Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with SB 5840 and HB 2007.  These legislative bills will provide the enabling legislation needed to create a State Plan Amendment "SPA" which will allow Washington's public ambulance providers to participate in the Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) supplemental reimbursement program, through the federal government...

“Officer ejected from apparatus in serious condition”, “Firefighter died of injuries sustained from being ejected from engine”.  These are headlines from 2014! Why is this still happening? Doesn’t every department in the country have a policy about seat belts? Didn’t we all sign a seatbelt pledge? 

My answer to this question is “Culture” we don’t want to change.  Culture is deeply ingrained in the fire service.  Part of that culture is to not speak up.  I talked before about the fear of speaking up or reminding our brothers and sisters to do things safely. Seat belts are one of those “things” we have a tendency to not help each other out with. Would you let your partner go into an IDLH environment without doing a buddy check? No, because we have always been told that being part of the team is doing that for each other. So, why not do a “buddy check” before the apparatus rolls off the apron of the station?

On behalf of the Washington Fire Chiefs Board of Directors and Staff, I would like to wish our members a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  As 2014 concludes, it is important to reflect on the successes and accomplishments the WFC has experienced throughout the year.  From hiring a new executive director, the challenges of the 2014 legislative session, a successful annual conference and educational offering...

OSO — Twenty years ago, the Legislature passed a law governing how statewide resources would be deployed to wildfires and other major emergencies.

Over time, that got convoluted in legal interpretation. When the fatal mudslide struck Oso in March, that help wasn't there. They were denied by the state because nothing was on fire.

On Monday, a state commission that studied the mudslide released its final report, calling for an expansion of the wildfire mobilization law to include all emergencies...

There is still plenty of time to start and submit your application. The application period will close on Friday, December 5, 2014, at 5:00 pm E.S.T. Make every effort to submit your application early as no application will be accepted, for any reason, after the official close of the application. 

The following information is provided to help ensure your organization has every opportunity to submit a competitive application with the best chance for funding...

COST SHARE CALCULATIONS
AFG's authorization from Congress contained a change in the language as to how an applicant's cost share must be calculated. Historically, cost share was calculated based solely on the cost of the total project, multiplied by the applicants cost share percentage. The AFG authorization requires that an applicant's cost share be calculated based on the applicable cost share percentage of the "grant" (federal share) awarded. The AFG Program Office has made available a "cost share calculator" to assist applicants with identifying the appropriate cost share for their application.View the FY 2014 AFG Cost Share Calculator tool now. 

SUBMITTING PREPARER INFORMATION
FEMA requires that all applicants disclose the name, address and contact information of the person or organization, to include contracted grant writers, who are responsible for preparing the AFG application. Please ensure that this information is accurate at the time of submission. As a reminder, all applicants must attest that all information contained within the application, including preparer information, must be true, complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. If you contract with a grant writer, and they either refuse, or provide advice to not list them in the preparer information section of the application, please notify the AFG program office.