Public Safety

Firefighters Expect Boost in Hazmat Training Program

Plan Ahead! Be ready when these grant opportunities open up!

According to a 2002 U.S. Fire Service report, only 13 percent of fire departments across the country could handle a hazmat incident involving chemical or biological agents. The study included 12,000 fire departments. Federal Firefighter lobbyists are confident that funding for a hazmat training program will not only be restored in transportation legislation but will also see a 300 percent increase.

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has received the funds since the program was first included in the Hazardous Materials Transportation Authorization Act of 1994, said Barry Kasinitz, IAFF legislative director. That law expired in 1998; however, the funding has been included in continuing resolutions since then. Current versions of both House and Senate transportation legislation include the program, which provides $250,000 to a national organization that will provide free training directly to first responders. The legislation would increase funding to $1 million.

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Basic Center Program

Due date: June 20, 2005

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is accepting applications for the Basic Center Program (BCP), which addresses runaway and homeless youth problems. Basic Center Programs provide an alternative to involving runaway and homeless youth in the law enforcement, child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice systems. Each program must provide a safe and appropriate shelter and individual, family, and group counseling, as appropriate. Optional services that programs may provide are:

• Street-based services;
• Home-based services for families with youth at risk of separation from the family;
• Drug abuse education and prevention services; and at the request of runaway and homeless youth, testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Each BCP is required to provide to runaway and homeless youth; temporary shelter for up to fifteen (15) days including room and board; individual, group and family counseling (as appropriate); and aftercare and referrals, as appropriate. Some programs also provide some or all of their services through host homes (usually private homes under contract to the centers) with counseling and referrals being provided. Basic Center programs shelter youth through 18 years of age.

For more information, visit www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/HHS/ACF/OA/HHS-2005-ACF-ACYF-CY-0063/listing.html.

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Weed and Seed Funding Announced: Competitive Sites GMS

Registration and application deadline: September 15, 2005

CCDO will accept applications from Officially Recognized Weed and Seed sites in good standing. Competitive sites may apply for a total of $175,000 per year, of which at least 50 percent ($87,500) must be used for "weeding." Training and supplemental materials, including the FY 2005 GPRA forms, are available.

For more information, visit: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ccdo/funding.htm#fy05wsprograms.

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FM Global Arson Fund Grants

Applications are accepted throughout the year.

The FM Global Arson Fund supports fire departments and other public agencies throughout the world by providing seed money to assist in the development of arson prevention and control programs. Grants have been awarded to fire departments and related agencies for investigative tools, flammable accelerant detectors, training programs and juvenile firesetter programs. Grants have also funded computer software to track arson incidents, training seminars for arson investigators, student workshops on fire investigation, and equipment purchase.

For more information visit: www.fmglobal.com/about/facts/arson_grant_program.asp.

Please submit proposals and forms to: Jeffrey Mattern at: Jeffrey.mattern@fmglobal.com
101 Lindenwood Drive Suite 200
Malvern, PA 19355
Phone: (610) 407 3471
Fax: (610) 993 0892

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Technical Assistance Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

Due date: July 1, 2005

Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services has made funds available to establish, develop, and maintain a Technical Assistance Center (TA Center) for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention. The TA Center will support the federally funded Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS), Youth Violence Prevention (YVP), and Targeted Capacity Expansion: Prevention and Early Intervention (TCE) grant programs.

The Safe Schools/Healthy Students, Youth Violence Prevention, and Targeted Capacity Expansion grant programs provide funds to various entities to plan, implement, evaluate, and sustain programs to foster resilience, promote mental health, and prevent youth violence and mental and behavioral disorders. The underlying theoretical principles of these programs are that people’s lives can be enhanced through effective interventions that foster well-being and resilience at the individual, family, and community levels. Structurally, the programs share the common objective of bringing together representatives from many diverse stakeholder groups and seeking cooperation from an array of public health, mental health, education, justice, and social service systems, as well as families and youth, to work towards the mutual goals of promoting safety, well being, and healthy development.

For more information, visit www.lifeskillstraining.com/funding.cfm.

Contact: Michelle Bechard, Division of Prevention, Traumatic Stress, and Special Programs, (240) 276-1872, michelle.bechard@samhsa.hhs.gov

 
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