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For GAC documents, announcements, and information please click here to visit the microsite.
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Department of Homeland Security Releases First Round of Grants
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 On Friday January 29th the Department of Homeland Security released its first round of Assistance to Firefighters Grants for fiscal year 2009. Over 900 grants were awarded. The full list is available by clicking here.
Search the list by state, award amount or by city to see which departments received a grant as well as the award date. Make sure to stay tuned for future award announcements.
Source: CFSI
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CFSI Congratulates Inductees into Prince George's County Fire and EMS Hall of Fame
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CFSI would like to extend hearty congratulations to Jim Estepp, Steve Edwards, and Ron Siarnicki on their induction to the Prince George's County Fire and EMS Department Hall of Fame on Jan. 20.
Jim Estepp, who serves as vice president of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, served as county fire chief from 1978 to 1989 and again from 1993 to 1994; Steve Edwards, former chair of the CFSI National Advisory Committee and recipient of the 2009 Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award, served as county fire chief from 1989 to 1993; and Ron Siarnicki, an active member of the CFSI National Advisory Committee, served as county fire chief from 1998 to 2001. In addition to the honor, they each received a Distinguished Service Award.
Estepp currently serves as president and CEO of the Greater Prince George's Business Roundtable, while Edwards is the director of the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and Siarnicki, the executive director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Congratulations to all three distinguished fire service leaders.
Source: CFSI
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Department's Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request
Announced
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Secretary Napolitano today unveiled the
department's $56.3 billion fiscal year 2011 budget request, which prioritizes
efforts to enhance security measures that protect against terrorism and other
threats and reflects the department's commitment to fiscal discipline and
efficiency.
"Our proposed budget is designed to ensure we have
the resources we need to secure America," the secretary said in a press
statement. "We are committed to strong fiscal discipline, eliminating
redundancy and investing our resources in what works while enhancing security
across the board."
President Obama's budget request for DHS
strengthens the ongoing work across the department in five major mission areas
- preventing terrorism and enhancing security; securing and managing the
nation's borders; smart and effective enforcement of immigration laws;
safeguarding and securing cyberspace; and ensuring resiliency to disasters. The
proposed budget also furthers the secretary's major reform goals to continue
institutionalizing a new culture of efficiency and fiscal discipline at DHS. A
press release with additional details about the budget request in these areas
is available at http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1265049363469.shtm.
According to the department's Budget in Brief
document, the FY 2011 budget request represents a 2 percent increase over the
FY 2010 enacted level. This document also notes that the department will
continue to pursue a Balanced Workforce Strategy in three ways: first, by
taking steps to ensure that no inherently governmental functions are performed
by contractors; second, by putting into place rigorous review procedures to
ensure that future contract actions do not increase the department's reliance
on contractors; and third, by coordinating workforce assessments across DHS to
seek economies and service improvements while reducing the department's
reliance on contractors. As part of this strategy, the department will continue
to convert contractor positions to federal jobs, the document states.
The full DHS FY 2011 budget request can be found at
www.dhs.gov/xabout/budget/.
Source: DHS
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Techno Aid in Haiti: Text, Tweet, Action
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The US Department of Homeland Security is paying close attention to Facebook and Twitter posts from Haiti regarding earthquake victims still in peril, and acting on them.
Read More>>
Source: Disaster Resource
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Explosion Allowed Hospital to Test its Disaster Response
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A Connecticut hospital successfully put its disaster response plan in motion when the local power plant exploded on Sunday.
Read More>>
Source: Disaster Resource
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Provisional Report Shows a Decrease in On-Duty Firefighter Deaths in 2009
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The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced there were 90 line-of-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States in 2009. Although every firefighter lost is a tragedy, this number is significantly lower than in prior years. Throughout the past decade, over one hundred firefighters were lost each year. The 2009 fatality figure is 28 less than the 118 line-of-duty deaths in 2008.
Read More>>
Source: NVFC
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NVFC Releases White Paper on Training in the Volunteer Fire Service
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The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is committed to ensuring that volunteer firefighters have an appropriate level of training to safely and effectively carry out their responsibilities. As part of its efforts, the NVFC has released a white paper concerning training in the volunteer fire service and the need for improvement.
The roles and responsibilities of the fire service have evolved over the years. As the breadth and scope of what it means to be a firefighter has expanded, the necessity for training within the fire service has grown. Unfortunately, a large number of volunteer fire departments are still operating with personnel who are not trained to a level consistent with national consensus standards for basic firefighter preparedness. This can lead to ineffective and unsafe responses that put lives and property at risk.
Proper training directly affects the health and safety of our nation's emergency responders. At its fall meeting in 2008, the NVFC Board of Directors adopted a policy statement that recommends all volunteer fire departments in the United States set a goal that personnel must attain, at a minimum, a level of training that meets NFPA 1001: Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications or an equivalent state standard in order to engage in fire suppression.
The NVFC white paper focuses on the need for proper training to ensure the safety and effectiveness of firefighters and also examines several barriers to implementing basic training in volunteer fire departments. These barriers include lack of resources, lack of convenient training options for volunteers, and a lack of emphasis on training from leadership within fire departments.
Download the white paper at www.nvfc.org/training.
Source: NVFC
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| The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has received notice of the following firefighter fatalities:
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Name: Henry Sandy
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 9
Date of Incident: 01/26/2010
Time of Incident: 1159hrs
Date of Death: 01/26/2010
Fire Department: Northside Volunteer Fire Department
Address: PO Box 2521, 3455 N ST Louis ST, Batesville, AR 72503-2521
Fire Department Chief: Karrel Fleetwood
Incident Description: Firefighter Sandy was working water supply and pumper operations at the scene of a residential structure fire when he collapsed from an apparent heart attack moments after refueling one of the motors. Firefighters and other responders worked to resuscitate Firefighter Sandy, but he succumbed to his injury.
Incident Location: 2516 E Main ST, Batesville, AR 72503
Funeral Arrangements: Pending
Memorial Fund Contact and Address: In honor of Firefighter Henry Sandy, c/o Northside Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 2521, Batesville, AR 72503-2521
Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Henry Sandy at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/fatalities/
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