(1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the local firefighter safety and disease prevention fund. The fund consists of all moneys that may be appropriated to the fund by the general assembly and all private and public moneys received through gifts, grants, or donations that are transmitted to the state treasurer and credited to the fund. The state treasurer shall credit all interest earned from the investment of moneys in the fund to the fund. The moneys in the fund are hereby continuously appropriated to the division for the purposes indicated in this section. Any moneys not expended at the end of each fiscal year remain in the fund and shall not be transferred to or revert to the general fund.
The division shall use the moneys in the fund to award need-based grants to governing bodies and volunteer fire departments to provide funding or reimbursement for equipment and training designed to increase firefighter safety and prevent occupation-related diseases. The division may expend up to three percent per year from the fund for its direct and indirect costs in administering the grant program. The general assembly intends that the needbased grants from the fund are in addition to, and do not supplant, other sources of funding regarding firefighting.
The director shall promulgate rules governing the award of grants pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, including consideration of:
The recommendations of the fire service training, certification, and firefighter safetyadvisory board, created in section 24-33.5-1204 (1), concerning the grant application process, funding priorities, and the criteria for awarding grants;
How to structure the grant application process, which must include a merit-based,peer-review process with grant reviewers from the Colorado state fire chiefs, Colorado professional fire fighters association, and the Colorado state fire fighters association, in equal representation. The peer reviewers shall make recommendations to the director on the award of grants under the program.
The findings of the Colorado fire service needs assessment, which the division shallconduct at least every other year; and
An applicant's efforts to finance equipment and training designed to increase firefighter safety other than through an award of a grant pursuant to this section.
(4) On July 1, 2018, the state treasurer shall transfer two hundred fifty thousand dollars from the general fund to the fund. The division shall use this money to make grants under subsection (2) of this section. In no event shall any individual grant be in excess of the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars.
Source: L. 2014: Entire section added, (SB 14-046), ch. 210, p. 785, § 2, effective May
15. L. 2015: (2) and (3)(d) amended, (HB 15-1017), ch. 3, p. 7, § 3, effective March 11. L. 2018: (4) added, (HB 18-1423), ch. 230, p. 1445, § 1, effective May 23; (1) amended, (HB 181375), ch. 274, p. 1709, § 45, effective May 29.