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Governmental Affairs Committee |
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US FIRE GRANT SUPPORT GAC Resources For GAC documents, announcements, and information please click here to visit the microsite. Home Day 2007 Toolkit To download the Home Day 2007 Upcoming Events
HELP THE GAC!
Dear FAMA/FEMSA member: In January, you received an e-mail from the FAMA/FEMSA Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC) asking you to complete a survey that will help the GAC and its consultants learn what congressional relationships FAMA/FEMSA member companies have established. This information is essential to the GAC’s work to increase FAMA/FEMSA’s dialogue with federal government agencies in an effort to educate key officials on the important role our industry plays in providing equipment and services to the nation’s first responders. To help us enhance these efforts, we once again ask you to take a few moments to complete the enclosed survey. Specifically, this survey will help the GAC compile a comprehensive list of FAMA/FEMSA members’ locations and the congressional senators and representatives for those locations, an important step in establishing an educational network with the members of Congress and the administration. Please note that the survey can be conveniently completed online here. We also ask that the survey be completed as soon as possible. We have tried to keep this survey as simple and straightforward as possible. We thank you in advance for your assistance in this important effort. Sincerely, FAMA/FEMSA Governmental Affairs Committee
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Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (S. 1466) Close to Passage House Passes Campbell Resolution Honoring America's Fire Fighters Nation’s First Responders Unite for Safer, Quicker Clearance of Traffic Incidents Emergency Responders Face Deep Aid Cuts
November was Firefighting Month for Congressional Staff: Over 150 Staff Participated in Firefighting Training Program and Rode with Area Fire Departments Each year, the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) offers congressional staff unique opportunities to gain a better understanding about the role of our nation’s fire and emergency services. On November 6, over 70 Congressional staff exchanged their regular business attire for attire worn by our nation’s firefighters and rescue personnel to experience a day of actual training at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI). Co-sponsored by CFSI and MFRI, the Congressional Firefighter Training Program is an abridged one-day training program, staffed with professional instructors who guide the participants through a series of training evolutions. It gives the participants hands-on experience in firefighting to enrich their understanding about the important role of federal programs in training and equipping our nation’s first responders. On the evening of November 29, over 70 congressional staff – some of whom participated in the training program – spent an evening with local area fire departments responding to emergencies in rescue vehicles. The CFSI Congressional Ride Along Program has been another very successful program in fulfilling our mission to educate Congress about the fire and emergency services. With the support of fire departments from the District of Columbia, Arlington County (VA), Fairfax County (VA), Prince George’s County (MD) and Montgomery County (MD), the Ride Along attracted the largest number of participants since the inception of the program in the early 1990’s. “Ours is a unique role in Washington, DC providing an array of programs that can have a profound impact in educating and changing perceptions about the fire and emergency services on Capitol Hill,” said CFSI Executive Director Bill Webb. “We certainly extend our thanks and appreciation for the continued support of MFRI and the participating fire departments of these programs.” For additional information about CFSI and how to support our mission, please visit our website at www.cfsi.org. Established in 1989, CFSI is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy institute designed to educate Congress about the mission and challenges of our nation’s fire and emergency services. Source: CFSI Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (S. 1466) Close to Passage Important federal legislation that would benefit the volunteer fire service is pending in the Senate and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) needs your help to ensure that it passes before the end of the year. The bill, S. 1466, would prohibit the federal government from taxing benefits provided to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel by state and local units of government. The definition of “benefit” is broad enough to include any sort of payment made to a volunteer. