PSOB to include heart attacks
On November 25, the Senate approved the Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefits Act (S. 459 /H.R. 919), which will expand the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) program to cover public safety officers who die of heart attacks or strokes in the line of duty.
The PSOB program currently provides a one-time death benefit payment of $267,494, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, to families of public safety officers (fire, police, and EMS) killed in the line of duty or permanently disabled while on duty. The death benefit is payable to the survivors of a public safety officer who “has died as the direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty.”
The Hometown Heroes Survivor Benefit Act will ensure that a public safety officer who suffers a fatal heart attack or stroke while on duty or not later than 24 hours after participating in a physical training exercise or responding to an emergency situation will be presumed to have died in the line of duty, thereby making survivors eligible for survivor benefits.
Assistance to Firefighters Grants update
More than 6,600 fire departments had received more than $495 million as of press time (round 24). It is anticipated that there would be about 9,500 recipients of 2003 Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) Grant awards, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). For Fiscal Year 2004, $750 million has been appropriated for the AFG program.
According to USFA Administrator R. David Paulison, the 2004 grant funds have been assigned to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP), and the USFA and the ODP have been holding ongoing coordination meetings to ensure a smooth transition of the 2004 AFG program. Plans at press time were for the USFA to administer the program for ODP in 2004. It is anticipated that the 2004 AFG program will maintain a calendar similar to that of the previous AFG programs, with workshops and informational sessions commencing in mid-January and the application period scheduled for the month of March.
Paulison noted, “A limited number of specialized items and training activities to enhance preparedness for terrorism and WMD are likely to be added to the list of eligible grant projects in 2004, but the major focus will continue to be on enhancing the basic firefighting capabilities of America’s fire departments.”
The nine national fire service organizations that have provided input and criteria guidance to USFA for previous years’ programs have already met and have completed their recommendations for the 2004 AFG program, Paulison reported.
For additional information, call (1-866) 274-0960 or e-mail
Congress passes the SAFER Act
Congress passed the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Resources) Act as an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2004 National Defense Authorization Act.
The Act requires establishing an office within the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to administer the grant program. The USFA is authorized to award $7.6 billion in annual grants over seven years for hiring, recruiting, and retaining firefighters. The program provides a maximum federal contribution of $100,000 over four years (adjusted for inflation beginning in 2005) per firefighter and requires grant recipients to retain the hired career firefighters for at least one year after the grant terminates. Employment applications must also specify long-term plans for retaining newly hired firefighters.
Ten percent of the total amount appropriated for SAFER is reserved for Recruitment and Retention Grants to enhance the number of volunteer firefighters, and at least 10 percent of the remaining funds are guaranteed for hiring firefighters at volunteer and majority volunteer departments. Any unused amounts are transferred to the Recruitment and Retention Grants.
The grants will be awarded directly to fire departments on the basis of need; the program will be modeled after the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE Act) Grant program.
Departments that accept funds under this Act may not penalize or discriminate against firefighters who chose to volunteer in other jurisdictions during off-duty hours.
The four-year SAFER Hiring Grants will be increasingly matched by local dollars to wean local governments from dependence on the federal government.
The federal government will contribute up to 90 percent of the cost in the first year, 80 percent in the second year, 50 percent in the third year, and 30 percent in the fourth. The jurisdiction is then required to pay the full amount for at least one additional year.
Authority for the grant program sunsets after 10 years from the date of enactment. The grant funds must not be used to supplant existing federal, state, or local resources.
Bill restores U.S. Fire Administrator position
The position of U.S. Fire Administrator has been reauthorized through fiscal year 2008 as a result of a bill recently passed by Congress. The USFA position had inadvertently been eliminated in the legislation authorizing the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.
The bill also includes the Firefighting Research and Coordination Act, which requires the U.S. Fire Administrator to work with other federal agencies, consensus standards development organizations, and the first responder community to evaluate new firefighting technologies and develop appropriate standards for that technology.
