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Governmetal Affairs Committee |
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GAC Resources
In Other News The FAMA / FEMSA GAC would like to thank all the members who participated in the 2006 Home Day Program. Many of you had incredible results, and we encourage you to share those experiences with your fellow members. The GAC has posted a small website with information about some of the Home Day activities by FAMA and FEMSA member companies. Remember - Every Day is Home Day! Please click here to see the site.
Upcoming Events CFSI Annual Dinner. March 28-29, 2007. Washington, DC Hilton. Get your tickets early! Click here for more information.
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Administration Releases Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Proposal; First Responder Grants Drastically Cut Training Presentation for 2007 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Applicants Total Cost of Fire in the United States Congress to Consider Campus Fire Safety Legislation DHS Officials Address Emergency Management Issues at Conference Secretary Testifies Before House Panels on FY ’08 Budget Request FEMA Sets Comment Periods on National Incident Management System Secret Service Urges Public Not to Respond to Fraudulent E-mail TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION HEATING Don't Forget to Sign Up for the 19th Annual National Fire & Emergency Services Dinner & Seminars 2007 edition of NFPA 1982, Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS), Now Available Are Security Grants Too Costly? DHS Disputes Study of Security Funding Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study
Administration Releases Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Proposal; First Responder Grants Drastically Cut On Monday, February 5th, the White House released its proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2008. The $2.9 trillion budget includes a 9.5 % increase in non-defense homeland security spending. Although the proposal increases funding in some areas, it would cut first responder grants by $1 billion dollars. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (Fire Act) would be reduced by nearly $250 million from the FY07 enacted level, receiving only 30% of its authorized funding. The budget also proposes to zero-out the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants.
Once Congress completes work on the remaining Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations, it will begin the process for Fiscal Year 2008 appropriation legislation. The Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Proposal can be obtained from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Source: CFSI Training Presentation for 2007 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Applicants http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2007AFGWorkshopPP.pdf Source: DHS Total Cost of Fire in the United States Report provided by NFPA. Click here to download. Source: NFPA Congress to Consider Campus Fire Safety Legislation On January 19th, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ) reintroduced the Campus Fire Safety Right-to-Know Act (H.R. 592). The legislation requires colleges and universities - as well as affiliated sororities and fraternities - to prepare fire safety reports and make them available to the public. Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ) introduced companion legislation in the Senate on January 22nd. The legislation also calls on the Secretary of Education to report to Congress on the fire safety of campuses nationwide within two years of the bill’s enactment. Similar legislation was attached to the H.R. 609, the College Access and Opportunity Act, during the 109th Congress. Although the legislation passed the House of Representatives, the Senate failed to act on the legislation before the end of the session. On January 24th, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH) introduced H. Res. 95. The resolution calls for designating September “Campus Fire Safety Month” and supports the goals of the month, encouraging “administrators and municipalities across the country to provide educational programs to all students during September and throughout the school year.” It would also urge administrators and municipalities to “evaluate the level of fire safety being provided in both on- and off-campus student housing and take the necessary steps to ensure fire-safe living environments through fire safety education, installation of fire suppression and detection systems and the development and enforcement of applicable codes relating to fire safety.” Source: CFSI DHS Officials Address Emergency Management Issues at Conference DHS officials today addressed the annual meeting of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), speaking on a number of topics of interest to state emergency management officials. Under Secretary for Preparedness George Foresman spoke first and addressed the topic of setting risk-based priorities to protect the nation. Secretary Chertoff followed the under secretary and delivered the conference’s keynote address. FEMA Director David Paulison along with other FEMA officials participated on a panel that discussed implementation of the Post-Katrina Reform Act and FEMA’s vision for the future. In prepared remarks, Chertoff discussed homeland security grants, interoperability, and the FEMA/Preparedness reorganization. Concerning the grants program, the secretary said that funding priorities would continue to be based on applying risk management principles. He also