FY09 Illinois Intermodal Facility Preparedness Grant

The Illinois Intermodal Facility Preparedness Grant is a federal preparedness grant managed by ILEAS with funding from ITTF.  The goal of this grant is to increase the preparedness capabilities of jurisdictions and agencies responsible for the safety and security of communities surrounding intermodal facilities, assets, and resources through allowable planning, equipment, training, or exercises.

Agencies are not limited to one intermodal facility - grant applications may describe multiple facilities that meet the definition of intermodal within the agency’s jurisdiction.  Agencies are encouraged to submit grant applications that will result in its increased capability to manage security issues regarding the intermodal facility(ies) in their jurisdictions.  Applicants, however, will be required to identify one primary facility for which they are responsible.

Definition

An intermodal facility is defined as a place capable of handling containerized (unitized) or bulk containers where interface occurs between transportation systems, such as movement of cargo over air, land, or sea to a different transport mode (aircraft, truck, rail, boats, ships, barges, etc.).  The intermodal facility is a location where cargo (including bulk) is brought in from one mode of transport and then transferred out from the same or different mode of transport.

Scope

There is $930,000 available for this grant, and each applicant may submit ONE project between $50,000-$180,000. There is no match requirement for this grant program, however, this is a reimbursement grant and applicants will be reimbursed for the costs associated with their approved projects.

A portion of each project MUST be dedicated to exercising upon completion of the project.

The period of performance expires on May 31, 2012.

All projects are subject to Environmental and Historical Preservation (EHP) review, and will take place upon admittance into the grant program, as stated in the ITTF Policy 2009 (9).

All selected applicants are subject to Quarterly Reporting as stated in the grant agreement.

Allowable Costs

Allowable costs include planning, equipment acquisition, training, and exercise activities.

Planning Activities

Planning activities should focus on the four homeland security mission areas of prevention, protection, response, and recovery.

Equipment Activities

The 21 allowable equipment standards for this project are listed on the web-based version of the Authorized Equipment List (AEL) on the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB), at https://www.rkb.us.   Awardees will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining all necessary certifications and licenses for the requested equipment. 

Training Activites

Applicants may use funds to conduct training activities to support homeland security planning activities.  Allowable training related costs include the establishment, support, conduct, and attendance of training approved by the Illinois Terrorism Task Force. Allowable training topics include, but are not limited to, CBRNE terrorism, cyber/agriculture/food security, intelligence gathering and analysis, NIMS related training, citizen and community preparedness, and training for volunteers.

 Training conducted should address a performance gap identified through an After Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) or contribute to building a capability that will be evaluated through an exercise. Exercises should be used to provide the opportunity to demonstrate and validate skills learned in training, as well as to identify training gaps.  All training/exercises conducted should support the development and testing of the jurisdiction’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Exercise Activites

Exercises conducted by the applicant must be managed and executed in accordance with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP). Exercise guidance can be found at http://hseep.dhs.gov. All exercises must be NIMS compliant. More information is available online at the NIMS Integration Center, http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/index.shtm.    

Construction and Renovation

Use of funds for construction and renovation is generally prohibited except as outlined below. Such construction and renovation shall be strictly limited and allowable only when it is a necessary component of a security system at critical infrastructure facilities. The following types of projects are considered to constitute construction or renovation, and must be submitted to FEMA for compliance review under Federal environmental planning and historic preservation (EHP) laws and requirements prior to initiation of the project:

• Construction and renovation of guard facilities
• Renovation of and modifications, including the installation of security and communication equipment, to buildings and structures that are 50 years old or older
• Any other construction or renovation efforts that change or expand the footprint of a facility or structure, including security enhancements to improve perimeter security.
• Physical security enhancements, including but not limited to:
  • Lighting
  • Fencing
  • Closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems
  • Motion detection systems
  • Barriers, doors, gates and related security enhancements

Application Procedure

The grant application will be online and behind the law enforcement agency’s ILEAS password.    The process will be conducted in two phases:

Phase 1: This phase consists of a very short online questionnaire.   Applicants will be asked to complete a handful of very short questions and some drop down box choices.  Since there are not a large number of agencies with intermodal facilities, this phase is designed to assist ILEAS and ITTF to determine what agencies are interested, what facilities are identified and what the basic plan is to increase security. 

Phase 2: Qualifying agencies identified in Phase 1 will be invited to submit a more detailed application.  More specific questions about the plan, the facility(ies) and the budget will be submitted in this phase of the grant application.  Additionally, only ILEAS member agencies in good standing are eligible.  Being in good standing means having a signed mutual aid agreement on file, complete the required NIMS compliance activities for 2008 and completed all the online ILEAS agency data.  (Note this only applies for Phase 2 applicants). 

Awards Committee: A grant review committee will review all the completed Phase 2 applications and make awards.  It should be noted that priority will be provided to agencies that have NOT already received federal preparedness funds to secure these facilities (i.e., Buffer Zone Protection Program, Ports Security, etc.). The committee will meet, review all the applications and make the awards.  Awards can be made in whole or in part. 

Post Award: Once the award has been made, ILEAS grant and field staff will work with the awardees to develop a formal budget and provide technical assistance as necessary for training, exercises, purchasing, grant management, etc. 

The deadline for Phase 1 applications to be submitted is Friday, February 18th, 2011 at 1700.

Please direct questions regarding the grant procedure to Mick McAvoy at 217-328-3800 or mmcavoy@ileas.org.

Please direct questions regarding whether a faciliy within your agency's jurisdiction meets the definition of an "intermodal facility" to Matt Evans at 708-372-3642 or mcevans@ileas.org.