Wildland fire report urges lawmakers to address critical fire service needs
“Congress and the federal government can significantly reduce the damaging impacts of wildfire by improving the preparedness of rural firefighters working on the front lines to defend at-risk communities and resources,” states a report recently delivered to Congress.
The report, Changing Role and Needs of Local, Rural, and Volunteer Fire Departments in the Wildland-Urban Interface: An Assessment and Report to Congress, was prepared by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National Association of State Foresters (NASF), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the USDA Forest Service (USFS), the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Fire Administration. The report represented a partial fulfillment of the Ten Year Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Wildland Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment, developed by local, state, federal, private, and nonprofit stakeholders. The Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior; the Western Governors’ Association; and other state, county, and tribal leaders approved the project in 2001.
The report highlights the importance of having community-based first responders quickly and effectively contain wildland fires before the fires become catastrophic. The organizations asked that the legislators address key recommendations that focus on initial fire response, firefighter training, comprehensive community fire planning, better integration of local forces into large-scale suppression efforts, and interagency communications.
The report also noted the following:
“Eighty-nine percent of fire departments in small communities are faced with wildland fire protection within their jurisdiction” (NFPA President James Shannon). “Local fire departments provide the backbone of wildland fire protection. They have the knowledge of local landscapes and fire conditions, which is essential to an effective initial fire response” (Tom Kuntz, fire chief of Red Lodge, Montana, and a member of the report’s drafting team).
A Needs Assessment of the Nation’s Fire Service, conducted in 2002 by the NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration, reveals that nearly half of these departments lack formal training in wildland firefighting techniques.
The rapid development of previously wildland areas has significantly increased the demands and risks faced by these largely volunteer forces.
“Fire suppression in the wildland-urban interface requires a unique combination of skills and a tremendous amount of interagency coordination to be effective. We have a responsibility to prepare our first responders to meet that awesome challenge safely” (Colorado State Forester Jim Hubbard).
Copies of the full report are available at www.iafc.org. For additional information, contact Alan Caldwell, IAFC director of government relations, at (703) 273-0911, ext. 309, or at acaldwell@iafc.org/.
House approves grants for implementing E9-1-1 equipment
The U.S. House of Representatives, in November, approved the E9-1-1 Implementation Act of 2003 (H.R. 2898), which would authorize federal matching grants to state, local, and tribal governments for upgrades of 9-1-1 equipment, infrastructure, and personnel training at designated public safety answering points (PSAPs). (E9-1-1 refers to the ability to capture precise location data from callers and route calls to the closest emergency response centers.) States misusing the revenues from existing telephone bill surcharges designated for 9-1-1 improvements would not be eligible.
The bill also would establish a federal 9-1-1 office to ensure better coordination among federal, state, and local public safety officials.
Companion legislation (S. 250) was app-roved by the Senate Commerce Committee in July. At press time, it was anticipated that it might go before the full Senate for a vote before the end of 2003.
President Bush signs Healthy Forests Act
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 has become law. The bill authorizes $760 million for fuels-mitigation projects on 20 million acres of federal land. A minimum of 50 percent of the funds must be spent in the wildland-urban interface. The objectives of the bill are to expedite environmental reviews of fuels treatment projects, to require the USDA Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management to fully maintain or contribute toward the restoration of old trees growth, and to encourage communities to adopt wildland fire protection plans by giving priority to funding requests from communities with such plans.
Emergency response organizations file Consensus Plan letter with FCC
In November, the International Association of Fire Chiefs; the International Association of Chiefs of Police; the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials—International, Inc.; the Major Cities Chiefs Association; the National Sheriffs’ Association; and the Major County Sheriffs’ Association filed a letter with the Federal Communications Commission reiterating the organizations’ strong support for the Consensus Plan that would eliminate dangerous and life-threatening interference to public safety communications in the 800-MHz wireless radio frequency band. The full text of the letter is at www.iafc.org/.
