[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2692 Reported in House (RH)]
Union Calendar No. 135
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2692
[Report No. 108-245]
To authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 for fiscal years 2004 through 2006,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 10, 2003
Mr. Smith of Michigan (for himself and Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of
Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science
August 4, 2003
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July
10, 2003]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 for fiscal years 2004 through 2006,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``United States Fire Administration
Authorization Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATOR.
Notwithstanding section 1513 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002
(6 U.S.C. 553), the Administrator of the United States Fire
Administration shall continue to be appointed and compensated as
provided under section 5(b) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2204(b)).
SEC. 3. NATIONAL RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER STRATEGY.
Section 30 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974
(15 U.S.C. 2226) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The
Director, acting''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(b) National Residential Fire Sprinkler Strategy.--The
Administrator shall develop and implement a strategy for promoting the
installation and use of residential fire sprinklers. The strategy shall
include--
``(1) advocacy and informational support to relevant
stakeholders, including builders, insurers, and State and local
decisionmakers;
``(2) promotion of residential sprinklers in residences
supported by the Federal Government;
``(3) a particular focus on residences--
``(A) at high risk to fire hazards; and
``(B) with occupants at high risk to fire hazards,
such as senior citizens and persons with disabilities;
and
``(4) a particular focus on localized fire suppression in
high-risk areas of residences.''.
SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR TRAINING TO FIGHT MARITIME FIRES.
Subsection (b)(3)(B) of the first section 33 of the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(3)(B)) is amended
by inserting ``maritime firefighting,'' after ``arson prevention and
detection,''.
SEC. 5. FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS PROGRAM.
The first section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act
of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is amended--
(1) by striking ``Director'' each place it appears and
inserting ``Administrator'';
(2) by amending subsection (b)(2) to read as follows:
``(2) Administrative assistance.--The Administrator shall
establish specific criteria for the selection of recipients of
assistance under this section and shall provide grant-writing
assistance to applicants.''; and
(3) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ``operate the office
established under subsection (b)(2) and''.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``to carry out the
purposes'' and all that follows through the end of subparagraph (K) and
inserting ``to the Administrator to carry out the purposes of this Act,
other than the firefighter assistance program under section 33--
``(A) $58,928,000 for fiscal year 2004;
``(B) $60,700,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
``(C) $62,520,000 for fiscal year 2006.''.
SEC. 7. COURSES AND TRAINING ASSISTANCE.
Section 7(l) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974
(15 U.S.C. 2206(l)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``The Superintendent shall offer, at the Academy and at other sites,
courses and training assistance as necessary to accommodate all
geographic regions and needs of career and volunteer firefighters.''.
SEC. 8. NEW FIREFIGHTING TECHNOLOGY.
(a) In General.--Section 8 of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2207) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Development of New Technology.--
``(1) In general.--In addition to, or as part of, the
program conducted under subsection (a), the Administrator, in
consultation with the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, the Inter-Agency Board for Equipment
Standardization and Inter-Operability, national voluntary
consensus standards development organizations, interested
Federal, State, and local agencies, and other interested
parties, shall--
``(A) develop new, and utilize existing,
measurement techniques and testing methodologies for
evaluating new firefighting technologies, including--
``(i) personal protection equipment;
``(ii) devices for advance warning of
extreme hazard;
``(iii) equipment for enhanced vision;
``(iv) devices to locate victims,
firefighters, and other rescue personnel in
above-ground and below-ground structures;
``(v) equipment and methods to provide
information for incident command, including the
monitoring and reporting of individual
personnel welfare;
``(vi) equipment and methods for training,
especially for virtual reality training; and
``(vii) robotics and other remote-
controlled devices;
``(B) evaluate the compatibility of new equipment
and technology with existing firefighting technology;
and
``(C) support the development of new voluntary
consensus standards through national voluntary
consensus standards organizations for new firefighting
technologies based on techniques and methodologies
described in subparagraph (A).
``(2) Standards for new equipment.--(A) The Administrator
shall, by regulation, require that new equipment or systems
purchased through the assistance program established by section
33 meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus standards for
such equipment or systems for which applicable voluntary
consensus standards have been established. The Administrator
may waive the requirement under this subparagraph with respect
to specific standards.
