# Continuation of Fire Research Grants ProgramAvailability of Funds > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-8139 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** April 3, 1996 - **Citation:** 61 FR 14742 ## Text DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology [Docket No. 960227052-6052-01] RIN: 0693-ZA06 Continuation of Fire Research Grants Program--Availability of Funds AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce. ACTION: Announcing NIST continuation of fire research grants program. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to inform potential applicants that the Fire Research Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, is continuing its Fire Research Grants Program. DATES FOR APPLICATION: September 30, 1996. ADDRESSES: Applicants must submit one signed original and two (2) copies of the proposal along with the Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form 424, (Rev. 4-92), as referenced under the provisions of OMB Circular A-110 to: Building and Fire Research Laboratory, Attention: Sonya Parham, Building 226, Room B206, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899- 0001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical questions concerning the NIST Fire Research Grants Program should be directed to Sonya Parham, (301) 975-6854. Administrative questions concerning the NIST Fire Research Grants Program may be directed to the NIST Grants Office at (301) 975-6329. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Name and Number: Measurement and Engineering Research Standards; 11.609. Authority: As authorized by section 16 of the Act of March 3, 1901, as amended (15 U.S.C.; 278f), the NIST Building and Fire Research Laboratory conducts directly and through grants and cooperative agreements, a basic and applied fire research program. The annual budget for the Fire Research Program is approximately $1.4 million. Because of commitments for the support of multi-year programs, only a portion of the budget is available to initiate new programs, only a portion of the budget is available to initiate new programs in any one year. Most grants and cooperative agreements are in the $10,000 to $100,000 per year range. The Fire Research Program is limited to innovative ideas which are generated by the proposal writer on what research to carry out and how to carry it out. The issuance of awards is contingent upon the availability of funding. All grant proposals submitted must be in accordance with the programs and objectives listed below. Program Objectives A. Fire Modeling and Applications: To perform research, develop, and demonstrate the application of analytical models for the quantitative prediction of the consequences of fires and the means to assess the accuracy of those models. This includes: Developing methods to assess fire hazard and risk; creating advanced, usable models for the calculation of the effluent from building fires; modeling the ignition and burning of furniture, contents, and building elements such as walls; developing methods of evaluating and predicting the performance of building safety design features; developing a protocol for determining the accuracy of algorithms and comprehensive models; and developing data bases to facilitate use of fire models. B. Large Fire Research: To perform research on and develop techniques to measure, predict the behavior of, and mitigate large fire events. This includes: Understanding the mechanisms of large fires that control gas phase combustion, burning rate, thermal and chemical emissions, transport processes; developing field measurement [[Page 14743]] techniques to assess the near- and far-field impact of large fires and their plumes; performing research on the use of combustion for environmental cleanup; predicting the performance and environmental impact of fire protection measures and fire fighting systems and techniques; and developing and operating the Fire Research Program large-scale experimental facility. C. Smoke Dynamics Research: To produce scientifically sound principles, metrology, data, and predictive methods for the formation/ evolution of smoke components in flames for use in understanding and predicting general fire phenomena. This includes research on the effects of within-flame and post-flame fluid mechanics on the formation and emission of smoke, including particulates, aerosols, and combustion gases; understanding the mechanistic pathway for soot from chemical inception to post-flame agglomerates; and developing calculation methods for the prediction of the yields of CO (and eventually other toxicants) as a function of fuel type, availability of air, and fire scale. D. Materials Fire Research: To perform research to understand fundamentally the mechanisms that control the ignition, flame spread, and burning rate of materials and the chemical and physical characteristics that affect these aspects of flammability. This involves developing methods of measuring and predicting the response of a material to a fire, including characterizing the burning rates of charring and non-charring polymers and composites; delineating and modeling the enthalpy and mass transfer mechanisms of materials combustion; and developing computational molecular dynamics and other mechanistic approaches to understand the relationships between polymer structure and flammability. E. Fire Sensing and Extinguishment: To develop understanding, metrology, and predictive methods to enable high-performance fire sensing and extinguishment systems. This involves devising new approaches to minimizing the impact of unwanted fires and the suppression process, including research for the identification and in- situ measurements of the symptoms of pending and nascent fires or explosions, and the consequences of suppression; devising or adapting monitors for these variables and creating the intelligence for timely interpretation of the data; determining mechanisms for deflagration and detonation suppression by advanced agents and principles for their optimal use; modeling the extinguishment process; and developing performance measures for the effectiveness of suppression system design. Award Period: Proposals will be considered for research projects from one to three years. When a proposal for a multi-year grant is approved, funding will be provided for only the first year of the program. If an application is selected for funding, DoC has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in connection with that award. Renewal of an award to increase funding or extend the period of performance is at the total discretion of DoC. Matching Requirements: The Fire Research Grants Program does not involve the payment of any matching funds and does not directly affect any state or local government. Eligibility: Academic institutions, non-Federal agencies, and independent and industrial laboratories. Proposal Review Process: All proposals are assigned to the appropriate group leader of the five programs listed above. Both technical value of the proposal