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HMEP
Our goal in issuing this guidance is to help you design a best-in-class hazmat safety program that is easy to implement. We understand that the grant application process is often confusing, so we have provided tips and resources to make your job easier. We value your participation and want to ensure that you understand your responsibilities as a grant recipient.
- What are the HMEP grant program goals?
Your Grant Application
- Am I eligible to get an HMEP grant?
- How do I apply?
- When is the grant application due?
- How will my grant application be evaluated?
- What types of activities should I include in my Planning Statement of Work?
- What types of training activities should I include in my Training Statement of Work?
- What if I am unsure if an activity is eligible?
- How do I target 75% of my training funds to public sector employees?
- Can I include WMD training in my Training SOW?
- Does PHMSA have a list of recommended training courses that I can use to develop my Training SOW?
Appropriate Expenditures
- How can I ensure my program expenditures are appropriate?
- What are examples of training expenses that may be reimbursed?
- What training expenses should I expect NOT to be reimbursed?
- How do I get reimbursement for a program expenditure?
- Is there a cutoff date for reimbursement?
- Am I required to report my program expenditures to PHMSA?
Your Responsibilities as a Grantee
- What reports are required once I have a grant award?
- What information should I include in the HMEP Final Report?
- What happens if my HMEP Final Report is late?
- Is there a co-funding (match) requirement?
- What are examples of matches?
- What does not constitute a match?
- What if I want to make a match that is not on the list of examples?
Help from PHMSA
- Who should I contact if I have a problem?
- How can I change a planning or training activity after a grant award has been issued?
- Can I change funding for a planning activity to a training activity (or vice versa)?
- I need more information. Are there links to the grants guidelines?
Working Together: The Emergency Response Community and PHMSA
- What are the HMEP grant program goals?
The HMEP grant program supports those who are on the front-lines protecting our nation’s citizens, communities, and infrastructure—the First Responders. The grant activities improve the ability for our communities to respond to hazmat incidents and minimize safety risks to responders, citizens, property, and the environment.
Your partnership with PHMSA through the HMEP grant program will help train first responders and other local officials on how to address hazmat incidents when they occur. Additionally, funding for commodity flow studies can identify opportunities for upgrading local roads or re-routing hazardous materials vehicles onto more appropriate roadways, thereby reducing the likelihood of high-risk incidents occurring in the first place.
PHMSA's national goal is to reduce the risk of death or major injury associated with hazmat incidents. Effective response by appropriately trained personnel, operating under an efficient emergency plan and with strong institutional cooperation, can, among other things:
- Effectively isolate and stop a hazardous material release once an accident happens.
- Administer appropriate and expedient medical treatment to those injured
- Stop the release of hazardous material.
- Prevent a fire or explosion resulting from a hazardous materials release.
- Reduce the amount of time in the closure of a major transportation artery
- Avoid unnecessary evacuations.
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Your Grant Application
- Am I eligible to get an HMEP grant?
To apply for a HMEP grant you must be a U.S. State (including Territories) or Native American Tribe and be designated by the Governor or governing body.
Click here for the list of HMEP Designated Agencies for 2009.
Contact the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov for additional information on eligibility.
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- How do I apply?
You should link to Grants.gov to apply. Applications can be completed online or downloaded.
Click here to complete a grant application online.
Click here to download an application package.
In addition to the standard forms on Grants.gov (SF-424 and SF-424A), your application must include the documentation as outlined in the PHMSA HMEP application kit.
Refer to 49CFR 110.30 for the requirements for a grant application and the complete list of required documentation or contact the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov for additional information on application guidelines.
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- When is the grant application due?
HMEP applications are due on July 1. For a full schedule click here.
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- How will my grant application be evaluated?
PHMSA will review the submitted application noting the level of detail and focus of activities listed in the planning and training SOWs.
PHMSA will determine whether the proposed planning and training activities are reasonable and appropriate to the program’s stated goals. Please refer to Question #1.
