Fire Act Grant 2005 Narrative

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Never Forget 343 Gave It All On 9-11-2001

2005 Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program (AFGP)

2005 Narrative Development

Critical Narrative Elements

Linked to the Program Guidance
Effective narratives are based upon addressing the gap between:

Community Risk Assessment
&
Department Capability Assessment

Program Guidance Most Important document applicant can obtain.

Go online download
All members of team need to fully understand the program guidance

Program Guidance- plain language guide to program

Explains entire application process
Explains Priorities- Stress that guidance explains what projects are given high priority during the current program year. Stress that the applicant wants to align their needs with priorities that are high to afford the best opportunity to score high in Peer review.
Explain that the nine fire service organizations help determine program priorities.
The purpose of the program is to address fire department needs as indicated by the Community Risk Assessment and the Fire Department Capability Assessment (Explained earlier in workshop). The gap between the two is the area the program should be designed to address.

Identifying Risk

Successful applicants match their greatest risk to program priorities.
The Risk Assessment identifies gaps in organization capability.
AFG is designed to fill capability gaps.

Match gaps to AFG priorities.

Grant Funding
Risk -----------gap-------------- Grant Priority

The focus of this slide is to make the point that to be successful, we have to focus on matching risk with grant priorities.

Then using grant funding to fill the gap between the local department risk and the risk best matches grant program priorities.

Make the point not to deviate from priorities. We will provide an example of why they shouldn’t in the next few slides.

Identifying Risk

It is best to focus on the highest risk that matches Program Priorities.

Four Elements of the Narrative

Project Description
Financial Need
Cost/Benefit
Operational Outcomes

Project Description-

Summary of the project/program.
Projects budget is essential
Explain not every item but that Itemization of group prices is necessary

Financial need-

The area most responsible for low scores during Peer Review.
Unless you can persuade the Peer Reviewers that you cannot afford to fund the program they will score you low.

Cost/Benefit-

Bang for the Buck.
Cost of the program vs. the Good you can do

Operational Outcomes- New evaluation area.

What will be the benefit to the fire department and the community if you receive the grant;
What will happen negatively to the community if you do not receive the grant.

Components of Project Description

Problem Statement

Short, compelling statement that explains the problem
Linked to risk-assessment
Includes budget explanation
Itemizes costs by category

The Problem Statement is the single most important element to attract interest in their project/program. If there is no problem to be solved there is no need to receive an award.

Problem Statement should be SHORT and SIMPLE. Make sure the reader can understand what the problem is.

Problem Statement must be linked to the community risk assessment. If there is no risk to the community that the fire department is unprepared to successful address, there is no need for a grant.

Provide budget explanation when requesting complicated assistance such as contracts or several linked items to support a proposal.

Itemized costs should be under project description not cost benefit. Itemized costs are details (project detail/description). Applicants need to provide the itemized costs as part of the project description. Then they need to explain "why" in the narrative, i.e., why the $20,000 AED instead of the $2,500 one; why six sets of gear for their FFs; why CBRNE

Components of Financial Need

Why does your fire department need the money?
Justify federal assistance
List how much money you spend in a typical year.
List how much funding you receive in a typical year.
Provide information about savings or reserves.
Explain increased risks and/or population.

Many applicants do not provide sufficient justification for requesting assistance.
Historically, the peer reviewers state that the number one item that is not addressed in the application narrative is financial need.

Justification:

A typical year’s revenue flow can be determined by looking at the average for the last 3 years.
The chief financial officer should be able to provide this information.
Check Local Resources For Economic Justification, I.E.: Chamber of Commerce, Council of Governments, school districts, Census Bureau.

Components of Cost / Benefit

Frequency of use vs. cost
Interoperability
Regional approach
Consequences of not receiving award

Regional Approach

Sharing training program opportunities
Specialty equipment (scba fill stations)
Frequency of mutual aid

Consequences of Not Receiving Award

Risk to firefighters (unsafe or lack of scba/turnout gear)
Unsafe or undependable apparatus

Components of Operational Outcomes

How will the AFG grant enhance day-to-day department operations?
How will the AFG grant enhance protection of lives and/or property?
What are the measurable results?

