Technical Rescue & Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Grant Program

The Technical Rescue and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Grant Program is administered by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES). Funded by the federal FY2023 State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), this competitive grant aims to enhance emergency response capabilities for high-risk and complex incidents, specifically supporting county and regional Technical Rescue and USAR teams across New York State. A total of $500,000 in funding is available, and applications may request up to $50,000 for single-county efforts or up to $100,000 for multi-county regional partnerships. The goal is to strengthen team capabilities in disciplines such as rope rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue, structural collapse rescue, and search operations. The grant supports four primary objectives: improving technical rescue and USAR capacities statewide; promoting the creation of regional response partnerships to boost multi-county collaboration; encouraging the establishment and maintenance of county-level Technical Rescue/USAR plans; and advancing standardized team accreditation through the DHSES Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) program. These objectives align with the New York State Homeland Security Strategy, particularly the response mission area, and aim to address identified gaps and vulnerabilities in current rescue infrastructure. Eligible applicants include all New York State counties and New York City. A county may apply individually or join with one or more counties to form a Regional Response Partnership. Teams must demonstrate operational capabilities in at least one of the six designated technical rescue areas. While the program encourages regional coordination, each county may only participate in a single application—either individual or joint. The submitting partner in a regional application must assume fiduciary and administrative responsibilities. Allowable costs include planning, training, exercises, and equipment tied to the OFPC’s accreditation benchmarks, with a 50% cap on personnel costs such as overtime and backfill. Requests must align with specific items listed in accreditation and Authorized Equipment List (AEL) guidelines. Unallowable expenses include canine handling, wildland search and rescue, construction, general administrative costs, and items not explicitly related to eligible technical rescue disciplines. Applications must be submitted through the DHSES E-Grants portal no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 4, 2025. Technical assistance for E-Grants will cease at the submission deadline. Applicants are required to submit an application worksheet, accreditation documentation, and a Notice of Endorsement signed by appropriate county officials. Questions may be submitted to [email protected] until noon on November 24, 2025, with responses posted on the DHSES website. Awards are expected to be announced in early 2026, and contracts will run through no later than August 31, 2026. This grant program is recurring, with language indicating an annual cadence. Therefore, applicants not funded in recent cycles may be eligible for bonus points during evaluation. Evaluation criteria are multi-tiered, focusing on need, capacity-building potential, implementation strategy, and alignment with threat-based risk assessments. DHSES reserves the right to modify funding levels or reject any application that fails to meet eligibility or programmatic requirements.

Review scoring criteria carefully; align projects with terrorism threats and accreditation benchmarks; avoid unallowable costs; provide complete team data.