LON SLEPICKA
Firehouse.Com News
President Bush has announced the administration’s desire to bolster the
ability of first responders to deal with all possible homeland security
incidents.
The 2003 budget proposes $3.5 billion in federal aid to state and local
first-responders, part of his $38 billion budget for homeland security.
In a speech to the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Thursday, President Bush
said, It (the budget proposal) shows and recognizes that, in the first
minutes or hours after an attack, are the most hopeful minutes for saving
lives -- the first minutes, immediately. And, therefore, we've got to
understand and remember the important role of first-responders. It became
vivid, obviously, on September 11th.
The following White House paper highlights the administration's plans on
first responder funding.
First Responders -- America's Frontline Soldiers
Police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical teams are America's
front-line soldiers in the event of a terrorist attack. With the right
training and equipment, these first responders have the greatest potential
to save lives and limit casualties. America's current capabilities for
responding to a terrorist attack vary widely across the country. Even the
best-prepared States and localities lack adequate resources to respond to
the full range of terrorist threats this country faces. Many areas have
little or no capability to respond to terrorist attacks using weapons of
mass destruction.
This initiative will:
- Give the first responder community critically needed funds to purchase
equipment, train their personnel, and plan.
- Provide states and localities with the flexibility they require to ensure
that the funds are used in the local areas where they are needed most.
- Establish a consolidated, simple, and quick method for dispersing federal
assistance to states and localities.
- Foster mutual aid across the nation so that the entire local, state,
federal, and volunteer network can operate seamlessly together.
- Create an evaluation process to make sure that all programs are producing
results and to direct the allocation of future resources.
- Involve all Americans in programs to make their homes, communities,
states, and nation safer and stronger.
The President's First Responder Initiative will be administered by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through a streamlined mechanism
designed to speed the flow of resources to the States and localities.
These new funds will sustain first responder activities, including:
Planning. Allocates approximately $105 million to support state and local
governments in developing comprehensive plans to prepare for and respond to
a terrorist attack.
Equipment. Provides about $2 billion to allow State and local first
responder agencies to purchase a wide range of equipment needed to respond
effectively to a terrorist attack, including personal protective equipment,
chemical and biological detection systems, and interoperable communications
gear.
Training. Allocates approximately $1.1 billion to train firefighters, police
offices, and emergency medical technicians to respond and operate in a
chemical or biological environment.
Exercises. Designates about $245 million to support a coordinated, regular
exercise program to improve response capabilities, practice mutual aid, and
assess operational improvements and deficiencies.
Building on existing capabilities at the federal, State, and local level,
the First Responder Initiative provides an incentive to develop mutually
supportive programs that maximize effective response capability. Through
joint planning, clear communication, comprehensive coordination, mutual aid
at all levels and increased information sharing, America's first responders
can be trained and equipped to save lives in the event of a terrorist
attack.
Building first responder capabilities will have immediate and widespread
benefit -- making the Nation safer from terrorist attacks and bolstering
everyday response capabilities.
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