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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,

Subscribe to the Fire Grant Data website Success Stories RSS (Real Simple Syndication) news feed. Click here.

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

FEMA Director Promises Better Service

FEMA, NPPD, Screening Coordination Office Leadership Announcements

Virginia First Responders Get New Credentialing Card

Technology Gives First Responders Seamless Communication

Eight Fire Officials Selected for Harvard Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

FEMA Director Promises Better Service

David Paulison, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says the much-maligned agency now “has a heart” and is now once again a premier disaster response engine. Has FEMA changed so much since Katrina?

The Associated Press’ Cain Burdeau is reporting Paulison made the remarks at the National Hurricane Conference last week in Louisiana.

“We’re going into the hurricane season as a stronger organization, as a more nimble organization, and as a more forward-leaning organization,” Paulison told attendees. “We want a FEMA that is much more sensitive, that has a heart.”

According to Burdeau, Paulison said last year’s mild hurricane season gave his agency some time to refocus and undertake organizational changes. Forecasters have already said they expect the 2007 hurricane season to be busier than normal.

Paulison told attendees FEMA has taken politics out of top assignments and is hiring regional directors on the basis of their experience as career staffers. He also said FEMA has stockpiled enough food to feed one million people for a week and aggressively worked with states threatened by hurricanes.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.dailycomet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070404/APN/704042997

Source: Disaster Resource Guide

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FEMA, NPPD, Screening Coordination Office Leadership Announcements

Secretary Chertoff and Deputy Secretary Jackson last week made a series of announcements regarding senior leadership positions at FEMA, the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), and the DHS Screening Coordination Office.

In a statement, Secretary Chertoff announced that President Bush intended to nominate Dennis Schrader to be the Deputy Administrator for National Preparedness at FEMA. The secretary said Schrader is thoroughly familiar with the needs of state and local emergency management, having been Maryland’s first Homeland Security Advisor and responsible for partnering with the National Capital Region jurisdictions to develop homeland security programs in the area.

The secretary and deputy secretary announced the following appointments at NPPD, FEMA, and the DHS Screening Coordination Office:
Robert Jamison will serve as the Deputy Under Secretary for NPPD. He will help lead the national efforts to protect critical infrastructure and prevent attacks on it, and to improve the resiliency of essential cyber-security and communications capabilities. Since 2005, Jamison has served as deputy assistant secretary at TSA.
Robert Mocny will serve as the director of the US-VISIT. Currently, he has been serving as the acting director and before that had been the deputy director of US-VISIT.
Christopher Geldart will serve as the director of the Office of National Capitol Region Coordination (ONCRC) within FEMA, where he will oversee and coordinate federal programs and domestic preparedness initiatives for state, local, and regional authorities in the National Capital Region.
Tom Lockwood will serve as the Senior Advisor for Credentialing Interoperability within the DHS Screening Coordination Office. In this new capacity, the deputy secretary said Lockwood will build on his pioneering success in developing common interoperable credentials for public and private sector first responders by working on key secretarial screening initiatives. Lockwood has been serving as director of the Office of National Capital Region Coordination since May 2004.

Source: DHS

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Virginia First Responders Get New Credentialing Card

First responders in Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia, are the first in the country to get a new tool to help verify their credentials. Will it help improve response times and accuracy?

According to an article by Kerri Cox on Arlington’s WTOP Radio website, the two cities have implemented a system known as the First Responder Authentication Credentials (FRAC) that uses a card to verify the credentials of first responders at emergency scenes.

“The FRAC card, a high-tech identification card, is encoded with critical data obtained by using a wireless, hand-held device,” Cox says. “The data can then be used to confirm the qualifications of first responders, allowing emergency response commanders to dispatch them quickly and appropriately.”

Cox says the FRAC card idea came about after the Sept. 11 attacks, when onlookers were able to mingle with rescuers. Now, the card allows commanders to securely establish the identities of emergency responders at the scene of an incident.

The card is part of the First Responder Partnership Initiative which includes the Department of Homeland Security’s National Capitol Region, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia's Office of Commonwealth Preparedness and Arlington County.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=1106588

Source: Disaster Resource Guide

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Technology Gives First Responders Seamless Communication

Most people with cell phones know a dropped call is nothing new. But in an emergency, a dropped call is critical. That’s why a new test project in Richmond, Virginia, is aiming to make sure that never happens.

In an article on the Wi-Fi Planet website, writer Adam Stone says In Motion Technology recently ran the project for the Richmond Ambulance Authority, “equipping emergency vehicles with technology that would allow wireless communications to skip from one carrier to another as signal faded in and out.”

According to Stone, the Authority says the system has improved dispatch and response times while also cutting the time paramedics spend on ensuring successful communications by up to 90 percent.

