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House and Senate Both Expected to Consider the Fiscal Year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Sometime This Week
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 The House and Senate are both expected to consider the Fiscal Year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill sometime this week. The spending bill will provide funding for programs and offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) Grant program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant program.
The House bill, H.R. 2892, was approved by the House Appropriations Committee on June 12th. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the bill, S. 1298, on June 18th. Both bills provide $420 million for the SAFER Grant program and $380 million for the FIRE Grant program, for a total of $800 million in fire service grants - the largest amount ever approved by Congress.
Chairman David Price (NC-4) is expected to offer a manager's amendment to H.R. 2892 increasing the appropriation for the FIRE Grant program by $10 million. At this time there does not appear to be an amendment on the Senate side.
Both chambers are expected to consider the bills throughout the week. CFSI will provide updates as information becomes available.
Source: CFSI
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Fire/EMS Safety Week: Are You Ready?
Fourth of Four Key Areas: Chiefs - Be the Leader in Safety
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Fairfax, Va., June 10, 2009... The IAFC and the International Association of Fire Fighters ( IAFF) are asking you to Protect Yourself: Your Safety, Health and Survival Are Your Responsibility. We're calling on all fire/EMS departments and all IAFF affiliates to participate in the 2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week scheduled for June 14-20.
To support your planning, we've developed a series of emails and On Scene articles (go to links below), each focused on a 2009 key area. This email, the last of the series, pertains to the responsibility of fire chiefs.
Chiefs: Be the Leader in Safety
Fire chiefs and chief officers can take an active role in this year's Safety Week by personally reviewing at least 2 safety policies during the course of the week for compliance with NFPA 1500. As the safety leader in your department, it's important that policies on safety-related topics not only support your safety vision, but comply with nationally recognized standards. Existing policies should continue to be consistently enforced by fire chiefs and chief officers. Encourage your other fire officers to also take the initiative in enforcing policies if they observe violations.
Determine gaps that can reasonably be closed in the next year based on resources currently available in your organization. Don't be overly ambitious, but select gaps you can close or make progress toward closing in the next year that won't require increased resources or actions outside your circle of influence. The point is to make progress, not work miracles. Incremental progress toward closing consistency gaps is a good foundation for long-term improvements in safety culture.
Establish a collective process to confirm the gaps you've identified, identify others and establish a timeline to close them. Though it's important to be personally involved, you certainly can't do it all. Once you've identified the gaps in your current policies, involve others in your organization to be part of the process of filling these gaps.
The recommended focus of this year's Safety Week incorporates 4 key areas where standard operating procedures, policies and initiatives along with the training and enforcement that support them can limit fire and EMS personnel's risk of injury or death:
- Safety: Emergency Driving (enough is enough end senseless deaths)
- Health: Fire Fighter Heart Disease and Cancer Education and Prevention
- Survival: Structural Size-Up and Situational Awareness
- Chiefs: Be the Leader in Safety
Visit the 2009 Safety Week website for more information on this year's program and planning resources developed by the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section.
Source: IAFC
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Firefighters see cuts eroding safety
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 By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
Thousands of firefighters across the country face possible layoffs this year, prompting concern that deep local government budget cuts will delay emergency response times.
Since late last year, cities have been forced to shutter local fire stations, reduce services at others and cut the number of firefighters dispatched on emergency calls. Firefighting positions have been eliminated or are on the chopping block in cities such as Orlando, Atlanta, Flint, Mich., and Columbus, Ohio.
"Whatever you do that results in increasing response times (to fires), you are absolutely playing Russian roulette," says Harold Schaitberger, head of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).
MORE: Fingers point to city's cuts in fatal fire
Up to 5,000 firefighting jobs could be in jeopardy, according to an IAFF survey of members, which includes 292,000 firefighters.
Among those facing the most severe cutbacks:
· The elimination of 22 firefighters and other cuts in Flint, Mich., are being blamed by some residents and fire union officials for slowing the response to a fatal fire in April.
Mark Kovach, vice president of the local firefighters
Read More>>
Source: USA Today
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ARRA Application Period to Open
Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently made available for public viewing the Program Guidance for the Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants. The application period for the Station construction Grants (SCG) is scheduled to begin June 11, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). Applications for these grants must be received by July 10, at 5:00 p.m. (ET).
SCG was established as part of the current administration's economic stimulus package under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). SCG will provide financial assistance directly to fire departments on a competitive basis to build new or modify existing fire stations in order for departments to enhance their response capability and protect the community they serve from fire and fire-related hazards. The grants will be administered by the DHS/Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration by the AFG Program Office.
The e-application and an applicant tutorial are available through the www.firegrantsupport.com web site. The tutorial provides valuable grant information and walks applicants through the preparation and submittal of competitive applications. In addition, the applicant tutorial provides an overview of the funding priorities and evaluation criteria.