noted that the department is committed to getting grant guidance out earlier and is taking on a more regional approach to making grant decisions. Regarding interoperability, Chertoff said that despite tremendous progress, there are still areas of the country where separate jurisdictions are not working together as effectively as they should to achieve regional interoperability. To address this and other interoperability issues, he said the department is creating a new Office of Emergency Communications that will serve as the focal point for the department’s interoperable and emergency communication efforts. Concerning the reorganization of FEMA and the Preparedness Directorate, Chertoff noted that in addition to the movement of a number of offices and functions to FEMA from Preparedness, a new National Protection and Programs Directorate will include infrastructure protection, risk-management, cyber security and telecommunications, and US-VISIT border management functions. He said the new directorate will act as a “utility infielder” tying together different functions of the department that address the rapidly changing and evolving national and global risk environment. Source: DHS Secretary Testifies Before House Panels on FY ’08 Budget Request Secretary Chertoff last week testified before two House panels on the department’s fiscal year FY 2008 budget request, recounting progress the department has made in a number of areas but also acknowledging that the department faces a number of challenges. “We must focus on the greatest risks and be flexible to changing threats, disciplined in our use of resources, and fully committed to building a department that will meet future challenges, preserve freedom and privacy, and protect the American people,” the secretary said in his prepared statement to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. The secretary reiterated this message in a separate hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security, which has oversight responsibility for the department’s programs. The secretary highlighted a number of funding priority areas in the FY 2008 budget request, which are aligned with the five goals the department will pursue over the next two years. Some examples include: · Additional funds for adding 3,000 additional Border Patrol agents and facilities to house the agents; · Increased funding for the Secure Freight Initiative that is designed to maximize radiological and nuclear screening of U.S. bound containers from foreign ports; · Increased funding to improve chemical site security; · Increased funding for FEMA’s Vision Initiatives to allow it to intensify and speed development of core competencies for achieving disaster readiness, response, and recovery; and · Increased funding for the DHS Consolidated Headquarters Project, which includes relocating the U.S. Coast Guard headquarters and other DHS components at the St. Elizabeth’s West Campus in Washington, D.C. Source: DHS FEMA Sets Comment Periods on National Incident Management System FEMA has announced the review period for the public to comment on the assessments made to improve the effectiveness of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). A comprehensive review of both NIMS and the National Response Plan (NRP) was initiated in September 2006 with federal departments and agencies; state, local and tribal authorities; and the public and private sectors, including national associations. The draft NIMS Upgrade (version 1) is now available for nationwide review and comment. In order to expedite the review process, two national review periods have been established to collect comments. The first comment period runs from Feb. 1-19, and the second will be held March 26-April 6. FEMA said a public comment period for the NRP review will be announced in March. NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to establish federal, state, tribal, and local governments, and private sector and nongovernmental organizations to work together effectively and efficiently to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity, including acts of catastrophic terrorism. The NRP is an operational document that describes how the federal government provides resources and support to an incident requiring a coordinated federal response in support of other federal entities, or state, local, and tribal officials. More information is available at: http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=33788. Source: DHS Secret Service Urges Public Not to Respond to Fraudulent E-mail The U.S. Secret Service has asked the public to not respond to an e-mail/fax that claims to be from the Secret Service. The scam appears to be a typical Advance Fee Fraud and alleges that recipients "have a transaction going on right now in Nigeria totaling $8.3M as a beneficiary of contract/inheritance payment." The e-mail claims to be from the Secret Service's Office of Government and Public Affairs. To make the message look more legitimate, information is pasted in the e-mail from the Secret Service Web site. It advises recipients that they are the beneficiary of a large sum of money and that they can claim the money by providing personal information to include banking information. The e-mail/fax contains numerous typographical errors and the Secret Service would never ask for personal financial information via e-mail, phone, or fax. The Secret Services said these requests are typically sent through public servers via a generic "spammed" e-mail message. “Usually, the sender does not yet know your personal e-mail address and is depending on you to respond. Once you reply, even to tell