DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano Appears Before House Homeland Security Committee  

In her first appearance before the House Homeland Security Committee, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano presented the agenda for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Fiscal Year 2009.  Although many of the questions and much of testimony focused on boarder security, the situation in Mexico, and port and airport security, topics central to the fire services were discussed. 
 
Many of the committee members expressed their desire to have the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) remain within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  When asked by Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) for the administration's stance on the issue, the Secretary said she was not aware of the official position.  She went on to say that if the agency was "doing its job, working with state and locals and preparing and responding and there is good leadership and management, where it fits in the federal organizational chart is less of an acute issue."  
 
On the issue of grant programs, Congressman Bill Pascrell (NJ-8) prefaced his questions to the Secretary by expressing his disapproval of how the former administration would submit a budget that zeroed out or cut grant programs.  Pascrell mentioned specifically the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) Grant Program and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program.  He asked Napolitano directly if she could commit that this Administration would not cut or eliminate these successful programs.  The Secretary responded, "No one is more supportive of those grants than I am and I can commit to you that we are operating under that assumption."  She also highlighted the need to look at what the grants are doing to fund sustainability.
 
Interoperability and the DTV transition were also briefly discussed.  Congressman James Himes (CT-4) asked if the Secretary could comment on the subject, specifically as it related to first responder communications.  Napolitano declined to discuss specifics but added that she would keep the Committee up to date.  Congresswoman Jane Harman (CA-36) pointed out that the DTV transition will provide valuable analog spectrum that our country's first responders will be able to use. 
 
For video of the hearing and the prepared statements of Chairman Benny Thompson and Secretary Napolitano please visit: http://homeland.house.gov/Hearings/index.asp?ID=171.

On February 25, 2009, Congressman Jim Langevin (RI-2) was joined by 55 members of the House of Representatives in reintroducing the Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act, H.R. 1194.  The legislation creates tax incentives for property owners to retrofit buildings with automatic fire sprinkler systems.  The legislation would reduce the tax depreciation on the sprinkler systems in nonresidential real property from 39 years to only five years.  In addition, the benefits of this legislation would include lower local fire department costs, increased loan activity, reduced insurance claims and premium costs, and increased retrofitting and installation jobs.

CFSI's National Advisory Committee passed a unanimous resolution in support of a tax incentive for the retrofit of fire sprinklers at the fall meeting of 2002. Legislation to achieve this objective was first introduced in April of 2003.