(1) A rescue grant fund project application shall be initiated by the chief rescue officer and forwarded to the local emergency management director. The local director shall review all applications for completeness and accuracy, prioritize and consolidate the applications, and make recommendations thereon. In the absence of a local director, the county judge/executive shall fill this role.
(2) The local director shall forward all applications to the area manager of the division, who shall review them, make recommendations thereon, and forward documentation to the director.
(3) The director shall forward all applications to the advisory committee. The advisory committee shall meet during the months of April, August, and December on dates announced by the director, to assess applications and compliance and to make recommendations to the director with regard to allocations of funds, assessment of compliance, reallocations of funds, release of equipment, reallocation of equipment, and any other matters assigned by the director. The advisory committee shall:
(a) Hold only public meetings; and
(b) Maintain written minutes reflecting the actions of the advisory committee. All applications on file and all other matters pending shall be reviewed during each session and recommendations made thereon to the director.
(4) Requests for funding shall be evaluated by the following criteria:
(a) Meeting the minimum eligibility criteria of KRS § 39F.020 or 39F.120 and KRS § 39F.030, unless some aspect thereof has been waived as provided in KRS § 39C.090. In determining membership eligibility, no person may be counted as a member of more than one (1) rescue squad even though that person may be available to or a member of more than one (1) rescue squad. If possible, a squad of primary membership shall be determined and the person counted as a member of that squad. If this cannot be determined, the person shall not be counted as a member of any rescue squad;
(b) Unit and individual training;
(c) Number of rescue responses annually; (d) Population served;
(e) Geographic area served;
(f) Number, type, and location of other rescue squads in the geographic area served;
(g) Equipment possessed by the squad; and
(h) The extent to which the rescue squad integrates its activities with the local emergency management program of the area served.
(5) The advisory committee shall forward the applications together with its recommendations thereon to the director for final decision and allocations of funds. The division’s administrative officer shall ensure timely payment of the funds.
(6) The director shall maintain written reasons with regard to all funding decisions for a period of one (1) year from the time they are announced.
(7) The director shall provide applicants with written decisions with regard to their applications.
(8) Decisions and the reasons for any decisions regarding funding shall be made available to any person upon written request.
(9) The local emergency management director shall maintain file copies of all applications and decisions thereon for at least five (5) years.
Effective: July 15, 1998
History: Created 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 226, sec. 95, effective July 15, 1998.