them you are not interested, they will often continue to e-mail you in an attempt to harass or intimidate you,” the notification states, adding that the best course is to simply delete the message. More about this is available at: http://www.secretservice.gov/fraud_email_advisory.shtml. Source: DHS TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION HEATING Construction and remodeling projects usually are a beehive of activity; and if one were to look closely, might be seen as a serious potential fire hazard. Accumulations of combustible materials, open flames, smoking, welding and cutting, extension cords, power tools and an urgent pace may combine to create a "fire waiting to happen." This week's Coffee Break Training, "Temporary Construction Heating," identifies one additional variable in the equation: the addition of liquefied petroleum gases used as heating appliance fuel. Today's topic can be downloaded from http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/cb-2007-7.pdf Always refer to the product manufacturer or listing details for specific information. Please share this Coffee Break Training segment and others with your peers. Previous Coffee Breaks may be found at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/coffee-break/ Disclaimer: FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Note that some of the material listed below may be available for a fee. * For general LP Gas information, and a free fire fighter training
program on propane gas emergencies: * For OSHA information on fire safety during construction: Source: USFA Don't Forget to Sign Up for the 19th Annual National Fire & Emergency Services Dinner & Seminars It is not too early to begin making your plans to attend the 19th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars, sponsored by the Congressional Fire Services Institute. Over 2,000 state and national homeland security leaders will assemble together in Washington to attend this program and learn how Congress and the Administration are working to address the capabilities of our nation’s first responders. Given the federal government’s increasing role in homeland security, CFSI has decided to expand the seminar scheduled to two-days to cover the board range of issues being address in our nation’s capital. All information about the this extraordinary event can be found by clicking any of the following tabs. Don't miss this important opportunity for you and your peers to learn more about the decisions being made in Washington, DC that impact your performance as first responders. Source: CFSI CFSI AND NFFF ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR THE SENATOR PAUL S. SARBANES FIRE SERVICE SAFETY LEADERSHIP AWARD: Award presentation to take place at National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner (Washington, DC) The Congressional Fire Services Institute and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation have launched a new award program to recognize organizations for their outstanding contributions to firefighter health and safety. The Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award is in recognition of the Senator’s support for the two organizations and their shared goals to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries. The presentation of the award will take place on March 29 at the 19th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner. CFSI and NFFF are proud to announce that State Farm Insurance and VFIS will serve as corporate supporters of the award program. Each year, the recipient organization will receive a trip for two representatives to Washington, DC to attend the dinner and accept the award. The deadline for submitting nominations for this year’s award is February 23rd. If your organization has a program to promote and address firefighter healthand safety that meets the eligibility criteria, please visit www.cfsi.org/pdf/sarbanesaward.pdf and read how you can be considered for the Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Services Safety Leadership Award. Source: CFSI 2007 edition of NFPA 1982, Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS), Now Available Performance Issues Addressed in New Edition (February 9, 2007) - The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) today announced that the 2007 edition of NFPA 1982 Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) is now available online at www.nfpa.org/pass. In addition, NFPA has posted an alert notice on its Web site regarding PASS. The new edition of the standard addresses issues raised regarding performance issues of PASS certified to previous editions of the standard. In late 2005, NFPA published an alert notice entitled “PASS alarm signals can fail at high temperatures” on the NFPA website advising emergency responders, especially fire fighters, of high temperature exposures causing the loudness of PASS alarm signals to be reduced and making the alarm signal indistinguishable from background noise at the incident scene. This problem was brought to the attention of the NFPA Technical Committee on Electronic Safety Equipment (the Technical Committee) by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program. NIOSH reported that during the investigation of four fire fighter fatalities that occurred from 2001 to 2004, the PASS alarm signals were not heard or were barely audible. The PASS had been certified as compliant to NFPA 1982, Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS), 1998 Edition, and involved both stand-alone PASS and SCBA-integrated PASS. Laboratory testing of PASS by the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Fire