Congress sets “hard date” for clearing public safety spectrum
Television broadcasters are to return their 24 MHz analog broadcast spectrum over for public safety use by February 17, 2009, according to S. 1932, the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005. The House of Representatives passed the bill in February; the Senate had approved it in December 2005. At press time, the bill was awaiting the President’s signature.
Broadcasters are to vacate television channels 63, 64, 68, and 69 (which will be dedicated for exclusive use by public safety agencies). The channels are in the upper 700 MHz band and near the lower 800 MHz band; public safety will be relocated here as part of the Consensus Plan rebanding effort now underway. According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the new law doubles the current spectrum that will be available to public safety.
The bill also provides $1 billion in funding for emergency equipment ugrades and $43.5 million for grants to upgrade enhanced emergency communications services. It also establishes a $1.5 billion program to provide two $40 coupons per household to subsidize the purchase of converter boxes that will be needed when television sets will function on digital signals following the transition.
Fire service organizations and the Association of Public Safety Communication Officials have been working with members of Congress, particularly Senator John McCain, Congressman Curt Weldon, and Congresswoman Jane Harman, to clear the way for the public safety spectrum. ■
President’s budget cuts key fire service programs
“Anumber of programs that are extremely important to America’s volunteer fire and emergency medical services would suffer under the President’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2007,” according to National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg.
“Some Homeland Security Grant Programs, such as the Urban Area Security Initiative and the State Homeland Security Grant Program, were increased significantly from Fiscal Year 2006 enacted levels,” notes Sean Carroll of the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI). However, he points out that the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (the FIRE Act) received only 29 percent of its authorized funding ($500 million). The funding request for FY07 is $293.45 million.
One positive aspect of the budget is that for the first time, a line item for the U.S. Fire Administration is included.
The President’s budget proposes the following funding requests for other fire service-related programs:
• The SAFER program: FY06-No funding was requested; Congress appropriated $110 million. FY07-No funding requested.
• Urban Area Security Initiative: FY06-$1.02 billion requested; $765 million appropriated. FY07-$838 million requested.
• State Homeland Security Grant Program: FY06-$1.02 billion requested; $550 million appropriated. FY07-$633 million requested.
• Emergency Management Performance Grant Program: FY06-$170 million requested; $185 million appropriated. FY07-$170 million requested.
• Office of Interoperability and Compatibility: FY06-N/A; $26.235 million appropriated; FY07-$29.700 million requested.
• Citizen Corps: FY06-$50 million requested; $20 million appropriated. FY 07-$35 million requested.
• Volunteer Fire Assistance (U.S. Department of Agriculture): FY06-$7.89 million requested; $13 million appropriated. FY07-$7.889 million requested.
• Rural Fire Assistance (U.S. Department of Interior). FY06-No funds requested; $10 million appropriated. FY07-No funds requested. ■
USFA: Fire departments respond to structure fires within 5 minutes, 50% of the time
According to the U.S. Fire Administration Structure Fire Response Times report, local fire departments respond to structure fires in less than five minutes nearly 50 percent of the time. The report is based on 2001 and 2002 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data from the National Fire Data Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Response times are measured from alarm time to the arrival of the firefighters on-scene. General trends in response times to structure fires and regional, seasonal, and time-of-day trends were examined. The full report can be downloaded at www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/reports/pubs/tfrs.shtm/. ■
FEMA structure changes announced
The Department of Homeland Security Secretary (DHS) will implement changes to the structure of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which it says will strengthen FEMA’s ability to respond to and deal with natural and man-made disasters. The revisions include the following:
• Establish a more sophisticated and specialized logistics management system, which will streamline the supply chain to maximize readiness and ensure better inventory control.
• Upgrade and improve FEMA’s customer service system for registering disaster victims eligible for assistance while protecting against fraud and abuse. Changes will involve the FEMA Web site and 1-800 call-in number, which will be able to handle at least 200,000 disaster registrations per day and information technology and computer systems that can more easily manage information. Also, DHS personnel will continue to be trained in professionalism and customer service. The objective is to establish a highly trained unit of 1,500 permanent employees. This group and volunteers will serve as a core disaster workforce that can employ to fullest advantage DHS assets, resources, and capabilities.
