Pennsylvania Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program 2026-27

Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program is now open through October 22, 2026 at 4:00 PM. The controlling 2026-27 OSFC Program Guidance states the submission deadline is 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

Broad Eligibility

Pennsylvania volunteer and career fire companies, eligible emergency medical services, and volunteer rescue squads may apply. Under the 2026-27 guidance, an EMS applicant must qualify under the program definition and be designated by its municipality as the primary EMS provider; Basic Life Support Squads and Quick Response Services are not eligible. Fire companies must have responded to at least 15 fire or rescue emergencies in the prior calendar year, be municipally recognized, and have been current with PennFIRS through July 31, 2026. The guidance includes a specific documentation pathway for qualifying new hospital-based EMS companies. New-company and qualifying merger paperwork had to be received by OSFC by August 1, 2026 for the 2026-27 cycle. Applicants may combine up to two eligible project categories, and project costs must be at least $2,500.

Atlas Analysis

2026-27 Pennsylvania fire and EMS grant window is now open

The Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) is accepting 2026-27 Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program applications from September 8, 2026 at 8:00 AM through October 22, 2026 at 4:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Savings Time), as stated in the controlling 2026-27 OSFC Program Guidance. The program supports eligible fire, rescue and emergency medical services projects that improve operational capability across Pennsylvania.

Funding

Fire companies: $2,500 to $20,000 per applicant.
Emergency medical services: $2,500 to $15,000 per applicant.
Eligible project costs must be at least $2,500.
Applicants may combine up to two eligible project categories in one request.
Awards may be prorated if eligible demand exceeds available State Gaming Fund appropriations.

EMS eligibility

An EMS applicant must qualify under the OSFC program definition, be designated by its municipality as the municipality’s primary EMS provider. The 2026-27 guidance expressly states that Basic Life Support Squads and Quick Response Services are not eligible based on the services provided.

The guidance also contains a specific pathway for a hospital-based EMS company. A new hospital-based EMS applicant must document that it is on the county 911 center call box as the primary EMS provider, shares the hospital’s EIN, is licensed to run EMS calls, and satisfies OSFC’s supporting-document and prior-call requirements. This does not make the hospital itself a general-purpose applicant; the eligible applicant remains the qualifying EMS company.

Important 2026-27 gate: OSFC required paperwork for new fire companies, new career or volunteer EMS companies, new hospital-based EMS companies, new rescue companies and qualifying mergers to be received by August 1, 2026. Organizations that did not satisfy that prerequisite should not assume they can enter this cycle as a newly recognized company.

Eligible EMS uses

For eligible EMS companies, 2026-27 funds may support:

Construction or renovation of EMS facilities and purchase or repair of fixtures, furnishings, office equipment and support services necessary to maintain or improve ambulance and emergency medical capability.
Repair or purchase of ambulance equipment, including vehicle fuel.
Debt reduction associated with already completed eligible facility or equipment projects.
Training and certification of members.
Public education related to community risk reduction.
Recruitment and retention programs.

Eligible 2026-27 projects may have been initiated and paid for between July 1, 2026 and September 1, 2027, subject to all program requirements.

Fire-company controls

A fire company must have actively responded to 15 or more fire or rescue emergencies during the previous calendar year, be officially recognized by the appropriate municipality, and have been current with PennFIRS incident reporting through July 31, 2026 to apply. Continued monthly incident reporting is required throughout the grant year to remain award-eligible. Fire companies must also provide a copy of the completed application to the municipality where the company is located.

Apply now

OSFC’s current grant portal uses the statewide Keystone ID login. Eligible organizations can go directly to the OSFC E-grants application portal. Applicants should confirm the organization profile, municipal designation, contact information, EMS license where applicable, and required reporting are in order, then submit the complete online application by October 22, 2026 at 4:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Savings Time). Incomplete applications are rejected. OSFC’s guidance allows a request for post-window consideration only when extreme hardship or undue burden is demonstrated; routine staffing or personnel changes are not sufficient.

Technology and N9+ fit

The program defines equipment as apparatus, equipment or tools ordinarily used by a fire, rescue or ambulance service. That creates a legitimate general equipment pathway, but Atlas does not assume that specialized telehealth or remote physical-exam technology automatically qualifies. An EMS organization considering N9+ or similar clinical technology should obtain OSFC confirmation that the specific equipment is allowable before building a request around it.

Atlas Opportunity Score: 82/100. This is a dependable annual EMS-capacity grant with straightforward caps, a defined equipment path and statewide reach, but the per-applicant ceiling is modest relative to larger healthcare transformation grants.

N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 28/100. A defensible pathway may exist only where OSFC confirms the proposed technology is equipment or support services ordinarily used to improve ambulance or EMS capability.

Official sources: OSFC Fire Company and EMS Grant Program and the 2026-27 Program Guidance.