[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4847 Reported in House (RH)]






                                                 Union Calendar No. 342
110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4847

                          [Report No. 110-559]

  To reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 19, 2007

  Mr. Mitchell (for himself and Mr. Gingrey) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology

                             March 31, 2008

 Additional sponsors: Mr. Payne, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mrs. Emerson, 
 Mr. Wu, Ms. Richardson, Mr. McHugh, Mr. Miller of North Carolina, Ms. 
 Shea-Porter, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson of Texas, Mr. Costello, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Hall of New York, Mr. 
Lipinski, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Wilson of Ohio, Mr. Udall of 
   Colorado, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Matheson, Mr. Bartlett of 
    Maryland, Mr. Gerlach, Ms. Sutton, Mr. Gallegly, and Mr. Michaud

                             March 31, 2008

  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 
                           December 19, 2007]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  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,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States Fire Administration 
Reauthorization Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The loss of life due to fire has dropped significantly 
        over the last 25 years in the United States. However, the 
        United States still has one of the highest fire death rates in 
        the industrialized world. In 2005 the National Fire Protection 
        Association reported 3,675 civilian fire deaths, 17,925 
        civilian fire injuries, and $10,672,000,000 in direct losses 
        due to fire.
            (2) Every year, over 100 firefighters die in the line of 
        duty. The United States Fire Administration should continue its 
        leadership to help local fire agencies dramatically reduce 
        these fatalities.
            (3) Members of the fire service community should continue 
        to work together to further the promotion of national voluntary 
        consensus standards that increase firefighter safety.
            (4) The United States Fire Administration provides crucial 
        support to the Nation's 30,300 fire departments through 
        training, emergency incident data collection, fire awareness 
        and education, and support of research and development 
        activities for fire prevention, control, and suppression 
        technologies.
            (5) The collection of data on fire and other emergency 
        incidents is a vital tool both for policy makers and emergency 
        responders to identify and develop responses to emerging 
        hazards. Improving the United States Fire Administration's data 
        collection capabilities is essential for accurately tracking 
        and responding to the magnitude and nature of the Nation's fire 
        problem.
            (6) The research and development performed by the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology, the United States Fire 
        Administration, other government agencies, and non-governmental 
        organizations on fire technologies, techniques, and tools 
        advance the capabilities of the Nation's fire service to 
        suppress and prevent fires.
            (7) The United States Fire Administration is one of the 
        strongest voices representing the Nation's fire service within 
        the Federal Government, and, as such, it should have a 
        prominent place within the Department of Homeland Security.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR UNITED STATES FIRE 
              ADMINISTRATION.

    Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding after subparagraph (D) the following new 
        subparagraphs:
                    ``(E) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, of which 
                $2,520,000 shall be used to carry out section 8;
                    ``(F) $72,100,000 for fiscal year 2010, of which 
                $2,595,600 shall be used to carry out section 8;
                    ``(G) $74,263,000 for fiscal year 2011, of which 
                $2,673,468 shall be used to carry out section 8; and
                    ``(H) $76,490,890 for fiscal year 2012, of which 
                $2,753,672 shall be used to carry out section 8.''.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY TRAINING PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS AND 
              REPORTS.

    (a) Amendments to Fire Academy Training.--Section 7(d)(1) of the 
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) 
is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``terrorist-caused 
        national catastrophes'' and inserting ``terrorist-caused and 
        other national catastrophes'';
            (2) in subparagraph (K), by striking ``forest'' and 
        inserting ``wildland'';
            (3) in subparagraph (M), by striking ``response tactics 
        and'' and inserting ``response, tactics, and'';
            (4) by redesignating subparagraphs (I) through (N) as 
        subparagraphs (M) through (R), respectively; and
            (5) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following new 
        subparagraphs:
                    ``(I) response, tactics, and strategies for 
                fighting large-scale fires or multiple fires in a 
                general area that cross jurisdictional boundaries;
                    ``(J) response, tactics, and strategies for 
                fighting fires occurring at the wildland-urban 
                interface;
                    ``(K) response, tactics, and strategies for 
                fighting fires involving hazardous materials;
                    ``(L) advanced emergency medical services 
                training;''.
    (b) Triennial Reports.--Section 7 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2206) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m) Triennial Report.--In the first annual report filed pursuant 
to section 16 for which the deadline for filing is after the expiration 
of the 18-month period that begins on the date of the enactment of the 
United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, and in 
every third annual report thereafter, the Administrator shall include 
information about changes made to the Academy curriculum, including--
            ``(1) the basis for such changes, including a review of the 
        incorporation of lessons learned by emergency response 
        personnel after significant emergency events and emergency 
        preparedness exercises performed under the National Exercise 
        Program; and
            ``(2) the desired training outcome of all such changes.''.
    (c) Authorizing the Administrator To Enter Into Contracts To 
Provide On-Site Training Through Certain Accredited Organizations.--
Section 7(f) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2206(f)) is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(f) Assistance.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator is authorized to 
        provide assistance to State and local fire service training 
        programs through grants, contracts, or otherwise.
            ``(2) Authorization to enter into contracts to provide on-
        site training through certain accredited organizations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Administrator is authorized 
                to enter into a contract with one or more nationally 
                recognized organizations that have established on-site 
                training programs that comply with national voluntary 
                consensus standards for fire service personnel to 
                facilitate the delivery of the education and training 
                programs outlined in subsection (d)(1) directly to fire 
                service personnel.
                    ``(B) Restrictions.--The Administrator shall not 
                enter into a contract with such organization unless 
                such organization--
                            ``(i) operates a fire service training 
                        program accredited by a nationally recognized 
                        accreditation organization experienced with 
                        accrediting such training; or
                            ``(ii) at the time the Administrator enters 
                        into the contract, provides training under such 
                        a program under a cooperative agreement with a 
                        Federal agency.
            ``(3) Restriction on use of funds.--The amounts expended by 
        the Administrator to carry out this subsection in any fiscal 
        year shall not exceed 4 per centum of the amount authorized to 
        be appropriated in such fiscal year pursuant to section 17 of 
        this Act.''.
    (d) Incident Command Training Course for Fires at Ports Required.--
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, in consultation 
with the Superintendent of the National Academy for Fire Prevention and 
Control, shall consolidate and integrate into the current Academy 
curriculum a course on incident command training for fire service 
personnel for fighting fires at United States ports and in marine 
environments, including fires on the water and aboard vessels.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL FIRE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM UPGRADES.

