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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.
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Call to Action - FY 2009 Funding Only 11 Days Remain in FY2008 Fire Grant Applications Sturdy Cars Make It Harder for First Responders Update on Implementation of Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act National Highway Transportation Safety Administration EMS Update
Call to Action - FY 2009 Funding Attached please find an important message regarding FY 2009 Funding for the Assistance to Fire Grants Program (AFGP) and the SAFER Program, and what you can do to help educate your congressional representatives on their importance. Sample letters are provided to get you started. Please do your part to keep these critical programs alive. Sincerely,
Source: FEMSA Only 11 Days Remain in FY2008 Fire Grant Applications March 24, 2008 - The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program office is reminding fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical organizations that ten days now remain in the FY2008 fire grant application period. The application period for AFG began March 3, 2008, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time and ends 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 4, 2008. If you have started an application, please be sure to complete it and submit it before the deadline. All applications must be submitted (hit the submit button in the online application) to be considered for a grant award. AFG makes available competitive grants for equipment, training, firefighter and first responder safety and response vehicles. AFG applications are automated and accessible via the AFG web site: www.firegrantsupport.com. The web site contains important information on the AFG, including the FY2008 funding priorities and program guidance, a web based tutorial on the application process, a listing of frequently asked questions, and other materials. Fire departments that have questions regarding this grant opportunity should contact the Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov.
FEMA Coordinating Federal Response to Midwest Flooding FEMA is continuing to support Missouri and other Midwest states impacted by floods following heavy rains that fell in the region last week. Working with state and local governments, it is coordinating the federal response effort, which includes the search and rescue operations of the U.S. Coast Guard. As of Friday, the Coast Guard had rescued 52 people and 15 pets from flood waters in Missouri. On Wednesday, within hours of receiving the governor's request, President Bush issued a major disaster declaration for Missouri. This declaration allows direct federal assistance to support emergency response efforts addressing the flooding, particularly in the southern part of the state. On Saturday, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill called FEMA Region VII Regional Administrator Dick Hainje to compliment him on FEMA’s response to the flooding in her state. Shortly after flood waters began rising, FEMA Region VII established a regional response coordinating center in Kansas City to coordinate the response in Missouri. Among the actions DHS is taking in response to the Midwest flooding: • FEMA staff is on the ground working closely with its partners at the federal/state joint field office and in the Missouri State Emergency Operations Center, and has deployed a Federal Incident Response Support Team (FIRST-Chicago) to Missouri to support the state's response. More information about this is available at: http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=43019.
Sturdy Cars Make It Harder for First Responders Today’s new cars save lives, with new design advances and reinforced construction cocooning motorists in safety. But those improvements have also brought an unexpected side effect for first responders – it’s harder to rescue people in these well-built cars. The Associated Press’ Mitch Stacy says rescue officials and experts from around the United States are worried this new technology is hindering extrication of injured people, increasingly forcing crews to work deeper into the critical window of time between an accident and treatment by emergency room doctors. “On many 2005 and later cars, an extrication that once took 10 or 15 minutes can now take twice that or longer,” Stacy says. “To catch up, counties and cities are spending tens of thousands of dollars – if they can afford it – to buy more powerful equipment that can cut through newer cars’ reinforced steel and the lighter, tougher exotic metals used in roofs, posts and doors.” Stacy says the problem has first responders scrambling to update their tools and explore different ways to attack cars with their cutters, spreaders and saws. Some agencies with equipment more than a few years old are arriving at accident scenes and finding out that it will no longer do the job. And workers on the scene still have trouble getting the latest technical information about newer cars and how to deal with them. That’s why COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance, with cooperation from automakers, is introducing a single Web site later this year that will offer schematics and safety specs for most cars on the road, Stacy says. Rescue workers could flip open a laptop computer on the way to a crash scene to find out about the construction of the car, placement of air bag canisters and other details. To read the full article, click here: http://federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=80&sid=1368612#
Update on Implementation of Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act The Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act (VRIPA) was signed into law in December 2007, prohibiting taxation of certain benefits provided by state and local units of government to volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel. Specifically, the first $360 that an individual receives per year in compensation for his or her service as a volunteer emergency responder is not considered taxable income. Additionally, any benefit in the form of a tax reduction as compensation for service as a volunteer first responder is no longer considered taxable income by the federal government. Since passage of VRIPA, the NVFC has received a number of questions about the impact of the new law. Below are some answers to the most frequently asked questions. What about volunteer firefighters who receive more than $360 per year from their departments for their volunteer service? VRIPA only affects the first $360 a volunteer emergency responder receives as compensation for their service. Any amount that a volunteer emergency responder receives in excess of $360 in a given year would be taxed in the same manner that is has been in the past. What about income that volunteer firefighters receive from other sources? VRIPA only applies to income received as compensation for service as a volunteer emergency responder. How can I take advantage of VRIPA? VRIPA is in effect for the 2008 tax year. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is still in the process of developing regulations for implementing VRIPA. In January, Congressman John Larson (D-CT) sent a letter to the IRS requesting that they develop and release the implementing regulations as soon as possible. The NVFC is in regular contact with Congressman Larson’s office and will make additional information regarding implementation of VRIPA available as it comes to us. For questions regarding VRIPA, please contact Dave Finger, NVFC Director of Government Relations, at 202-887-5700, ext. 12 or dfinger@nvfc.org.