FMCSA extends deadline for hazardous materials endorsement
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have extended the compliance deadline for requiring background checks on commercial drivers certified to transport hazardous items to April 1, 2004. The FMCSA rule requires that states collect fingerprints from individuals applying for, renewing, upgrading, or transferring a haz-mat endorsement for a commercial driver’s license. States may request an extension of that compliance date, but not beyond December 1, 2004. The FMCSA interim final rule is at http://dms.dot.gov/. The TSA’s interim final rule is at http://www.tsa.gov/
High-rise safety reforms proposed for NYC; to be effective in 2019
New York City’s World Trade Center (WTC) Building Code Task Force has recommended that sprinklers be required in all office buildings higher than 10 stories. However, the measure would not be effective until 2019 for about 400 older buildings that would have to be retrofitted and are exempted from the currently applicable 1984 law that requires sprinklers in new buildings with more than 10 stories.
In addition to the sprinklers, high-rise buildings, under the proposed plan, would have full evacuation plans and improved signs for exits. The use of open web steel joists, the type that collapsed in the WTC twin towers, would be restricted. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has endorsed the Task Force’s recommendations and at press time was expected to send a bill including the proposed changes to the City Council. FS-WORLD.com, Sept. 24, 2003
Line-of-Duty Deaths
November 2. Lieutenant Barry M. Bennett, 49, Cambridge (MA) Fire Department: Complications of hepatitis C contracted as the result of an inadvertent needlestick while at a medical emergency on October 15, 1987.
November 3. President Darrel Michael, 60, of the Russell (PA) Fire Company: Head injuries sustained from a fall off a storage ladder on October 24 as he was preparing for a fund-raiser.
November 5. District Chief Ricardo A. Gonzales, 47, Beaumont (TX) Fire Department: Cardiac and respiratory arrest.
November 8. Firefighter Matthew Karl Brimer, 18, Weaver (AL) Fire Department: Vehicle accident while reporting to a structure fire.
November 8. Fire Police Officer George Petrosky, 80, Matawan (NJ) Borough Fire Department: Head injuries suffered on 09/30/2003 as a result of passing out because of cardiac arrhythmia while directing traffic at a motor vehicle accident.
November 15. Chief Lawrence J. Yonkin, 56, Forest View-Gang Mills Fire Department, Painted Post, New York: Apparent heart attack.
November 17. Captain T. D. Boyert, 53, Kansas City (KS) Fire Department: Injuries sustained in an apparatus crash while responding to a report of a fire.
November 17. Paramedic/Firefighter Richard J. Tiffany, 35, Clark County Fire District #12, Ridgefield, WA : Cardiac arrest while participating in a physical fitness activity at the fire station.
November 24. Firefighter Jeffrey A. Tiegs, 47, Amherst (WI) Fire District: Cardiac arrest.
November 29. Firefighter Martin H. McNamara, Lancaster (MA) Fire Department: Injuries sustained while fighting a fire in the basement of a burning wood-frame building.
November 30. Fire Police Lieutenant Thomas W. Diorio, 47, West Whiteland Fire Company, Exton, Pennsylvania: Apparent cardiac arrest.
December 1. Firefighter/EMT Nadar Hammett, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, Largo, Maryland: Motor vehicle accident on the way home from a mandated paramedic class.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration.
News Glimpses
E9-1-1 caucus secures funding for rural 9-1-1 systems. The Senate has adopted an amendment that provides low-interest loans for rural 9-1-1 services. The amendment, part of the Fiscal Year 2004 Agriculture Appropriations, provides funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS), under the Rural Investment Act of 2002, for improving 9-1-1 access and integrated emergency communications systems in rural areas. The bill awaits conference committee agreement with the House of Representatives.
SFPE: USFA’s Paulison “Fire Protection Person of the Year.” U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison, who also serves as FEMA’s director of preparedness, has been named the Society of Fire Protection Engineers “Fire Protection Person of the Year.” Paulison was honored for his contribution to the nation in his role as USFA administrator and for his commitment to fire prevention and innovative approaches to fire safety.
