Washington DC – Every year FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program awards millions in funding that strengthen firefighter training, safety, and research. The grant application process is extremely selective with projects categorized from low to high priority. With flood dangers worsening around the country, swiftwater rescue simulators have been categorized as “high priority equipment” for state fire training academies according to the Section Chief of Assistance to Firefighters Grant for FEMA. Grant funding for this new technology would bring a new level of safety to emergency responders and the communities they serve.
With climate change affecting water levels and storm frequency, it’s becoming crucial for local governments to have a swift water rescue team. “Swift water rescue is one of the most dangerous technical rescues, and one of the most important to train on, because every rescue professional is likely to experience at least one in their career. Even if your community has a designated swift water rescue team, water rescues don’t happen one at a time. They are usually tied to flooding, and will occur in batches, requiring multiple active rescue crews.” Said Greg Merrell, Oklahoma Fire Department in a recent EMS session. This flood rescue training is almost always outdoors in local creeks. “I can tell you, you’re swimming with dead catfish [and] trash, and its just not safe” – Freddie Johnson, president of the Cumberland County fire chiefs association in a 2021 WRAL article. To better prepare special teams for flood calls, fire academies like Fayetteville Technical Community College are implementing facilities like Fathom Tanks’ indoor swiftwater simulation tanks. These simulators can safely train emergency teams with thunder and lighting, submerged cars, boats and helicopters, rain, and up to 7 knots of current in a clean and controlled environment. This next generation of rescue training technology will prepare firefighters for those high risk flood rescue calls.
The AFG Program has awarded approximately $8.1 billion in grant funding to provide critically needed resources to strengthen training and bring “innovations that improve firefighter safety, health, and well-being.” – FEMA website. For local departments,swiftwater simulator grants are still considered medium priority. However, state fire training academies who train emergency responders for multiple counties across the entire state are considered high priority for these life saving grants. Grant funding applications apply to everything from local equipment, new facilities, research, academia, occupational support, and anything to support firefighter health and safety. Since 2018, the AFG Program has awarded more than 600 fire apparatuses,102,000 personal protective equipment items, and 124,000 other fire equipment to over 3,800unique recipients. During the same period, the AFG Program awarded 588 recipients approximately $90 million to modify department facilities or implement wellness and fitness priorities to protect firefighter health. The annual application process begins in November and grant awards will be announced in the Spring of 2024.
Every state has a fire training academy serving industrial, municipal, volunteer and career firefighters. With FEMA’s new high priority focus on swiftwater simulator grants, these centers have a much higher chance to acquire the funding necessary to adequately prepare their firefighters and communities from the rising dangers of flood rescue.
