Congress reauthorizes Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
In early October, Congress reauthorized the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (FIRE Act) for fiscal years 2005-2009, as part of H.R. 4200, the fiscal year 2005 Department of Defense Authorization Act, now Public Law 108-375.
The reauthorization involves several substantial changes to the FIRE Act, while keeping most of its overall structure intact, according to the Congressional Fire Services Institute. The primary changes include the following:
• The number of matching requirement categories has been increased from two to three, and the size of the matches has been reduced as follows: 20 percent for jurisdictions larger than 50,000 people; 10 percent for jurisdictions between 20,000 and 50,000 people; 5 percent for jurisdictions smaller than 20,000 people.
• The award amounts were increased from $750,000 to $1 million for jurisdictions smaller than 500,000 people; $1.75 million for jurisdictions between 500,000 and one million people; and $2.75 million for large urban areas with more than one million people. No single award can be in excess of one-half of one percent of the total appropriation.
• Firefighter safety research and development programs have been added to the noncompetitive fire prevention grants.
• Fire service participation in peer review and criteria development has been codified.
• The director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (FEMA) acting through the United States Fire Administrator has been authorized to administer the program. In the previous two years, the director of the Office for Domestic Preparedness administered the program.
• Nonaffiliated EMS organizations (public or nonprofit organizations not affiliated with a hospital and that do not serve a geographic area in which the director finds EMS is adequately provided by a fire department) may compete for up to 2 percent of the funds appropriated each fiscal year.
The FIRE Grant Reauthorization Act was the result of the efforts of Fire Caucus leaders including Senators John McCain (AZ), Mike DeWine (OH), and Christopher Dodd (CT) and Congressmen Curt Weldon (PA), Steny Hoyer (MD), Sherwood Boehlert (NY), Rob Andrews (NJ), Nick Smith (MI), and Bill Pascrell (NJ), who worked in close consultation with the national fire service organizations. ■
Homeland Security Appropriations Bill signed into law
In October, President Bush signed into law the fiscal year 2005 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 4567), which is now Public Law 108-334. Among the programs included in this bill are the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (FIRE Act) and the SAFER program. The FIRE Act was funded at $650 million for FY 2005, a $100 million reduction from the previous fiscal year. SAFER received $65 million; this is the first time this program has been funded. The law authorizing SAFER included the following language protecting the right of firefighters to volunteer: “Any firefighter hired with funds provided under this bill shall not be discriminated against for, or be prohibited from, engaging in volunteer activities in another jurisdiction during off-duty hours.”
In the conference report on the bill, members of Congress expressed concern related to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) proposed shift in grant focus from all-hazards to prioritizing terrorism and the proposed deletion of wellness and fitness programs, emergency medical services, fire prevention programs, public education programs, and modifications of facilities for health and safety of personnel.
“The DHS,” Congress said, “should continue the present practice of funding applications according to local priorities and those established by the United States Fire Administration (USFA); reinstate all previously eligible funding areas; continue direct funding of grants to fire departments and the peer review process for determining funding awards; and include the USFA during grant administration.”
Also included in the bill is $21 million for development and implementation of interoperable communication systems, $180 million for emergency management planning grants, and $30 million for urban search and rescue teams.
Following is a breakdown of first responder funding levels for FY 2005: $650 million for FIRE grants; $65 million for SAFER grants; $1.1 billion for basic formula grants; $1.2 billion for high-density urban areas, including $150 million for rail security and $150 million for port security; $400 million for state and local law enforcement terrorism prevention grants; $180 million for Emergency Management Performance grants; $195 million for first response training; and $30 million for USAR teams. CFSI Legislative Update, Oct. 18, 2004, NVFC E-Update, Oct. 26, 2004. ■
Legislation implements 9/11 Commission recommendations
The House of Representatives and the Senate passed separate bills (H.R. 10 and S. 2845, respectively) in early October that would implement the recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission). At press time, a conference committee was to meet to resolve differences between the two bills.
Both versions of the legislation overhaul the system under which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently administers its State Homeland Security Block Grants. Many first responders have complained that under the present distribution process, they were not receiving the money quickly enough, if they received any at all. The bills change the formulas under which the funds are awarded and attempt to streamline the distribution process.
