[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.