Close up shot of Austin Fire Department engine with ride out with AFD copy in white
Pass the Torch Cadet wearing full fire gear extinguishing a large flame while other cadets look on.

The Austin Fire Department was awarded AFG-Supplemental COVID-19 PPE Grant in 2020 in the amount of $242,268.  With this grant, AFD will be able to obtain essential PPE for our firefighters.  This grant covers isolations gowns, N95 respirators, surgical type face masks, eye protection, protective coveralls, and gloves.  Our Med Ops and Spec Ops Division are working to identify, test and purchase the PPE.  
The Austin Fire Department was awarded AFG Grant in 2020 in the amount of $138,800.  With this grant, AFD will be able to provide the IAFF Peer Support Training to 20 firefighters who will serve on the AFD Peer Support Team. In addition, will be able to obtain the IAFF Fire Ground Survival (FGS) trailer with props, and Train-the-Trainer training for 30 firefighters to be certified to teach the FGS training to AFD members and our auto-aid partners.

The Austin Fire Department was awarded the Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) FEMA Grant in 2018 in the amount of $274,360.  With this grant, AFD’s Operations Division was able to meet the requirements in our Auto Aid agreement.  That agreement, which includes Williamson County, requires officers to have and understanding of the Blue Card system when interacting with our Auto-Aid partners that employ this system. The "Blue Card" training program defines the best Standard Command Practices for Strategic and Tactical emergency operations conducted on NIMS Type 4 & Type 5 events. Officers will be evaluated in the multiple roles during the evaluation process. The student will have to fill both of the Incident Commander rolls for each of the programs 5 basic building types: residential, multi-unit residential, strip malls, commercial buildings, and big box structures.  This allowed AFD to send our officers to online training and SIM Labs to obtain certification in Blue Card.

The Austin Fire Department was awarded a “FIRE PREVENTION and SAFETY” FEMA Grant on 2012 in the amount of $252,600.  With this grant, AFD’s Community Outreach Division was able to provide Fire Safety Prevention and Awareness to the citizens of Austin by conducting community outreach events, including smoke alarm canvassing and Fire Safety Educational demonstrations utilizing a “state of the art” fire safety trailer that was purchased utilizing the FEAM grant funds.  In addition, the grant allowed AFD to design and publish several Fire Safety Educational publications, video, and audios.

  • FEMA Grant Summary
  • Within the City of Austin, one of the primary missions of the Austin Fire Department is to eliminate civilian fire fatalities and injuries. From 2008 through 2013, there have been 26 unintentional civilian fire deaths within the City of Austin. In residential properties, there have been 18 civilian fire fatalities, 225 civilian injuries, and an estimated $88.1 million in property loss. In 50% of these incidents, there was not a smoke alarm present or a working smoke alarm present at the time of the fire.
In 2013, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the Austin Fire Department (AFD) a $252,600 grant for Fire Safety and Fire Prevention. The deliverables outlined for the 12-month duration of the grant, included:
    • Coordinate 12 canvassing activities targeting identified neighborhoods, resulting in the installation of 700 smoke alarms and 360 home safety inspections
    • Perform at least 40 model home safety and extinguisher training demonstrations at community events with the grant-funded fire safety trailer
    • Create market-specific publications to distribute grant-funded printed materials to vulnerable populations, resulting in 100 smoke alarm installations
    • Translate the market-specific publications into English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese
    • Create market-specific videos and audios in English, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese
    • Create a FEMA grant specific website

In total, AFD installed 1,715 smoke alarms in 1,480 households (71.5% above the grant deliverable).At the completion of the grant, AFD created a white paper to document the successes and lessons learned. This document is intended to provide guidance to other fire departments interested in implementing free smoke alarm installation programs or applying for similar government funded grants.AFD continues its mission of zero-fire deaths by installing free smoke alarms and providing increased public education within the community. However, AFD acknowledges that areas for further research include a long-term assessment of the impact of the free smoke alarm program and fire safety education messages to the public. Measuring the long-term impact of these programs can lead to better predictive analytics that help to identify high-risk groups within the community.
 

Grant Information Downloads: