The following information is the introduction from the SAFECOM Grant Guidance referenced in Phase 1 of the methodology. This resource is recommended as a starting point for helping you locate funding availability in your area. The full details of the information can be found at the Weblink provided below.
Weblink to SAFECOM Grant Guidance:
http://www.interoperability.publicsafety.virginia.gov/Grants/GrantGuidelines.cfm
Recommended Federal Grants Guidance
Public Safety Communications & Interoperability Grants
May 2004
I. Introduction
One of the major issues facing the Emergency Services Sector is the inability of emergency service workers, including traditional "first responders" to communicate with one another when the need arises. These emergency first responders have long been defined as the "first arriving organized responders with the capability and mission to contain, mitigate, and resolve the emergency at hand."3 Their effective and efficient emergency response requires coordination, communication, and sharing of vital information among numerous public safety agencies. As recognized in the National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets, "most systems supporting emergency response personnel, however, have been specifically developed and implemented with respect to the unique needs of each agency."4 Such specification without regard to the need for interoperability tends to complicate the ability of those agencies to effectively communicate with others in the future. This fact is echoed by the public safety community in the National Task Force on Interoperability’s report "Why Can’t We Talk? Working Together To Bridge the Communications Gap To Save Lives."5
In line with the needs of public safety and the national strategy cited above, federal fiscal year 2004 appropriations make grant funding available to improve the effectiveness of public safety communications systems and to resolve interoperability issues. By definition, communications interoperability refers to the ability of public safety agencies to talk across disciplines and jurisdictions via radio communications systems -- to exchange voice and/or data with one another on demand, in real time, when needed, and as authorized. The federal program offices recognize that many law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical service, and other emergency response personnel currently lack effective and modern communication systems within their respective organizations. The programs support the need to improve those systems as long as the improvement planning includes a vision for improved interoperability with other agencies.
In an effort to coordinate the way in which funding is allocated and to maximize the prospects for interoperable communications, some general grant criteria has been developed in concert with representatives of the public safety community. What follows is an outline of who is eligible for the grants, purposes for which grant funds can be used, and eligibility specifications for applicants.
3 “Emergency First Responder Report.” Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Fire Administration. January 1981.
4 “National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets,” The White House. February 2003, page 43.
5 “Why Can’t We Talk? Working Together To Bridge the Communications Gap To Save Lives,” AGILE Program. February 2003.