Along with Dan Silvestri, daughters Stacey and Alexandra, and friend of the family Dana walked in the Crohn's and Colitis Walk in Philadelphia this past Saturday morning. At 80 walk sites across the country, thousands of people will gather this spring and summer to join the fight against digestive diseases. These walks raise money for important research and raise awareness of two painful and unpredictable diseases that afflict millions of people.
In its inaugural year, over 30,000 participants walked and together raised over $6 million dollars towards our mission. The goal is even higher in 2009. Philadelphia was the top walk site in the country last year raising over $340,000. The passion and commitment that was demonstrated by the 150 teams was not to be believed. Tornado warnings couldn't even stop families, friends and co-workers from walking in an effort to raise money to find the cure for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. One in every 200 people suffer daily with these digestive diseases.
The 3 mile walk took place along Martin Luther King Drive and consistd of fun for the entire family including live music, food and games. For additional information about Crohn's Disease, Colitis as well as the walk please visit www.ccfa.org.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, shrinking municipal budgets are causing fire department to rely more on grant support to meet their growing demands, the most popular being the AFG or Assistance to Firefighters Grants.
The top priority of the AFG grant, whose application period for 2010 has just opened today and runs until May 20, is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of first responder organizations.
As many of these first responder organizations are turning to vendors and manufacturers for assistance in these difficult times, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recently issued new procurement integrity guidelines in association with the AFG grant to manufacturing companies. They advise that if a vendor or manufacturer drafts, writes, edits, critiques or provides any direct consultation or specification on a grant application, that the vendor or manufacturer cannot be considered for purchase.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sees this assistance as a conflict of interest and any potential wrongdoings may be questioned or disallowed. Please take a look at the attachment on the emphasis of procurement integrity provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
For additional information regarding this issue please visit the United States Department of Homeland Security, visit us online, or call us toll free at 866-370-7800.
A week ago today, May 7th 2009, the Obama Administration released the full details of the proposed Fiscal Year 2010 federal budget, which included President Obama’s recommendations for firefighter grant funding.
It has been recommended that the Fire Grant Program, which includes grants for fire department equipment purchases, be lowered to $170 million in FY2010, a drop of $395 million from the $565 million FY2009 budget.
It is not all bad news however as the new budget proposes the SAFER program designed to provide federal funding to support hiring and retention of firefighting personnel. The $420 million in funds is exactly double the FY2009 budget. Total firefighter assistance will see only a decrease of $185 million from last year’s funding of $775 million.
Also, the U.S. Fire Administration has been recommended to receive $45.6 million in FY10, a slight increase from last year’s funding of $44.9 million.
Municipalities, which include Fire Companies and Police Stations, are now eligible to purchase using GSA pricing. According to H.R. 3179, the "Local Preparedness Acquisition Act," which authorizes the use of Federal supply schedules by State, local, and tribal governments for acquisition of law enforcement and security-related items, including firefighting and rescue equipment;H.R. 3179 would allow state, local, and tribal governments to purchase more goods and services at discount prices through federal supply schedules. Under current law, those governments may purchase a variety of information technology through the federal supply schedules. This legislation would expand the cooperative purchasing program to include specified supplies and services for law enforcement, fire fighting, and other security activities.
For additional information regarding Government Services Administration and how you can order through GSA please visit our website at www.GSAfire.com or call us toll free at 866-370-7800.
Llanerch Fire Company is hosting a Beef and Beer fundraiser on June 13, 2009 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm at P.J. Henry’s Draft House & Eatery, located at 2330 Haverford Road in Ardmore. The $25.00 per person ticket includes domestic draft beers and the roast beef buffet.
Congressional Fire Services Institute Special Nationally, the AFG awards, which will be distributed in phases, will ultimately provide approximately $510 million to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country. AFG awards aim to enhance response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public with respect to fire and other hazards. The grants enable local fire departments and emergency medical services organizations to purchase or receive training, conduct first responder health and safety programs, and buy equipment and response vehicles.
An applicant tutorial is available through the www.firegrantsupport.com website. The tutorial provides you with valuable grant information and will walk you through the preparation and submittal of competitive applications. In addition, the applicant tutorial will provide an overview of the funding priorities and evaluation criteria. Applicants who have questions regarding the Assistance to Firefighters Grants opportunity should contact the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov. During the application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EDT), but is prepared to revise hours of operation based on volume and demand.
The AFG Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration. For access to the FY09 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program Guidance or FAQs - visit www.firegrantsupport.com/afg/.
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