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- What types of activities may I include in my Planning Statement of Work?
The following activities are eligible for HMEP planning grant program:
- Development, improvement, and implementation of emergency plans
- Planning and conducting drills and exercises that test emergency plans, response and mitigation of hazmat incidents
- Enhancement of emergency plans to include hazards analysis as well as response procedures for emergencies involving transportation of hazardous materials
- Management activities associated with the pass-through of funds to the LEPCs
- An assessment to determine flow patterns of hazardous materials within a State or between one State and another State, Territory or Native American land;
- Development and maintenance of information systems to keep hazmat flow pattern information current
- An assessment of the need for regional hazardous materials emergency response teams
- An assessment of local response capabilities
- Technical staff to support the planning effort staff funded under planning grants (Staff cannot be diverted to support other requirements of EPCRA)
- Additional activities that the grantee proposes and that are approved by the DOT Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
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- What types of training activities may I include in my Training Statement of Work?
The following activities are eligible for HMEP training grant program:
- Training audience assessment to determine the number of emergency responders and public sector employees who need the proposed training
- Delivery of preparedness and response training to public sector employees to include
- design of training to meet specialized needs;
- student and instructor course materials and manuals;
- student tuition, travel, and per diem costs;
- instructor costs;
- training facility rental;
- and equipment rental necessary to deliver an approved course
- For training grants, equipment purchases for use as props for training may be approved with a proper justification. Costs for such equipment will be determined as reasonable based on a review by DOT
- Training by a person (including a department, agency, political subdivision or a Native American tribe) and activities necessary to monitor such training including examinations, critiques, and instructor evaluations
- Management of the training effort
- Emergency response drills and exercises associated with evaluation of emergency preparedness plans
- Emergency response drills and exercises used to test the effectiveness of training
- Additional activities that the grantee proposes and that are approved by the DOT Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
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- What if I am unsure if an activity is eligible?
If an activity is not listed or if you are unsure of its appropriateness, please contact the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov for answers to specific questions and possible approval from the DOT Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
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- How do I target 75% of my training funds to public sector employees?
States and Territories must ensure that at least 75 % of training grant funds are used to benefit public sector employees. PHMSA recommends you consider the following training delivery options to meet the 75 % requirement:
- Distribute training grant funds directly to community organizations or political subdivisions of the State or Territory (e.g., county planning board, city council) to support public sector employee training delivered by a qualified provider
- Distribute training grant funds directly to the training facilities or academies for public sector employees to attend approved training courses
- Develop and deliver training at a college, university, or other educational establishment.
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- Can I include WMD training in my Training SOW?
Yes, provided there is a reasonable link to emergency response planning and training for transportation hazardous material incidents. However, other than to meet OSHA 1910.120 and NFPA 472 core and mission specific competencies, PHMSA does not recommend the use of HMEP grant funds for chemical, biological, or radiological specific WMD training as these are more appropriately funded by grants made by other government agencies. To find a list of other federal grants available you may visit the Responder Knowledge Base web-site at: www.rkb.us. This site lists over 100 different grants available for a variety of different purposes to support the emergency preparedness, response and mitigation.”
Contact the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov for answers to specific questions about the HMEP recommended training.
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- Does PHMSA have a list of recommended training courses that I can use to develop my Training SOW?
Yes.
