DHS completes Second Stage Review
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Second Stage Review evaluated virtually “every element of the Department of Homeland Security,” according to Secretary Michael Chertoff. Eighteen action teams of 10 to 12 members participated in the review; more than 250 were employees of DHS. The teams focused on ways the DHS could better manage risk from the perspectives of threat vulnerability and consequences and prioritize policies and operational missions accordingly.
The DHS’s “six-point agenda” includes the following:
• increase overall preparedness, particularly for catastrophic events;
• create better transportation security systems to move people and cargo more securely and efficiently;
• strengthen border security and interior enforcement, and reform immigration processes;
• enhance information sharing with partners;
• improve DHS financial management, human resource development, procurement, and information technology; and
• realign the DHS organization to maximize mission performance.
At press time, Chertoff said details of new policy initiatives would be announced later. They will include improving information exchange protocols, refining the Homeland Security Advisory System, supporting state and regional data fusion centers, and other topics of “mutual concern.”
“Common-sense changes” will include requiring a 10-fingerscan standard for foreign visitors on enrollment and continued use of two-print verification during later entries. This will ensure accuracy in identifying people entering and exiting the country. The DHS has also proposed that the 30-minute rule for DCA flights be eliminated; the rule prevents passengers from standing up within 30 minutes of takeoff or landing on flights to or from the Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Among organizational initiatives, or structural adjustments, proposed for the DHS are the following:
• Centralizing and improving policy development and coordination. An Under Secretary will head the Directorate of Policy, serving as the primary departmentwide coordinator for policies, regulations, and other initiatives. The Directorate will also coordinate the functions previously performed by the Border and Transportation Security Directorate and will include the Office of International Affairs, Office of Private Sector Liaison, Homeland Security Advisory Council, Office of Immigration Statistics, and the Senior Asylum Officer.
• Strengthen intelligence functions and information sharing. A new Office of Intelligence and Analysis will gather information from all relevant field operations and other parts of the intelligence community; analyze it from a mission perspective; inform senior decision makers; and disseminate it to the appropriate federal, state, local, and private sector partners. A Chief Intelligence Officer, who reports directly to the Secretary, will be in charge.
• Improve coordination and efficiency of operations. A new Director of Operations Coordination will facilitate joint operations across all organizational elements; coordinate incident management activities; and use all resources within the department to translate intelligence and policy into immediate actions. The Homeland Security Operation Center will be a critical part of this new office.
• Enhance coordination and deployment of preparedness assets. The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate will be renamed the Directorate for Preparedness. It will consolidate preparedness assets from across the department; facilitate grants; oversee nationwide preparedness efforts supporting first responder training, citizen awareness, public health, infrastructure and cyber security; and ensure proper steps are taken to protect high-risk targets. An Under Secretary will manage the Directorate, which will include the following:
-An Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Telecommunications (new position), who will be responsible for identifying and assessing the vulnerability of critical telecommunications infrastructure and assets, providing timely threat information, and leading the national response to cyber and telecommunications attacks.
-A Chief Medical Officer (new position) will be responsible for coordinating response to biological attacks and will serve as principal liaison between the DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other key parts of the biomedical and public health communities.
-an Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection;
-the assets of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness, responsible for grants, training, and exercises;
-the U.S. Fire Administration; and
-the Office of National Capitol Region Coordination.
Other department alignments include the following:
• FEMA will revert to focusing on its core functions of response and recovery. It will report directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
• The Federal Air Marshal Service will be moved from Immigration and Customs to the Transportation Security Administration.
• A new Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs will be responsible for certain functions of the Office of Legislative Affairs and the Office of State and Local Government Coordination, to streamline intergovernmental relations and facilitate the sharing of homeland security information with members of Congress and state and local officials.
• Oversight of the Office of Security will be returned to the Under Secretary for Management, to enhance the coordination of information systems, contractual activities, security accreditation, training, and resources.