During the application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (ET). However, the help desk will close at 4:30 p.m., on Friday, July 3rd and will not be open on Saturday, July 4th. Applicants who have questions regarding the Fire Station Construction Grants opportunity should contact the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov
The AFG Program is administered by the DHS/FEMA Grants Program Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration.
Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants Program Guidance - visit http://www.firegrantsupport.com/docs/2009SCGguidance.pdf
Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grants FAQs - will be available through the www.firegrantsupport.com web site.
Source: DHS
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Secretary, Administrator Brief President on Hurricane Readiness: President Obama stresses need for personal responsibility
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On Friday, Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate briefed President Obama on preparedness efforts for the 2009 hurricane season, which officially begins today. Among other things, the secretary and FEMA administrator discussed FEMA's progress on prepositioning assets, developing evacuation plans, and readying emergency communications.
Following the briefing, the president discussed the need for individual preparedness, noting that statistics from Florida indicate a large number of people simply have not made hurricane preparedness plans. He pointed out that those people who can prepare themselves for hurricanes should do so, and thereby enable the government to focus its resources on people - such as the elderly and disabled - who are the most vulnerable in major storms. The president urged residents to prepare for the 2009 hurricane season by visiting the federal government's disaster planning Web site at www.ready.gov.
In her remarks following the briefing, Secretary Napolitano said DHS is ready for this year's hurricane season, and prepared to support local, state, and tribal partners in need of assistance. However, she stressed that preparedness is a shared responsibility among government agencies, the private sector, and individuals. FEMA Administrator Fugate said that the briefing with President Obama allowed the president to hear first hand the efforts being made to work with state and local governments. "FEMA has worked to make the American people as prepared as possible," Fugate said.
More information about this is available at http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1243630496738.shtm and http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/National-Hurricane-Preparedness-Week/.
Source: DHS
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Secretary Discusses DHS Mission with Employees
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Secretary Napolitano discussed the department's five top responsibilities and three approaches for pursuing these priorities in a video message that was made available to all DHS employees today. That video is available at http://www.dhs.gov/xother/gc_1243952009568.shtm.
In her video, the secretary said the department would pursue these top priorities:
- Guard against terrorism and protect critical infrastructure, including physical and cyber assets;
- Secure the nation's borders against the illegal entry of people and contraband;
- Enforce the nation's immigration laws while facilitating legal immigration;
- Prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters; and
- Unify the department.
To achieve progress on all these fronts, the secretary said DHS would pursue three approaches. These include working with its partners at the local, tribal, state, and international levels; using the best that technology and science have to offer; and maximizing efficiency to ensure that every dollar is spent in the most effective way.
The secretary elaborated on her video message in a DHS Leadership Journal posting in which she wrote, "We cannot afford to relent on any of these five fronts because together, they amount to our one overarching mission - a mission whose scope is massive, challenging, and humbling, but also a mission so straightforward and clear that it is contained in our name: securing the homeland."
The secretary's complete Leadership Journal entry is available at
http://www.dhs.gov/journal/leadership/2009/06/departments-five-responsibilities.html.
Source: DHS
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FEMA to Turn Foreclosures Into Hurricane Shelters
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New FEMA director Craig Fugate is looking at putting Florida residents in foreclosed homes should a Katrina-like hurricane hit the state.
Read More>>
Source: Disaster Resource Guide
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Tennessee Agencies Use New Tech for Emergency Response Training
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Can new technology help emergency operations centers learn to better collaborate in the event of a large-scale disaster? Two agencies in Tennessee hope so.
Read More>>
Source: Disaster Resource Guide
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| The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities:
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Name: Debra A. Cole
Rank: Firefighter/Paramedic
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Status: Career
Years of Service: 12
Date of Incident: 06/10/2009
Time of Incident: 0630hrs
Date of Death: 06/11/2009
Fire Department: South Portland Fire Department
Address: 20 Anthoine ST, South Portland, ME 04106
Fire Department Chief: Kevin Guimond
Incident Description: Firefighter Cole collapsed in the station while on duty and after having run at least one emergency call. Her collapse was not witnessed but was overheard and she was tended to immediately by the rest of her crew. Cole was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she was treated and underwent almost 11 hours of surgery. Firefighter Cole succumbed to her injury at approximately 1630hrs the following day. The cause of death was reported by the department to have been a stroke.
Incident Location: Western Avenue Station, 34 Crossing Drive.