Measurable Results

Number of patients surviving
Reduction in firefighter injuries
Improved services through increases in certification
Improved community support
Reduction in response times

Organizing Your Narrative

Organization (breif overview)
Project Description
Financial Need
Cost/Benefits
Operational Outcomes

Organization is the key to an effective grant document. The peer evaluators will be reading dozens of these narratives everyday and the better they are organized the easer it can make their work.
Keep things in order, simple and to the point.

Project Description – This is the first thing the evaluator is going to see and the one thing that will make a lasting impression. Draw the reader into your narrative with a compelling opening statement that makes them want to read more. Keep it short, one to two paragraphs that describe your situation, what you propose to do about it and what you think you need to get the job done.

Financial Need – Why can’t you do the project without Federal assistance? Paint a word picture of the local economy; do you have an eroding tax base, are people out of work, industry shutting down, etc. Or, is the reverse true, is your community growing so fast that the city cannot keep up with the infrastructure of the community and they are “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, and there is no money left to provide your department with the equipment necessary for effective service delivery.

Cost / Benefits – What will this project mean to the department, city and people? In dollars and cents or time, will it lower the injury rate of your firefighters, could this affect the ISO rating in your community and what effect will that have on insurance premiums, will you be able to get to the emergency faster/safer? Conversely, what will happen if you don’t get the grant and what will you do then to find a “fix” for the problem?

Operational Outcomes – How will this project make a difference in your over all ability to do your job? What do you expect to gain from this project…bottom-line…What will change in your service delivery that will make your department more efficient and productive?

All of these things have to come together like the pieces of a puzzle to demonstrate the need and effect of the program you are asking to fund.

Need for Good Composition & Grammar

Sentence structure
Avoid fragments and run-ons.
DO NOT CAPITALIZE THE NARRATIVE.
Be concise and clear.
Be yourself -- don’t embellish.

Sentence Structure – We don’t expect the writers of these grants to be English Literature Scholars, but, be careful of fragmented sentences. Often times you are leaving yourself open for interpretation by some one who may or may not understand what you are saying. At the same time, don’t have sentences that go on for ever and ever without a break. This gets monotonous and confusing to some readers. Follow the KIS Principle…Keep It Simple. Use complete sentences, short as possible and maintain a clear thought throughout. Leave Nothing To Chance or Interpretation!

Do Not Capitalize The Entire Narrative!! This practice makes the document very hard to read because words tend to run together. The thing you don’t want to do is have the reader loose interest in the narrative or miss an important detail in your message. Try it on your own document. Type it both ways and see which is easier to read and which holds your concentration best.

Be Concise and Clear – An other way to say that is, “Don’t Chase Rabbits”. You have five pages of narrative, use as much as you need, but, don’t feel you have to fill up all five pages with words. Again apply the KISS Principle and keep your thoughts focused on the project you are applying for. The history of your department is nice, but, it's not what the reader wants to know, a melodrama about something that inspired the grant is good for your next book, but, again not what the peer reviewer wants to read. Keep your thoughts clear, focused and as concise as humanly possible. Remember that panelists are peers—they understand what SCBA or PPE is used for. Be clear about why your department needs the equipment.

Avoid local terminology – Use recognizable names and terminology that is standard to the industry. Using local jargon for equipment can confuse the peer reviewers. Remember there will be people from all over the United States and her Territories evaluating your proposal. If you have a reviewer from South Florida, New Hampshire and Hawaii, will they all know what you are talking about if you use terminology from Arkansas?

Helpful Hints

Plan application submission early; don’t wait until the deadline to submit application.
Download and study carefully Program Guidance.
Develop application team and assign tasks.
Write narrative off-line and print it out before submitting. Ask someone else to read it. Bullets and other fonts won't transfer.

Plan Application Submission Early – It's not too late to begin thinking about the 06 grant year even though we haven't even begun the 05 year yet. It's never too early to plan. If you have everything ready at the beginning of the application period, get your app in early, don’t wait until the last moment so you have to rush to get to get the application in before the closing gun. This is where you can, and usually will, make the most mistakes. Departments who wait until the very end get frustrated and make more mistakes.