Under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Secretary of Homeland Security can establish, consolidate, alter, or discontinue organizational units within the DHS by notifying Congress. Changes would take effect 60 days after Congress notification. The DHS plans to work with Congress on those proposed changes that require congressional action. ■
NHTSA’s Runge to join DHS
Dr. Jeffrey Runge resigned as administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in August to become Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Runge, a former emergency room physician from Charlotte, North Carolina, was head of the NHTSA since August 2001. At the DHS, he will oversee the bioterrorism policy and coordinate responses to any biological attacks.
While at the NHTSA, Runge was instrumental in having states enact laws that authorized police to stop motorists solely for not wearing seat belts. ■
Senate bill would free 700 MHz band by Jan. 2009
The “Save Lives Act” (S. 1268), introduced in June by Senators John McCain (AZ) and Joseph Lieberman (CT), would have television broadcasters vacate, for emergency services’ use, part of the 700 MHz band they now use by January 1, 2009. In the past, efforts to have the television broadcasters vacate the spectrum were contingent on the presence of digital TV technology in enough American households so that telecasters would not lose viewers with the changeover.
The Homeland Emergency Response Operations (HERO) Act (H.R. 1646), introduced in the House in April by Representatives Jane Harman (CA) and Curt Weldon (PA), set January 1, 2007, as the deadline for the conversion. ■
NIH funds 11 high-end instrumentation grants
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will provide nearly $18 million for 11 High-End Instrumentation (HEI) grants to fund the purchase of new state-of-the-art equipment required to advance biomedical research. The one-time grants, awarded to research institutions around the country, support the acquisition of instruments costing between $750,000 and $2 million each. The instruments would include structural and functional imaging systems, macromolecular nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, high-resolution mass spectrometers, electron microscopes, and supercomputers. Imaging technology provides functional, biochemical, and physiological information from intact biological systems including humans.
“Rapid technological development has led to a new generation of high-sensitivity, high-resolution instruments that are very expensive but that can greatly accelerate research into the underlying mechanisms of disease,” said Barbara Alving, M.D., acting director of NCRR.
The recipients of FY 2005 High-End Instrumentation Grants were Arizona State University (Tempe); Cold Spring Harbor (NY) Laboratory, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Inc. (Baltimore, MD); University of California, San Diego (La Jolla, CA); University of Cincinnati (OH); University of Maryland, Baltimore; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (two awards); University of Southern California (Los Angeles); University of Virginia (Charlottesville); and Washington University in St. Louis (MO).
More information about the High-End Instrumentation program, including application guidelines, is available at ttp://www.ncrr.nih.gov/biotech/btheinstr.asp. ■
Summit County, CO, fire restrictions aimed at reducing wildland fires
Level I restrictions, recently passed by the Board of County Commissioners for the unincorporated areas of Summit County, Colorado, prohibit backyard campfires and the use or sale of fireworks. Barbecues and open fires are still allowed in some improved campgrounds. Open fires are banned except for those contained within liquid-fueled or gas-fueled stoves, in fireplaces or stoves within all buildings, and charcoal-fueled fires contained within grills and those within permanent fire pits on privately owned property-if the fire is under constant supervision, fire suppression equipment is available, and the local fire district and Summit County Sheriff’s Office have been notified of the fire. Preapproved public fireworks displays are also permitted.
The Forest Service was considering restrictions for the White River National Forest at press time. Forest Service land comprises the majority of the county’s topography. All the recent fires have been in the national forest.
Local firefighters had fought seven fires within 12 days; five of the fires may have been started by humans; three may have been associated with squatters’ camps. ■
NFPA: Nearly 4,000 die in U.S. fires in 2004
There were 3,900 fire fatalities in the United States last year, and, as in previous years, most (82 percent) of these fatalities were in homes, according to a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) study. Although the total fire death toll decreased slightly (0.6 percent) from 2003, there was a 1.4 percent increase in fire deaths in homes, according to the study.
The study also reported the following:
• In 2004, 17,785 people were injured in fires; 77 percent of the injuries reported occurred in homes.
• Property damage from fires was $9,794 billion, representing a decrease of 20.2 percent (attributed primarily to smaller wildfires than two that occurred in California in 2003). Structure fire damage was $8,222 billion; damage to homes was $5,833 billion.
