When most public safety professionals think of applying for grants, many think more of grants that are available for Fire or Police departments. After all paying for big fire engines and long term law enforcement training is a big expense that many departments cannot afford on their own or with local donations.
 
However, EMS stands to gain much from grants. Not only can they pay for new ambulances, but they can pay for training, equipment and more. As an example - one organization acquired a grant to pay for a multitude of training equipment to annually in service their employees on skills not done on a day to day basis.

They sold the idea on meeting broader EMS standards and better patient care. Now that the stone is set for this, they can ask for new grants each year to update the equipment, add more skills or training and who knows what else they can work into the grant application.

Now it is important to remember that some grants are specific to what you can apply for. Some are for equipment only and others may be for a "study" project. So, read the application guidelines carefully so you don't waste your time applying or get into trouble being awarded a grant you do not qualify for.

The whole process of applying can be quite frustrating, but it is possible. Below are some tips to point you in the right direction. It can be simpler than you think.

One thing you want to do is use the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Silly) when writing your applications. Your proposal should not leave room for interpretation of what you are saying. Be clear and concise.

When writing your proposal ask yourself these types of questions: 

"Where could your department best use the money?"

"How has a lack of funding affected your department's ability to respond,
train and operate?"

"What information and data would make your case stronger?"

By doing this before the application process starts you will be better prepared to to submit it on time with as many variables to support your request for the grant as possible.

When reading the grant submission guidelines, you may see words like "should" or "shall". Whenever you see these words in a grant application, interpret them as being a "MUST".

Another thing you need to address is "will it meet standards?" If the grant guidelines talk about meeting a standard, then make sure in your narrative that you quote that the equipment, training, etc., will meet the standard.

Keep in mind that many grants get rejected simply because the funding source ran out of money. There's always next month, year etc. and there's always another grant that can suite your needs. Don't give up.

Grant reviewers love interagency cooperation. They actually encourage this and better yet, reward you for doing it. So when ever possible try to coordinate with other area agencies to train their officers.

Not only will more officers be proficient with the equipment, but noting this cooperation on your grant application will up your award odds.

Now, should you get a "No" on your grant request, it does not mean it will never happen. Most grant applications get rejected more times than they get funded. That old saying of a "squeaky wheel eventually gets oiled" is very true when it comes to grant writing. Persistence and practice will put you on the road to success.

To get some more great ideas on grant writing and available grants, take a look at -

grants.gov, government-grants.org and chiefsupply.com/grants.

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Jim Hoffman is a contributor to EMS Solutions.
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