| Having trouble reading this newsletter? Click here to print or to view in your web browser. You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up from our web site. Click here to unsubscribe. |
 |
Governmetal Affairs Committee |
 |
 |
|
GAC Resources
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
Subscribe to the Fire Grant Data website Success Stories RSS (Real Simple Syndication) news feed. Click here.
The FAMA / FEMSA GAC would like to thank all the members who participated in the 2006 Home Day Program. Many of you had incredible results, and we encourage you to share those experiences with your fellow members. The GAC has posted a small website with information about some of the Home Day activities by FAMA and FEMSA member companies. Remember - Every Day is Home Day! Please click here to see the site.
Upcoming Events CFSI Annual Dinner. March 28-29, 2007. Washington, DC Hilton. Get your tickets early! Click here for more information.
|
|
Digital Noise Working Group Seeks Members Common Fireground Noise May Cause Unintelligibility of Digital Radio Transmissions Interoperability fund allocation will be adaptable, DHS vows NVFC Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security USFA Announces 2006 Outstanding Research Award Winners FIREFIGHTERS, SURVIVORS PROMOTE LIFE SAFETY White House IT Procurement, Comply or Don't Connect Preparedness/FEMA Reorganization to Take Place April 1 Converged Networks Deliver the Best Security, Execs Say Firefighting Increases Risk of Death from Heart Disease, Study Says DHS Not Preparing for Disaster Emergency Response Staff Face Verbal Abuse Digital Noise Working Group Seeks Members IAFC MEMBER ALERT: FOR IMMEDIATE REVIEW Fairfax, Va., Mar. 26, 2007... Chief Douglas Aiken, chair of the IAFC Communications Committee, has named committee member Chief Charles Werner to chair the Digital Noise Working Group. This working group will investigate problems related to the use of digital radios on the fireground and is open to all interested parties. The IAFC initially alerted its members of this issue on March 20, 2007. Go to the Common Fireground Noise May Cause Unintelligibility of Digital Radio Transmissions member alert online for details. A steering committee will oversee the working group. Members include Aiken; Werner; two members of the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section; Alan Caldwell, IAFC staff liaison; and one representative from each of the following: International Association of Fire Fighters Over the next two weeks, the steering committee will receive the results of a test procedure posted on the IAFC website at www.iafc.org/digitalproblem. They will meet on April 9 to plan for the working group meeting and to review the submitted field reports. The first working group meeting will be held in Washington, D.C., on May 8. All interested parties, including manufacturers of radio equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus and fire equipment as well as firefighters and other public-safety entities, are welcome to participate. To join the working group, go to www.iafc.org/digitalproblem, click on Join Working Group and complete the online form. Source: IAFC Common Fireground Noise May Cause Unintelligibility of Digital Radio Transmissions IAFC MEMBER ALERT: FOR IMMEDIATE REVIEW Fairfax, Va., Mar. 20, 2007... The International Association of Fire Chiefs is alerting its members to a potential issue and soliciting their input to a solution. The IAFC has received reports of firefighters experiencing unintelligible audio communications while using a digital two-way portable radio when operating in close proximity to the low-pressure alarm of their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). In addition, other common fireground noise, including powered tools, apparatus and PASS devices, may affect voice intelligibility. This is an industry-wide issue and is not specific to any one manufacturer’s radios. There are indications that any digital voice communication product utilizing parametric voice encoders could be affected by this problem. The IAFC does know the problem is not related to any specific radio spectrum, as it is not a frequency of operation issue, or a particular communication standard. Due to these reports, the IAFC board of directors has asked the Communications Committee to form a working group to work with other IAFC committees and sections and other appropriate organizations to investigate and provide recommendations to address this concern. The specific focus of the group will be to: Fully understand the facts and identify potential solutions that may be required. Your input is vital to ensure that digital radio technology can be effectively utilized in fireground applications. The IAFC fully understands that many fire departments are using digital radio systems with success, but there may be issues related to voice transmission being interfered with or overridden when common fireground noise is in the background. We appreciate your assistance in testing your systems and reporting back to us. Source: IAFC
Interoperability fund allocation will be adaptable, DHS vows 03/23/07 -- 01:01 PM The department aims to be flexible to help states that already have made investments in new radio systems, a DHS official said. Congress has mandated that DHS make the funding available to states by Sept. 30. DHS is developing program application and guidance materials to support all activities in the interoperability continuum developed by the department’s Safecom program, including allowable costs for planning, technology procurement, exercises and training, Corey Gruber, acting assistant secretary for DHS’ Office of Grants and Training, testified at a recent congressional hearing. The money is being available through a scheduled auction of radio spectrum to take place in 2008. Congress moved deployment of the $1 billion a year forward by a year in the Call Home Act of 2006. “We will award all the funding by Sept. 30 as required in the Call Home Act,” Gruber said. Congress directed that the funding go for systems that use radio spectrum in the 700 MHz band that is soon to be allocated for public safety, or to provide interoperability with future systems, Gruber told the House Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response. However, there are concerns about states, such as Pennsylvania, which have made investments in new radio systems in the 800 MHz band. “My question is how will the grant guidance for the new $1 billion program ensure that agencies like the Pennsylvania State Police are not penalized for their past investments?” Rep. Charles Dent (R-Penn) asked at the hearing. Gruber said DHS will support systems outside of the 700 MHz band. “We believe it's important to support interoperability beyond 700 megahertz to ensure we can meet public safety agencies' unique requirements,” Gruber said. The department on Feb. 16 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commerce Department to allow DHS to distribute the $1 billion in funding for acquisition, deployment and training related to interoperable communications systems. The Commerce Department retains ultimate approval over distribution of the funds, Gruber said. Up to five percent of the funding will be used by states to support their statewide planning efforts, Gruber said. The remainder of the funds will be conditioned on acceptance of the statewide plans and supporting investment justifications, he said. Amounts awarded to each state will be allocated based on a modified version of the department’s 2007 risk methodology, Gruber said. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will retain about $11 million of the total grant funding for administrative purposes. John Kneuer, assistant secretary for communications and information at NTIA, noted that Congress has directed that most of the funding will go to support technology and equipment. “Our reading is that it would not include the funding of large-scale plans — large-scale exercises that don't include a communications component — or the drafting of interagency, interjurisdictional governance documents,” Kneuer said. Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer for Government Computer News’ affiliate publication, Washington Technology. © 1996-2007 1105 Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Source: GCN NVFC Testifies Before House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Cherryville Fire Chief Jeff Cash, NVFC North Carolina State Director and a member of the NVFC Executive Committee, testified on March 9 before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security at a hearing entitled, “Preparing for Disasters, Natural or Otherwise.” Cash’s testimony focused on issues of particular concern to the volunteer fire service. “The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program has proven to be the most effective program to date in providing all fire departments – both large and small, volunteer, career and combination – not only with the tools they need to perform their day-to-day duties, but it has also enhanced their ability to respond to large disasters as well,” Cash said. “As we move to prepare to respond to major disasters, we must first ensure that local fire departments have the basic tools they need to do their jobs on a daily basis.” “Full funding for the AFG program is the top legislative priority of the NVFC,” Cash told the Subcommittee. Another important DHS program for improving national preparedness is Citizen Corps, which was created to coordinate volunteer activities to make communities safer, stronger and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. The NVFC helps to administer Fire Corps, one of five Citizen Corps programs, which enables fire and emergency services departments to utilize community volunteers in non-emergency roles such as public education and administrative tasks. “In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Harris County (TX) Citizen Corps program prepared the Reliant Astrodome in Houston to receive 24,000 evacuees in approximately eight hours,” Cash said. “Over the course of the two weeks that the Astrodome housed evacuees, more than 40,000 people volunteered their services in some fashion.” “Think of how much federal time, effort, and money were saved because the Harris County Citizen Corps program was prepared to coordinate such a massive volunteer effort,” Cash continued. “Think of all those people who were spared having to spend even more time in dangerous, unsafe conditions. Citizen Corps is a proven program that gets results. The NVFC supports increasing funding for Citizen Corps in FY 2008 back to its FY 2006 enacted level of $20 million.” Cash also testified about the U.S. Fire Administration, credentialing, and the SAFER Grant program. A full copy of his testimony can be found at www.nvfc.org. Source: NVFC Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act (H.R. 1643) Introduced Provides Job Protection to Volunteers Responding to Presidentially-Declared Disasters Congressman Rob Andrews (D-NJ) introduced the Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act of 2007 (H.R. 1643)on March 22, along with original co-sponsors Michael Castle (R-DE), Randy Kuhl (R-NY), and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ). The bill would provide up to 14 days per calendar year of job protection for volunteer emergency services personnel who respond to a Presidentially-declared disaster in an official capacity. “Volunteer first responders shouldn’t be put in the position of having to choose between their jobs and responding to a major disaster,” said National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “Passage of H.R. 1643 would eliminate the threat of termination or demotion.” The legislation would also reduce pressure on emergency managers who rely heavily on the availability and performance of the more than 800,000 volunteer first responders around the country. Pre-emergency planners must know what assets they have available to them so the deployment process can move as smoothly and quickly as possible. The bill provides up