In 2004, public fire departments responded to 1,550,500 fires in the United States, down 2.2 percent from the previous year. But, the number of structure fires (526,000) was up 1.3 percent.
• Highway vehicle fires (266,500) were down 6.8 percent. ■
Colorado firefighters survey homes to assess potential wildfire risk
Lake Dillon (CO) Fire Authority firefighters have been surveying homes within the county to identify and document potential wildfire risks. The RedZone Survey, as the project is called, involves firefighters’ answering 25 questions that assist in identifying structures in danger and ways to protect them with defensible spaces around the homes. The survey, conducted by a three-firefighter crew, takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
The team determines the latitude and longitude of the home with a GPS unit, answers the questionnaire questions, and records the data in a Palm Pilot. Information records include whether balconies, decks, porches, or eaves are present; the length of the driveway; the width of the road/street on which the house is situated; and whether a fire truck would be able to turn around in the driveway. A digital photo is taken of the house. All the information is downloaded into a database and is reviewed by the county’s wildfire mitigation officer, Patti Maguire, who is also the project’s manager.
Reports are generated from the data, which include information on the water supply and safety zones and maps of access routes. The database eventually will include a profile for every home in the county.
Several other fire departments will be conducting surveys of homes in their jurisdictions. Neighborhoods with the greatest potential for fire will be surveyed first. The project began last summer. The Bureau of Land Management awarded Maguire an $8,000 grant for purchasing the software and other equipment; another $10,000 grant will be awarded for employees’ hours in the field. Barrring unusual demands on the firefighters’ time, the survey is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2006. Nicole Formosa, www.summitdaily.com article 107050036, 7/5/05 ■
USFA and IAFF join in risk management and health/safety projects
The objective of the new United States Fire Administration (USFA)-International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) projects will be to enhance the risk management capability of local fire departments. The programs, based on community hazards and service commitment, enhance firefighter safety and provide tools for the continual evaluation of emergency response systems.
Geographic information systems (GIS) computer simulations will be used to develop risk management models suitable for departments of various sizes serving different populations in varying geographic regions. Additional information may be found at www.usfa.fema.gov/research/safety/.
The USFA and the IAFF are also engaged in a study related to “emergency incident rehabilitation,” which will include revising the USFA manual “Emergency Incident Rehabilitation” (FA-114). The new version will include updated information on topics covered in the previous version as well as issues related to emergency incident rehabilitation that have emerged since the publication of the original manual in 1992, such as how to prevent serious and life-threatening conditions such as heat stroke and heart attacks by safeguarding the physical and mental well-being of responders operating at an emergency scene. Such surveillance will include monitoring responders’ vital signs, hydration, nourishment, and fatigue level. Other subject areas will address operational issues, human physiology, weather influences, and technology as reflected in protective clothing and tactical procedures.
A copy of the original USFA Emergency Incident Rehabilitation manual may be downloaded at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/FA-114.pdf/. ■
NFPA accepting proposals for standards revisions
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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is accepting proposals for recommendations to various documents. Among those most directly related to the fire service are listed in the Table in column 2. Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. ET on the closing date indicated. Submit proposals to Codes and Standards Administration on proposal forms available in the back of all NFPA documents or from NFPA headquarters. Copies of new document drafts are available from Codes and Standards Administration; NFPA; One Batterymarch Park; Quincy, MA 02169-7471, or may be downloaded at http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?cateoryID=163&itemID=19006/. ■
Line-of-Duty Deaths
July 7. Fire Apparatus Operator Thomas A. Hurlbert, 54, Rockdale County Fire Department, Conyers, GA: heart attack while driving apparatus back to station from Tropical Storm Cindy-related call.
July 10. Engineer Joe Evans, 61, Bridgeville (DE) Volunteer Fire Company: apparent heart attack.
July 14. Firefighter Todd A. Blanchard, 31, Eastern Wake Fire and Rescue, Knightdale, NC: struck by a large tree branch while operating at a fire involving a tree struck by lightning.
