EMS Grants Help

Body armor for EMS: 4 success tips to fund through AFG

Ballistic protective equipment for active shooter response is eligible for Assistance to Firefighters grant funding

As of April 10, 2014 fire departments and EMS agencies are able to apply for grant funding through the Homeland Security Grant Program and Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program to purchase ballistic protective equipment for fire/rescue and EMS personnel.

Ballistic protective equipment is for response to active shooter and mass casualty incidents to support the entry of EMS personnel into a warm zone for triage, treatment and extrication of the wounded. However, like many federal grants, the HSGP is extremely competitive, especially since fire and EMS agencies are competing against police departments for a limited amount of funding.

To mitigate the funding limitations and competitiveness of the HSGP, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant has made Ballistic Protective Equipment eligible as a new mission under personal protective equipment. BPE is to include one vest, one helmet, one triage bag and one pair of goggles. This is considered specialized PPE and of medium priority.

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About the author

Rachel Stemerman is the product manager of data science and APIs at ESO. Prior to joining ESO, she completed her PhD in Health Informatics at the University of North Carolina as a National of Library Medicine fellow where her research focused on information extraction, machine learning, and data visualization for clinical decision support. Prior to entering her PhD program, she was the quality improvement coordinator for Orange County EMS where she currently is an active paramedic.