``(B) If an applicant for a grant under section 33 proposes
to purchase, with assistance provided under the grant, new
equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed applicable
voluntary consensus standards, the applicant shall include in
the application an explanation of why such equipment or systems
will serve the needs of the applicant better than equipment or
systems that do meet or exceed such standards.
``(C) In making a determination whether or not to waive the
requirement under subparagraph (A) with respect to a specific
standard, the Administrator shall, to the greatest extent
practicable--
``(i) consult with grant applicants and other
members of the fire services regarding the impact on
fire departments of the requirement to meet or exceed
the specific standard;
``(ii) take into consideration the explanation
provided by the applicant under subparagraph (B); and
``(iii) seek to minimize the impact of the
requirement to meet or exceed the specific standard on
the applicant, particularly if meeting the standard
would impose additional costs.
``(D) Applicants that apply for a grant under the terms of
subparagraph (B) may include a second grant request in the
application to be considered by the Administrator in the event
that the Administrator does not approve the primary grant
request on the grounds of the equipment not meeting applicable
voluntary consensus standards.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 17 of the Federal
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(i) Development of New Technology.--In addition to sums otherwise
authorized under this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated to
the Administrator to carry out section 8(e)--
``(1) $2,200,000 for fiscal year 2004;
``(2) $2,250,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
``(3) $2,300,000 for fiscal year 2006.''.
SEC. 9. COORDINATION OF RESPONSE TO NATIONAL EMERGENCY.
(a) In General.--Section 10 of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2209) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Mutual Aid Systems.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator, after consultation
with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
shall provide technical assistance and training to State and
local fire service officials to establish nationwide and State
mutual aid systems for dealing with national emergencies that--
``(A) include threat assessment and equipment
deployment strategies;
``(B) include means of collecting asset and
resource information to provide accurate and timely
data for regional deployment; and
``(C) are consistent with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's Federal Response Plan.
``(2) Model mutual aid plans.--The Administrator, in
consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, shall develop and make available to State
and local fire service officials model mutual aid plans for
both intrastate and interstate assistance.''.
(b) Report on Strategic Needs.--Within 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Fire
Administration shall report to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee
on Science on the need for a strategy concerning deployment of
volunteers and emergency response personnel (as defined in section 6 of
the Firefighters' Safety Study Act (15 U.S.C. 2223e), including a
national credentialing system, in the event of a national emergency.
(c) Update of Federal Response Plan.--Within 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency shall--
(1) revise that Agency's Federal Response Plan to
incorporate plans for responding to terrorist attacks,
particularly in urban areas, including fire detection and
suppression and related emergency services; and
(2) transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives
Committee on Science describing the action taken to comply with
paragraph (1).
SEC. 10. TRAINING.
(a) In General.--Section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon in subparagraph
(E);
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as subparagraph (N);
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:
``(F) strategies for building collapse rescue;
``(G) the use of technology in response to fires,
including terrorist incidents and other national
emergencies;
``(H) response, tactics, and strategies for dealing
with terrorist-caused national catastrophes;
``(I) use of and familiarity with the Federal
Emergency Management Agency's Federal Response Plan;
``(J) leadership and strategic skills, including
integrated management systems operations and integrated
response;
``(K) applying new technology and developing
strategies and tactics for fighting forest fires;
``(L) integrating terrorism response agencies into
the national terrorism incident response system;
``(M) response tactics and strategies for fighting
fires at United States ports, including fires on the
water and aboard vessels; and''.
(b) Consultation on Fire Academy Classes.--The Superintendent of
the National Fire Academy may consult with other Federal, State, and
local agency officials in developing curricula for classes offered by
the Academy.
(c) Coordination With Other Programs To Avoid Duplication.--The
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall, where
appropriate, coordinate training provided under section 7(d)(1) of the
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1))
with the heads of other Federal agencies--
(1) to ensure that such training does not duplicate
existing courses available to fire service personnel; and
(2) to establish a mechanism for eliminating duplicative
training programs.
Union Calendar No. 135
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2692
[Report No. 108-245]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 for fiscal years 2004 through 2006,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
August 4, 2003
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed