Fire and emergency services personnel from across the country converged on the U.S. Capitol Oct. 6 as part of the 18th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars held by the Congressional Fire Services Institute.
The seminars allowed those in attendance to listen and interact with government officials in workshops designed to reveal key issues affecting fire services local and nationally.
Congressional Roundtable Discussion
The outlook for the fire service's upcoming legislative agenda was discussed by Congressmen David Reichert (R-WA) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) -- both ranking members in the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology.
Interoperability was singled out as the most important firefighting concern by Chairman Reichert. He cited an instance where a rural Washington department needed two cell phones and two separate towers in order to communicate.
This was unfortunate, he assessed, because cities must be able to talk to the agencies surrounding them, whether they be police, businesses, or additional fire departments.
To do this, the Congressman believed a 'tech standard' needed to be established. If an entity received a grant, Reichert believed a system must be in place to decide how many jurisdictions should be involved and which entities should be clumped together. He found such matters were bogged down in the Department of Homeland Security.
Reichert also planned to hold hearings on trauma center emergency program preparedness. This would apply to communication involving EMTs, paramedics, where patients go and evacuation planning. His intention would be to enhance planning, training, and communication.
The Washington Congressman was joined by Congressman Pascrell in praising the SAFER grant system for being 'bottom-up' and localized, thereby allowing money to be allocated based on a competitive basis determined by demonstrated need rather than politics..
Pascrell added his dismay that in spite of $3 billion in applications, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program funding to was authorized by Congress in Fiscal Year 2005 at merely $600 million, with further cuts for 2006 pending.
The New Jersey Congressman derided non-specific members of Congress and the Executive branch who claimed to represent firefighters while simultaneously cutting their funding.
Pascrell cheered the recent legislation by the House of Representatives that would aid colleges in improving fire safety. He lamented how campus housing currently tend to be less fire safe then typical motel rooms.
The Evolving Role Of America
