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Governmental Affairs Committee |
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GAC Resources For GAC documents, announcements, and information please click here to visit the microsite. Home Day 2007 Toolkit To download the Home Day 2007 Click Here Upcoming Events
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, FAMA/FEMSA Governmental Affairs Committee
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Feds Work to Raise Terror Readiness
Colorado Doctors Get Pandemic Training 5th Annual CFSI Silent Auction 41 Rescued During July 4 Holiday
Feds Work to Raise Terror Readiness Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff made waves last week when he spoke of his “gut feeling” that the nation is at great risk this summer. Other reports suggested al-Qaida may be stronger than it has been since 9/11. Even President Bush weighed in on the issue, admitting al-Qaida is a serious threat. So what is the government doing about it? An Associated Press article in the New York Times says the administration is “expected to release an unclassified version of a new National Intelligence Estimate – spy agencies’ most authoritative type of appraisal – on al-Qaida’s resurgence and the group’s renewed efforts to sneak operatives into the United States.” The article looks at what several departments are doing, including transportation, treasury, environmental agencies, energy and nuclear, agriculture, food and drug and defense. In transportation, for example, the Transportation Security Administration dispatched VIPR teams (Visible Intermodal Protection and Response) to airports and mass transit systems in Washington, Baltimore, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The department also sent out bulletins to state and local officials about routine steps they can take and new precautions after the largely botched car-bomb plot in Britain late last month. Similarly, the article says the Treasury Department “is keeping close watch for fresh clues on sources of financing for terrorist groups. Yet counterterrorism officials say that attacks do not have to be expensive. The Sept. 11 Commission estimated the 2001 attacks cost $400,000 to $500,000.” To read the full article, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Government-on-Alert.html
Source: Disaster Resource Guide
FEMA Dumping Ice that Cost Millions to Store since Katrina A new report says that after nearly two years, thousands of truck miles and $12.5 million in storage costs, thousands of pounds of ice marked for Hurricane Katrina relief have gone down the drain. The Associated Press is reporting that the federal government is getting rid of the ice it sent south and north. The Federal Emergency Management Agency “had been hanging on to the ice in case it was needed for another disaster, but decided to get rid of it because FEMA couldn’t determine if it was still safe for human consumption,” AP says. “We just didn't take any chances,” FEMA spokesperson Alexandra Kirin told AP. The ice, currently being held at 23 facilities nationwide, is being melted. AP says the cost of storing the ice at all the facilities since Katrina totals $12.5 million. “The Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged after the August 2005 hurricane that it had ordered too much ice because of faulty estimates by local officials,” AP says. “Truckers received up to $900 a day to move the ice to storage sites around the country.” Kirin said FEMA tried to donate the ice but “had no takers.” To read the full article, click here: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070715/news_1n15ice.html
Source: Disaster Resource Guide Colorado Doctors Get Pandemic Training Doctors in Colorado are getting a crash course in pandemics as the state is running an Influenza Pandemic Response Plan Initiative. Will the training help ensure emergency response teams have the plans in place to counter patient admission surges during a pandemic? According to an article by John Gardner in Colorado’s Citizen Telegram, the training is part of the Colorado Community Physician Influenza Pandemic Response Plan Initiative put on by the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians Foundation (CAFPF). “So many people believe that it’s just a matter of time before we have another flu pandemic,” Tina Goldstein, who works with the CAFPF’s office of Health Initiatives in Denver, told Gardner. “And the things we learn preparing for that will help us in any emergency.” The goal of this training is to ensure that all the emergency response teams in the area have a cohesive and integrated health-care response plan in place to counter a surge in patient admissions during such an event. “The main point of the health department is connecting with the medical facilities and closing the gaps between the community and the health-care providers in an emergency,” Goldstein told Gardner. To read the full article, click here:
Source: Disaster Resource Guide 2007 CFSI Golf Scramble - Thursday, August 9th 2007 The Congressional Fire Services Institute is seeking golfers to play in the 2007 CFSI Golf Scramble on Thursday, August 09th at the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Maryland. Nestled along the north side of the University of Maryland, the golf course is easily accessible for guests from around the metropolitan area. The par 72, 18-hole championship caliber course is an oasis within the Washington D.C. Capital Beltway and a must play course for any golfer. Bring your best game and enjoy a round of golf with area firefighters, congressional staffers and leaders of fire service organizations. Prizes will be awarded for the winners of long drive, straightest drive, and two closest to the pin contests as well as overall team score winners. CFSI currently has many sponsorship opportunities for the 2007 CFSI Golf Scramble. We are seeking holesponsors at $100 each, foursome sponsors at $400 each, breakfast sponsor at $300, snack sponsor at$400 and an awards lunch sponsor at $1000. Please inquire about additional sponsorship opportunities. All sposnsorships will include a sign with a logo noting the organization or company providing the sponsorship. To become a sponsor please call CFSI at (202) 371-1277 to discuss the available options. To sign up online for the tournament please proceed to the on-line 2007 CFSI GolfScramble registration form. CFSI accepts Visa, Mastecard, Discover and American Express. For questions, please contact Tom Lewis, at (202) 371-1277 or by email at tlewis@cfsi.org.
Source: CFSI 5th Annual CFSI Silent Auction On Saturday July 28th CFSI will hold its' 5th Annual Silent Auction in the Lobby of Firehouse Expo. This year we have received various items ranging from protective clothing to autographed sports memorablia. Bidding will start at 10:00AM and close at 2:00PM. Please view a list of gifts below and be sure to visit our supporters while at Firehouse. To see pictures of these items please visit: www.cfsi.org/2007_auction.asp
Source: CFSI 41 Rescued During July 4 Holiday On a day when most people could relax at home with friends and family in honor of the nation’s birthday, members of Coast Guard District Seven rescue crews and coordinators were hard at work. They participated in the rescue of 41 people, including 11 children, during a 24-hour-period. District Seven is a 1.8 million square-mile area that encompasses the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean Basin. Coast Guard rescue crews, with the help of local and state inter-agency partners across three states, conducted three emergency medical evacuations, towed three disabled vessels and their passengers to safety preventing more than $238,000 worth of property loss, located 14 mariners in distress, and provided first aid to one burn victim. Rescue coordinators worked a total of 26 search and rescue cases during the holiday, coordinating assets from numerous local, state, and federal agencies. "Our partnerships with our local, state, and federal law enforcement and emergency response entities are a huge part of the equation for mission success," said Capt. J. J. O'Connor, Chief of Search and Rescue for the Seventh Coast Guard District. To read more about Coast Guard District Seven, visit: http://www.d7publicaffairs.com/.
Source: DHS The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality: Name: Stephen Dembski Fire Department: Ridgefield Park Fire Department Incident Description: At approx 0700hrs, Firefighter Dembski, along with Within several hours of leaving the firehouse for home (approximately Funeral Arrangements: Pending Memorial Fund Contact and Address: In honor and memory of Firefighter Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Stephen Dembski at
Source: USFA |
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FAMA/FEMSA GAC Hill Day - September 27, 2007 - Washington, DC |
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