Among the differences in the bills are the following:
Both bills create grants for interoperable communications and address the issue of radio frequency spectrum. The Senate bill would fully implement a recommendation in the 9/11 Commission report that Congress “support pending legislation which provides for the expedited and increased assignment of radio spectrum for public safety purposes.”
The House version contains language that would make the spectrum available as part of a yet-to-be legislated end of the digital television (DTV) transition. The language, however, is in the form of a “sense of Congress,” which carries no legislative weight.
Copies of H.R. 10, S. 2845, and the 9/11 Commission Report are at www.cfsi.org. ■
White House has Secret Service fire-rescue company
According to a report from The Washington Times, U.S. Secret Service officials confirmed the existence of a recently formed White House fire and rescue company. The officials deny that the unit is to replace the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.
The Times says the Secret Service had developed the unit to operate exclusively on the White House grounds and at the vice president’s mansion at the Naval Observatory to limit the access of D.C. fire personnel who lack security credentials.
A spokesman for the Secret Service also confirmed to The Times that the Secret Service had deployed a Rapid Intervention Safety and Command unit staffed by uniformed Secret Service officers. The unit is said to be prepared to respond to chemical, biological, and radiological threats; fire hazards; physical entrapments; and other life-threatening emergencies. The unit is to operate primarily in the time between the outbreak of an emergency and the arrival of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department crews.
An unidentified public safety official, however, had told The Times the intent was to limit the D.C. Fire Department’s access to the White House grounds and that D.C. would be called in for major crises and less frequently for day-to-day operations. He noted that the Secret Service unit was established mainly because of security concerns about D.C. fire personnel, who have not been required to undergo Federal Bureau of Investigation background checks since 1992.
Secret Service officials deny that the lack of security credentials was ever considered.
D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Assistant Chief of Operations James B. Martin told The Times that he was satisfied, after speaking with Secret Service officials, that the fire department’s role would be unchanged. www.washingtontimes.com, story D=20041005-110141-2203r, Oct, 6, 2004 ■
Fire service organizations unite to reduce firefighter vehicle-related fatalities
The U.S. Fire Administration, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the National Volunteer Fire Council have united in their efforts to decrease the number of firefighter fatalities related to motor vehicle crashes each year. Nearly 25 percent of line-of-duty deaths have occurred while responders were en route to or returning from emergencies.
The soon-to-be-released Fire Service Emergency Vehicle Safety Initiative, jointly sponsored by the USFA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration, will serve as a basis for all the education efforts. Each organization will develop materials that directly target their membership.
This outreach project to the fire service will address issues such as seat belt use, intersection safety, fire apparatus and emergency vehicles safety design, driver selection and training, policies involving alcohol and driving, and implementation of alternative response programs.
Further information about these partnership initiatives as well as other USFA efforts in emergency vehicle safety may be found on the USFA Web site at http://www. usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/research/vehi-cle.shtm. ■
CPSC releases children’s Burn Center data
A recent report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) National Burn Center has found that more than one-half of children’s clothing-related burns involved gasoline or other flammable liquids. The study involved reviewing 209 reports of children who had suffered burn injuries related to clothing from March 2003 through June 2004. It is the first report released under the CPSC’s National Burn Center Reporting System.
Developed in cooperation with the American Burn Association and Shriners Hospitals for Children, the CPSC’s National Burn Center Reporting System collects from the 105 children burn centers comprehensive reports on clothing-related burns of children under the age of 15. These incidents involve the ignition, melting, or smoldering of the children’s clothing.
First responders across the country retrieve and preserve children’s garments involved in burn injuries. The clothing is forwarded to CPSC headquarters for inspection. The burn center provides the CPSC with preliminary information on the incident. A CPSC investigator assigned to the case conducts an in-depth investigation, which includes interviewing the victim, when possible; parents; fire officials; and medical personnel. All reports are reviewed and maintained in the CPSC’s epidemiological databases. The full report is at www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml05/05028. html/. ■
Chicago introduces commercial high-rise safety initiative
The objective of the Life Safety Program for Commercial High-Rise Buildings recently introduced by Chicago Fire Commissioner Cortez Trotter at a luncheon at which 300 members of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) were present is to educate high-rise occupants on safety guidelines in a fire emergency.
Trotter noted that high-rise buildings are among the safest structures built, but the issue of safety is about familiarity and knowing what to do in case an emergency arises.
The program, according to Trotter, is “a citywide, consistent, safety education message targeting high-rise building occupants.” The program has a team of five trainers, who will conduct seminars and fire drills. The team will also disseminate safety messages.
