[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1499 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1499

  To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a survey to 
  determine the level of compliance with national voluntary consensus 
standards and any barriers to achieving compliance with such standards, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2009

Mr. Perlmutter introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on Science and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a survey to 
  determine the level of compliance with national voluntary consensus 
standards and any barriers to achieving compliance with such standards, 
                        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 ``Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act 
of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Each year in the United States, over 100 firefighters 
        die in the line of duty, while an additional tens of thousands 
        of firefighters are injured.
            (2) The Federal Government has a vested interest in 
        protecting firefighter health and safety, as it relies on local 
        fire departments to efficiently and effectively implement the 
        National Response Framework in the response to major disasters.
            (3) Adequate training, proper personal protective 
        equipment, safe staffing levels, safe operating procedures, and 
        physical and mental fitness of firefighters can reduce 
        avoidable firefighter fatalities.
            (4) The fire services, in conjunction with Government 
        agencies and interested private-sector parties, has partnered 
        with standards-making bodies to develop national voluntary 
        consensus standards for safe fire department operations and 
        fire fighting capabilities.
            (5) Such standards are widely respected and promoted by all 
        facets of the fire service to better ensure firefighter health 
        and safety.
            (6) Through its Firefighter Fatality Investigation and 
        Prevention Program, the National Institute for Occupational 
        Safety and Health has identified the failure to follow specific 
        national voluntary consensus standards as a contributing factor 
        in many firefighter deaths.
            (7) A comprehensive accounting of fire department 
        compliance with national voluntary consensus standards would 
        help policy makers seeking to enhance public safety and reduce 
        avoidable firefighter fatalities.

SEC. 3. SURVEY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

    (a) Survey Required.--Not later than 120 days after enactment of 
this bill, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the 
Task Force established under section 4, shall begin to conduct a survey 
of each career, volunteer, and combination fire department located in 
the United States in order to ascertain whether each such fire 
department is in compliance with national voluntary consensus 
standards. In carrying out the survey, the Secretary shall ascertain 
the rates of such compliance of--
            (1) paid, volunteer, and combination fire departments;
            (2) fire departments located in communities of varying 
        sizes; and
            (3) fire departments in each of the States and territories.
    (b) Contents of Survey.--The survey required under subsection (a) 
shall ascertain, for each fire department in the United States, 
compliance with national voluntary consensus standards for staffing, 
training, safe operations, personal protective equipment, and fitness.
    (c) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
findings of the survey required under subsection (a), including the 
rates of compliance under the categories specified under paragraphs 
(1), (2), and (3) of that subsection.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE TO ENHANCE FIREFIGHTER SAFETY.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a task force to be 
known as the ``Task Force to Enhance Firefighter Safety'' (hereinafter 
in this section referred to as the ``Task Force'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--Members of the Task Force shall be 
        appointed by the Secretary from among the general public and 
        shall include--
                    (A) representatives of national organizations 
                representing firefighters and fire chiefs;
                    (B) individuals representing standards-setting and 
                accrediting organizations, including representatives 
                from the voluntary consensus codes and standards 
                development community; and
                    (C) other individuals as the Secretary determines 
                to be appropriate.
            (2) Representatives of other departments and agencies.--The 
        Secretary may invite representatives of other departments and 
        agencies of the United States that have an interest in the fire 
        service to participate in the meetings and other activities of 
        the Task Force.
            (3) Number; terms of service; pay and allowances.--The 
        Secretary shall determine the number, terms of service, and pay 
        and allowances of members of the Task Force appointed by the 
        Secretary, except that a term of service of any such member may 
        not exceed two years.
    (c) Responsibilities.--The Task Force shall--
            (1) consult with the Secretary to conduct the survey 
        required under section 3; and
            (2) develop a plan to enhance firefighter safety by 
        increasing fire department compliance with national voluntary 
        consensus standards for staffing, training, safe operations, 
        personal protective equipment, and fitness, including by--
                    (A) reviewing and evaluating the report required 
                under section 3 to determine the extent of and barriers 
                to achieving compliance with national voluntary 
                consensus standards among fire departments; and
                    (B) considering ways in which the Federal 
                Government, States, and localities can promote, 
                encourage, or require fire departments to comply with 
                national voluntary consensus standards.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 6 months after the date on 
which the Secretary submits the report required under section 3(c), the 
Task Force shall submit to Congress and the Secretary a report 
containing the findings and recommendations of the Task Force together 
with the plan described in subsection (c)(2).

SEC. 5. NATIONAL VOLUNTARY CONSENSUS STANDARDS DEFINED.

    For the purposes of this Act, the term ``national voluntary 
consensus standards'' means the latest edition of the national 
voluntary consensus standards for fire fighter and fire department 
staffing, training, safe operations, personal protective equipment, and 
fitness available on the date of the enactment of this Act.
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