- Training which meet the core competency requirements listed in NFPA 472, June 2008 edition. Examples of acceptable core competency training are:
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- Awareness
- Operations
- Technician
- Hazmat Incident Commander
- Hazmat Officer
- Hazmat Safety Officer
- Training which meet the mission specific competency requirements listed in NFPA 472, June 2008 edition. Examples of acceptable mission specific competency training are:
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- Tank Car Specialty
- Cargo Tan Specialty
- Intermodal Tank Specialty
- Marine Tank Vessel Specialty
- Flammable Liquid Bulk Storage
- Flammable Gas Bulk Storage
- Radioactive Material Specialty
The following list of suggested courses is to meet the mission specific competencies within NFPA 472. The courses listed below will assist the emergency response community in addressing technical training requirements to meet mission specific competency based on the risks identified with hazmat transportation within a local jurisdiction. Some of these courses may only be appropriate for advanced local, state, or regional hazmat teams which require advanced specialized training. Examples of suggested courses to meet the specific mission specific competency are:
- Marine Operations - Ship board rescue, fire fighting & hazmat
- Industrial Fire Fighting- (rail yards, fuel transfer facilities, ports)
- Confined Space Rescue
- Hazmat BLS/ ALS – Medics respond to Hazmat calls.
- Hazmat Incident Command (Hazmat ICS)
- Chemistry for Emergency Responders
- Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (aircraft response & rescue)
- EOD/ Explosives
- Radiological (sources in transportation)
- Training developed and delivered in accordance with OSHA 1910.120 requirements for emergency responders
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- Attendance at hazmat training conferences & events such as:
- Hot Zone - www.hotzone.org
The HOTZONE Committee is composed of representatives from the local, state, and federal levels of the HAZMAT response community serving Federal Region 6. This annual training conference provides HAZMAT technical training and promotes professional relationships within Region 6 to meet the unique needs of this region.
- TRANSCAER - www.transcaer.com
TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities prepare for and respond to a possible hazardous material transportation incident. TRANSCAER is dedicated to educating emergency responders and their communities and includes safety training cars from the Firefighters Education and Training Foundation.
- IAFC International Hazmat Conference - www.iafc.org
Attend the International Hazardous Materials Response Team Conference and learn first-hand what’s new in hazmat and how it impacts today’s hazmat teams on the job every day.
- Midwestern Hazmat Conference - http://www.emerysafety.com/mhmrc/index.html
Two days filled with hazardous materials and response training! You will have an opportunity to learn from many of the best instructors in the haz mat response community. Enjoy first-class training in an interesting and informative environment!
- FDIC - http://www.fdiconlineevent.com
Comprehensive training opportunity for all levels of fire service practitioners. FDIC will be hosting more than 24 hands-on training evolutions, 34 preconference workshops, and more than 160 classroom presentations.
- FRI (Fire Rescue International) - http://fri.iafc.org/
Presented by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Fire Rescue International (FRI) annually brings together more than 13,000 fire and emergency service leaders from across North America and around the globe for five days of networking, learning and collaboration.
- Regional and State Hazmat Conferences
- Regional Hazmat Workshops/training/conferences
- For response training, the HMEP List of Assessed Response Courses provides a catalog of courses that have been assessed for compatibility with the HMEP National Curriculum. The list of assessed hazmat courses is available from FEMA/USFA, at (301) 447-1009.
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Appropriate Expenditures
- How can I ensure my program expenditures are appropriate?
In general, an expenditure is appropriate if it is used to pay for the reasonable and necessary activities directly associated with training public sector employees to respond to emergencies involving hazardous materials in transportation. A list of these activities can be reviewed in 49 CFR 100.40.
If you are concerned about the appropriateness of an expense, please contact the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov
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- What are examples of training expenses that may be reimbursed?
Training costs that are in the project budget referenced in your approved grant award may be reimbursed under the HMEP grants program. These include:
- Tuition and travel expenses of the instructor(s) and trainees to and from a training facility, and room and board of the instructor(s) and trainees while at the training facility
- Facility rental costs. It is strongly recommended that, whenever possible, the recipient agency use a facility that is available without charge
- Publications, manuals, and other materials necessary to provide the training, to be used by the instructor(s) and trainees. Where appropriate, this may include the printing and copying of such materials and any cost of distributing these materials (such as mailing the materials to trainees in advance of the first training session)
- Purchased or rental equipment necessary to provide the specific training, whether consumed in the training (e.g., firefighting foam, photographic film) or otherwise (e.g., a training suit). In most cases, the equipment costs would not be expected to exceed 5% of the total cost of the grant awarded
- Conference attendance at which the majority of the conference is devoted to training in courses included in the National Curriculum.
