[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2862 Reported in Senate (RS)]






                                                       Calendar No. 765
107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2862

                          [Report No. 107-344]

    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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2002

  Mr. McCain (for himself, Mr. Hollings, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. Biden) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

                           November 18, 2002

              Reported by Mr. Hollings, with an amendment
 [Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in 
                                italic]

                                 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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Firefighting Research and 
Coordination Act''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. NEW FIREFIGHTING TECHNOLOGY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 8 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 
of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2207) is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 
        (f); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Development of New Technology.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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, and other 
        interested parties, shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) develop new, and utilize existing, 
                measurement techniques and testing methodologies for 
                evaluating new firefighting technologies, including--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) thermal imaging 
                        equipment;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) early warning fire 
                        detection devices;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) personal protection 
                        equipment for firefighting;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) victim detection equipment; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(v) devices to locate 
                        firefighters and other rescue personnel in 
                        buildings;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) evaluate the compatibility of new 
                equipment and technology with existing firefighting 
                technology; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) New equipment must meet standards.--The 
        Administrator shall, by regulation, require that equipment 
        purchased through the assistance program established by section 
        33 meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus 
        standards.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. COORDINATION OF RESPONSE TO NATIONAL 
              EMERGENCY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Section 10 of the Federal Fire Prevention 
and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2209) is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection 
        (c); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Coordination of Response for National Emergencies.--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall 
        establish a national plan for training and responding to 
        national emergencies under which the Administrator shall be the 
        primary contact point for State and local firefighting units in 
        the event of a national emergency. The Administrator shall 
        ensure that the national plan is consistent with the master 
        plans developed by the several States and political 
        subdivisions thereof.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Mutual aid systems.--The Administrator shall 
        work with State and local fire service officials to establish, 
        as part of the national plan, nationwide and State mutual aid 
        systems for dealing with national emergencies that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) include threat assessment and 
                equipment deployment strategies;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) include means of collecting asset 
                and resource information to provide accurate and timely 
                data for regional deployment; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) are consistent with the national 
                plan established under paragraph (1) for Federal 
                response to national emergencies.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. TRAINING.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Section 8(d)(1) of the Federal Fire 
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) is amended--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon in 
        subparagraph (E);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as 
        subparagraph (N); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the 
        following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) strategies for building collapse 
                rescue;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(G) the use of technology in response to 
                fires, including terrorist incidents and other national 
                emergencies;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(H) response, tactics, and strategies 
                for dealing with terrorist-caused national 
                catastrophes;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(I) use of and familiarity with the 
                national plan developed by the Administrator under 
                section 10(b)(1);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(J) leadership and strategic skills, 
                including integrated management systems operations and 
                integrated response;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(K) applying new technology and 
                developing strategies and tactics for fighting forest 
                fires;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(L) integrating terrorism response 
                agencies into the national terrorism incident response 
                system;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(M) response tactics and strategies for 
                fighting fires at United States ports, including fires 
                on the water and aboard vessels; and''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Coordination With Other Programs To Avoid 
Duplication.--The Administrator of the United States Fire 
Administration shall coordinate training provided under section 8(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 to ensure that 
there is no duplication of that training with existing courses 
available to fire service personnel.</DELETED>

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, 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 2003.''.

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 8(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 at the 
Academy.
    (c) Coordination With Other Programs To Avoid Duplication.--The 
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall coordinate 
training provided under section 8(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.
                                                       Calendar No. 765

107th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2862

                          [Report No. 107-344]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           November 18, 2002

                       Reported with an amendment