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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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Department of Transportation Grants Fund Hazmat Training for Volunteer First Responders SAFER Grant Application Period Opens DHS Sets Up Emergency Satellite Communication Service Use Cost Savings Calculators to Gain Support for Your Department DHS Ready Campaign Ads Urge Small Businesses to “Define Their Day After” Americans Are Not Prepared for Emergencies, Expert Says
Department of Transportation Grants Fund Hazmat Training for Volunteer First Responders The Department of Transportation’s (DoT) Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) grant program provides funding to states for training first responders in hazmat operations. This year, DoT Secretary Mary Peters called for a Rural Safety Initiative (RSI) as part of the program in an effort to direct funding to rural areas. Read full article.
SAFER Grant Application Period Opens The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opened the FY 2008 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant application period at 8:00 am EDT on May 27. Applications will be accepted through 5:00 pm on June 27. SAFER grants provide funding to fire departments to hire career firefighters and to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. SAFER was funded at $190 million for FY 2008. Ten percent of the funds appropriated are designated by law to be distributed to volunteer and combination fire departments to fund retention and recruitment activities. An additional ten percent is available for volunteer and combination departments to hire career firefighters. Departments can use retention and recruitment funds in a number of ways, including marketing campaigns to attract new members, establishing a junior firefighter program, purchasing insurance packages and/or physical examinations, reimbursing members for participating in operational activities, tuition assistance, or length of service awards. Applicants must demonstrate the link between the activities they are requesting funds for and their identified recruitment and/or retention problems or issues. The FY 2008 SAFER program guidance is available online. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) participates in annual stakeholder meetings to provide formal input to the SAFER grant criteria development process. The NVFC also works closely with Congress, advocating for SAFER to be funded at its authorized level and ensuring that a portion of those funds are made available to help meet the staffing needs of volunteer departments.
DHS Sets Up Emergency Satellite Communication Service The Department of Homeland Security’s Nation Communications System is launching a three-year project that could give both key government facilities and industry access to advanced satellite communication technologies during emergencies. In an article on the Government Computer News website, William Jackson says the service, known as the Satellite Priority Service, will provide interoperable, nationwide push-to-talk radio and satellite phone service designed to be unaffected by local terrestrial conditions. “Push-to-talk is incredibly spectrally effective,” Jim Corry, vice president of government solutions for Mobile Satellite Ventures, the company contracted to implement the technology, told Jackson. “It requires very little satellite resources to talk to a lot of people. Most important to NCS, the push-to-talk never touches the PSTN [the Public Switched Telephone Network that carries terrestrial telephone traffic.]” According to Jackson, the satellite will act much like a repeater for a traditional radio in push-to-talk mode. “The signal is sent from a ground set to one of two MSV satellites in geosynchronous orbit over North America, which relays it to the ground station. There the network identifies the radio and the talk group being used, looks for other talk group members who are on the air, summons their radios to a common frequency, then sends the signal back up to a satellite and down to the radios of the talk group,” Jackson says. The DHS will fund the pilot program, which will provide one ground set each to 65 critical facilities with three years of service. Participating facilities now are being identified by NCS and probably will include emergency operations centers for federal, state and local government agencies as well as critical infrastructure providers. To read the full article, click here: http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/46309-1.html?topic=state-local Source: Disaster Resource Guide NVFC, Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation to Award Junior Firefighter Scholarships in July: Hundreds applied for $100,000 in funding The National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) National Junior Firefighter Program will award a total of $100,000 to outstanding juniors and their departments, thanks to the support of the Dunkin’ Brands Community Foundation. The awards will be presented at Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, MD, on July 24. Hundreds of junior firefighters applied for the competitive scholarships by the May 15 deadline. Read full article.
Use Cost Savings Calculators to Gain Support for Your Department Did you know it would cost American taxpayers more than $37.6 billion annually if all volunteer first responders nationwide were replaced with career staffing? Estimate your department’s contribution to the community today by using the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Foundation’s Volunteer Fire and EMS Cost Savings Calculators, available at www.nvfc.org/calculators. Read full article.
Source: NVFC DHS Ready Campaign Ads Urge Small Businesses to “Define Their Day After” The department’s Ready Campaign and the Advertising Council are reaching out to small businesses, encouraging them to “define their day after” — to anticipate the impact of an emergency on their businesses —and to put emergency preparedness at the top of their to-do list.