The city’s commercial downtown high-rise area will be divided into quadrants; one trainer will be assigned to a quadrant. Each trainer is anticipated to reach more than 450 buildings in 2005, estimated to be more than a 400 percent increase over past outreach levels.
To ensure every building has one consistent message, the Chicago Fire Department developed the acronym CALM-Call 911, Alert, Listen, and Move to a safe area or evacuate if necessary.
The consistent message is also part of the fire department’s newly created, Chicago-specific, Commercial High-Rise Fire Safety DVD. The DVD will be given to building management after every seminar; it is to be duplicated and shared with building occupants. The DVD can be downloaded onto a company’s Web page; occupants can also download it from the fire department’s Web page at www.cityofchicago.org/fire/. ■
Weldon testifies on Sprinkler Act
The Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act (H.R. 1824), authored by Congressmen Curt Weldon (PA) and Jim Langevin (RI), would reduce the tax depreciation time on nonresidential real property from 39 to five years for property owners who install sprinkler systems. Weldon testified before the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures regarding the bill. Among the benefits of the bill he cited, in addition to saving lives and “billions in property damage,” were lower fire department costs, increased loan activity, reduced insurance claims and premium costs, increased retrofitting and installation jobs, and the generation of payroll tax revenue. ■
Course for disaster workers
The IS-200 Basic Incident Command System for Federal Disaster Workers and emergency personnel with disaster response duties identifies incident command system features and principles. The course complements the I-100 course for Federal Disaster Workers. IS-200 does not replace the IS-195 Basic ICS course but serves as a companion especially developed for federal disaster workers.
Register and complete the course online on the NETC Virtual Campus. The course may be accessed through the NETC Virtual Campus, located at http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/. ■
Line-of-Duty Deaths
September 26. Assistant Chief William “Bill” Weborg, 42, Ephraim (WI) Fire Department: collapsed and died from a cause still to be determined after returning to the fire station after responding to a boat fire.
October 2. Firefighter Daniel Holmes, 26, National Park Service, Three Rivers, CA: injuries received after a tree struck him while fighting a wildland fire.
October 7. Assistant Chief Mike Kilpatrick, 58, North Lake (WI) Fire Department: collapsed and died from a cause still to be determined while on standby at neighboring Stone Bank Fire Department while its members were out of the station working a five-alarm fire.
October 10. Firefighter Frederick A. Smith, II, 33, Salem Center Volunteer Fire Department, Pleasant Lake, IN: head trauma after falling from a horse during a cancer-ride-for-life event, where he was a medical first responder.
October 11. Firefighter Steven Brack, 36, Allentown (GA) Volunteer Fire Department: vehicle crash while en route to a vehicle accident.
October 15. Firefighter William Bierbower, 72, Fairmont Hahntown Volunteer Fire Department, North Huntingdon, PA: collapsed and died after returning to the station from a mutual-aid fire call; coroner’s report attributes death to hypertension and ASCVD.
October 20. Firefighter/Paramedic Robert D. Heighton, 40, South Walton Fire District, Santa Rosa Beach, FL: helicopter crash while responding to an emergency medical call.
October 20. Deputy Chief Mark Parrish, 50, Normandy Fire Protection District, Saint Louis County, MO: cardiac arrest at a firehouse meeting.
October 20. Chief Gary Titlon, 58, Katy (TX) Fire Department: apparent heart attack at home shortly after responding to a motor vehicle accident.
November 1. Assistant Chief Lewis R. McNally, 42, Newmanstown (PA) Volunteer Fire Department: apparent heart attack returning to the station after responding to a motor vehicle accident.
Source: National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database, United States Fire Administration.
USFA: Incident Command System Self-Study, 2nd Edition
The Web-based Incident Command System (ICS) Self-Study, 2nd Edition, developed by the United States Fire Administration, provides first responders with the basic understanding of a National Incident Management System (NIMS)-compliant incident command system (ICS) and an overview and basic explanation of the ICS, including organizational structure, positions and functions, and responsibilities and considerations.
This program is offered to all fire service officers and other first responders and emergency managers who use, implement, and function within an ICS structure. The self-paced program addresses some of the issues covered in NFPA Standard 1561, Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System, 2002 Edition. No certificate will be issued for this program, which has been offered on CD-ROM for the past seven years. It has been updated and converted to a new Web-based version placed on the NETC Virtual Campus. To participate in this Web-based course, go to http://www.training.fema.gov and click on the Online Training NETC Virtual Campus.