Research Division showed that this sound reduction begins to occur at temperatures as low as 300° F (150° C) and affected all PASS evaluated by NIST that were certified to the 1998 edition and earlier editions of NFPA 1982. Principal Changes to NFPA 1982 Once notified of the possible deficiencies in PASS, the NFPA Technical Committee on Electronic Safety Equipment, in cooperation with NIOSH and NIST, studied the issue and incorporated revisions into the 2007 edition of NFPA 1982. The new edition of NFPA 1982 contains revisions providing for strengthened performance requirements and testing addressing the alarm signal degradation issue and also addresses other issues including problems caused by vibration, probably during transportation, and water ingress into the electronic and power supply compartments. The principal changes contained in the 2007 edition of NFPA 1982 are: - new water immersion requirements and testing for PASS where PASS is exposed to 350° F for 15 minutes and then to water submersion in 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) also for 15 minutes for each of 6 cycles; and PASS examined to determine no water ingress, all PASS signals must function properly, and electronic data logging functions must operate properly; following this, PASS is re-immersed in the test water for additional 5 minutes with the power source compartment(s) open, and following the 5 minutes the PASS is removed from water and wiped dry, then the electronics compartment is opened and examined to determine no water ingress; Emergency services organizations and emergency responder personnel are encouraged to report any PASS malfunctions and other problems with proper functioning of PASS directly to both the certification organization whose certification mark appears on the PASS, and to NIOSH – NPPTL. They can be reached at: SEI, the Safety Equipment Institute (certification organization), e-mail at info@seinet.org . Important Safety Recommendations for the Fire Service and other PASS users In spite of the problems with PASS, NFPA believes that PASS remain an important tool for fire fighters and other emergency responders. NFPA recommends that, at least until PASS designed and certified to the new 2007 edition of NFPA 1982 become available, emergency responders continue to maintain and use existing PASS. Users are cautioned, however, that both the existing as well as the new PASS (when available) should always be considered a last resort call for help for emergency responder personnel who are unable to otherwise notify others that they are in distress. Fire fighters and other emergency responders should continue to activate and wear PASS whenever in hazardous areas of any incident, but should also be aware of the possibility that hostile conditions may adversely affect the operation of PASS. Incident command should continue to apply all personnel accountability measures at all incidents to assure the safe entrance and exit of personnel from hazardous areas. Direct supervision of operating companies or teams should provide for the safe operating locations of personnel and ensure that members do not “freelance” on the incident scene. NFPA has been a worldwide leader in providing fire, electrical, building, and life safety to the public since 1896. The mission of the international nonprofit organization is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing. and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training and education. Contact: Lorraine Carli, Public Affairs Office: +1 617-984-7275 Source: NFPA Are Security Grants Too Costly? Cities and towns across the country are buying expensive emergency response equipment with homeland security grants. But now some citizens are wondering if the grants don’t come with too high a price tag. The Boston Globe’s Tom Long is reporting a number of officials in Massachusetts cities and towns are concerned that although local governments are using funds from the Department of Homeland Security to buy equipment like boats, fire trucks and more, the purchases are costly to maintain – and those costs go directly to the taxpayer. “I’m sure it’s a benefit to the city, but every grant raises a question. It’s a new toy for the Fire Department, but it has to be staffed and maintained,” William St. Laurent, president of the Portsmouth Taxpayers Association, told Long. “And, in the long run, it is the taxpayers who will foot the bill.” Long says in towns and cities north of Boston, local governments are using millions of dollars in Homeland Security for “dozens of projects, including $360,000 in communications gear for the Seabrook, New Hampshire, Police Department and $5.9 million to improve the safety of schools on the North Shore.” “I think there have been problems with [these] grants that fulfill wish lists for police and fire departments that have nothing to do with homeland security,” Thomas A. Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, a national nonprofit watchdog group based in Washington, DC, told Long. To read the full article, click here: www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/11/ some_ask_if_security_grants_too_costly_for_cities_towns/ Source: Disaster Resource Guide In the wake of last week’s scathing report of New York City losing funding to the suburbs, the Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to install a ring of sensors around the city to detect nuclear or dirty bombs. CNN is reporting the project, which is expected to cost $46 million, will expand the emphasis of the detection effort from earlier programs that focused on detecting bombs being smuggled into the city by sea.