to 14 days of job protection per calendar year. If additional aid is needed after that period of time, a new group of first responders can be brought in to replace the ones who have exhausted their job protection limit. Under H.R. 1643, employers would not be required to compensate employees for time missed, and employees would be required to make a reasonable effort to notify their employers that they will miss work. Employees would be required to continue to provide reasonable updates over the course of their absence. The legislation only applies to emergency responders acting in an official capacity. Self-responders would not be eligible for job protection under H.R. 1643. Employers have the right to ask for documentation from the official supervising the response to verify that the employee was involved in an official capacity. “I’d like to thank Congressman Andrews for introducing the Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Personnel Job Protection Act as well as Congressmen Castle, Kuhl, and Pascrell for their strong support,” said Stittleburg. “I look forward to working with you to pass H.R. 1643 into law.” The NVFC urges you to contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 1643. Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) is expected to introduce companion legislation to H.R. 1643 in the Senate in coming weeks. Source: NVFC USFA Announces 2006 Outstanding Research Award Winners News Release Date: March 28, 2007 EMMITSBURG, MD. - The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration announced today the five fire service executives who will receive the National Fire Academy's (NFA) 2006 Annual Outstanding Research Awards. This award recognizes Executive Fire Officer Program students for their research projects. The award winning projects will be presented at the 19th Executive Fire Officer Symposium on April 13-15, 2007, at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. "These research projects are so important to our work as they help address issues that make a firefighter's job safer and contribute to the quality of life for all communities," said Acting Administrator Charlie Dickinson. "Within our Executive Fire Officer Program, USFA remains committed to the belief that applied research is the basis for defining and ultimately resolving the complex problems that confront the fire service. The papers are examples of how research can save lives and make our organizations more efficient." The Executive Fire Officer Program is designed to provide senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various and challenging facets of fire administration. Over a four-year period, the officers continue their professional development in four courses at the Academy, which are recommended for either graduate-level or upper division baccalaureate credit equivalency by the American Council on Education. Participants in the program are required to complete an applied research project in their organization six months after the completion of each of the four course areas. The 2006 Outstanding Research Award recipients are: Leading Community Risk Reduction Course Awardee Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Executive Leadership Course Awardee To obtain a copy of the five projects on CD-ROM, please contact the U.S. Fire Administration, Executive Fire Officer Program, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, Maryland, 21727; or call (800) 238-3358, extension 1639, and leave your request on voice mail. You may also obtain copies of the outstanding research projects by downloading them from the USFA Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov. Source: USFA FIREFIGHTERS, SURVIVORS PROMOTE LIFE SAFETY National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Launches Historic Whistle-Stop Tour Emmitsburg, MD-At noon on March 29, 2007, at Fire Station 3 of the Washington D.C. Fire Department, located at 439 New Jersey Avenue, NW, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will gather members of the American fire service, surviving family members of fallen firefighters, and members of Congress at a press briefing to announce the launch of its historic campaign, "America's Fire Heroes Whistlestop Tour." Made possible by a grant from the Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation, the Whistle-Stop Tour is a 37-day journey across America making stops in 19 cities to promote firefighter life safety and engage the American public in fire prevention efforts nationwide. NFFF will conduct the briefing to announce this unprecedented firefighters' tour, one that advocates a progressive, solutions-based approach to the national problem of preventable firefighter line-of-duty deaths and injuries and the occurrence of fire in our country. Mrs. Sharon Purdy of Spencerville, Ohio, widow of fallen firefighter Lee Purdy will speak to the press. Mrs. Purdy was also active in the legislative effort for the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003. Mrs. Cathy Hedrick will share how the death of her young firefighter son lead to her passionate adoption of the NFFF efforts to reduce firefighter losses. Several members of Congress are expected to attend the briefing in full support of the tour. Additional sponsors of the tour include Lowe's, Kidde, ICMA Retirement About The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation About The Dunkin' Brands Community Foundation For more information on the National Fallen Firefighter's Foundation, please visit www.firehero.org or call 301.447.1365 and visit www.everyonegoeshome.com for more information about the Everyone Goes Home(tm) Program. Source: USFA White House IT Procurement, Comply or Don't Connect On Tuesday, the White House released a directive to all Federal CIO’s, requiring that all new IT system acquisitions (starting June 30. 2007) use a common secure configuration. More importantly, information technology providers are being asked to certify that the products they deliver to the government operate effectively using these secure configurations.