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this measure will save volunteers $1.6 billion over 10 years. In arriving at this figure they estimated that the number of volunteers receiving benefits will increase dramatically if the burden of federal taxation is lifted. The NVFC urges you to contact your Senators to impress upon them the urgent need to pass the bill this year. In conversations with these offices, it is important to point out the vital role that volunteers play in your states, including the number of volunteers and any other statewide statistics you have available to you. Source: NVFC House Passes Campbell Resolution Honoring America's Fire Fighters Resolution Calls on Congress to establish" National Fire Fighter (Washington, DC) -- The House of Representatives today approved a resolution "I am delighted that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle unanimously Source: GAC Nation’s First Responders Unite for Safer, Quicker Clearance of Traffic Incidents In an unprecedented show of unity among highway agencies, emergency medical professionals, firefighters, tow truck operators, and 9-1-1 call centers, nineteen national organizations announced the launch of the National Unified Goal (NUG) for Traffic Incident Management on November 20. The major objectives of the NUG are to address responder safety; safe, quick clearance; and prompt, reliable, interoperable communications. The NUG was developed by the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (NTIMC), of which the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is a member. The NVFC Board of Directors adopted the NUG for Traffic Incident Management at its Spring Meeting on March 31. “The safety of our nation’s first responders is paramount to our mission,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “Every year firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and other traffic incident responders are killed or injured during roadside emergency scenes. The National Unified Goal is a move in the right direction to improve communication and coordination among responders, as well as urge drivers to slow down and move over when they pass emergency scenes.” Through the NUG, the leading national responder organizations pledged to work together to improve communication and coordination at crash scenes in order to minimize factors that can delay road clearance. In turn, the responders are asking motorists to slow down and move over when they approach traffic incident scenes, in order to reduce the number of responders injured and killed from being struck by passing vehicles while working at crash scenes, and to enable the responders to re-open travel lanes quicker. Federal Highway Administrator J. Richard Capka congratulated NTIMC on its leadership in developing the National Unified Goal, and underscored the importance of safe, quick crash clearance. "Traffic congestion is one of the single largest threats to the nation's economic prosperity and way of life, and costs the United States an estimated $200 billion per year," Capka said. “Traffic incidents account for about one-quarter of all congestion on U.S. roadways. For every minute that a freeway travel lane is blocked during a peak travel period, four minutes of travel delay results after the incident is cleared. More efficient traffic incident management will reduce congestion and protect travelers and responders.” Learn more about the National Unified Goal at http://nvfc.org/files/documents/2007proposednug207.pdf.
Source: DHS Emergency Responders Face Deep Aid Cuts Have homeland security funds already helped the nation’s highest risk cities satisfy their security needs? A new report says the Bush administration thinks so, and may be planning to cut counterterrorism funding by more than half next year. The Associated Press’ Eileen Sullivan and Devlin Barrett say they have obtained budget documents indicating the administration isn’t convinced states and local communities have spent the $23 billion in homeland security funds wisely since 9-11. The report also indicated the administration thinks the nation’s highest-risk cities have largely satisfied their security needs. “The department wanted to provide $3.2 billion to help states and cities protect against terrorist attacks in 2009, but the White House said it would ask Congress for less than half - $1.4 billion, according to a Nov. 26 document,” Sullivan and Barrett say. “The plan calls for outright elimination of programs for port security, transit security and local emergency management operations in the next budget year. This is President Bush’s last budget, and the new administration would have to live with the funding decisions between Jan. 20 and Sept. 30, 2009.” But neither the Homeland Security department nor the White House Office of Management and Budget, which is in charge of the administration’s spending plans, would provide details about the funding cuts to Sullivan and Barrett, saying nothing has been finalized. “The White House’s plan to eliminate the port, transit and other grants, which are popular with state and local officials, would not go into effect until Sept. 30, 2008. Congress is unlikely to support the cuts and will ultimately decide the fate of the programs and the funding levels when it hashes out the department’s 2009 budget next year,” Sullivan and Barrett say. To read the full article, click here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152ap_security_grants.html?source=mypi
Source: Disaster Resource Guide The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality: Name: Jon Bingham Rank: Assistant Fire Chief Age: 48 Gender: Male Status: Volunteer Years of Service: 19 Date of Incident: 11/28/2007 Time of Incident: 2330hrs Date of Death: 11/30/2007 Address: PO Box 54, Geary, OK 73040 Fire Department Chief: Greg Lewis
Source: USFA |
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