The Alabama Forestry Commission must run a grant program and fund for rural and community fire protection, train eligible recipients, and follow specific funding and oversight rules.
(a) The Alabama Forestry Commission shall establish and administer the Rural and Community Fire Protection Development and Improvement grant program to aid volunteer fire departments in providing rural and community fire protection in this state. (b) There is established the Rural and Community Fire Protection Development and Improvement Fund in the State Treasury. The fund shall be subject to appropriations by the Legislature and any gifts, grants, or other donations received by the Alabama Forestry Commission on behalf of the fund. This fund shall be administered by the commission and all monies disbursed from the fund shall be under the supervision of the State Forester. To defray costs of administering the fund, the commission may retain five percent of all monies appropriated to the fund each fiscal year to be used for any purpose. Any unexpended or unencumbered funds remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert but shall be retained for continued use in accordance with this section. (c) Grants from the fund shall only be awarded to volunteer fire departments certified in accordance with Section 9-3-17, including nonprofit corporations, municipalities, and fire districts that have formed or have otherwise authorized such certified volunteer fire departments, county volunteer fire associations organized and incorporated in this state, or other nonprofit entities established for the provision or support of rural and community fire protection in this state. (d) Each fiscal year in which funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for the grant program, the commission shall only award grants that address one or more of the following goals: (1) To increase volunteer fire service recruitment and encourage existing firefighters to remain in the volunteer fire service. (2) To provide compensation or other benefits to increase staffing by departments. (3) To form new volunteer fire departments in areas of this state without sufficient fire protection. (4) To build, expand, or maintain structures having the primary purpose of housing certified volunteer fire departments and their equipment. (5) To enable or improve communication capabilities for certified volunteer fire departments, including creating or expanding broadband Internet access, erecting or maintaining communication towers and equipment, and acquiring real property upon which to place communication towers having the primary purpose of serving a department. (6) To acquire real property to be used as sites for fire stations for certified volunteer fire departments. (7) To provide firefighting apparatus and equipment for certified volunteer fire departments. (8) To provide training of all types to certified volunteer fire departments. (9) To increase the availability of water supplies for certified volunteer fire departments, including installing wet or dry fire hydrants. (e) All grant proposals shall first be reviewed by the Rural and Community Fire Protection Advisory Committee who shall then recommend to the Alabama Forestry Commission which proposals should be given priority for funding. The commission shall give consideration to the advisory committee’s recommendations but shall retain full discretion in determining which proposals are funded. (f) Proposals may be fully funded as submitted or awarded in a different amount than proposed, as determined by the Alabama Forestry Commission . When awarding funding pursuant to this section, the commission shall consider both the geographic and racial diversity of the state. (g) The Alabama Forestry Commission may also directly expend a portion of the funds in the Rural and Community Fire Protection Development and Improvement Fund in furtherance of any of the goals stated in subsection (d). (h)(1) The Alabama Forestry Commission shall coordinate and implement a statewide training program for the entities eligible to receive a grant. The program shall provide basic instruction concerning fiscal policies and procedures and any other legal requirements regarding receiving, accounting for, and disbursing grant funds. The costs of administering this program shall be paid from the Rural and Community Fire Protection Development and Improvement Fund. (2) No entity shall receive any funding pursuant to this section unless at least two of its current officers, including its chief fiscal officer, have received training in accordance with this subsection. (3) All agencies of the state are authorized and directed to extend their cooperation and give assistance to the commission in providing training required by this subsection. (i) No compensation or benefits paid or provided to volunteer firefighters in furtherance of this section shall affect the minimum percentage of unsalaried membership of a certified volunteer fire department as required by Section 9-3-17(a)(2). (j) The Alabama Forestry Commission may adopt rules as necessary to implement and administer this section. (k) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the powers, authority, and jurisdiction of the Division of Construction Management within the Department of Finance shall not extend to any property or construction project purchased or funded, in whole or in part, with monies derived from the Rural and Community Fire Protection Development and Improvement Fund; provided, that the Division of Construction Management shall retain its authority to adopt a uniform minimum building standards code that will apply to such properties and construction projects.
