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108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 545
To provide for the establishment of a scientific basis for new
firefighting technology standards, improve coordination among Federal,
State, and local fire officials in training for and responding to
terrorist attacks and other national emergencies, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 5, 2003
Mr. Camp (for himself, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. Israel, Mr. Etheridge, and Mr.
Weldon of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Science
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a scientific basis for new
firefighting technology standards, improve coordination among Federal,
State, and local fire officials in training for and responding to
terrorist attacks and other national emergencies, 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 ``Firefighting Research and
Coordination Act''.
SEC. 2. 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) New equipment must meet standards.--For equipment for
which applicable voluntary consensus standards have been
established, the Administrator shall, by regulation, require
that equipment or systems purchased through the assistance
program established by section 33 meet or exceed 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.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Administrator to carry out section 8(e) $2,200,000
for fiscal year 2004.''.
SEC. 3. 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. 4. 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 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 Attorney
General, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and 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.
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