Rural Fire Capacity Grant

Rural Fire Capacity Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Idaho Department of Lands (IDL)
Last Updated: April 21, 2025

Summary

The Rural Fire Capacity (RFC) Grant Program, funded by the USDA Forest Service, aims to enhance fire response capabilities in designated rural areas. This program emphasizes the importance of personal protective equipment, communication tools, and adherence to County Wildfire Protection Plans. Eligible applicants must maintain an active Unique Entity Identifier and ensure that funding directly benefits rural populations, particularly those with 10,000 residents or fewer. Prioritizing volunteer fire services, the program seeks to strengthen community resilience against wildfires.

Overview

Rural Fire Capacity (RFC) Grant Program Funding for this program is provided by the USDA Forest Service, State & Private Forestry (S&PF) branch. This program is formerly known as the Volunteer Fire Assistance program. Project Request – Provide a detailed description of how this request will improve the response capability within the designated service area for which the applicant’s FSO/RFPA is first and foremost responsible. If an award is made for Personal Protective Equipment, IDL will reimburse actual Cache costs, or up to $80, for each pair of pants and shirt. IDL will reimburse actual costs, or up to $160, for each pair of coveralls. Wildland Fire Gear is the priority. Fire Shelters – These grant funds will not cover a personal shelter for every member of the applicant’s FSO/RFPA. IDL will only consider shelters for the number of seats on wildland fire apparatus. Communications Equipment – All radios purchased must be narrow band and specified as such on the vendor quote. Radios purchased must be compliant with the applicant county’s radio plan.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligibility RequirementsEach recipient of a federal grant is required to have an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and maintain current registration in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) accessible through the System for Award Management (SAM) portal.To be eligible for RFC funding, an FSO or RFPA applicant must participate in the County Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) process for their county. All requests for RFC assistance listed on the application should be identified in the applicant county’s CWPP or periodic update. Any new FSO or RFPA will have a maximum of five years from their inception to become a participant in the CWPP process for their county. For information on your county’s CWPP, contact the county Emergency Management Coordinator or Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).The RFC funding must be used entirely for the benefit of the rural population.An FSO/RFPA serving a rural area or a rural community with a population of 10,000, or less, is eligible (latest Census). FSO/RFPAs serving a population of greater than 10,000, or a county or town over 10,000 served by two or more FSO/RFPAs, may qualify as long as the service area includes and benefits a rural area, or community, having a population of 10,000 or less. A single community with a population greater than 10,000 and having a single FSO/RFPA with one or more fire stations or provides fire protection to an adjoining rural community by contract may qualify. The FSO/ RFPA must have a service area that includes a rural area, or community, that does not exceed 10,000 in population.Eligible PurchasesEquipment less than $5000.Purchases made between the date of this award letter and the February 28 deadline.Match Requirement The FSO/RFPA’s share (match) of the financial assistance must be available at the time of application.Match must be “hard” (cash) match per category; non-reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses where the subrecipient is responsible for payment. An Excel spreadsheet with formulas to help calculate the hard match is available here. Applicants may not derive their share from other sources of federal government assistance.Applications must be completed and signed by the FSO’s Fire Chief or RFPA’s Chairman in order to be considered.

Ineligibility

A single community FSO/ RFPA serving a population greater than 10,000, and not providing protection to a rural area or to a rural community, is not eligible for RFC financial assistance.Fire districts failing to report information to the database will not be considered for funding.RFC funding allocated to the State is based, in part, on the number of fires reported in the national database.Wildland firefighting boots will not be funded.Building, land, and/or maintenance will not be funded.