The CD-ROM version is also still available. To order, contact USFA Publications at (1-800) 561-3356, or visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/display.cfm?it=9-1982 to order online. There is a limit of one per fire department.
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NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program Reports
Six recently issued reports from the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program are now accessible at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/firehome.html.
The reports are F2003-27: “Fire captain suffers sudden cardiac death during a live-fire training exercise-North Carolina”; F2003-18: “Partial roof collapse in commercial structure fire claims the lives of two career fire fighters-Tennessee”; F2003-20: “Junior volunteer fire fighter is killed while responding to a brush fire with an intoxicated driver-Wyoming”; F2004-08: “Fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death after emergency recall-Massachusetts”; F2004-12: “Fire fighter-paramedic dies after performing physical fitness training-Florida”; and F2004-13: “Fire fighter suffers fatal pulmonary embolism after knee surgery for a work-related injury-North Carolina.”
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FEMA report on firefighter fatalities in 2003
The “Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2003” report details the circumstances surrounding the 111 firefighter fatalities that occurred in 2003 and also contains special reports on alcohol use in the fire service, risk management, and special focuses on diesel exhaust emissions and fires in which firefighters become disoriented inside of buildings.
The 111 deaths in 2003 deaths resulted from a total of 98 incidents. There were seven multiple-firefighter fatality incidents. The median age for firefighters who died while on-duty in 2003 was 46 years and 5 months. Two 16-year-old firefighters died in 2003; the oldest firefighter to die was 81 years of age.
The 2003 report, previous years’ reports, and the “Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study 1990-2000” are available at www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/nfdc/pubs/ff_fat.shtm.
NJ Emergency Services Summit paves wayu for unit and progress
BY Ron Kanterman
On October 29, 2004, in concert with FDIC EAST in Atlantic City, 13 New Jersey fire and emergency services organizations held their first summit-a two-hour session at which items of common interest were discussed and plans were made to band together and start the ball rolling faster than ever toward the state house in Trenton and all points west, including Washington, D.C.
Represented were The New Jersey State Fire Chief’s Association, The New Jersey Career Fire Chief’s Association, The New Jersey Volunteer Fire Chief’s Association (this past July the executive boards met and formed the New Jersey Fire Chief’s Alliance), The New Jersey Deputy Fire Chief’s Association (battalion chiefs and assistant chiefs), The New Jersey Society of Fire Service Instructors, The Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (IAFF), The New Jersey Firemen’s Benevolent Association, The New Jersey State Exempt Firemen’s Association, The New Jersey Association of Fire Districts, The New Jersey Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators, The New Jersey State Association of County Fire Marshals, and The New Jersey Fire & Emergency Medical Services Institute.
The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety/State Fire Marshal’s Office was represented for the purposes of observation and to answer questions from the body.
This is quite a lineup, and it should be plain to see why we were fragmented for the longest time. Each group has its own mission and motives; however, we signed a “virtual peace treaty,” as it was aptly put by a national fire service leader who was in attendance that night.
Yes, the paid folks are talking to the volunteer folks, the chiefs are talking to firefighters, and the instructors are talking to everyone-and rightfully so. For so many years, each group would converge on Trenton (the N.J. state capital) with issues in hand and hope for the best. Sometimes they were successful; most times, they were not.
There are approximately 70,000 fire personnel in the state-6,000 career, the rest volunteer. Add to that our counterparts in EMS, and we’re more than 100,000 strong. That’s a lot of clout, anywhere. It kind of gives the old saying “There is strength in numbers” real ring. We know how they talk about us in Trenton: “The firefighters are fragmented. They can’t get together on anything.” No longer will this be the battle cry of those politicians who have turned a blind eye to the fire and emergency services in New Jersey.
The leaders of any of the above noted organizations could now develop a white paper on any issue of concern, or an issue all may be concerned with, and bring it to this forum. They would then be able to approach whichever political entity would address the concern with general consensus and truly speak on behalf of the entire New Jersey fire and emergency services.
Our common goals are to build a better emergency services, protect our responders, and serve the people we are sworn to protect the best that we can, with the best training, equipment, and technology available.