“No VISTA application will be able to be sold to federal agencies if the application does not run on the secure version (SSLF) of Vista. XP application vendors will also be required to certify that their applications run on the secure configuration of Windows XP.”
While this initiative leverages federal IT spending, it will also quickly be adopted by organizations outside government.
The White House announcement corresponds closely to the policy position ISAlliance has been advocating through various coalition activities. This same position was articulated in testimony the ISAlliance gave to the House Energy and Commerce Committee six months ago ( http://www.isalliance.org/content/view/26/68/).
On Tuesday, the Board met with several members of Congress, Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-MS; Emerging Threats & Cyber Security Subcommittee Chair Jim Langevin D-RI; as well as Ranking Members Peter King R-NY and Michael McCaul R-TX to present a number of more specific recommendations, including procurement:
o Establish Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARs) and other legal frameworks requiring industry to adhere to published standards and best practices. o Civil Liability: establish the ability for companies to acquire additional insurance to cover loses and limit liability for catastrophic cyber incidents o Create a temporary national program for short-term reinsurance o Establish a Baldridge–like award for those companies that demonstrate information security excellence o Create and fund an industry R&D Consortium for improved security protocols
The ISAlliance will be continuing to solicit its membership's input as it presses for further policy changes to improve corporate and government information security practices. For more information contact lclinton@isalliance.org Source: ISI Alliance Preparedness/FEMA Reorganization to Take Place April 1 Changes related to the reorganization of the Preparedness Directorate and FEMA are scheduled to take place at 12:01 a.m. on April 1. Secretary Chertoff announced the changes Jan. 18 in a memo to employees affected by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act that Congress approved as part of the department’s fiscal year 2007 appropriations. Among the changes: · The U.S. Fire Administration, Office of Grants and Training, Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Division, Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program, and Office of National Capital Region Coordination are transferring to FEMA from the current Preparedness Directorate. · A new National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) will include the Office of the Under Secretary, Office of Infrastructure Protection, Office of Cyber Security and Communications, Office of Risk Management and Analysis, Office of Intergovernmental Programs, and US-VISIT. Among the activities that have taken place since the secretary’s announcement are testimonies to Congress, which included one on Feb. 28 by FEMA Director David Paulison and Under Secretary George Foresman about the new organizational structure. More recently, Deputy Under Secretary for Preparedness Robert Zitz and Acting Director for US-VISIT Robert Mocny testified last week about the transition to the NPPD. Zitz said the main responsibility of NPPD will be to advance the department’s risk reduction mission, and in doing so, integrate the risk reduction activities of the Office of Infrastructure Protection, Office of Cyber Security and Communications, and US-VISIT. In his testimony, Mocny said US-VISIT’s role would continue to focus on developing biometric information about U.S. visitors and analysis of this information for not only DHS components but for other federal agencies as well. Source: DHS Converged Networks Deliver the Best Security, Execs Say A new study suggests a majority of executives believe converging their voice and data networks will give them the best line of defense against attack. But are they right? In an article on the Computer Weekly website, writer Antony Savvas says the global survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit of AT&T found 52 percent of executives believe that having a converged network gives their companies a better defence against IT security breaches. “Furthermore, nearly 70 percent feel that IP helps ensure business continuity following an emergency,” Savvas adds. But at the same time, he says “network security concerns remain at the top of the list of barriers to implementing a converged IP network.” Saavas also adds that while some execs are concerned IP-based voice communications “can be hacked into like normal data traffic, the setting up of alternative IP-based communications in response to a disaster is far easier than analogue or traditional digital systems.” In other findings, the survey says 12 percent of companies said the CSO was the main decision maker when it came to electronic security. To read the full article, click here: http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2007/03/22/222614/converged-networks-deliver-the-best-security-say-execs.htm Source: Disaster Resource Guide Firefighting Increases Risk of Death from Heart Disease, Study Says The chances of a US firefighter dying of heart disease while battling a blaze is 100 times more likely than when he or she is performing non-emergency duties, according to a new study. An article on the Medical News Today website says the study, published by the New England Journal of Medicine, found that heart disease accounts for 45 percent of deaths