July 17. Firefighter Donald E. DeVries, 50, Belvidere (SD) Fire Department: heart attack.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
NEWS GLIMPSES
Judge dismisses SF firefighter drinking lawsuit. A lawsuit filed by 28 members of the San Francisco (CA) Fire Department demanding that the department chief enforce a “zero tolerance” department policy for drug and alcohol abuse was thrown out of court. The judge ruled that the firefighters bringing suit did not “substantiate” their case. According to a city attorney, the court affirmed the chief’s position that incidents involving these abuses be handled on a case-by-case basis. A union spokesman said the suit had no credibility. The attorney for the firefighters (including two deputy chiefs) bringing the suit said the decision would be appealed. The department and the union reportedly were working toward a solution to what the plaintiffs in the dismissed suit termed “ongoing and obvious on-the-job drinking.” Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle, July 20, 2005 ●
Chicago Fire Department adds TIC to helicopter. The Chicago (IL) Fire Department will add a thermal imaging camera to its helicopter. The technology will help track high-rise fires and rescue victims, according to a department spokesman. This move is one of many the department has taken to improve firefighting in high-rises since six people died after being trapped in a smoky stairwell in the Cook County Administration high-rise fire in 2003. www.kwqc.com, article 3559370, accessed July 6, 2005. ●
FRA moves to improve “black boxes” in trains. A Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) final rule is mandating changes in locomotive event recorders that will help ensure the recorders’ survivability in a crash. The recorders will be hardened to prevent the loss of data from fire, impact shock, fluid immersion, and other sources of potential damage. In addition, the black box will have to capture new data, including horn activation, cruise-control functions, and train-control operating directives sent to the engineer’s onboard display. Locomotive event recorders up to now have noted information such as train speed, use of automatic air brakes, throttle position, and cab signals. Railroads will have four years to replace the older-style recorders. The rule also requires railroads to improve inspection, testing, and maintenance procedures. Under the new ruling, railroads must keep data stored on event recorders involved in accidents for one year instead of 30 days. The rule supports FRA’s new National Rail Safety Action Plan to improve safety across the nation’s railroad system and addresses six rail safety recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board after its investigation of several previous major accidents. At press time, the final rule was at www.fra.dot.gov and in docket number FRA-2003-16357 at dms.dot.gov/. ● Ex-firefighter charged with arson. A former firefighter and co-author of a book on the 1958 Our Lady of the Angels school fire was charged with starting a fire in a storage building at a North Side church in Chicago. “Chicago fire author, ex-firefighter charged with arson,” Jeff Coen and David Heinzmann, www.kansascity.com, article 11886839, June 13, 2005.
Fire Corps signs up first 250 fire departments. Some 250 fire departments had registered to participate in Fire Corps at press time. The program is designed to recruit citizen volunteers to assist the fire service in nonoperational roles such as administrative support, life safety education, fundraising initiatives, canteen services, public relations, and writing grants. Fire departments may register at www.firecorps.org/. Fire Corps, launched in 2004, is a partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs¿ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (IAFC/VCOS), the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). Additional information on the program may be obtained from Shawn Stokes, Fire Corps director, at (202) 887-4809 or by e-mail at stokess@firecorps.org/.
DOT Web site assists persons with disabilities in disasters. The U.S. Department of Transportation�s new Web site includes information on emergency preparedness, transportation accessibility, and evacuation methods for disabled persons. The site has links to the Department of Home Security Web pages that provide additional information. The new site�s address is http://www.dotcr.ost.dot.gov/asp/emergencyprep.asp/.
Hand washing cuts illness in children. According to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the simple act of washing hands with soap could save many lives, especially in poor countries. Researchers have reported that in the 900 Pakistani households in squatter settlements observed in Karachi, Pakistan, over the period of a year, cases of pneumonia and diarrhea were cut by 50 percent, compared with the control group. Impetigo dropped 34 percent. The study, funded by Procter & Gamble Co, was published in the British medical journal The Lancet. Researchers say hand hygiene should be promoted worldwide for public health and health care. It is especially important to wash hands before preparing food, eating, after using the bathroom, and after cleaning an infant. (It might be a good �reminder� item for community health and school safety programs.) www.wsnbc.msn.com, Reuters, id 8570593, July 14, 2005