“Richmond’s emergency services have been under pressure to find effective wireless data solutions, with local regulations demanding digital transfer of patient records from the scene of an emergency to area hospitals,” Stone says. “An earlier effort to build a solution based on cellular digital packet data (CDPD) was a debacle… with reliability virtually unattainable. (Many CDPD services are being shut down by vendors who once supported the technology, including AT&T and Cingular, dating back to before they merged.)”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/columns/article.php/3670031

Source: Disaster Resource Guide

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Eight Fire Officials Selected for Harvard Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program

News Release Date: April 10, 2007

Washington, D.C. - Charlie Dickinson, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), along with three other partners announced today that eight senior fire officials have been selected for fellowships to attend the Harvard University's Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program this summer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The 19-day program includes other State and local government leaders from across the country and focuses on exploring the interrelationships between citizens and government, analyzing policy options, and examining the ethical and professional responsibilities of leadership.

"We are pleased to participate with the IAFC, NFPA and IFSTA to support bringing elected officials, careerists, and appointed executives together to examine and discuss critical challenges facing state and local governments. This Harvard program is considered to be one of the best," said Dickinson. "These individuals will be exposed to a very talented faculty within a very diverse learning environment. We believe that they will return home with new-found knowledge to assist their communities in preparing for emergencies and overall improving the quality of life."

The fellowship program for fire service leaders is a joint effort between the USFA and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and Harvard. Each organization funds two fellows. The final element of the competitive selection process was conducted recently at USFA's National Emergency Training Center, in Emmitsburg, Maryland, on April 4.

The fellowships were awarded by Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government's admission committee, based upon recommendations of a nominating panel that included representatives of IAFC, IFSTA, NFPA, DHS/USFA, and former program participants. USFA has been involved in supporting these Fellowships since 1984.

The eight senior fire service officials selected for the 2007 Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program are:

* Robert Creecy, Fire Chief, City of Richmond (Virginia) Fire Department

* Clare Frank, Fire Chief, City of Milpitas (California) Fire Department

* William Goodwin, Fire Chief, City of Baltimore (Maryland) Fire Department

* Bruce Martin, Fire Chief, City of Fremont (California) Fire Department

* Patricia McAllister, Deputy Chief, Sheriffs Office - Division of Fire Rescue and Emergency Services, Broward County (Florida)

* Ned Pettus, Fire Chief, City of Columbus (Ohio) Fire Department

* Kevin Simmons, Deputy Chief, Howard County (Maryland) Department of Fire and Rescue Services

* Judy Smith-Thill, Deputy Chief, City of Maple Grove (Minnesota) Fire Department

Source: USFA

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The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Steve Olinik
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 65
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 19
Date of Incident: 03/29/2007
Time of Incident: 1723hrs
Date of Death: 03/30/2007

Fire Department: Rome Volunteer Fire Department
Address: 3162 US Highway 6, Rome, OH 44085
Telephone: 440-563-3990
Fire Department Chief: Edward Koziol

Incident Description: Firefighter Olinik was called out for a mutual aid response to a grass fire. Upon entering Rome Fire Station for standby, Olinik greeted the other personnel and then collapsed without warning.

Funeral Arrangements: 04/04/2007

Memorial Fund Contact and Address: N/A

Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Steve Olinik at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:

Name: Christopher Jaros
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 3
Date of Incident: 04/07/2007
Time of Incident: 0100hrs
Date of Death: 04/07/2007

Fire Department: Ceredo Volunteer Fire-Rescue Department
Address: 700 B St., Ceredo, WV 25507-1119
Telephone: (304) 453-4808
Fire Department Chief: Johnny Robertson II

Incident Description: Firefighter Jaros answered the alarm call for a
motor vehicle accident and was responding to the station in his
privately owned vehicle when he was involved in a two-car motor vehicle
collision. The accident occurred on U.S. Route 60, just west of the Mose
A. Napier Bridge in Ceredo (grid: 17SLC 653 509).

Jaros was ejected from his vehicle and passed away from injuries at the
scene. The driver of the other vehicle involved was treated and
transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation by West Virginia
State Police, but icing conditions were likely a contributing factor.

Road conditions in the area had rapidly deteriorated in the early
morning hours due to snow/sleet and ice. There were a number of single
and multiple vehicle accidents in the area, three included fatalities
(including Jaros), in a thirty minute period within a three mile radius
of Ceredo.

Funeral Arrangements: Pending. Details will be posted at
www.CeredoFire.org as soon as possible.

Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Firefighter Jaros is survived by his
wife Sarah and three children. Donations can be made to the Christopher
Jaros Fund @ United Bank (http://www.unitedbank-wv.com/), PO Box 607,
Ceredo, WV 25507. Telephone: (304) 781-2401

Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Christopher Jaros at
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

Source: USFA

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