• Develop a pilot program for deploying mobile disaster assistance trucks to victims in temporary housing or shelters.
• Streamline the debris-removal process.
• Establish a hardened set of communications capabilities that ensures timely and accurate awareness about conditions and events unfolding during a disaster. Included will be interoperable equipment that can function under severe disaster conditions; enhanced communication capabilities to provide real-time information; and specialized reconnaissance teams made up of DHS personnel and assets, including the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) President Bill Killen said that this announcement “is a good first step and a commonsense approach to many of the issues raised about the DHS response to the recent hurricane disasters.” He added, “The IAFC will closely monitor these new initiatives and stand ready to assist DHS and FEMA when needed.”
DHS has the authority to make these changes without legislative approval. These changes are in addition to the increased funding and organizational changes for FEMA included in the President’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget request of $5.3 billion for FEMA. ■
Senate investigates Hurricane Katrina response
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in February concerning the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.
In his remarks, Chertoff stressed that the federal government must work closer with state, local, and private agencies to boost their ability to respond to emergencies. “FEMA is not, nor has it ever been, a first responder,” he said. He noted that, for 25 years, FEMA has worked to support state and local first responders during a disaster and provided assistance when a state made a formal request for support.
Members of the committee focused on the problems the DHS and FEMA face since they were combined recently. Many expressed concerns that logistical, leadership, and political problems prevented the department from responding effectively to Hurricane Katrina.
In February, the House Select Bipartisan Committee issued its final report, A Failure of Initiative, on Hurricane Katrina. It cited “failures at all levels of government that greatly overshadowed the heroic efforts of first responders, private individuals, and private organization, faith-based groups and others.” It observed: “There were problems with information getting sent to the right people at the right places and times.”
The White House, on February 23, released its report, The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned. According to the report, of the 17 areas cited as key failures in the federal response, national preparedness was at the top of the list: “The system was biased toward requests and the concept of ‘pull’ instead of toward anticipatory actions and the proactive ‘push’ of Federal resources,” the report said. ■
USFA urges fire departments to participate in census
As of January 1, 2006, some 24,300 fire departments registered with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) National Fire Department Census, about 81 percent of the fire departments estimated to be in the United States.
The census database includes a current directory of registered fire departments. It includes basic information such as address, telephone and fax numbers; department type; Web site; and numbers of stations and personnel as well as information on specialized services, which will be released in summary format only.
The USFA is inviting more fire departments to participate in the census. The census form can be completed online or downloaded, completed, and mailed or faxed back. Information about the census is available at www.fema.gov. Click on “U.S. Fire Admin” and then “Fire Dept Census.”
Fire departments registered with the census are able to update information for their department on the Web site. The USFA reviews all new submissions and updates before they are included in the census. ■
CPSC approves new flammability standard for mattresses
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in February, approved a new federal mandatory standard it says is likely to save as many as 270 civilian lives and 1,330 injuries caused by fires involving mattresses each year.
The standard requires that new mattresses limit the spread and intensity of a mattress fire, which will give people more time to escape from their residence.
Under the new mandatory federal rule, mattress sets must meet a performance standard by July 1, 2007, for mattress fires ignited by open flame sources, including matches, candles, lighters, and other related scenarios. Cigarette ignition is covered by a separate mandatory standard, 6 CFR Part 1632, which has been in place for more than 30 years.
The standard limits the peak heat release rate to 200kW within 30 minutes and total heat release to 15 MJ within the first 10 minutes of the test, developed in conjunction with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The standard does not specify how manufacturers are to design their mattresses to meet the standard. Additional information is at https://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06091.html.
Dry chemical fire extinguishers recalled; may fail to discharge
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises that the following dry chemical fire extinguishers are being recalled in voluntary cooperation with the firms listed below.
• Strike First Corp., of Scarborough, Ont., Canada, and Strike First Corporation of America (SFC America), of Front Royal, Virginia: about 50,900 extinguishers. They can fail to discharge properly when the trigger is activated. SFC America has received three reports of the fire extinguishers’ failing to discharge properly when activated. No injuries have been reported.
The recall includes Strike First 2.5- and 5-pound dry chemical fire extinguishers with model numbers WBSF-ABC110AP, WBSF-ABC210AP, and WBSF-ABC340AP.