and the relationship of the work proposed to the needs of the specific program are taken into consideration in the group leader's recommendation to the Deputy Director. Applicants should allow up to 90 days processing time. Proposals are evaluated for technical merit by at least three reviewers chosen from NIST professionals, technical experts from other interested government agencies and experts from the fire research community at large. Evaluation Criteria: a. Intrinsic value of the research--0-40. b. Qualifications--0-20. c. Utility of the research--0-20. d. Balance and financial feasibility--0-20. Selection Procedure: The results of these evaluations are transmitted to the group leader of the appropriate research unit in the Building and Fire Research Laboratory who prepares an analysis of comments and makes a recommendation. Paperwork Reduction Act: The Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, and LLL mentioned in this notice are subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act and have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget, (OMB), under Control Numbers 0348-0043, 0348- 0044, 0348-0040, and 0348-0006. Application Kit: An application kit, containing all required application forms and certifications is available by calling Sonya Parham, NIST Fire Research Grants Program (301) 975-6854. An application kit includes the following: SF-424 (Rev. 4/92)--Application for Federal Assistance. SF-424A (Rev. 4/92)--Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs. SF-424B (Rev. 4/92)--Assurances-Non-Construction Programs. CD-511 (7/91)--Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters: Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and Lobbying. CD-512 (7/91)--Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusions-Lower Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying. SF-LLL--Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. Additional Requirements Past Performance: Unsatisfactory performance under prior Federal awards may result in an application not being considered for funding. Preaward Activities: Applicants that incur any costs prior to an award being made do so solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Federal Government. Applicants are also hereby notified that notwithstanding any verbal assurance that they may have received, there is no obligation on the part of DoC to cover preaward costs. Primary Application Certification: All primary applicants must submit a completed Form CD-511, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace Requirements and Lobbying,'' and the following explanations are hereby provided: 1. Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension. Prospective participants (as defined at 15 CRF Part 26, Section 605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F., ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the related section of the certification form prescribed above applies; 2. Drug-Free Workplace. Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, Section 605) are subject to 15 CFR Part 26, Subpart F., ``Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section of the certification form prescribed above applies; 3. Anti-Lobbying. Persons (as defined at 15 CFR Part 28, Section 105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, ``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of the certification form prescribed above applies to application/bids for grants, cooperative agreements , and contracts for more than $100,000, and [[Page 14744]] loans and loan guarantees for more than $150,000, or the single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever is greater, and; 4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosure. Any applicant that has been paid or will pay for lobbying using any funds must submit an SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR Part 28, Appendix B. 5. Lower Tier Certifications. Recipients shall require applicants/ bidders for subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier covered transactions at any tier under the award to submit, if applicable, a completed Form CD-512, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and disclosure form, SF-LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the use of recipients and should not be transmitted to NIST. SF-LLL submitted by an tier recipients or subrecipient should be submitted to NIST in accordance with the instructions contained in the award document. Name Check Reviews: All for-profit and non-profit applicants will be subject to a name check review process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key individuals associated with the applicant have been convicted of or are presently facing, criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or other matters which significantly reflect on the applicant's management honesty or financial integrity. False Statements: Applicants are reminded that a false statement may be grounds for denial or termination of funds and grounds for possible punishment by fine or imprisonment. Delinquent Federal Debts: No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has an outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either: 1. The delinquent account is paid in full; 2. A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least one payment is received, or, 3. Other arrangements satisfactorily to DoC are made. No Obligation for Future Funding: If an application is accepted for funding, DoC has no obligation to provide any additional future funding in connection with that award. Renewal of an award, increased funding, or extending the period of performance is at the total discretion of NIST. Federal Policies & Procedures: Recipients and subrecipients under the Fire Research Grants Program are subject to all applicable Federal laws and Federal and Department policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to Federal financial assistance awards. The Fire Research Grant Program does not directly affect any state or local government. Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.'' Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products: Applicants are hereby notified that they are encouraged, to the greatest extent practicable, to purchase American-made equipment and products with funding provided under this program. Indirect Costs: The total dollar amount of the indirect costs proposed in an application under this program must not exceed the indirect cost rate negotiated and approved by a cognizant Federal agency prior to the proposed effective date of the award or 100 percent of the total proposed direct cost dollar amount in the application, whichever is less. Executive Order 12866: This funding notice has been determined to be ``not significant'' for purposes of E.O. 12866. Dated: March 27, 1996. Samuel Kramer, Associate Director. [FR Doc. 96-8139 Filed 4-2-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-13-M --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A96-8139. Public record. Not legal advice.