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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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FEMA Working with Partners to Resolve Formaldehyde Issue "Call to Action" with an amendment that should interest you - please take note. DHS Sponsoring 4th Annual National Preparedness Month NVFC Launches National Firefighter Health Week Feds Plan $1 Billion for Interoperable Communications Timing is Key for Search and Rescue, Study Says National Fallen Firefighters Foundation - Donations for Charleston
DHS Announces Grants for First Responder Communications and Urban Areas to Improve Homeland Security To ensure first responders can communicate during disasters, Secretary Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Gutierrez on Wednesday announced $968 million in grants to help state and local first responders improve public safety communications and coordination. On the same day, the secretary announced the final FY 2007 Homeland Security Grant Program awards totaling $1.7 billion, including approximately $411 million to the nation’s six urban areas at highest risk of a terrorist attack. At a press conference with Secretary Gutierrez, the secretary stood with first responders from different jurisdictions, and said, “Whether it is an event like September 11, a hurricane, earthquake, or other natural disaster, the nation’s firefighters, police officers, and other first responders need to communicate effectively with one another regardless of the nature of the disaster or where it occurs. Interoperable communications among first responders is critical and achieving it is a major nationwide challenge.” Under the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) program, $968 million is being made available to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Somoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, and U.S. Virgin Islands. The governor of each state and territory has designated a state administrative agency that can apply for and administer the funds under the program, the secretary explained. Later in the day, the secretary once again stood before the news media and announced that the department was releasing the final grant amounts for FY 2007 under the Homeland Security Grant Program, which includes the Urban Areas Security Initiative ($746 million); State Homeland Security Program ($509 million); Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program ($363 million); Metropolitan Medical Response System ($32 million); and Citizen Corps ($14.5 million). “This year the analysis we pursued is a very straightforward logical one that I think is going to be easily understandable to the American public,” the secretary said, explaining further that the grant decisions were based on weighted criteria such as population (40%), threat (20%), and gross metropolitan product or economic data (20%). More information about the announcements and transcripts of the secretary’s press conferences are available at: http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/index.shtm. An interactive map displaying the grant amounts by state can be accessed at: http://www.dhs.gov/xgovt/grants/index.shtm.
Source: DHS
FEMA Reviewing Policy on Trailers By SHELIA BYRD | Associated Press Writer FEMA headquarters issued an advisory to media outlets on Tuesday that said the agency is "reviewing a number of policies related to travel trailers, including the status of sales and donations." FEMA provided about 120,000 travel trailers to victims of the 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Some occupants last year began reporting illnesses, including nosebleeds and headaches. Congressional leaders were outraged after documents revealed that FEMA lawyers had discouraged the agency from investigating reports that some trailers had high levels of formaldehyde. FEMA's chief spokesman, Aaron Walker, told The Associated Press in an e-mail late Friday that the agency would continue to sell or donate the trailers, and that recipients "will be fully advised of the concerns regarding formaldehyde levels." Tuesday's advisory said the report quoting Walker was in error. Walker confirmed Tuesday that he had made the statement in his e-mail but added: "All of the policies are under review right now." He did not say when FEMA had changed its position. "The problem is the formaldehyde issue is very dynamic right now. It's very fluid," Walker said.
Source: Chicago Tribune FEMA Working with Partners to Resolve Formaldehyde Issue In testimony last week before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, FEMA Administrator David Paulison said FEMA is working with DHS and other federal partners to investigate the risks of formaldehyde exposure to disaster victims living in travel trailers. Paulison told committee members, “The health and safety of residents has always been our top concern.” He said FEMA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development, the DHS Office of Health Affairs, and with industry partners to investigate the situation and come up with short- and long-term solutions. During his testimony, Paulison said FEMA is continuing “to take action through updated trailer purchase specifications, improved training of FEMA and medical staff who respond to complaints, and continued education and communications with residents.” Additionally, he said the agency has increased its efforts to move residents out of temporary housing and into long-term housing. “FEMA and the entire Department of Homeland Security are committed to ensuring that victims of disasters have a safe and healthy place to live during the recovery period,” Paulison said.
