Building up infrastructure for local departments—fire grant program

(a) Grant authorization The Administrator is authorized to make grants to entities described in subsection (b) to modify, upgrade, or construct fire department facilities. (b) Entities described Entities described in this subsection are career fire departments, combination fire departments, and volunteer fire departments which serve jurisdictions of 50,000 people or fewer. (c) Distribution of information The Administrator shall distribute to entities described in subsection (b) information regarding the grant program. (d) Applications An entity described in subsection (b) seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the Administrator an application at such time and containing such information as the Administrator may reasonably require, including the size of the jurisdiction served by such applicant, an estimate of the cost of the project for which the grant will be used, and a demonstration of financial need for the grant. (e) Uses of funds In carrying out the purpose described in subsection (a), a recipient of a grant under this section may use funds received for the following: (1) The improvement of the provision of emergency services, including either firefighting or affiliated EMS capabilities. (2) The training and development of firefighting or EMS personnel. (3) The recruitment and retention of such personnel, including by improving safety. (4) Community engagement. (5) The improvement of community safety. (f) Equitable distribution In awarding grants under this part, the Administrator shall ensure, to the extent practicable, an equitable geographic distribution among the regions of the United States. (g) Grant amount A grant under this section may not exceed $4,000,000. (h) Reports on grants Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act and biennially thereafter for six years, the Administrator shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report on grants made under this section. (i) Reports on construction and renovation needs (1) FEMA To the greatest extent possible, the Administrator shall periodically conduct and publish a study of the met and unmet construction and renovation needs of a national sample of career fire departments, combination fire departments, and volunteer fire departments. (2) GAO Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on the sufficiency of existing capital infrastructure for career fire departments, combination fire departments, and volunteer fire departments that serve jurisdictions with fewer than 50,000 residents that includes a representative sample nationwide, and includes the met and unmet construction and renovation needs and the provision of emergency services. Such report shall include projections relating to such needs and services over the following periods: (A) One to five years. (B) Five to ten years. (C) More than ten years. (j) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2028 to carry out this section. (k) Definitions In this section: (1) Administrator The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2) Career fire department The term career fire department means a fire department that has an all-paid force of firefighting personnel other than paid-on-call firefighters. (3) Combination fire department The term combination fire department means a fire department that has— (A) paid firefighting personnel; and (B) volunteer firefighting personnel. (4) EMS The term EMS means emergency medical services. (5) Volunteer fire department The term volunteer fire department means a fire department that has an all-volunteer force of firefighting personnel.