RICHMOND—On behalf of the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) today announced more than $10 million in Homeland Security Grant Awards to enhance emergency preparedness and security throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Each year, VDEM coordinates an annual stakeholder-driven review process to allocate and administer these funds that support a wide array of emergency preparedness and security operations, equipment replacement, training, planning and exercise programs by local governments and entities. Grant allocations will be made available tomorrow, September 17, 2020.
“I am proud of this substantial investment in emergency preparedness, training, and security processes across the Commonwealth,” said the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian J. Moran. “VDEM continues to successfully engage with local stakeholders and federal agencies to bring in the resources necessary to protect the health and safety of all Virginians.”
Competitive Grants
The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) is one component of six programs announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in June. VDEM received 153 grant requests totaling nearly $14.4 million for the competitive portion of these federal funds. Sixty-four projects were awarded a total of $3.7 million from competitive SHSP funds. The Virginia Modeling and Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominion University manages a peer-review process conducted by Virginia’s public safety stakeholders for competitive grants, and scores proposals based upon benefit-cost ratios. Awards fund a diverse group of programs such as community outreach and preparedness programs, interoperability efforts, sheltering, equipment enhancement, and exercises.
Emergency managers throughout Virginia have worked to become more strategic about allocating our limited funding to meet the greatest needs with VDEM support. Nearly 200 local leaders from the fields of emergency management, law enforcement, fire and rescue, and emergency medical services, representing communities throughout Virginia, participated in evaluating potential projects to allocate this limited funding that seeks to provide the most benefit.
FEMA has implemented four national priority services areas for the FY2020 funding cycle. The new federal requirements necessitate a 5% contribution from each of the following four national priority investment areas:
- Enhancing Cyber Security (including election security) – 5%
- Enhancing protection of soft targets/crowded places – 5%
- Enhancing information and intelligence sharing – 5%
- Addressing emergent threats (such as unmanned aerial systems and weapons of mass destruction) – 5%
Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA made accommodations to states during the application submissions, but have placed a hold on funding for projects that are identified as meeting a national priority in the project portfolio in the total of $1.7 million for SHSP. This hold is anticipated to remain until the Spring of 2021.
Non-Competitive Grants
Public safety stakeholders will be allocated $2.5 million in non-competitive grants from this year’s SHSP program to fund 28 projects sustaining 12 hazardous materials teams, seven technical rescue teams, four incident management teams, five radio communications caches, and the Virginia Fusion Center.
Hampton Roads Urban Area Security Initiative (HR UASI)
$2.8 million was awarded to HR UASI to address the unique needs of this high-threat, high-density urban area. As with SHSP funds, UASI funds of $700,000 will be placed on hold for projects that are identified as meeting one of the four national priorities.
Non-Profit Security Grant
This grant provides funding support for target hardening and other physical security enhancements and activities to eligible nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack in Virginia. VDEM received 26 project applications from both the statewide and Hampton Roads program totaling just over $1.3 million, with $991k million being funded by FEMA.
Competitive Projects – $3.7M
| Sub-recipient | Project | Award | FY20 National Priority Designation |
| Augusta County | Emergency Communications Center Portable Telecommunications | $35,750 | |
| Alexandria, City of | Enhancing Capabilities for Swift Water Response | $29,736 | |
| Botetourt County | Incident Management-Support Unit | $36,000 | |
| Botetourt County | Swift water Rescue Team Deployment Resources | $58,152 | |
| Buckingham County | Remote 911 | $83,202 | |
| Richmond Regional Planning District Commission | Planning Committee Regional Recovery Exercise | $25,000 | |
| Richmond Regional Planning District Commission | Central Virginia Committee Training & Exercise Enhancement | $20,000 | |
