Current 2012 awards and those issued in earlier years for the AFG, Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER), and Fire Prevention and Safety Grant Programs will NOT be impacted by the anticipated sequestration budget cuts. In other words, the budget cuts will not impact the funding of AFG awards EMW-2012-XX, and earlier years.  Furthermore, AFG applications now under consideration for award will not be affected by these cuts. However, we encourage all grantees to begin procurement procedures and spend their awarded funds in a timely manner.

In his March 4, 2013, letter, David J. Kaufman, the Grant Programs Directorate's (GPD) Acting Assistant Administrator, stated that the sequestration budget cuts will affect FY 2013 grants but will not affect grants awarded in FY 2012 or previous fiscal years.The sequestration budget cuts will likely affect FY 2013 funding levels for all GPD grants, including AFG, subject to FEMA's final FY 2013 appropriation. But current AFG awards and applications now under consideration for award will not be affected by these cuts.

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On March 6th, the House of Representative approved legislation to fund the federal government through the remainder of Fiscal Year 2013. The legislation provides $984 billion in funding, which is in line with the figure imposed by the sequestration order.

Under sequestration, automatic across the board spending cuts would be made to all federal agencies. The mechanism spares no programs; it makes significant cuts to both defense and domestic spending programs. Critics of sequestration on both sides of the political aisle have contended that the mechanism would constrain Congress's ability to limit the impact of budget cuts. Fearing that this would have an impact on our military capabilities, the House bill contains separate exemptions for the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs allowing for more flexibility in how the cuts are implemented.

In the wake of the House action, the Senate Appropriations Committee, Chaired by Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), unveiled a bi-partisan proposal on March 11th that would fund the federal government under the same spending caps as the House bill for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2013. In addition to the exemptions in the House bill, the measure includes three additional exemptions - Homeland Security, Agriculture, and Commerce-Justice-Science. This is significant for the fire service as it gives Congress greater discretion to target cuts within these federal agencies, minimizing the impact on a number of programs of importance to first responders. As proposed, the Senate measure would actually maintain funding for AFG/SAFER at the FY12 level and reduce USFA funding by $38,000. Considering the funding projections for these programs when sequestration was first proposed, the outlook suddenly appears somewhat brighter. The full Senate is expected to act on the measure this week. Once approved, the House and Senate will need to resolve differences in their respective measures before the final version is sent to the President for his signature.

CFSI will continue to keep you apprised of Congress's actions.

 

 

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New editions of NFPA 1981 and 1982, standards that set requirements for SCBA and PASS systems used in the fire service, will be coming out this summer. Some of the changes will impact training and operating procedures within a fire department. Scott Safety has developed resources to help departments navigate these changes.

 

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Name: Lonnie Nutt
Rank: Firefighter Engineer
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Status: Career
Years of Service: 18

Date of Incident: 03/07/2013
Time of Incident: 1620hrs
Date of Death: 03/07/2013

Fire Department: Marietta Fire Department
Address: 112 Haynes ST, Marietta, GA 30060
Fire Department Chief: Jackie Gibbs

Incident Description: The Marietta Fire Department was responding to a motor vehicle accident. Firefighter Engineer Nutt was the driver of the apparatus accompanied by two other firefighters. After arriving on the scene, the firefighters were performing aid to the injured motorist when Firefighter Engineer Nutt collapsed. Aid was immediately given and Firefighter Engineer Nutt was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The cause of death is still to be determined.

Incident Location: Whitlock Avenue, Marietta, GA

Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Engineer Lonnie Nutt at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities/

__________________________

Name: George A. Turner, Jr.
Rank: Captain
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 30+

Date of Incident: 03/08/2013
Time of Incident: 1100hrs
Date of Death: 03/08/2013

Fire Department: Jericho Fire Department
Address: 424 N Broadway, Jericho, NY 11753-2105
Fire Department Chief: Carl E. Johnson

Incident Description: Captain Turner passed away from an apparent heart attack while responding to a motor vehicle accident.

Incident Location: Long Island Expressway (I-495)

Tribute is being paid to Captain George A. Turner, Jr. at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities


_______________________

Name: Michael L. Broz
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 58

Gender: Male
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 31

Date of Incident: 03/10/2013
Time of Incident: 1630hrs
Date of Death: 03/10/2013

Fire Department: Dorchester County Fire Rescue
Address: 109 Dutch Krakeel RD, St. George, SC 29477
Fire Department Chief: Tres' Atkinson

Incident Description: Firefighter Broz passed away from injuries sustained when his personally owned vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree while he was responding to an outdoor fire in the Francis Beidler Forest. The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Broz was reported to have been wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident.

Incident Location: Francis Beidler Forest (Horseford RD)

Tribute is being paid to Firefighter Michael L. Broz at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities/ 

To date, 13 firefighter fatality has been reported to USFA in 2012. Year-to-date monthly and annual USFA firefighter fatality reports are posted online @http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/fatalities/statistics/ff_stats.shtm