    (a) Incident Reporting System Database.--Section 9 of the Federal 
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2208) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) National Fire Incident Reporting System Update.--Of the 
amounts made available pursuant to subparagraphs (E), (F), and (G) of 
section 17(g)(1), the Administrator shall use no more than an aggregate 
amount of $5,000,000 during the 3-year period consisting of fiscal 
years 2009, 2010, and 2011 to carry out activities necessary to update 
the National Fire Incident Reporting system to an Internet-based, real-
time incident reporting database, including capital investment, 
contractor engagement, and user education.''.
    (b) Technical Correction.--Section 9(b)(2) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
2208(b)(2)) is amended by striking ``assist State,'' and inserting 
``assist Federal, State,''.

SEC. 6. FIRE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE AND RESEARCH DISSEMINATION.

    (a) Assistance to Fire Services for Fire Prevention and Control in 
Wildland-Urban Interface.--Section 8(d) of the Federal Fire Prevention 
and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2207(d)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Rural Assistance'' in the heading and 
        inserting ``Rural and Wildland-Urban Interface Assistance'';
            (2) by striking ``The Administrator'' and inserting ``(1) 
        The Administrator''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) The Administrator is authorized to assist the Nation's fire 
services, directly or through contracts, grants, or other forms of 
assistance, to sponsor and encourage research into approaches, 
techniques, systems, and equipment to improve fire prevention and 
control in the wildland-urban interface.''.
    (b) Technology Research Dissemination.--Section 8 of such Act (15 
U.S.C. 2207) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(h) Research Dissemination.--Beginning 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of the United States Fire Administration Reauthorization 
Act of 2008, the Administrator, in collaboration with the relevant 
departments and agencies of the Federal Government, shall make 
available to the public information about all ongoing and planned fire-
related research funded by the Administration during fiscal year 2007 
and each fiscal year thereafter, as well as the results generated from 
such research, through a regularly updated Internet-based database.''.

SEC. 7. ENCOURAGING ADOPTION OF STANDARDS FOR FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND 
              SAFETY.

    The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2201 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 37. ENCOURAGING ADOPTION OF STANDARDS FOR FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND 
              SAFETY.

    ``The Administrator shall promote adoption by fire services of 
national voluntary consensus standards for firefighter health and 
safety, including such standards for firefighter operations, training, 
staffing, and fitness, by educating fire services about such standards, 
encouraging the adoption at all levels of government of such standards, 
and making recommendations on other ways in which the Federal 
government can promote the adoption of such standards by fire 
services.''.

SEC. 8. COORDINATION REGARDING FIRE SERVICE-BASED EMERGENCY MEDICAL 
              SERVICES.

    (a) In General.--Section 21(e) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2218(e)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Coordination.--
            ``(1) In general.--To the extent practicable, the 
        Administrator shall utilize existing programs, data, 
        information, and facilities already available in other Federal 
        Government departments and agencies and, where appropriate, 
        existing research organizations, centers, and universities.
            ``(2) Coordination of fire prevention and control 
        programs.--The Administrator shall provide liaison at an 
        appropriate organizational level to assure coordination of the 
        Administrator's activities with State and local government 
        agencies, departments, bureaus, or offices concerned with any 
        matter related to programs of fire prevention and control with 
        private and other Federal organizations and offices so 
        concerned.
            ``(3) Coordination of fire service-based emergency medical 
        services programs.--The Administrator shall provide liaison at 
        an appropriate organizational level to assure coordination of 
        the Administrator's activities with State and local government 
        agencies, departments, bureaus, or offices concerned with 
        programs related to emergency medical services provided by fire 
        service-based systems with private and other Federal 
        organizations and offices so concerned.''.
    (b) Fire Service-Based Emergency Medical Services Best Practices.--
Section 8(c) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2207(c)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (4) as 
        paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new 
        paragraph:
    ``(2) The Administrator is authorized to conduct, directly or 
through contracts or grants, studies of the operations and management 
aspects of fire service-based emergency medical services and 
coordination between emergency medical services and fire services. Such 
studies may include the optimum protocols for on-scene care, the 
allocation of resources, and the training requirements for fire 
service-based emergency medical services.''.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 4 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 
(15 U.S.C. 2203) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Administration'' and 
        inserting ``Administration, who is the Assistant Administrator 
        of the Federal Emergency Management Agency'';
            (2) in paragraph (7), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (3) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and'';
            (4) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) as 
        paragraphs (7), (8), and (9), respectively;
            (5) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(6) `hazardous materials' has the meaning given such term 
        in section 5102(2) of title 49, United States Code;''; and
            (6) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(10) `wildland-urban interface' has the meaning given 
        such term in section 101(16) of the Healthy Forests Restoration 
        Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511(16)).''.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 342

110th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 4847

                          [Report No. 110-559]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             March 31, 2008

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed