[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1152 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1152
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I--UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION REAUTHORIZATION
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``United States Fire Administration
Reauthorization Act of 2003''.
SEC. 102. RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF POSITION OF UNITED STATES FIRE
ADMINISTRATOR.
Section 1513 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 553)
does not apply to the position or office of Administrator of the United
States Fire Administration, who shall continue to be appointed and
compensated as provided by section 5(b) of the Federal Fire Prevention
and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2204(b)).
SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)) is amended by striking subparagraphs (A)
through (K) and inserting the following:
``(A) $63,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, of which $2,266,000
shall be used to carry out section 8(f);
``(B) $64,850,000 for fiscal year 2006, of which $2,334,000
shall be used to carry out section 8(f);
``(C) $66,796,000 for fiscal year 2007, of which $2,404,000
shall be used to carry out section 8(f); and
``(D) $68,800,000 for fiscal year 2008, of which $2,476,000
shall be used to carry out section 8(f).''.
TITLE II--FIREFIGHTING RESEARCH AND COORDINATION
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Firefighting Research and
Coordination Act''.
SEC. 202. NEW FIREFIGHTING TECHNOLOGY.
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 (g); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Assistance to Other Federal Agencies.--At the request of
other Federal agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and the
Department of the Interior, the Administrator may provide assistance in
fire prevention and control technologies, including methods of
containing insect-infested forest fires and limiting dispersal of
resultant fire particle smoke, and methods of measuring and tracking
the dispersal of fine particle smoke resulting from fires of insect-
infested fuel.
``(f) Technology Evaluation and Standards Development.--
``(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, the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health, the Directorate of Science
and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security, 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 the first 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 the first
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.''.
SEC. 203. 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 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 Response
Plan.
``(2) Model mutual aid plans.--The Administrator 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) Report on Federal Response Plan.--Within 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Department of Homeland Security
shall transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and
the House of Representatives Committee on Science describing plans for
revisions to the Federal Response Plan and its integration into the
National Response Plan, including how the revised plan will address
response to terrorist attacks, particularly in urban areas, including
fire detection and suppression and related emergency services.
SEC. 204. 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
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 the activities of terrorism
response agencies into national terrorism incident
response systems;
``(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.
(d) 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. 205. FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS PROGRAM.
(a) Administration.--The first section 33 of the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (b)(2) and inserting the
following:
``(2) Administrative assistance.--The Director shall
establish specific criteria for the selection of recipients of
assistance under this section and shall provide grant-writing
assistance to applicants.''; and
(2) by striking ``operate the office established under
subsection (b)(2) and'' in subsection (e)(2).
(b) Maritime Firefighting.--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,''.
(c) Firefighting in Remote Areas.--The first section 33 of the
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is
amended--
(1) by inserting ``equipment for fighting fires with foam
in remote areas without access to water, and'' after
``including'' in subsection (b)(3)(H); and
(2) by inserting ``Of the amounts authorized in this
paragraph, $3,000,000 shall be made available each year through
fiscal year 2008 for foam firefighting equipment.'' at the end
of subsection (e)(1).
SEC. 206. NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION.
(a) Members.--Section 151303(b) of title 36, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) by striking ``9'' in paragraph (2) and inserting
``12'';
(2) by striking ``six'' in subparagraph (D) of paragraph
(2) and inserting ``nine''; and
(3) by striking ``3 members'' in paragraph (3) and
inserting ``4 members''.
(b) Compensation.--Section 151304(b)(3) of title 36, United States
Code, is amended by inserting ``15 percent above'' after ``more than''.
(c) Period of Authorized Assistance.--Section 151307 of title 36,
United States Code, is amended in subsection (a)(1), by striking
``During the 10-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of
the Fire Administration Authorization Act of 2000, the'' and inserting
``The''.
Passed the Senate November 20, 2003.
Attest:
Secretary.
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1152
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, and for other
purposes.