In addition to being approved in the grant award, expenditures must be reasonable, necessary and allocable to the approved project in accordance with <OMB Circular A-87>.
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- What training expenses should I expect NOT to be reimbursed?
Due to limited funding, PHMSA encourages you to use HMEP grant funds on activities that maximize transportation safety benefits to the community. While other activities and expenditures may be proposed in your grants application, in general the following will not be approved:
- Training for personnel who are not directly involved in providing emergency response services (e.g., hospital personnel who may have indirect contact with persons who need medical treatment due to an emergency involving hazardous material)
- Optional equipment not necessary for a specific training or drill or exercise.
- Salary (including overtime) of trainees and any other employees who “backfill” positions of trainees during the period of training
- Food or other refreshments provided during training sessions or drills and exercises (other than the costs of room and board in accordance with amounts allowed under applicable governmental regulations)
- Any other expense not related to responding to emergencies for a hazardous material.
The personnel costs (salary) of the trainees may not be paid from HMEP grant funds, but the value of the trainees’ salary while attending the training may be applied as an in-kind (soft-match) contribution toward the 20% contribution required by the recipient agency.
When the instructor is an employee of the recipient agency, and the value of his/her salary is not paid from HMEP grant funds, his/her salary may also be applied as an in-kind (soft-match) contribution.
The use of HMEP funding to pay for the following is prohibited:
- Expenses that are claimed and/or reimbursed by another grant program, replace existing funds or programs, or used for matching purposes under any other Federal grant or cooperative agreemen
- Entertainment
- Foreign travel
- Any other cost unallowable, unreasonable, or not allocable under OMB Circular A-87 or 49 CFR Part 18.
If you are concerned about the appropriateness of an expense, please contact the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov
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- How do I get reimbursement for a program expenditure?
Please submit a completed OMB Standard Form (SF) 270, Request for Advance or Reimbursement, to the HMEP grant program:
Email to the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov
or fax to HMEP Grant Program, PHH-64 at (202) 366-3753
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- Is there a cutoff date for reimbursement?
Grant funds are available for disbursement (once a signed grant acceptance package has been received by the HMEP grants program) throughout the grant period. For the upcoming grant cycle, grantees may request FY09 grant funds from October 1st, 2009 to September 30, 2010.
Grantees are allowed a 90 day grace period after the end of the grant period to close their books and request reimbursements for funds obligated prior to the close of the grant period.
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- Am I required to report my program expenditures to PHMSA?
Yes. For the HMEP Final Report you will be required to report expenditures by category as listed below:
PLANNING EXPENDITURES
- Development and implementation of emergency plans, as well as exercises which test the plans and enhancements
- Assessment of flow patterns of hazardous materials
- Assessment for the need for regional hazmat emergency response teams
- Assessment of local response capabilities
- Emergency response drills and exercises
- Technical support staff for planning
- Other PHMSA approved activities
TRAINING EXPENDITURES
- Assessments for the number of public sector employees needing training
- Delivery of preparedness and response training
- Emergency response drills and exercises, course of study, test and evaluations
The totals of the above expenditures should account for 100 percent of the funds granted to your program.
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Your Responsibilities as a Grantee
- What reports are required once I have a grant award?
As the project manager designated in the grant award, you must submit:
An annual HMEP Final Report. The report is due 90 days after the expiration or termination of the grant.
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- What information should I include in the HMEP Final Report?
The HMEP Final Report is comprised of three parts:
1) The Financial Status Report, Standard Form 269 (SF-269)
The SF-269 must be used to complete financial reporting for each grant period funded. A final SF-269 should be submitted to the HMEP Grants Manager within 90 days of the completion of each budget period.