Download and Reads Program Guidance – The single greatest mistake that applicants and grantees make is they don’t read the guidance. Everything you need to know to write a good grant and manage your grant if you get one, is contained in the Grant Guidance. It should be your constant companion while writing the grant and once finished, if awarded a grant, your guide for using the grant. Also keep the important contact numbers handy. It's always better to seek assistance with your application and grant, rather than make mistakes that could be fatal to your project.

The new grant application will have more drop-down menus and help screens and the on-line tutorial will assist you when in doubt. Otherwise use the help desk or your Fire Program Specialist when you are unsure.

Develop Teams and Assign Tasks – This isn't a one man show. Share the responsibility with members of your department and allow them to share the burden of putting together the problem statement, the department and community needs assessment, the perceived cost benefit and the operational outcomes. Remember this is for the department not the individual; have several personnel trained to work with the program so if necessary someone can step in and manage the grant in your absence. The more involvement the department has, the more they will buy into the program if it is awarded.

Write The Narrative Off-Line – Remember the application program has a built in time out. This is necessary so people cannot log in and tie up the computers and keep others out. The real benefit to working off-line is that most word processors have several features that can be very beneficial to the writer. First and foremost is spell check/grammar check, use it and use it often, there is nothing worse than trying to read a document full on spelling and grammatical errors. Most programs have a built in Thesauruses that will allow you to chose words that will break the monotony of using a single word over and over in a narrative and they also have word count. You are limited to a specific number of words in the narrative and a specific number of pages to put those words on, so this feature will help you keep track of the cut-off point.

As you write the narrative remember you are close to the project and often times you will know what you are saying in a sentence but another reader may not understand. Print your narrative and ask others to critique it for you and don’t get upset if it comes back with a lot of corrections marked on it. This is your chance to “get it right the first time”. Take your narrative to another firefighter and allow that individual to read the paper for technical accuracy; then give it so someone in the community familiar with writing techniques and let them fine tune it for grammar, spelling and composition. If these two people can read the narrative and understand your needs and the ultimate outcome of the project, then the peer reviewers should have no problem reading and scoring the application.

All that's left to do at that point, if everything else is correct in the application, is cut and paste and you are done…submit it and wait for the response.

Helpful Hints (Cont.)

Never leave the panelists wondering.

Use all available help resources:

Online tutorials
FAQs
Help Desk (866) 274-0960

Avoid templates -- narrative must accurately reflect applicant's condition.

Never Leave Panelist Wondering – Remember, explain every thing in as much detail as you need to get your point across without boring the reader to death. Use complete sentences, complete thoughts and don’t leave anything to the discretion of the reader.

Use All Available Help Resources – Remember there are several avenues you can use to get answers to the questions generated as you complete your application. The on-line tutorial is a great resource that will walk you through the grant writing process. This year you should be able to access the specific area you are having trouble with by going to the tutorial directory and clicking on the problem area, then using the drop down screens find the solution to your problem.

The FAQ’s, found on the grant sign-in page, the USFA Web Site and the ODP Web Site, have some very useful information that may take care of your issues.

The National Help Desk is a great tool where you can talk with someone that can resolve your issues or put you in touch with someone who can help you. That number is found on the opening page of the grant application page and in the program guidance. Write it down and tape it to the front of your computer where you can't miss it. 866 – 274-0960

Avoid Templates – You will be approached by vendors and grant writers that will have canned narratives for their products that you can plug into your application or you may have grant writers (vendors) that will write your grant for you if you agree use their services if you are awarded a grant. Be very leery of these “easy outs”, they can get your application and department in serious trouble. First templates or boiler plates are designed for specific products and may tie you to a very specific product line that can only be provided by one company and the information in the canned narrative may or may not apply to your specific needs. If you must use a template, read it carefully and edit it to your specifications and department information.

At all cost avoid the vendor that offers to write a narrative for you or provide a grant writer that will be paid by him on the condition that if awarded a grant you will use his services. This is illegal and could cost you your grant

Remember in both of these cases that you are required to receive a minimum of two bids for the equipment you are purchasing unless, it is a “sole source item” or you are “riding or piggy backing” on another departments bids for the same type equipment.

Last Updated: January 25, 2005