The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is another component in FEMA. The grant review and award processes are  represented in Figure 3. FEMA Changed Fire Grants Policies and Developed a Performance Assessment System in Response to FGRA Amendments

		FEMA Changed Applications and Awards Policies Related to FGRA Amendments, and Grant Outcomes Generally Reflected These Changes

Our analysis of FGRA identified 26 amendments related to fire grant  application and award policies. Specifically, FGRA  included an amendment that established minimum award allocations for  career, volunteer, and combination fire departments. In addition, these standards help fire departments minimize the  possibility of fire-related injuries, property damage, and other effects,  according to FEMA. Opportunities Exist to Further Enhance FEMA’s Management of Fire Grant Processes and Performance Assessment Efforts

		Establishing Defined and Measurable Targets

While FEMA developed performance measures as part of its new  performance assessment system for the AFG and SAFER programs, the  agency did not include measurable performance targets linked to AFG  and SAFER program goals that could help better assess the impact of the  program and report program achievements. Thus, establishing measurable  performance targets linked to AFG and SAFER program goals could  enhance the quality and utility of the new performance assessment  system by providing a yardstick against which the national investments in  the programs can be evaluated. Enhancing Collaboration between GPD and USFA

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) plays an informal role as a  consultant to GPD’s fire grant programs, but GPD could better leverage  USFA’s expertise and resources to support programmatic management of  the fire grant programs using collaborative mechanisms that our work  across the federal government has identified. Despite the similarities in the goals and missions of the two organizations,  key USFA and GPD policy documents do not describe how the two  organizations’ programs could work together to achieve their common  goals, and officials from both offices said there is no formalized  relationship between them regarding program management. Officials from both GPD and USFA agreed that  formalizing USFA’s role would benefit fire grant program management. Conclusions

FEMA has provided almost $5.8 billion since 2009 to fund fire grant  programs that help firefighters and emergency medical service  departments enhance their capabilities to respond to the needs of  localities across the nation. To further leverage the expertise and resources in support of FEMA’s fire  grants programs, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the  FEMA Administrator to define and document the roles and responsibilities  of USFA in administering the fire grant programs. DHS concurred  with all four recommendations and described planned actions to address  them. DHS concurred with our last recommendation that FEMA define and  document the roles and responsibilities of USFA in administering the fire  grant programs. Appendix I: Fire Grants Funding and Awards by Grant Program, Eligible Activity

	Funding Distribution of Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER), and Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Awards Pre- and Post-Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012, Fiscal Years 2002 through 2014

Table 2 shows the distribution of grants awards for the three grant  programs fiscal years 2002 through 2014. For fiscal years 2009 through 2014, urban  departments received a majority of the grant funding. Appendix IV: Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Performance Assessment System Measures for Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs

In 2014, FEMA created a performance assessment system for its fire  grants programs in response to a Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012  (FGRA) requirement that FEMA establish a system to track program  progress and report to Congress on the effectiveness of these grants.
Why GAO Did This Study

Public fire departments in the U.S. responded to almost 1.3 million fires occurred in the United States in 2014, which resulted in more than 3,275 civilian deaths, 15,775 injuries, and $11.6 billion in property loss. To help support local firefighting efforts, FEMA, within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), allocated almost $5.8 billion from 2009 to 2016 to award grants to fire departments and other organizations for equipment, staffing, research, and other needs.
The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012 (FGRA), which amended and reauthorized the three grant programs, includes a provision for GAO to review changes to the grant programs and FEMA's assessment of the fire grants' performance. This report examines (1) the extent to which the fire grants' policies and performance assessments changed as a result of FEMA's implementation of FGRA, and (2) what additional opportunities exist to enhance FEMA's management of fire grant processes and performance assessment efforts. GAO reviewed FGRA and FEMA grant policy documents, and interviewed FEMA officials and relevant stakeholders who provided insights on key actions taken.

What GAO Found

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) revised fire grant policies for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER), and Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grant programs in response to the Fire Grants Reauthorization Act of 2012 (FGRA). GPD incorporated a majority of these changes into its existing application and award processes. For example, FGRA established minimum award allocations for three types of fire departments. In 2013 and 2014, each of these types of departments received more than the minimum of fire grant funds. FEMA also developed a performance assessment system for the AFG and SAFER programs in response to FGRA. The figure summarizes the types of uses for each fire grant program.
FEMA has several opportunities to enhance its administration of fire grants and how their contributions to national preparedness are assessed. For example, while FEMA developed performance measures for the AFG and SAFER programs, the agency did not include measurable performance targets linked to AFG and SAFER program goals that could help better assess the impact of the program and report program achievements. Establishing measurable performance targets linked to program goals could enhance the quality and utility of the new performance assessment system by providing a yardstick against which these investments can be evaluated. In addition, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) provides firefighter training and education as well as fire-related research, data collection, and analysis, and acts as a consultant for GPD's fire grant programs, but FEMA has not defined and documented USFA's specific role or responsibilities with the fire grants program. As a result, there is no formalized relationship or policy regarding, for example, how the two organizations' programs could work together to achieve common goals. Using collaborative mechanisms GAO's work has identified across the federal government could help GPD better leverage USFA's expertise and resources to support programmatic management of the fire grants programs. Both GPD and USFA officials agreed that defining and documenting the roles and responsibilities of GPD and USFA would enhance the administration of the fire grants programs.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making four recommendations, including that FEMA establish measurable performance targets, and define and document the roles and responsibilities of GPD and USFA in administering the fire grants. DHS concurred with all four recommendations, and described planned actions to address them.