USFA offers CD-based NFIRS/GIS tutorial. The U.S. Fire Administration has released a first-edition CD-ROM-based Geographic Information Systems Tutorial (FA-259). The program may be ordered, at no cost, from the USFA publications center, http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/. Additional information is at http://www.gisday.com/.
Emergency Education Network Now National Preparedness Network. The Emergency Education NETwork (EENET) has been replaced by the National Preparedness Network (NPN) and will reflect the broader focus of the Department of Homeland Security. At press time, the NPN was expected to be in operation “early in 2004.”
NFIRS reporting for 2003. As of November 11, 2003, 7,943 departments reported 2.43 million incidents to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), part of the U.S. Fire Administration’s Data Center for calendar year 2003. According to the USFA, 56 percent of the incidents reported are EMS related, 9 percent were fires, and 35 percent were “other” incident types. The state data submission deadline for reporting to the National Fire Data Center is June 1, 2004.
January 31 deadline for 2004 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program. Senior fire executives who have demonstrated significant career accomplishments and have the potential to impact and initiate change may apply. Eight “Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government” fellowships will be awarded. Housing will be provided. The program is sponsored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Additional information is available from Kathleen Carter at (301) 447-1349, e-mail: Kathleen.carter @dhs.gov/; http:// www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/higher-ed/nfa-high2.shtm and http://www.execprog.com/programs.asp?programi=29&displaymode=view/.
DHS completes AFG program assessment. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General has concluded its assessment of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The report is at http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_Review_ Fire_Assist.pdf/.
Texas A&M University bonfire collapse technical review report available. The USFA report of this bonfire collapse that killed 12 is available at http://www.fema.gov/news/ newsrelease.fema?id=7774/.
Application process for DHS grants for state and local first responders. States can apply online with one application form for their allotted grants under the State Homeland Security Program, the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program, and the Citizen Corps. An interagency grants and training Web site has been established at www.dhs.gov/grants. In addition to information on homeland security and public safety grant opportunities, there is a link to an interagency site for training opportunities for state and local emergency personnel.
New: Online federal terrorism training “compendium.” The searchable Web-based “Compendium of Federal Terrorism Training,” at www.FEMA.gov/compendium/, enables state and local officials to obtain detailed information on all terrorism training offered by federal departments and agencies.
USFA’s Paulison addresses Women Chief Fire Officers Association. “I am proud of you not because you fill a number. I support you because you are the best in your field,” U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison told attendees at the Women Chief Fire Officers Association in Plantation, Florida, in November. He noted the important role these officers play in the fire service and his commitment “to increasing their numbers through education, training, merit promotion, recruiting, and networking.”
National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. The annual commemoration will be held from September 30 through October 3, 2004 on the National Fire Academy campus in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
University of Utah fire extinguishers are electronically monitored. The University of Utah has installed electronically monitored fire extinguishers in its Salt Lake City campus residence halls. The technology (by EN-Guage) monitors for pressure, presence, and obstruction of fire extinguishers. FS-World.com, Oct. 23, 2003
New FEMA course focuses on special needs populations. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Management Institute has developed Course G197 as part of the Advanced Professional Series. The course covers emergency procedures, such as evacuation, for people with disabilities. The CD-ROM will be sent to all state training officers and regional training managers. The course materials may be obtained by calling (301) 447-1585.
U.S. DOT publishes final rule for haz-mat transportation. The Research and Special Programs Administration final rule “Applicability of the Hazardous Materials Regulations to Loading, Unloading, and Storage” (HM-223) explains when U.S. Department of Transportation, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or Environmental Protection Agency regulations apply to the handling of hazardous materials and lists the pretransportation functions to which the regulations apply. Contact Joe Delcambre at (202) 493-0730 for additional information.