The red fire extinguishers are designed for commercial, industrial, multiresidential, and vehicle applications. They were sold nationwide from December 2002 through April 2004.
The recall notice is at https://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06084.html.
NIST Web site tracks progress on WTC recommendations
The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Web-based system has established a NIST World Trade Center Web site. It lists the recommendations; the organizations (e.g., standards and code developers, professional groups, state and local authorities) responsible for their implementation; the status of the implementation by organization; and the plans or work in progress to implement the recommendations as of January 31, 2006. The status information will be updated periodically. The information can be accessed at http://wtc.nist.gov, link “Implementation of NIST’s Recommendations.” For additional information, contact [email protected]/ .
Line-of-Duty Deaths
January 22. Firefighter John “Bobby” Westervelt, 57, Spring Valley (NY) Fire Department: cardiac arrest.
February 5. Firefighter Gary Wayne Kistler Sr., 65, Saucier (MS) Fire Department: complications of an infection from an injury sustained on January 28 during a vehicle extrication response involving a fatality.
February 9. Firefighter Edward Marbet, 31, Burlington Twp. (NJ) Fire Department, Independent Fire Co. #1: heat and smoke injuries in a fire in his residence.
February 21. Firefighter Dustin Jones, 23, Moulton (AL) Fire Department: wall collapse at a commercial structure fire.
February 21. Captain Lloyd S. McCulloch, 64, Moulton (AL) Fire Department: wall collapse at a commercial structure fire.
February 21. Firefighter Donald Herbert, 44, Buffalo (NY) Fire Department: injuries sustained on December 29, 1995, when he was trapped in a roof collapse while fighting a fire in the attic of a residential structure. The injuries and a lack of oxygen caused him to become comatose. He remained in that condition until about a year ago, when he regained a level of consciousness but remained paralyzed.
February 22. Firefighter Robert “Ockie” Wisting, 77, Rio Grande (NJ) Fire Company #1: suspected heart attack.
Canada
February 22. Firefighter Rosaire Sergerie, 63, Mont-Joli Fire Department, Québec: heart attack.
Source: USFA Firefighters Memorial Database
NEWS GLIMPSES
Arson destroys Alabama churches. As of press time, 10 Baptist churches in Alabama were set on fire between February 3 and 12. Six were destroyed; four were partially damaged. Arson was suspected because of the close proximity of the fires. No injuries have been reported. Local officials have established an e-mail address, a phone number, and a post office box to facilitate communication for arsonists and others who might provide information about the events. ●
Connecticut adopts NFPA codes. The Connecticut Department of Public Safety recently adopted 2003 editions of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1, Uniform Fire CodeTM, and NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®. NFPA 1 covers requirements needed to establish a reasonable level of fire safety and property protection from fire and explosion hazards. NFPA 101 mandates building design construction and operation and maintenance requirements for protecting building occupants from fire, smoke, and related hazards. ●
IAFF posts organization’s history online. The International Association of Fire Fighters has chronicled the organization’s 88-year history. It is www.iaff.org/history/main.htm ●
2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program kickoff. The program was officially opened on February 4. U.S. Representative Curt Weldon, vice chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and founder of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus; Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson; and Pennsylvania 7th District fire companies joined in the ceremonies, which took place at the Swarthmore (PA) Fire Company. Weldon called the grants “pivotal for providing our first responders with the adequate equipment and staffing necessary to serve and protect their communities.” Swarthmore’s Chief Chris Hansen noted that the country’s emergency services are facing “a decrease in available personnel” while being called on “to respond to an increasing array of emergency incidents.” “Through the efforts of the Government in identifying specialized needs…fire departments everywhere are more capable of handling all types of emergency responses,” he said.●
USFA townhouse simulation available. The Q325 Townhouse simulation presents the user with a set of complex fire and rescue problems commonly found in a townhouse, row house, garden apartment, or condominium response. Course objectives include safe removal of all occupants and containment and control of fire in the building of origin. The course, on USFA’s Virtual Campus, is at http://www.training.fema.gov. National Fire Academy/United States Fire Administration certification will be granted on successful completion of the course evaluations.●
