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May 30, 2024

FEMA Fire Department Grant Funding: Volunteer vs. Career

Volunteer fire departments face unique challenges in securing FEMA grants. Our analysis reveals the disparities in grant sizes, with some departments receiving millions while others get modest amounts. Explore the key categories of grants, recent large awards, and factors that influence the size and scope of funding for volunteer fire organizations.

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FEMA Grants for Volunteer Fire Departments

Grants given to volunteer fire organizations generally fall into four categories:

  • Recruitment and Retention
  • Vehicle Acquisition
  • Operations and Safety
  • Fire Prevention

Here are some numbers across those categories for volunteer fire organizations:

Grant-Type-2015-2023-for-volunteer-fire-organizations

Keep in mind that some grants are spread across dozens of departments.

However, we noticed that there are incredibly large gaps between grant sizes.

Take, for instance, one of the most recent large grants.
12 volunteer departments West Virginia were recently awarded $3.8 million.
Most of this falls under “Operations and Safety”.
Two of the twelve departments received close to $1 million each.

What allows some departments to qualify for millions in federal aid while others receive anywhere from $500- $1,500?

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