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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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USFA Launches Smoking & Home Fires Campaign Fire Corps and Firewise Communities Program Release Firewise Toolkit Macomb Township Fire Corps Honored with President's Volunteer Service Award - Macomb, MI FEMA Receives Praise for Response to Nevada Canal Levee Break AFSA Releases 2008 Fire Sprinkler System Planning School Schedule Data Security Becomes More Affordable for Small Businesses
USFA Launches Smoking & Home Fires Campaign The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) launched a national Smoking & Home Fires Campaign on January 9 in Washington, DC. The goal of the campaign is to put an end to the leading cause of preventable home fire deaths: careless smoking. The campaign urges smokers to “Put it Out. All the Way. Every Time.” and reminds smokers and those who live with smokers that they must be alert because "Cigarettes don't know when you are asleep." Nationally, 23% (46 million) of adults are smokers, and in some states that percentage is as high as 28.7%. Each year, fires caused by cigarettes kill 700 to 900 people - smokers and nonsmokers alike. The Smoking & Home Fires Campaign warns about the dangers of careless smoking and urges smokers to go outside if they need to smoke. The USFA cautions that if smoking inside the home, people should use large ashtrays with a stable base and make sure to put the cigarette all the way out, especially if they are drowsy due to medicine or alcohol. Fire Corps teams can help spread these safety messages throughout their communities by utilizing USFA’s campaign materials, which include English and Spanish posters, brochures, fact sheets, public service announcements, PowerPoint presentations, a video of a smoking home fire demonstration, and more. The materials are available online and can be ordered by visiting www.usfa.dhs.gov/smoking.
Source: Fire Corps Fire Corps and Firewise Communities Program Release Firewise Toolkit Fire Corps and the National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise Communities program partnered to develop a Firewise toolkit. Getting Started With Firewise provides information about building and maintaining communities in a way that is compatible with our natural surroundings and can be used by Fire Corps teams across the nation to help protect property and natural resources from the threat of wildland fires. The toolkit can be ordered free-of-charge from the Fire Corps national office at 1-888-FC-INFO1 (324-6361) or info@firecorps.org. The national Firewise Communities program is a multi-agency effort designed to reach beyond the fire service by involving homeowners, community leaders, planners, developers, and others in the effort to protect people, property, and natural resources from the risk of wildland fire. The program emphasizes community responsibility for planning and design of a safe community as well as effective emergency response, and individual responsibility for safer home construction and design, landscaping, and maintenance. Learn more about the Firewise Communities program and Fire Corps.
Source: Fire Corps Macomb Township Fire Corps Honored with President's Volunteer Service Award - Macomb, MI The Macomb Township Fire Department, located about an hour north of Detroit, MI, has a mission to help protect and serve their community through progressive training, organization, and teamwork. To build on its mission and further protect the 78,000 residents in the area, Fire Chief Robert Phillips established a Fire Corps program, calling on local community members to help with the department’s non-emergency tasks. Since registering with Fire Corps in April 2007, Macomb Township’s Fire Corps has grown to include 25 members who have donated over 750 hours, earning them the President’s Volunteer Service Award in January 2008. This award was established by President Bush to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. "I'm impressed with their enthusiasm and really appreciate their help," Chief Phillips said of the Fire Corps team in an interview with the Macomb Township Chronicle. Members participate in a wide array of tasks including fundraising, grant writing, special events, hose testing, traffic control, and fire safety education. Volunteers also produce monthly fire safety messages, have created public service announcements, and help archive and preserve department photos and other items of historical significance. One member applies her photography skills to capture on-scene pictures which the department uses later for training purposes. Members have adopted and initiated many department projects since the program’s inception, each led by a different Fire Corps member. These include preparing kits to help residents who have suffered a tragedy, performing child safety seat inspections, educating new parents about infant safety, and overseeing the creation of an emergency translation book. Macomb’s Fire Corps works closely with the local Community Emergency Response Team, which allows members to receive free training in areas of emergency response, such as CPR and first aid. The Fire Corps volunteers also receive in-depth training in different areas of safety and preparedness. The volunteers then spread these safety messages to other Macomb residents as well as utilize the information to become better