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration EMS Update The NVFC has partnered with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to keep people informed about the activities of NHTSA's Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS). The latest edition of the OEMS quarterly newsletter, EMS Update, is now available online. To access EMS Update, go to www.EMS.gov. You'll find "EMS Update" by clicking on the "News" icon on the top, red navigation bar. If you have questions or comments, or if you have a national EMS story to submit for the "Special Features" section, email nhtsa.ems@dot.gov. The OEMS web site, which was developed to meet the varied needs of the EMS community, contains not only the latest news from OEMS – but also functions as a portal to other Federal EMS web sites and resources. Find information and updates on groundbreaking initiatives and programs, including Emergency Medical Services for Children, the National EMS Information System, the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS, Enhanced 9-1-1 and Next Generation 9-1-1, the National EMS Advisory Council, and more.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities: Name: Donald “Lee” Grubor Rank: Deputy Fire Chief Age: 42 Gender: Male Status: Volunteer Years of Service: 21 Date of Incident: 03/21/2008 Time of Incident: 2116hrs Date of Death: 03/22/2008
Fire Department: Lewistown Fire Protection District Address: PO Box 311, Lewistown, IL 61542 Fire Department Chief: John Spotlow
Incident Description: Deputy Chief Lee Grubor fell ill at his residence approximately an hour after clearing the scene (0032hrs) of an earlier mutual aid structure fire. Grubor was treated and transported to the hospital, but passed away at 0252hrs from a cause still to be determined.
Funeral Arrangements: Visitation, 03/25/2008, Henry-Lange Memorial Home (203 N Illinois St), 1600-1900hrs. The funeral will be held at the Lewistown United Methodist Church (204 W. Washington Ave. ), 03/26/2008 at 1030hrs with the Rev. Bill Bunnage officiating. Burial will be in Waterford Cemetery in rural Lewistown.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Memorial contributions may be made to the Lewistown Rescue Squad (PO Box 311, Lewistown, IL 61542), or any charity of the donor's choice.
Online condolences may be made at www.henrylange.com.
Tribute is being paid to Deputy Fire Chief Lee Grubor at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/ Name: Brent A. Lovrien Rank: Firefighter Age: 35 Gender: Male Status: Career Years of Service: 10 Date of Incident: 03/26/2008 Time of Incident: 1357hrs Date of Death: 03/26/2008 Fire Department: Los Angeles Fire Department Address: 200 N Main ST, Room 1800, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Grid: 11S LT 8532 6874) Fire Department Chief: Douglas Barry Fire Department Website: http://lafd.org/
Incident Description: Los Angeles Firefighters were summoned to investigate smoke in the 8800 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard. At approximately 1440hrs, an explosion occurred at a nearby building, causing injury to two male Firefighters and one civilian. Firefighter Brent A. Lovrien, assigned to the 'A' Platoon at Fire Station 95 since October 2005, died shortly after arrival at the Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center, Marina Campus. Engineer Anthony J. Guzman, age 48, an 18 year veteran of the LAFD assigned to the 'A' Platoon at Fire Station 95 since February 2002, suffered multiple fractures and facial trauma. He was transported to the UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, where he remains in serious but stable condition following surgery. Preliminary reports indicate the civilian was treated at the scene and released. As dictated by Fire Department policy, a formal and detailed multi-agency investigation is underway to determine the exact nature of the explosion, as well as the precise cause and manner of Firefighter Lovrien's death. The men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department thank you for your kind words and sentiment at this time of overwhelming sorrow and immense loss. The latest information about this incident, as well as details regarding memorial services will be posted @ http://lafd.blogspot.com/ Incident Location: 8800 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard (USNG: 11S LT 710 583)Funeral Arrangements: Pending, updates @ http://lafd.blogspot.com/.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending, updates @ http://lafd.blogspot.com/. Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association, to learn more, visit: LAFRA.ORG or call 1-800-244-3439
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Brent A. Lovrien at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Source: USFA |
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