among US firefighters while they are on duty. “What they did in this study was to establish which duties carry the most and the least risk in the daily work of the firefighter,” the report says. The study’s results showed that, compared with non-emergency duties, some emergency duties and physical training were linked with firefighters having an increased risk of death from coronary heart disease. In the study, the researchers suggest the reason for the elevated risk is the increased demands that fire suppression places on the firefighter’s cardiovascular system. “The smoke, the chemicals, carbon monoxide, the physical effort and the psychological stress come together to create an effect that lasts for 24 hours, the duration of the elevated risk period,” the article says. However, the researchers also suggest the risk of coronary heart disease events during the act of putting out a fire could be higher because many firefighters are not physically fit, have an existing elevated cardiovascular risk and subclinical or clinical coronary heart disease. To read the full article, click here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=65800 Source: Disaster Resource Guide DHS Not Preparing for Disaster Retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro says the Department of Homeland Security is not fully prepared for the 15 most likely disasters. Is the DHS not fully prepared? According to an article by United Press International, Punaro is the chairman of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves. Late last week, Punaro “told the House Armed Services Committee that while Homeland Security has identified 15 disaster scenarios, it has not properly engaged the federal government in planning, coordinating, funding and training for them,” the article says. “Because they’ve just identified them and we haven’t engaged the entire system in putting plans together for dealing with these, the nation is not adequately prepared for some, not fully prepared for some, and absolutely, totally unprepared for some of the worst-case scenarios,” Punaro told the commission. “They ought to either do their job, or somebody ought to just shut them down and admit it’s not going to happen and make other arrangements. But they should be held accountable right now under the law for fulfilling their mandate,” he added. Punaro also said the federal government has not empowered state governors to plan for and prepare their responses to disasters. To read the full article, click here: Source: Disaster Resource Guide Emergency Response Staff Face Verbal Abuse Staff at a National Health Service (NHS) ambulance service control room face so much verbal abuse, they’ve considered quitting their jobs, according to a new report gathered by NHS. According to an article on the Ivanhoe Medical Breakthroughs website, the report of an ambulance service control room serving a population of one million people shows 80 percent of the staff are verbally abused by callers during a shift. “Fifty-nine calls were taken each shift on average, and seven percent of these calls were verbally abusive. Eighty percent of employees took at least one abusive call per shift,” the article says. “Authors report patients and other emergency callers were the most abusive, followed by doctors and nurses. Members of the fire service were least likely to be abusive.” The authors of the study recommended additional training to defuse verbally abusive situations. They also recommend conducting further research to determine the full extent of verbal abuse across the National Health Service. To read the full article, click here: Source: Disaster Resource Guide The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities: Name: William Grant Fire Department: Chicago Fire Department Fire Department Chief: Fire Commissioner Raymond Orosco Incident Description: Firefighter Grant died from injuries sustained while responding to an alarm when the apparatus he was in was struck by a school bus at the intersection of 59th Street and Princeton Avenue (Grid: 16TDM474263) on the Southside of Chicago. Further details are pending investigation. Three other firefighters were injured in the accident as was the driver of the school bus. There were no children on board the school bus at the time. Funeral Arrangements: Pending Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending Tribute is being paid to Firefighter William Grant at
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatality: Name: Brandon Whimple Fire Department: Rhodestown Volunteer Fire Department Incident Description: Firefighter Whimple died from injuries when while en route to a structure fire (abandoned mobile home), the 1987 Chevrolet tanker with 1,200 gallons of water in which he was riding left the roadway and rolled. Both Whimple and the operator of the apparatus, Firefighter Billy Williams, passed away at the scene with one being ejected from the vehicle and the other crushed. The two firefighters were the only personnel on board and reportedly not wearing safety restraints. Funeral Arrangements: Viewing will be held Tuesday from 6 to 8 pm at the Jones Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 28. Interment will be in Inslow Memorial Gardens, Jacksonville. Memorial Fund Contact and Address: The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Firefighter Whimple's name be sent to
N.C. Fallen Firefighters Foundation 2501 Blue Ridge Rd., STE 150,
Raleigh, NC 27607-6479 Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Brandon Whimple at Source: USFA |
|
|||||||
|
|
|