| Richmond Regional Planning District Commission | Central Virginia Whole Community Events & Workshop | $40,000 | |
| Richmond Regional Planning District Commission | Central Virginia Mass Care Training & Exercise | $60,000 | |
| Richmond Regional Planning District Commission | Whole Community Media Campaign | $60,000 | |
| Richmond Regional Planning District Commission | Regional Emergency Management Planning Support | $74,275 | |
| Chesapeake, City of | Foam Team Flammable Liquid Firefighting Training | $74,248 | Yes |
| Chesterfield County | Unmanned Aircraft System Equipment | $60,000 | |
| Chesterfield County | Central VA Regional Flammable Liquids Training | $65,000 | Yes |
| Chesterfield County | Swift Water Rescue Team | $76,000 | |
| Chesterfield County | Election Cybersecurity Resiliency Governance Plan | $100,000 | |
| Christiansburg, City of | Soft Target Protection – Law Enforcement | $129,732 | Yes |
| Commonwealth Regional Council | Regional Emergency Planning Assistance | $38,556 | |
| Commonwealth Regional Council | Election Security | $98,069 | Yes |
| Craig County | Critical Communications System Plan | $78,500 | |
| Dickenson County | Unmanned Aircraft System Equipment | $30,805 | Yes |
| Fairfax County | Foam Team Flammable Liquid Training | $75,000 | Yes |
| Farmville, City of | Police Radio Upgrade | $82,261 | |
| Floyd County | Cyber Security Enhancement | $150,000 | Yes |
| Frederick County | Fire and Rescue Department Decontamination | $28,150 | Yes |
| Frederick County | Fire Department Protective Equipment | $60,000 | |
| Galax, City of | Public Safety Answering Point Regional Radio Interoperability Study | $60,000 | |
| Galax, City of | Public Safety Answering Point Continuity of Operations (COOP) | $81,000 | |
| Hampton, City of | Regional Citizen Corps Project Hampton and Poquoson | $45,000 | |
| Hampton, City of | Enhanced Shelter and Refuge of Last Resort Plan | $50,000 | |
| Hampton, City of | Regional Shelter Trailers and Equipment | $75,000 | |
| Hampton, City of | Peninsula Regional Family Assistance Center Plan | $75,000 | |
| Hampton, City of | Police Division Equipment Modernization | $81,450 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Hampton Roads Metropolitan Medial Response Team Inventory Management System Enhancement | $80,850 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Metropolitan Medical Response Team Chemical, Pharmaceutical Stockpile | $86,100 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Metropolitan Medical Response Team Mass Care Capability Sustainment | $94,500 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Shelter Registration and Management Equipment | $71,400 | |
| Hopewell, City of | Regional Mobile Command Unit Enhancement | $50,000 | |
| Hopewell, City of | Regional Tactical Response Capability Enhancement | $70,000 | |
| James City County | Regional Citizen Corps Project | $21,100 | |
| Lunenburg County | Public Safety Critical Communications System Planning | $89,500 | |
| Lynchburg, City of | Police Department Mobile Vehicle Barriers & Trailer | $122,990 | Yes |
| Norfolk, City of | Community Emergency Response Team | $16,153 | |
| Nottoway County | Implementation of Cyber Security Framework | $104,538 | Yes |
| Orange County | Medical Tents for Mass Care | $38,000 | |
| Page County | Regional Community Emergency Response Team – Page County and Warren County | $18,550 | |
| Prince Edward County | Police Department Radio Upgrade | $38,634 | |
| Pulaski County | Police Department Officer Safety Protection of Soft Targets | $68,000 | Yes |
| Roanoke County | Elections Cyber Security | $25,900 | |
| Shenandoah County | Enhancement of Criminal Investigation Equipment | $28,891 | |
| Stafford County | Community Emergency Response Team | $15,000 | |
| Staunton, City of | Unmanned Aerial System | $43,000 | Yes |
| Suffolk, City of | Mobile Event Security Cameras | $46,412 | Yes |
| Smyth County | Police Active Threat Response Smyth | $27,973 | |
| Virginia Beach, City of | Emergency Management Program Enhancement & Sustainment | $15,500 | |
| Virginia Beach, City of | Police Department Tactical Communications Headsets | $22,000 | |
| Virginia Beach, City of | Police Department Replacement of the Throwable Robot | $27,000 | |
| Virginia Beach, City of | Swift Water Rescue | $76,000 | |
| Westmoreland County | Unmanned Aerial System Team | $27,928 | |
| Winchester, City of | Ballistic Equipment | $34,200 | |
| Wise County | Southwest Virginia Regional Unmanned Aircraft Systems Equipment | $35,000 | Yes |
| Wise County | Special Response Team Equipment | $50,501 | |
| Wise County | Southwest Virginia Regional Training Facility | $58,000 | |
