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Emergency fund for wildland fire suppression proposed America's Wildland Fire Problem is Growing New Regulations Will Require Emergency Responders to Wear High-Visibility Apparel NYC to Get $34 Million for Emergency Communications DHS Employees Not Satisfied with Their Jobs DHS Participates in Emergency Communications Interoperability Exercise DHS Moves to Ramp up Cybersecurity in Federal Agencies
Emergency fund for wildland fire suppression proposed Representative Nick Rahall II, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, has proposed a solution for the current and growing issue of financing the fighting of wildfires. In the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement, or FLAME, Act of 2008 (H.R. 5541), Rahall proposes creating an emergency fund at the Department of the Treasury to provide a supplemental funding source for suppression of catastrophic wildland fires on Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service lands. The Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior would be required to develop a cohesive wildland fire management strategy. Currently, nearly half of the Forest Service’s budget goes toward fire suppression activities, which leaves other programs critically underfunded. o In 2007, the Forest Service spent $741 million more and the Interior Department spent $249 million more than was budgeted for firefighting. The FLAME Act includes: The bill was reported out of full committee and sent to the full House for consideration on April 17. Article explaining the FLAME legislation Press Release from the House Natural Resources Committee
Source: dinitiatives America's Wildland Fire Problem is Growing NVFC Working to Help Policymakers Address Situation Last year as fires raged throughout Southern California, America was once again reminded of the devastating effect of wildland fires. As climates change and larger populations move into the wildland/urban interface, the social and economic costs of wildfires are greater than ever before. Source: NVFC New Regulations Will Require Emergency Responders to Wear High-Visibility Apparel Federal regulations will take effect on November 24, 2008 requiring workers (including emergency responders) exposed to traffic or construction equipment within the right-of-way of a federal-aid highway to wear high-visibility safety apparel. This is the culmination of a process that began with the passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in August 2005. Source: NVFC NYC to Get $34 Million for Emergency Communications New York Governor David A. Paterson has announced that the New York City urban area will get another $34 million in homeland security grant funds to help fire, police and other first responders communicate during emergencies. According to an article on the Government Technology website, the funds, part of the federal government’s Urban Area Security Initiative, are available through the federal Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program. The New York City Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) includes NYC, Yonkers, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The region will receive the $34 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The article says the region will use the funds to advance several of its communication initiatives, including: o Technology to enhance communication within the MTA tunnel system; “Communication is the cornerstone of effective emergency response,” Governor Paterson told the publication. “This funding will enhance the State’s communications capabilities and I’m encouraged to see that the Department of Homeland Security recognizes the importance of supporting first responders in the New York City metro region.” To read the full article, click here: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/290485
Source: Disaster Resource Guide DHS Employees Not Satisfied with Their Jobs Only 58 percent of employees at the Department of Homeland Security are happy with their jobs, according to a new survey. But despite that unhappiness, 91 percent think the work they do is important. The Associated Press’ Eileen Sullivan says the study by the Office of Personnel Management also found that only 54 percent of employees would recommend the department as a good place to work. But some say the survey results are just part of the department’s growing pains. “It’s important to recognize that it takes time to turn around a battleship,” Elaine Duke, the department’s deputy undersecretary for management, wrote on the agency’s Web site Thursday night where the survey results were posted. Sullivan adds that some of the department’s angst can be attributed to a lack of a central headquarters location. At the moment, the department is scattered across the Washington region. “While these are not excuses for low morale, as a DHS employee I can honestly say I see the challenges firsthand,” Duke told Sullivan. To read the full article, click here: http://www.mcall.com/news/elections/national/sns-ap-unhappy-feds,0,6063128.story
Source: Disaster Resource Guide FEMA’s Disaster Operations Directorate Conducts Hurricane Exercise More than 100 people representing federal agencies and National Response Framework signatories, including the Department of Defense and the Red Cross, participated in the third annual Hurricane Season Preparedness Table Top Exercise at FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) earlier this month. FEMA is coordinating preparations for the 2008 Hurricane Season, which begins June 1 and runs until Dec. 1. FEMA’s intent in holding this exercise is “to ensure we can achieve and maintain the highest state of readiness for the 2008 hurricane season,” said Richard Kermond, Chief of Operational Planning for FEMA’s Disaster Operations Directorate. Using the video teleconferencing capabilities of the NRCC, exercise participants from across the federal executive branch engaged in a scenario-driven discussion focused on how best to utilize the authorities and capabilities of the participating departments, agencies, and commands. One of the primary goals was discussing how to support state and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities to help alleviate the suffering and damage that result from disasters, either natural or manmade. “Hurricane preparedness workshops and events like this exercise, and similar ones held in hurricane-prone FEMA regions, reinforce our commitment to our partners and demonstrate our commitment to lead the nation in preparing for the effects of all disasters in the United States,” said Stephen Woodard, Director of Operations Management for FEMA’s Disaster Operations Directorate. Source: DHS DHS Participates in Emergency Communications Interoperability Exercise DHS joined with other federal, state, and local agencies and organizations to test the interoperability of its emergency communications equipment during a Department of Defense-sponsored event and exercise last month that took place at Fort Monroe, Va. The event was one of three Defense Interoperability Communications Exercises (DICE) held at military bases around the country. These events are designed, among other things, to rehearse information sharing, identify problem areas, and explore communication techniques, procedures, policy, and new technologies. Source: DHS DHS Moves to Ramp up Cybersecurity in Federal Agencies The Department of Homeland Security says it plans to complete an analysis of the most vulnerable government computer networks in the next 45 days. Why is the department pushing it through so quickly – and what will it do when the analysis is done? In an article on the GovExec.com website, Chris Strohm says when the analysis is finished, the DHS intends to deploy 50 new intrusion detection systems to those agencies. The reason for the rush? The DHS is concerned that network security is becoming an even greater issue. “We’re concerned that the intrusions are more frequent and they're more targeted and they're more sophisticated,” Robert Jamison, undersecretary for the department’s national protection and programs directorate, told Strohm. While most of the initiative is classified, Strohm says Homeland Security is responsible for defending networks across the federal government or those that fall within the .gov domain. On Friday, Jamison said his department is mapping where Internet access points exist across the .gov domain and which federal agencies are most at risk of attacks. “Over the next 30 to 45 days we hope to have a much more comprehensive picture of exactly which agencies are going to get the initial deployments,” Jamison told Strohm. Jamison also said one of the biggest challenges for the government is determining real attacks from nuisance activity. He declined, however, to discuss which foreign governments might be attacking US government networks. To read the full article, click here: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=39867&sid=1 Source: Disaster Resource Guide The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality: Name: Jeremy L. Jylka Rank: Firefighter Age: 34 Gender: Male Status: Paid-on-Call Years of Service: 1 Date of Incident: 04/29/2008 Time of Incident: 1700hrs Date of Death: 04/29/2008
Fire Department: Pine City Fire Department Address: 400 5th Street, SE, Pine City, MN 55063 Fire Department Chief: Tom Miller Fire Department Website: http://www.pinecityfire.com/2005.html Incident Description: Firefighter Jylka was responding to a wildland fire on board fire apparatus to a wildland fire when he suffered a medical emergency and went unresponsive. Another Firefighter began CPR and he was transported by ambulance to the local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Funeral Arrangements: Pending
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Jeremy L. Jylka at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Source: USFA |
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