Okla. Stat. tit. 19, § 19-901.57

A. When funds are made available for such purpose, the State

Department of Agriculture shall administer grants from any monies

which may be available for the purpose of the improvement of fire

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protection in rural areas of the State of Oklahoma, to the end that

the hazard of loss by fire and fire insurance rates may be reduced

and the public safety thereby promoted. Any such monies shall be

distributed in the manner provided by law.

B. The State Department of Agriculture is authorized to

allocate such monies obtained pursuant to subsection A of this

section to eligible entities on a matching basis and such matching

requirements may be fulfilled either in cash or in-kind. In

addition, the State Department of Agriculture is authorized to

establish preferential matching requirements for eligible entities

which have Insurance Service Organization rates of ten (10) or which

have other critical circumstances and needs which are determined by

the State Department of Agriculture to justify preferential matching

requirements.

C. 1. The State Department of Agriculture shall in writing

notify the rural fire protection coordination districts of any

available grant monies by August 1st of each year.

2. Each rural fire protection coordination district desiring to

obtain such grant monies for improvement of fire protection within

such district shall submit such request to the Department, in such

form and in such manner as required by the Department, by September

1, of each year.

3. The Forestry Division shall submit the final list of

grantees and their approved amounts prior to the October meeting of

the Board of Agriculture for consideration.

4. By October 1 of each year, the Department shall make a

determination on the allocation of such monies to the rural fire

protection coordination districts.

5. Upon approval, the Forestry Division shall distribute the

forms required by law to all grantees to certify the grant. The

prescribed form must be signed by the grantee and returned to the

Forestry Division before the grant becomes official.

6. Expenditures made prior to the date of the grant award shall

not be considered for reimbursement.

7. Fire departments shall submit copies of paid invoices,

canceled checks or other proof of purchase, attached to the

prescribed form when requesting reimbursement. No more than three

(3) partial payment requests are permitted.

8. Fire departments shall keep complete and accurate records of

grant expenditures and make this information available to the

Forestry Division or the coordinators on request.

9. Approved claims shall be submitted by the Forestry Division

for payment. Checks shall be sent promptly to the fire department's

contact person when received.

10. The coordinators shall closely track the progress of all

grantees in the assigned district to assure their completion by June

30. As of April 1, an assessment shall be made to determine the

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amount of grant funds which remain unobligated in each district, and

therefore available to make additional grants within that district.

The coordinators shall use the original prioritized list of grant

applications to make additional grants, and submit a list of

additional grantees and amounts to the Forestry Division for

processing through the April meeting of the Board of Agriculture for

approval. These grants are still subject to the June 30 cutoff for

obligating grant funds. The same procedures will be used as for the

first round of grants.

11. Follow-up compliance audits shall be performed by the

coordinators and the Forestry Division of the State Department of

Agriculture. Fire departments are required to cooperate fully

during the audit.

D. In determining the amount of grant monies to be awarded to a
subject to the June 30 cutoff for

obligating grant funds. The same procedures will be used as for the

first round of grants.

11. Follow-up compliance audits shall be performed by the

coordinators and the Forestry Division of the State Department of

Agriculture. Fire departments are required to cooperate fully

during the audit.

D. In determining the amount of grant monies to be awarded to a

rural fire protection coordination district pursuant to the

provisions of this section, such district shall be eligible to

receive an amount resulting from computing the number of fire

departments with service area populations of less than ten thousand

(10,000) persons in a rural fire protection coordination district

divided by the total number of fire departments with service area

populations of less than ten thousand (10,000) persons in this state

multiplied by the total amount of the grant monies available to

rural fire protection coordination districts in the state.

E. In addition to any other criteria established by the State

Department of Agriculture for receipt of grant monies for rural fire

protection coordination districts, the State Department of

Agriculture, pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, Article

I, Sections 250.3 through 308.2 and Article II, Sections 309 through

323 of Title 75 of the Oklahoma Statutes, shall establish criteria

to rate and prioritize applications for funding such requests of the

rural fire protection coordination districts. Such criteria shall

include, but not be limited to, consideration for: number of

residents, businesses and square miles to be protected; fire runs

per calendar year; annual sales and property tax collection; use of

volunteers; written fire plan or standard operating procedures plan;

fundraising; training; compliance with legal requirements; and

workers' compensation and vehicle liability insurance coverage.