| York County | Life Safety Specialized Training and Equipment | $50,000 |
Hampton Roads Urban Area Projects – $2.8M
| Sub-recipient | Project | Award | FY20 National Priority Designation |
| Chesapeake, City of | Hampton Roads Incident Management Team | $195,017 | |
| Chesapeake, City of | SkyWatch Mobile Surveillance Platform | $215,010 | Yes |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Mass Casualty Incident – Transportation Package Part I | $199,500 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Mass Casualty Incident – Transportation Package Part II | $136,500 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Regional Cybersecurity Implementation | $150,000 | Yes |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Cybersecurity Election Security | $25,000 | Yes |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Fusion Center Intelligence Analyst | $120,000 | Yes |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Threat Identification Training for Elections Staff | $30,000 | Yes |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Mass Casualty Incident – Treatment Tents Enhancement | $90,300 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Regional All Hazards Emergency Planner | $100,000 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | 2021 Threat Identification and Risk Assessment and State Preparedness Report | $65,000 | |
| Hampton Roads Planning District Commission | Personal Protective Equipment Replacement – Chemical Protective Clothing | $61,672 | |
| Norfolk, City of | Replace Region 5’s Bomb Squads Robots Phase 1 | $450,000 | Yes |
| Norfolk, City of | Regional Common Operating Picture (COP) Phase 3 | $200,000 | Yes |
| Old Dominion University | Mission Critical Updates for the Real-Time Evacuation | $175,000 | |
| Virginia Port Authority | Maritime Domain Awareness | $137,000 | |
| York County | Hampton Roads Interoperable Communications Upgrade | $250,000 | |
| York County | Regional Unmanned Aerial System Operations Trailer | $200,000 |
Non-Competitive Projects – $2.5M
| Sub-recipient | Project | Award | FY20 National Priority Designation |
| Accomack County | Hazardous Materials Team | $51,300 | |
| Alexandria, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $16,850 | |
| Bristol, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $24,000 | |
| Bristol, City of | Technical Rescue Team | $60,000 | |
| Chesapeake, City of | Radio Cache Team | $100,000 | |
| Chesapeake, City of | Incident Management Team | $85,000 | |
| Chesterfield County | Technical Rescue Team | $77,270 | |
| Chesterfield, City of | Incident Management Team | $85,000 | |
| Danville, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $31,692 | |
| Fairfax County | Radio Cache Team | $130,000 | |
| Fairfax County | Technical Rescue Team | $35,000 | |
| Fairfax County | Incident Management Team | $85,000 | |
| Fredericksburg, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $49,497 | |
| Harrisonburg, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $57,000 | |
| Harrisonburg, City of | Technical Rescue Team | $56,100 | |
| Harrisonburg, City of | Radio Cache Team | $92,000 | |
| Henrico County | Hazardous Materials Team | $104,449 | Yes |
| Lunenburg County | Radio Cache Team | $100,000 | |
| Lynchburg, City of | Technical Rescue Team | $76,507 | |
| Martinsville, City of | Incident Management Team | $62,000 | |
| Montgomery County | Radio Cache Team | $90,000 | |
| Newport News, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $65,918 | Yes |
| Portsmouth City | Hazardous Materials Team | $74,932 | |
| Roanoke, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $87,475 | Yes |
| Roanoke, City of | Technical Rescue Team | $74,480 | |
| Virginia Beach, City of | Technical Rescue Team | $45,000 | |
| Virginia State Police | Virginia Fusion Center | $600,000 | Yes |
| Winchester, City of | Hazardous Materials Team | $35,150 | |
| Wise County | Hazardous Materials Team | $47,800 |
Non Profit Security Grant Programs – $991K
| Sub-recipient | Award |
| Beth Sholom Home of Virginia | $72,605 |
| Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam | $38,763 |
| Congregation Brith Achim | $18,700 |
| Congregation Or Ami | $42,495 |
| Congregation Or Atid | $18,310 |
| Jewish Family Services | $15,000 |
| Saint David’s Episcopal Church | $28,999 |
| The Jewish Community Center of Richmond | $100,000 |
| Islamic Center of Fredericksburg | $42,433 |
| Congregation Beth Israel | $100,000 |
| Hampden-Sydney College | $94,064 |
| Birthplace of Country Music, Inc. | $71,050 |
| Freedom of Worship Church – Coeburn Ave | $32,682 |
| Freedom of Worship Church – Thackers Branch Rd | $32,682 |
| Hillel at Virginia Tech | $100,000 |
| Freemason Street Baptist Church | $85,000 |
| Ohef Sholom Temple | $98,760 |