Funeral Arrangements: Pending
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: In honor of Firefighter/Paramedic Debra A. Cole, c/o South Portland Fire Department, 20 Anthoine ST, South Portland, ME 04106
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter/Paramedic Debra A. Cole at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Name: Jeffrey H. Reed
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 7
Date of Incident: 06/05/2009
Time of Incident: 2156hrs
Date of Death: 06/08/2009
Fire Department: Pulaski Fire Department
Address: 117 N Jefferson AVE, Pulaski, VA 24301
Fire Department Chief: Bill Webb
Incident Description: Incident Description: Firefighter Reed was operating a fire engine at the scene of a residential structure fire, when on June 6th at 0049hrs, as the department was mopping up the incident, Reed began to experience a medical issue. He was transported to the Pulaski Community Hospital and subsequently transferred to UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville, VA, where he passed away. The nature of the fatal injury is still to be determined and reported. The cause of the fire in the vacant residence is under investigation.
Incident Location: No house number. Cross Street: Hogans Pl. and Mount Olivet Road.
Funeral Arrangements: Viewing on 06/11/2009, from 1800-2000hrs; Funeral, 06/12/2009 @ 1100hrs, both at Stevens Funeral Home. Apparatus placement will be on the streets around Stevens Funeral Home (815 Randolph Ave., Pulaski, VA 24301). After the funeral service, the procession will be going back down Randolph Ave. (South), apparatus should be turned around and facing South. The burial will take place at the family cemetery at the end of Valley Rd. This is not a through road, it ends, and parking is very limited. Any apparatus and personnel attending the burial, park on both sides of Valley Rd. between Commerce and First Streets SW (across tracks) and be shuttled to the burial site by school buses staged at First St SW. Due to the parking limitations, Pulaski FD apparatus will be the only fire/EMS apparatus allowed past First Street SW. Those not attending the burial may participate in the precession and exit left at West Main Street traffic light or Commerce Street intersection at RR tracks. Any questions please contact the Pulaski FD at 540-994-8662.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: In honor of Firefighter Jeffrey H. Reed, c/o Pulaski Fire Department, 117 N Jefferson AVE, Pulaski, VA 24301
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Jeffrey H. Reed at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Name: Matthew Douglas Tramel
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: <1
Date of Incident: 06/05/2009
Time of Incident: 0053hrs
Date of Death: 06/05/2009
Fire Department: Town of Pembroke Fire Department
Address: 102 W 4th Street, Pembroke, NC 28372
Telephone: (910) 521-4131
Fire Department Chief: McDuffie Cummings Jr.
Incident Description: Firefighter Tramel was responding to a reported car fire when he lost control of his personal vehicle and struck a tree. The North Carolina Highway Patrol reported that wet road conditions and speed were contributing factors to the accident.
Seat Belts: Equipped but not in use.
Incident Location: Deep Branch Road and Normal Street
Funeral Arrangements: A memorial service will be held Monday, 1600hrs, at Purnell Swett High School, Deep Branch Road and Recreation Center Road.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending
Tribute is being paid to Matthew Douglas Tramel at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Name: Stephen Michael Cospelich
Rank: Lieutenant
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 23
Date of Incident: 04/17/2009
Time of Incident: Pending
Date of Death: 05/20/2009
Fire Department: Philadelphia Fire Department
Address: Fire Admin Bldg, 240 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia, PA 19123-2991
Fire Department Chief: Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers
Incident Description: Lieutenant Cospelich collapsed several hours after finishing his duty shift and fighting a working house fire. Cospelich was transported to the hospital but succumbed to his injury having never regained consciousness.
Incident Location: Structure fire, 6300 block of Ogontz Avenue; Medical emergency, Chestnut Hill.
Funeral Arrangements: Memorial service, 05/30/2009, Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Pending
Tribute is being paid to Lieutenant Stephen Michael Cospelich at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
Name: James M. Hall
Rank: Firefighter/EMT
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 16
Date of Incident: 05/29/09
Time of Incident: 1633hrs
Date of Death: 05/30/09
Fire Department: Greentown Volunteer Fire Department
Address: 10100 Cleveland AVE, NW, Uniontown, OH 44685-9413
Fire Department Chief: Vince Harris
Incident Description: On 05/29/2009, James Hall was on duty with the Greentown Fire Department where he served from 0600 to 1800 hours. During that time, he responded to two EMS incidents. On 05/30/2009, while participating in a charity basketball game for his employer, Canton Fire Department, he collapsed due to a medical emergency. Care was initiated on scene and he was transported to the local medical facility where despite resuscitative efforts, he succumbed to his injuries.
Incident Location: Pending
Funeral Arrangements: Calling hours Thursday June 4th 2009, 14:00 - 16:00 and 18:00 - 20:00 at Johnson Center, 2600 Cleveland Ave NW Canton, Ohio 44709. Funeral Service Friday June 5th, 2009, 11:00AM, Johnson Center, 2600 Cleveland Ave NW Canton, Ohio 44709. Burial will follow in Forest Hill Cemetery.
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: Anyone wishing to contribute can do so to the Marty Hall Memorial Fund at any First Merit Bank.
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter/EMT James M. Hall at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
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