The train is loaded and leaving the station. We are about to embark on a journey like none we’ve ever undertaken in New Jersey. All of the organizations noted above have their collective hands on the throttle of this train. It’s pushed all the way over to “full speed,” and we are all hanging on with excitement. We’re on our way. We hope those who are waiting for us at the station are preparing for our arrival. We can’t wait for this train to pull into the station for the very first time. It will soon, with the hopes for a most successful future.
Special Note:The entire New Jersey emergency services community gratefully acknowledges Pennwell Corp., Fire Engineering, and Bill Manning for sponsoring this summit.
News Glimpses
Court says no to firefighter drug testing. Random drug testing of firefighters without any suspicion or evidence of prior drug abuse violated their constitutional privacy rights, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled.
The Court refused to hear an appeal from the city of Mesa, Arizona. Mesa officials maintained that the tests were necessary because potential drug use among firefighters posed a risk to the public. A firefighter had challenged the drug tests, which he said violated his rights. Firefighters would have been randomly selected for testing by computer.
Urine samples would be tested for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and phencyclidine. A trail judge barred Mesa from using the testing program; a state appeals court had ruled that the rests were reasonable. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled the tests violated the constitutional privacy rights protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. Mesa City appealed the ruling; the high court refused to hear the case. www.emsnetwork.org, Oct. 4, 2004 ● NJ college student dies in fire. Daniel Rigby, 21, of New Jersey, died in a fire in his basement apartment in an off-campus row house in Washington, D.C., in October.
The Georgetown University student was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy was scheduled at press time. Investigators believe faulty wiring may have caused the fire, which started about 9 a.m., in the two-story brick building. ● Power saws withdrawn from market. Loose-fitting handles on the following brands of handheld spiral power saws have caused them to be withdrawn from the market: Revolution, Rebel, and Solaris-all made by RRK Holdings Inc., formerly known as Roto Zip Tool Corp., of Black Rock, isc. The company sold its assets and ceased operations in August 2003. The company was cited for not reporting the handle failures to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in a timely manner, as specified in the consumer Product Safety Act. According to the CPSC, numerous reports of handle failures and related injuries had been reported. For additional information, call the CPSC at (800) 638-2772. ● NHTSA 2005 crash test and rollover ratings. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Hghway Transportation Safety Administration has posted at www.safercar.gov crash test results for selected model year 2005 vehicles and rollover ratings for several 2005 pickups. ● New Hampshire adopts NFPA codes. The state of New Hampshire has adopted National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) safety codes: NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code (UFC), 2003 ed., and NFPA 101 , Life Safety Code , 2000 ed., as part its set of model safety codes.
Judge rules against compulsory anthrax vaccination. A federal judge ruled in October that U.S. military personnel could not be forced to be vaccinated for anthrax without getting their informed consent or obtaining a special order from the President. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan set aside a final rule and order by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that declared the anthrax vaccine safe and effective to protect troops against inhaled exposure of the bacteria. The judge noted in his 41-page decision that “the FDA violated the Administrative Procedures Act by refusing to give the American public an opportunity to submit meaningful comments on the anthrax vaccine’s classification.” Some U.S. service members refused the vaccinations because they feared side effects that include inflammation at the vaccination site, fatigue, joint pain, and temporary memory loss.
Some of them were punished, including being discharged. The lawsuit was brought by six unidentified military members and civilian workers for the Department of Defense. Firefighters find grenade on barbecue grill. Chicago firefighters responding to a rubbish fire in an alley discovered a grenade sitting on a barbecue grill. The department’s hazardous materials unit and the police bomb and arson unit were called. The police detonated the device. Four homes were evacuated. There were no injuries. www.chicagotribune.com, art. Chi-041029, Oct 29, 2004
Seattle firefighters reassigned from suppression to dispatch. A staffing shortage in the Seattle, Wash., fire dispatch system has prompted the fire department to move one firefighter per shift from Fire Station 21 to the dispatch center. According to Seattle Deputy Chief Sue Rosenthal, the move was necessary because the department was not able to meet its objective of answering 90 percent of 911 calls relayed to the Fire Alarm Center in the Belltown area of Seattle within 10 seconds during 75 percent of all day periods. The percentage fell to 68 percent in the third quarter. The lack of dispatchers could possibly jeopardize $260,000 in funding from King County and pose a threat to public safety. The mayor’s office called the cuts temporary. www.firetimes.com, Nov. 1, 2004