2) HMEP Grant Accountability Questions
Beginning with the ’08 - ‘09 Budget Period (10/1/08 – 9/30/09) grantees must respond to questions regarding grant related activities that took place during the budget period. These questions are divided between two parts, the Report on Authorized Expenditures and the Report on HMEP Grant Accomplishments.
3) The Final Program Narrative
This document should be relatively concise.
For Planning programs, the narrative should include the following:
- Quantitative and qualitative assessment of development, improvement and implementation of emergency plans
- Systems to determine and maintain information on flow patterns of hazardous materials
- Need for regional response teams
- Local response capabilities
- Plans for conducting drills and exercises
- Description of progress made toward meeting planning objectives as stated in your application
- Description of unmet planning objectives and proposed approach to meet the objectives
For Training programs, the narrative should include the following:
- Number of public sector employees needing training
- Training delivered to public sector employees
- Training drills and exercises completed and planned
- Description of progress made toward meeting training objectives as stated in your application
- Description of unmet training objectives and proposed approach to meet the objectives
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- What happens if my HMEP Final Report is late?
US DOT’s annual HMEP grant program report to Congress will indicate that you did not submit a report and did not meet your obligations under the guidelines of the program. This may be considered by US DOT in future grant allocations.
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- Is there a co-funding (match) requirement?
Yes, you must contribute 20 percent of the direct and indirect costs of all project activities covered under the HMEP grant award using non-Federal funds. This is typically referred to as a “match”.
A match is your contribution that must be spent on the project during the funded project period. A match may either be cash (hard-match), in-kind (soft-match) contributions, or a combination of both.
For example, if the total cost of a project is $50,000, you must provide at least $10,000, and DOT will provide no more than $40,000.
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- What are examples of matches?
All in-kind matching costs must be allocable to a project activity documented in the HMEP grant award. Examples of allowable matches include:
- Salaries, fringe benefits, per diem, housing, or travel expenses incurred by any person other than a State employee while attending training classes.
- Private contributions such as corporate contributions of facilities or services. (e.g., tankcar, cargo tank trailers, van trailer, training site, hazardous materials equipment, first aid ambulance stand-by, classroom space).
- Voluntary contributions such as: firefighter support, emergency personnel support, and the time of any LEPC member.
- Equipment or facilities used for exercises, whether public or private.
- Voluntary expenditures such as:
- A person in the community who is a chemical engineer or a physician donates their time during an exercise.
- A professor who volunteers to be a trainer or train-the-trainer.
- Citizens who volunteer to set up or participate in exercises.
- Facility space (e.g., a surplus school building used as hazmat academy) is donated to house courses or conduct exercises.
- University student volunteer time to participate in exercises, aid data collection or assist in exercise report generation.
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- What does not constitute a match?
Cost-sharing already committed by you to another Federal grant program may not be counted as a match towards PHMSA’s grant program. Secondly, Federal funding received through another program may not be considered as non-Federal cost share on PHMSA’s grant program. Costs incurred prior to the grant award are not allowable.
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- What if I want to make a match that is not on the list of examples?
If an expense is not on the list of examples or if you are unsure of its appropriateness, please contact the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov for specific questions and possible approval from the DOT Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
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Help from PHMSA
- Who should I contact if I have a problem?
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- How can I change a planning or training activity after a grant award has been issued?
Grantees may contact PHMSA with questions regarding changes to planning or training activites after a grant award has been issued. PHMSA can determine if your proposed change is appropriate to carry out the intended uses of HMEP funds as described in the grant applications and grant award. Normally, the changes should be for similar type activities (e.g., a change to the roster of employees attending a conference).
Questions should be submitted to the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov
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- Can I change funding for a planning activity to a training activity (or vice versa)?
Pending PHMSA’s approval that such reallocation is appropriate to carry out the intended uses, grant funds for one type of activity may be transferred to another.
A request for transfer of funds should be submitted to the HMEP Grant Office at hmep.grants@dot.gov
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- I need more information. Are there links to the grants guidelines?
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