The plan will see detectors placed along highways, at truck stops and other locations. The sites will not be made public for obvious reasons, the official said. The detectors would be able to warn officials of conventional nuclear bombs and dirty bombs. The CNN report says the DHS’s 2008 budget proposal would include $30 million for the Securing the Cities initiative on top of the $16 million already spent. New York would be a test site for other cities. To read the full article, click here: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/29267.html Source: Disaster Resource Guide DHS Disputes Study of Security Funding Investigators with the Government Accountability Office say Department of Homeland Security decisions to expand metropolitan areas to include the suburbs may have led to the 40 percent funding cuts to New York City and Washington DC, but now the DHS is defending itself against those charges. Newsday’s Washington Bureau correspondent Carol Eisenberg is reporting the GAO report, a 49-page analysis of the DHS’s funding decisions, found “one of the factors that may have led to last year's anti-terror cuts to New York City was a decision to expand the metropolitan area to include surrounding suburbs, including Nassau and Suffolk.” “Additional information, such as a nuclear power plant outside a city boundary or a suburban population, was captured in the fiscal year 2006 risk assessment, which was previously not accounted for,” Eisenberg adds. “As a consequence of the change ... DHS officials concluded that the relative risk of New York City and the National Capital Region declined, compared to that of other urban areas.” However, Eisenberg says DHS officials “categorically dismissed” the GAO’s analysis of the funding. “That is simply not the case,” department spokesperson William R. Knocke told Eisenberg. “New York City received the overwhelming share of Urban Areas Security Initiative funds at more than $124 million last year, as compared to the next-highest-risk city, the Los Angeles area, at about $80 million. New York historically received about 18.5 percent of total funding. Last year, it received 18 percent.” To read the full article, click here: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-ushome085085152feb08,0,7612638.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-print Source: Disaster Resource Guide Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Fire Administration, National Fire Data Center Editor's Note: With the increase in Firefigther fatalities we have seen since the beginning of 2007, and taking notice that we have more recorded line of duty deaths in the first part of this year than during the same time period in 2006 - it seemed appropriate to republish this Study conducted in April 2002. Source: USFA The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities: The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality: Name: Joseph Torkos Fire Department: City of Detroit Fire Department Incident Description: Fire Engineer Operator Torkos, Engine Company 17, passed away from injuries received when the fire apparatus he was operating (in response to a fire call at a vacant residential structure) was struck in an intersection (Grid: 17TLG27529231) by an SUV traveling at a very high rate of speed. Reports indicate that Torkos and another firefighter were ejected from the apparatus. The driver of the SUV was killed in the collision, which occurred less than five miles from downtown Detroit in a densely populated residential/mixed-use area of the city. The apparatus was traveling westbound on a primary road, West Grand Boulevard, while the SUV was traveling southbound on 14th Street: . Three injured firefighters survived the incident. One, Lt. Walter Grysko, is listed in stable condition at Henry Ford Hospital, and the other two firefighters were released from the hospital. Funeral Arrangements: Pending Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending Tribute is being paid to Fire Engineer Operator Joseph Torkos at
The U.S. Fire Administration has received notice of the following firefighter fatality: Name: Racheal Wilson Fire Department: Baltimore City Fire Department Fire Department Chief: William J. Goodwin Jr. Incident Description: Firefighter-Paramedic Apprentice Wilson passed away from injuries sustained during a live fire training exercise in a vacant row house. Reports indicate that Wilson was inside of the three-story dwelling when she collapsed. She was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center and passed away shortly after she arrived. Funeral Arrangements: Pending Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending Tribute is being paid to Firefighter-Paramedic Apprentice Racheal Wilson |
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