DHS Employees Receive Recognition as Small Business Advocates Eight DHS employees were recognized by the DHS Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) as small business advocates for their commitment and support to the DHS Small Business Program. Employees were also recognized for their leadership and team accomplishments at the Forth Annual DHS Small Business Awards Ceremony held in April. OSDBU Director Kevin Boshears hosted the event, and Deputy Under Secretary for Management Elaine Duke provided introductory remarks. Duke noted that the federal government’s small business contracting goal is 23 percent, and preliminary statistics for fiscal year 2007 indicate that DHS contracting with small business is more than 32 percent. “This clearly shows the value we place in small businesses and the important role they play in helping us achieve our mission,” she said. In addition to recognizing the DHS employees, 16 small business companies from different parts of the country and representing a cross-section of socio-economic categories won recognition for their outstanding contributions to the DHS Small Business Program. Following the awards ceremony, Boshears commented that the event shows that the DHS Small Business Program is creating an environment where small businesses can compete successfully for a fair share of contracts and subcontracts that are awarded each year by the department. Source: DHS Americans Are Not Prepared for Emergencies, Expert Says Disaster is all around us these days, from the cyclone in Myanmar to the earthquake in China, not to mention the tornadoes and floods in the United States. So why aren’t most Americans ready for emergencies? In an article in the Washington Post, emergency preparedness expert John D. Solomon says too many Americans are watching the devastation unfold in Asia “from relative safety and, if I had to guess, with a certain sense of complacency, a feeling that disaster on that scale isn't likely to happen to them. But it could.” Solomon warns that even after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, 93 percent of Americans still aren’t prepared for a natural disaster, pandemic or a terrorist attack. “This is troubling,” Solomon says, “because the more prepared a population is, the more effective the response to and recovery from a catastrophe will be.” He also warns that readying the public for our 21st century emergencies might be one of the most complex socio-education challenges the nation has faced. In the article, Solomon offers 10 suggestions for helping make the public more prepared, including: 1. Make public preparedness a priority To read the full article, click here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051603735_pf.html
FEMA Holds First-Ever Hurricane Awareness Day With just days remaining before the start of the 2008 hurricane season, FEMA last week held its first-ever Hurricane Awareness Day, bringing together partners in the Department of Defense, other federal government agencies, and the non-profit sector who, with FEMA, will be on the front lines should disaster accompany one of the hurricanes predicted this year. The day’s theme “Get Serious, Be Prepared” was reinforced at a press conference at which Secretary Chertoff, FEMA Administrator David Paulison, and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen spoke about the need for individuals, families, and businesses to be ready throughout hurricane season which runs June 1 to Dec. 1. The press briefing was just one highlight of FEMA's first Hurricane Awareness Day. More than 30 exhibits and demonstrations from DHS, FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, Small Business Administration, the Virginia-based Urban Search & Rescue Task Force, U.S. Forest Service, the American Red Cross, the Humane Society, and others demonstrated the progress that has been made over the past several years in preparing for disasters and coordinating response efforts. FEMA has set up a hurricane awareness Web site with more information, which is available at: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_season08.shtm. In a related development, Secretary Chertoff earlier in the week spoke at a White House-sponsored Compassion in Action roundtable that discussed the role of faith-based and community organizations in building resilient communities in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. The secretary said, “We have tremendous capabilities at every level — federal, state, local, and private sector — and faith-based and community organizations bring tremendous resources and personnel to the table. The challenge is to more effectively coordinate them to help people in need.” Source: DHS The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities: Name: Raymond Eusden Rank: Chief Age: 57 Gender: Male Status: Volunteer Years of Service: 42 Date of Incident: 05/19/2008 Time of Incident: 1555hrs Date of Death: 05/20/2008
Fire Department: Aston-Beechwood Volunteer Fire Company Address: 793 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 (Grid: 18S VK 6153 1417) Fire Department Chief: John Lloyd (Deputy) Fire Department Website: http://www.astonbeechwood72.com/
Incident Description: Chief Eusden was in the firehouse working on fire apparatus when he became ill, feeling pain and numbness in one of his arms. Eusden then communicated to another member in the station that he was having difficulty speaking, slurring his words. Chief Eusden was transported to the emergency room via station ALS Unit and was admitted to the hospital. On 05/20/2008 while in hospital Eusden went into cardiac arrest and was unable to be revived. Incident Location: 793 Mount Road, Aston, PA 19014 (Grid: 18S VK 6153 1417) All fire departments wishing to participate in this firefighter’s funeral are asked to contact Safety Officer John Moletteri @ (610) 999-6660.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending. Updates @ http://www.astonbeechwood72.com/ Name: Richard Burns
Incident Description: Firefighter Burns was found deceased in the firehouse by fellow freighters from a cause still to be reported.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending
Tribute is being paid to (Firefighter Richard Burns) at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/ Name: Jay C. Maddy Rank: Firefighter Age: 41 Gender: Male Status: Volunteer Years of Service: 20 Date of Incident: 05/23/2008 Time of Incident: 2300hrs Date of Death: 05/23/2008
Fire Department: Eaton Volunteer Fire Department Address: PO Box 276, 602 E. Harris ST., Eaton, IN 47338 Fire Department Chief: Kyle Goe
Incident Description: Firefighter Maddy and his department had responded to a series of arson fires, the community was placed on curfew and a fire watch was established. Two suspects, a juvenile and an 18-year-old male, have been arrested in connection with the reported 21 fires that included a four cars, a recreational vehicle inside and a boat sitting outside of a metal garage, numerous trashcans, a moped and a church bus.
Funeral Arrangements: Visitation, 05/29/2008 from 1300-2000hrs @ Eaton Elementary School, 200 NE Union St., Eaton, IN 47338; Funeral Services, 05/30/2008 @ 1200hrs, Delta High School, 3400 East State Road 28, Muncie, IN 47303. Any participating apparatus/fire departments, please be at Delta High School by 1030hrs. Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Jay C. Maddy at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Source: USFA |
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