Fire Management Assistance Grant
The Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program was authorized by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and provides for the mitigation, management, and control of fires that threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. The purpose of FMAG is to provide supplemental federal assistance to states and local government to fight fires burning on public (non-federal) or privately owned forest or grassland.
Fire Management Assistance is available to States, local, and tribal governments, for the mitigation, management, and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands, which threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. The Fire Management Assistance declaration process is initiated when a State submits a request for assistance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Director at the time a “threat of major disaster” exists. The entire process is accomplished on an expedited basis and a FEMA decision is rendered in a matter of hours.
Requesting an FMAG
A Local or State fire agency must request an FMAG through the Cal OES Fire and Rescue Branch or the California State Warning Center (CSWC) while the fire is burning uncontrolled. The Fire Management Assistance Grant Program (FMAGP) provides a 75 percent Federal cost share and the State pays the remaining 25 percent for actual costs. Before a grant can be awarded, a State must demonstrate that total eligible costs for the declared fire meet or exceed either the individual fire cost threshold – which applies to single fires, or the cumulative fire cost threshold, which recognizes numerous smaller fires burning throughout a State.
The following criteria are considered in order of descending priority during the evaluation process of a threat of a fire or fire complex:
- Threat to lives and improved property, including threats to critical facilities/infrastructure and critical watershed areas;
- Availability of state and local firefighting resources;
- High fire danger conditions, as indicated by nationally accepted indices such as the National Fire Danger Ratings System (NFDRS); and
- Potential major economic impact
Eligible applicants must submit a Request for Fire Management Assistance Subgrant (RFMAS) FEMA Form 089-0-24 to Cal OES within 30 days of the close of the incident period. RFMAS applications may be submitted via email or at the Applicants’ Briefing. Even though the official RFMAS deadline cannot be determined until the incident period is established, RFMAS applications are accepted as soon as the FMAG is declared.
Eligible Firefighting Costs
Before a grant can be awarded, a state must demonstrate that total eligible costs for the declared fire meet or exceed either the individual fire cost threshold — which is applies to single fires, or the cumulative fire cost threshold, which recognizes numerous smaller fires burning throughout a state.
Eligible firefighting costs may include expenses for:
- Field camps
- Repair and replacement tools
- Mobilization and demobilization activities
- Equipment use
- Materials and supplies
Applicants' Briefings Schedule
View the complete list of briefings currently scheduled for various emergency declarations.
Public Assistance Forms, Documents, and Reference Materials
All materials mentioned in the Applicants’ Briefings can be found here.
Technical Assistance
For questions regarding the FMAG Program, please contact Dayna Herald at (916) 917-4783 or Dayna Herald at Dayna.Herald@caloes.ca.gov.
For additional information relating to federal FMAG policy and guidance, please visit the FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant Website.