prepared to handle emergency situations in their own homes and neighborhoods. When establishing the Macomb Fire Corps, internal organization was an important factor to ensure the success of the program. Chief Phillips appointed Sergeant Dwayne Thompson to head the program. After researching and assessing department and community needs, communicating with the Fire Corps national office, and networking with other successful Fire Corps programs across the nation, the department was ready to kick-start their program. Thompson established enrollment qualifications, background checks, and identification criteria and procedures to ensure safety for both the Fire Corps and department members. To recruit volunteers for the program, the department aired a video public service announcement on local television stations and released articles to local newspapers. Thompson recently obtained additional funding for the program and department from the Urban Area Security Initiative: Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides funding support to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk for an international terrorist attack. The money will be used to provide uniforms and training systems for Fire Corps members as well as purchase additional equipment for the department and township. Thompson is thrilled that Macomb’s Fire Corps members are being recognized for their dedication to the program through the President’s Volunteer Service Award. “Both the department and community have benefited from the work of our Fire Corps members. We are very thankful for the time they donate and the additional skills they bring to the department,” he said. To view Macomb Township’s Fire Corps and fire safety PSAs, visit www.macomb-mi.gov/Fire/FireHomePage.html. For more information on the Macomb Township Fire Corps program, contact Sgt. Dwayne Thompson at thompsond@macomb-mi.gov.
Source: Fire Corps FEMA Receives Praise for Response to Nevada Canal Levee Break Federal, state, and local officials reacted positively to FEMA’s swift response to the flooding that occurred in Fernley, Nev., following a canal levee break. A powerful West Coast storm during the weekend of Jan. 5-6 produced heavy rains that precipitated the break. According to an Associated Press story on Jan. 8, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who toured the area by helicopter Jan. 7, said the agency "has done an excellent job here. They were at my beck and call. I've talked to them several times and I think everything is working well at this point." Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons also praised the FEMA response, and was quoted as saying in an article in the Jan. 7 Nevada Appeal: “In my book, FEMA has stepped up.” Lyon County (Nevada) Emergency Manager Jeff Page said in an article published in the Jan. 8 Nevada Appeal that FEMA had been "an incredible help" and he felt ”the FEMA of old is gone.” Additional coverage of FEMA’s response efforts is available at: http://online.fema.net/pao/docs/buzz/011108.doc.
Source: FEMA AFSA Releases 2008 Fire Sprinkler System Planning School Schedule The American Fire Sprinkler Association's (AFSA) has released the 2008 schedule for its Beginning Fire Sprinkler System Planning School. This two-week crash course is aimed at giving system layout technicians a comprehensive, practical approach to preparing fire sprinkler system drawings. Nine schools are scheduled for the coming year. Dates include: February 4-15, March 3-14, April 14-25, May 12-23, June 16-27, July 14-25, August 11-22, September 22-October 3, and November 3-14. Learn more at http://www.firesprinkler.org.
Source: NVFC Data Security Becomes More Affordable for Small Businesses Many small businesses worry they can’t afford the same data and IT security solutions that big companies use every day. But with those new technologies becoming more and more affordable, will small businesses jump on board the security train? In an article on the Small Business Times website, Eric Decker says those practices large companies use to protect their data and systems have started to trickle into the small and medium-sized business marketplace. “Enterprise accounts have understood a lot of the reasons why to do a lot of security, and the small to medium-sized businesses are starting to figure it out,” John Steindorf, president of Capital Data Inc., told Decker. “The issue with a lot of tech solutions is that it’s hard to put a firm ROI (return on investment) on it. You have to look at what it would cost if you were shut down, had a lawsuit or you lose data to a competitor. It’s a soft ROI.” For example, Decker says more small businesses have access to authentication systems to limit which employees can access specific files. While many require user names and passwords, pairing those with an authentication tag gives data a higher level of protection. “The tags, which have been on the market for several years, were $50 to $75 per person when they were introduced,” Decker says. “Because the technology has been on the market for several years, prices have decreased to between $5 and $20 per user.” To read the full article, click here: http://www.biztimes.com/news/2008/1/11/data-security-becomes-more-affordable
Source: Disaster Resource Guide The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities: Name: Harvey Jordan Name: Jarrett A. Dixon
Source: USFA |
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