Source: DHS "Call to Action" with an amendment that should interest you - please take note. On behalf of the FAMA/FEMSA GAC, attached please find a critical "Call to Action" memorandum relative to the Fire Grants and SAFER Program requiring your attention. Thank you for your support. Karen
Source: FAMA/FEMSA GAC DHS Sponsoring 4th Annual National Preparedness Month This September DHS will sponsor its fourth annual National Preparedness Month (NPM). It is a national initiative run by the department’s Ready Campaign, which is a national public awareness effort designed to educate and engage Americans in preparing for any kind of emergency. The goal of NPM is to encourage Americans nationwide to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and communities. Currently, there are more than 1,000 national and local organizations registered to join DHS as coalition members during NPM. These groups will host events and activities across the nation to motivate individuals to get an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and to be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur in their communities and the appropriate responses. In addition, the department’s Office of Citizen Corps is helping to coordinate the effort by calling on the support of local Citizen Corps Councils to encourage citizens to prepare not only in their homes, but to reach out to others in their neighborhoods in helping to build a community that is involved and prepared. This year NPM will be divided into four themed weeks: Back-to-School, Business Preparedness, Multicultural Preparedness, and Home and Family Preparedness. Please visit www.ready.gov to learn more about NPM and how you and your community can get involved. To learn more about Citizen Corps or find a Council near you go to www.citizencorps.gov.
Source: DHS NVFC Launches National Firefighter Health Week As part of its ongoing effort to promote and strengthen the health and safety of firefighters and EMS personnel nationwide, the NVFC is launching the first National Firefighter Health Week from August 13-17. The NVFC encourages all fire and emergency personnel, their departments, and their families to focus on health and wellness during this week. Each of the five days of National Firefighter Health Week spotlights a different health issue of particular concern for emergency responders. These are: Monday: Behavioral Health
Source: NVFC Heart Healthy Feds Plan $1 Billion for Interoperable Communications Despite almost six years passing since 9/11, the interoperability of communications is still a huge issue for the nation’s first responders. Now the federal government has announced it will hand out almost $1 billion to states and cities to fix those problems. Will it work? The Associated Press is reporting that the biggest state recipients are California with $94 million, Texas with $65 million and New York with $61 million. In certain states, chunks will be specifically set aside for major cities: New York City will get $34.8 million and the Los Angeles/Long Beach area will get $22.3 million. Other cities getting specific amounts were: San Francisco Bay area, $14.5 million; Chicago, $16.2 million; Houston, $14.6 million; Jersey City-Newark, $17.5 million; and Washington, $11.9 million. The departments of Homeland Security and Commerce announced the grants last week after a review found that only six of 75 major US cities received a top grade in emergency communications, AP says. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff told AP the money should get the entire country up to a basic standard of effective emergency communication by 2009, but only if the local authorities coordinate with each other. “That’s not something the federal government can make people do,” Chertoff told AP. “We can put the tools on the table, but the training and the willpower to use the tools has to rest with state and local officials.” To read the full article, click here: link
Source: Disaster Resource Guide Timing is Key for Search and Rescue, Study Says It’s a tough question no rescue team wants to face: When should they call off the search for survivors? Now researchers in Oregon say they’ve developed a model to help. The Associated Press’ Sarah Skidmore says emergency medicine researchers at Oregon Health and Science University studied all 4,244 search and rescue missions initiated in Oregon from 1997 to 2003. “They found time was the most important element in determining whether a person would be found alive — 99 percent of people found alive were found in the first 51 hours after being reported missing,” Skidmore says. “This is not to say that all searches should be called-off after 51 hours,” Annette Adams, a research instructor in the OHSU Center for Policy and Research in Emergency Medicine, told Skidmore. “We believe this is a good first step in using statistical data to develop a rule to help search and rescue teams. With more data, we could use this method to develop a rule for when to abandon a search or change it to a recovery operation.” “Nobody is going to make a decision based on a number alone,” said Georges Kleinbaum, search and rescue coordinator for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, to Skidmore. “Most people search long after there is any reasonable doubt the person is alive. This kind of information can be useful, but it doesn’t always work that way in real life.” Skidmore says the computer model analyzes several variables from a state database, including length of the search, the age and gender of missing persons and if the search was conducted by air, land or water. To read the full article, click here: link
Source: Disaster Resource Guide
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation - Donations for Charleston Every firefighter death is a tragedy. No matter if it is one or nine the From an initial response of a Local Assistance State Team, to our *Help families attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial You can assist in Charleston by donating to the following programs: City of Charleston Firemen's Fund ~ or ~ National Fallen Firefighters Foundation-Donations for Charleston
Source: USFA The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality: Name: Matt C. Burton Name: Scott P. Desmond Fire Department: Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Incident Description: At 0143, Engine 70 was dispatched to a fire The on-scene report indicated that two people were inside. Four engines, including three from Contra Costa County Fire District and Engine 70's crew, after finding and assisting in one rescue, continued The incident is under investigation. More information will be on the Funeral Arrangements: The fallen Contra Costa County firefighters will Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Local 1230 Widows & Orphans Fund, Tribute is being paid to Captain Matt C. Burton and Fire Engineer Scott
Source: USFA
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FAMA/FEMSA GAC Hill Day - September 27, 2007 - Washington, DC |
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