The following criteria are used by the agency to determine
eligibility for grant awards.
(1) TIFMAS Grants.
(A) When determining eligibility for a part-paid fire
department, a part-time paid position is counted as one-half of a
full-time paid position.
(B) Applications for assistance for trucks and other
equipment are rated based upon a standardized numeric system that
considers the following factors: total number of TIFMAS qualified
personnel, past statewide deployments, department reporting to TXFIRS
and FireConnect, and number of firefighters holding Strike Team Engine
(STEN), Engine Boss (ENGB), and Firefighter Type 1/Incident Commander
Type 5 (FF1/ICT5) qualifications.
(C) The agency may limit the maximum amount of grant
funds a fire department can receive per year to ensure a wider distribution
of the funds.
(2) VFD Assistance Grants.
(A) When determining eligibility for a part-paid fire
department:
(i) A paid position includes any combination of paid
fire, EMS, administrative and support staff employed by a fire department
or other entity of local government to fulfill an emergency service
or supporting function.
(ii) A part-time paid position is counted as one-half
of a full-time paid position.
(B) Applications for assistance are rated based upon
a standardized numeric system that considers the following factors:
years in existence, size of the primary protection area, population
of the primary protection area, distance to the nearest viable mutual
aid department, age of the application and wildfire risk. For apparatus
grants, the current age of apparatus to be replaced with grant funded
apparatus will be considered.
(C) The agency may award vehicle and equipment grants
to eligible fire departments to assist in meeting matching requirements
for federal grants. Applications for federal grant matching assistance
are rated upon a standardized numeric system that considers the following
factors: size of the department, annual budget and source of revenue
and the amount the department would benefit from the grant.
(D) The agency may limit the maximum amount of grant
funds a fire department can receive per year to ensure a wider distribution
of the funds.
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Source Note: The provisions of this §216.5 adopted to be effective September 1, 2012, 37 TexReg 6537; amended to be effective November 10, 2019, 44 TexReg 6519; amended to be effective March 20, 2023, 48 TexReg 1554 |