When it comes to Department of Homeland Security first-responder grant funding, many local fire officials are beginning to echo the catch phrase of the movie Jerry Maguire: “Show me the money.”

DHS currently estimates it has given out about $8 billion to state and local governments under a variety of domestic preparedness programs developed since Sept. 11. That sum is over and above funds awarded directly to fire departments under the Assistance to Firefighters Program (FIRE grants), which had $1.2 billion to distribute from fiscal year 2001 to FY 2003.

The bulk of that $8 billion has gone to the states for terrorism preparedness programs under the Office for Domestic Preparedness, recently consolidated with the Office of State and Local Coordination, as a “one-stop shop” for DHS grants.

DHS officials touted the $8 billion awarded many times at workshops and speeches in conjunction with National Fire & Emergency Services Day in Washington, D.C., on May 5. And just about every time they did, a local fire official stood up to ask -- in so many words -- “Why haven’t I seen any of that funding yet?”

A common belief among fire officials was that law enforcement was getting most of it. “The funding comes to the states and the police get the lion’s share of it, and the fire service is coming up on the tail end of it,” complained one fire chief. “Are we in the fire service going to be able to get our fair share –- not the lion’s share, but just our fair share of the grants?”

Andy Mitchell, deputy director of the Office for State and Local Government Coordination and Response, said he gets these kinds of questions a lot these days. “It is not a revenue-sharing program,” Mitchell emphasized. “There is no guaranteed funding for any one jurisdiction. The suggestions, advice and directions from Congress were for the states to build strategic regional [terrorism] response capabilities, based on existing mutual-aid systems and agreements….The goal is to build a manageable, sustainable, incrementally-improved response capability throughout every state. Terrorism is a long-term challenge. It’s not a short-term problem; it’s a campaign.”

But Tim Beres, director of ODP State and Local Programs, acknowledged that he wasn’t sure how funding was being distributed once it reached the states. “Personally, I’ve met very few firefighters –- or law enforcement officials for that matter -- who say they have gotten equipment because of the funding. So I don’t know where all the money is going,” Beres said.

Actually, it appears much of the money is not out there yet. In March, the DHS Office of Inspector General released an audit on the spending of first-responder grants to the states. It concluded that states, local jurisdictions and first responder organizations have been “slow to receive and spend ODP first responder grant funds.”

As of February 2004, most of the $2.4 billion budgeted for ODP grants in fiscal year 2002 and the FY 2003 had been “awarded,” but the funds still remained in the U.S. Treasury, the OIG report said. Only 36% of FY 2002 grants, 13% of first-round FY 2003 grants and 10% of second-round FY 2003 grants had reached first responder agencies. (The report was posted online at www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0334.xml.)

The OIG report found some states were very efficiently processing the grants, but many were slow to get funds out for many reasons. Among them:

• “State officials told us that they prefer to go slow to get it right. The consensus was that it is more important to spend time planning than to spend money quickly. For most of the grants, states have two or three years to spend the money. Some prefer to spend prior-year money first.”
• "State legislatures and county and city boards or councils sometimes cause administrative delays in accepting grants, approving distribution, and approving expenditures….”
• “Inadequate staffing is a problem in many states and jurisdictions. The recent economic downturn and budget shortages have made it difficult for states to fund administrative positions. FY 2003 grants added more funding for administering the grants.”
• “The planning process is complex and takes time. Grant applications require threat, risk, capability, vulnerability, and needs assessments. Finding consensus among hundreds of local jurisdictions and first responders on priorities and what to buy takes time.”
  

The OIG report also cited a “communications disconnect” between local agencies and the states.

Consolidating the federal grants process by combining ODP and the Office of State and Local Coordination will help in the future, it said.

As for what local officials can do to help move funding faster, Mitchell said, “Get involved. Find out who is making decisions in your state and your region and make your needs known.”

Distributing the money has proven to be a huge task for the states, said Suzanne Mencer, former ODP director and director of the new Office of State and Local Coordination. In 2001, ODP was a small office under the Department of Justice with $200 million to distribute for terrorism; by FY 2004, DHS ramped up ODP funding to more than $3 billion. “Never before have we passed through so much money and had so much money to distribute,” she said. States are in the best position to do the job, she said.

Mencer noted that DHS Secretary Tom Ridge has formed a task force to find out “where the speed bumps are” in getting funding out to local jurisdictions. In the meantime, she echoed Mitchell’s advice to local fire officials: “If you are not involved in the state’s process [for awarding first responder grants], find out who the homeland security director is in your state and become his new best friend. Don’t wait for these folks to come to you.”

Federal Funding Available to the Fire Service Through States

State Homeland Security Grant Program
FY 2004: $2.2 Billion
A minimum amount goes to each state, based on population and territory, which are required to give at least 80% to local jurisdictions. Funding can be spent in several categories to increase preparedness for terrorism and other catastrophic incidents. This is primarily a program to provide equipment, but funding can also be used for training and exercises and interoperable communications systems. Each state must spend the funding in accordance with a statewide strategy that lays out objectives and planning to respond to and recover from a terrorist event or other catastrophic incident.

Urban Area Security Initiative Program
FY 2004: $725 Million
Grants based on risk to major urban areas. Funding for jurisdictions is determined by intelligence information from the CIA and the FBI, critical infrastructure protection at the national level and population density. States are involved in grant distributions, ensuring core cities and counties are working together to meet goals and objectives defined in an Urban Area Security Initiative Strategy, and that this strategy fits with the overall statewide terrorism plan. Funds can be used to funding training, exercises and equipment.

If you don’t know your state’s homeland security director, call the ODP Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk at 800-368-6498. For more information on homeland security grants under DHS, visit www.dhs.gov/grants.