the Administrator of FEMA may pre-
scribe. 
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(3) CONTENTS.—At a minimum, each applica-
tion for a grant under this section shall— 
(A) explain the applicant’s inability or 
challenges to implement without Federal assist-
ance a program to improve home safety and 
prevent falls for older adults; and 
(B) specify long-term plans for continuing 
such a program following the conclusion of Fed-
eral support provided under this section. 
(c) ALLOWABLE USE OF FUNDS.—Grants under this 
section shall be used for any of the following purposes: 
(1) Procurement and installation of devices, in-
cluding lock boxes, that can be installed on homes 
in order to allow emergency responders quicker ac-
cess to a home in case of an emergency. 
(2) Recruitment, retention, salaries, and bene-
fits of community paramedicine personnel, including 
firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, social workers, case 
managers, administrators, or other professionals for 
the purpose described in subsection (a)(1). 
(3) Installation and replacement of smoke de-
tectors and batteries. 
(4) Compilation of health information to permit 
emergency responders ready access to vital health 
data in case of an emergency. 
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(5) Minor home modifications to reduce fall 
risks, including the following: 
(A) Flattening of rugs. 
(B) Removal of tripping hazards. 
(C) Installation of hand rails and grab 
bars, including supplies, labor, and insurance. 
(6) Risk assessment and reconciliation of medi-
cations. 
(7) Referral to classes, medical professionals, 
and other community resources that educate seniors 
on reducing fall risks. 
(d) RULES REGARDING USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) LIMITATION.—Funds made available under 
this section to fire departments may not be used to 
supplant State or local funds, or, in the case of 
Tribal governments, funds supplied by the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, but shall be used to increase the 
amount of funds that would, in the absence of Fed-
eral funds received under this section, be made avail-
able from State or local sources, or in the case of 
Tribal governments, from funds supplied by the Bu-
reau of Indian Affairs. 
(2) RELATING
TO
PRIOR
REDUCTIONS.—No 
grant shall be awarded pursuant to this section to 
a municipality or other recipient whose annual budg-
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et at the time of the application for fire-related pro-
grams and emergency response has been reduced 
below 80 percent of the average funding level in the 
three years immediately preceding the date of the 
application for the grant. 
(3) PERMITTED.—Funds appropriated by Con-
gress for the activities of any agency of a Tribal gov-
ernment or the Bureau of Indian Affairs may be 
used to provide the non-Federal share of the cost of 
programs or projects funded under this section. 
(e) WAIVERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In a case of demonstrated 
economic hardship of an applicant for a grant under 
this section, the Administrator of FEMA may— 
(A) waive the requirements of subsection 
(d)(1); or 
(B) waive or reduce the application of sub-
section (a)(5) or (d)(2). 
(2) GUIDELINES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of 
FEMA shall establish and publish guidelines for 
determining what constitutes economic hardship 
for purposes of paragraph (1). 
(B) CONSULTATION.—In developing guide-
lines under subparagraph (A), the Adminis-
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trator of FEMA shall consult with individuals 
who are— 
(i) recognized for expertise in emer-
gency medical services provided by fire 
services, community paramedicine, fall pre-
vention, or the economic affairs of State or 
local governments; and 
(ii) members of national fire service 
organizations or national organizations 
representing the interests of State or local 
governments. 
(C) 
CONSIDERATIONS.—In 
developing 
guidelines under subparagraph (A), the Admin-
istrator of FEMA shall consider, with respect to 
relevant communities, the following: 
(i) Changes in rates of unemployment 
from previous years. 
(ii) Whether the rates of unemploy-
ment of the relevant communities are cur-
rently and have consistently exceeded the 
annual national average rates of unemploy-
ment. 
(iii) Changes in percentages of indi-
viduals eligible to receive food stamps from 
previous years. 
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(iv) Such other factors as the Admin-
istrator of FEMA considers appropriate. 
(f) PERFORMANCE EVALUATION.— 
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Administrator 
of 
FEMA shall establish a performance assessment sys-
tem, including quantifiable performance metrics, to 
evaluate the extent to which grants awarded under 
this section are furthering the purposes of this sec-
tion. 
(2) SUBMITTAL
OF
INFORMATION.—The Ad-
ministrator of FEMA may require a grant recipient 
to submit to the Administrator of FEMA any infor-
mation the Administrator of FEMA considers rea-
sonably necessary to evaluate the implementation of 
programs to improve home safety and prevent falls 
for older adults. 
(g) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of FEMA 
shall submit to Congress a report on the experience with, 
and effectiveness of, grants awarded under this section in 
meeting the objectives of this section. Such report may 
include any recommendations the Administrator of FEMA 
may have for amendments to this section and related pro-
visions of law. 
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(h) REVOCATION OR SUSPENSION OF FUNDING.—If 
the Administrator of FEMA determines that a grant re-
cipient under this section is not in substantial compliance 
with the terms and requirements of an approved grant ap-
plication submitted under this section, the Administrator 
of FEMA may revoke or suspend funding of such grant, 
in whole or in part. 
(i) ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS.— 
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Administrator 
of 
FEMA shall have access for the purpose of audit 
and examination to any pertinent books, documents, 
papers, or records of a grant recipient under this 
section and to the pertinent books, documents, pa-
pers, or records of State and local governments, per-
sons, businesses, and other entities that are involved 
in programs, projects, or activities for which assist-
ance is provided under this section. 
(2) APPLICATION.—Paragraph (1) shall apply 
with respect to audits and examinations conducted 
by the Comptroller General of the United States or 
by an authorized representative of the Comptroller 
General. 
(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR OF FEMA; CAREER FIRE 
DEPARTMENT; COMBINATION
FIRE
DEPARTMENT; 
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VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT.—The terms ‘‘Ad-
ministrator of FEMA’’, ‘‘career fire department’’, 
‘‘combination fire department’’, and ‘‘volunteer fire 
department’’ have the meanings given such terms in 
section 33(a) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(a)). 
(2) COMMUNITY
PARAMEDICINE.—The term 
‘‘community paramedicine’’ means the operation of 
first responders, including firefighters, emergency 
medical technicians (EMTs), and paramedics, in 
roles that serve to proactively make communities, 
homes, and residents safer and prevent future med-
ical emergencies. 
(3) FALL PREVENTION.—The term ‘‘fall pre-
vention’’ means the use of evidence-based measures 
that decrease fall risks in older adults. 
(4) FIRE
SERVICE; LOCAL.—The terms ‘‘fire 
service’’ and ‘‘local’’ have the meanings given such 
terms in section 4 of the Federal Fire Prevention 
and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203). 
(5) FIREFIGHTER.—The term ‘‘firefighter’’ has 
the meaning given the term ‘‘employee in fire protec-
tion activities’’ in section 3(y) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(y)). 
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(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 2 of the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101). 
(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated for the purposes of carrying out this 
section, the following: 
(A) $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2026, 2027, and 2028. 
(B) $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2029, 2030, and 2031. 
(C) $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2032, 2033, and 2034. 
(D) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2035. 
(2) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Of 
the 
amounts authorized to be appropriated pursuant to 
paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Administrator of 
FEMA may use not more than five percent of such 
amounts to cover salaries and expenses and other 
administrative costs incurred by the Administrator 
of FEMA to make grants and provide assistance 
under this section. 
(l) SUNSET OF AUTHORITIES.—This section expires 
on September 30, 2036. 
Æ 
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