[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             CONCERNS RAISED AT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SEMINAR

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 1994

  Mr. ANDREWS of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, our Nation has had more than 
its fair share of natural disasters. While volunteers, FEMA personnel, 
State and local officials continue to work hard when disasters strike, 
it is clear that Federal response to emergencies could be improved. 
Earlier this session I introduced the Presidential FEMA Reform Act of 
1993 (H.R. 3397). This bill calls for a Presidential Commission, 
composed of people who are in the field, helping the victims of natural 
disasters, to rethink the way we respond to natural disasters.
  As a follow up to my legislation, I held an emergency management 
seminar in my district. I rise today to share with my colleagues some 
of the concerns that were raised by those who attended that seminar. 
The participants of the seminar included local emergency coordinators 
and representatives from ambulance squads, fire and police agencies, 
the insurance industry, the media, and labor unions. Those who attended 
the seminar had various comments on possible methods to improve FEMA 
They have also made comments on some specific problems they have 
observed. The results of this seminar demonstrate how important it is 
to convene those who work with FEMA in order to learn more of the site 
specific concerns.
  The representatives from the local police departments discussed the 
current lack of communications capabilities between the police, 
firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. They mentioned that most 
of the police agencies have recently upgraded their radios with ones 
that operate at 500 megahertz. The problem is that the EMS and 
firefighters are still using radios that operate at 400 megahertz. The 
police representatives also discussed that not all of their personnel 
have been trained in the incident command system. There has also not 
been any refresher training in this system. They also recommended a 
country-wide mock exercise to test the systems already in existence to 
see if changes or improvements are necessary.Their last comments 
regarded the Assistance Standard Handbook and the Public Assistance 
Manual do not include any chapters on major disasters. They believe 
that these sections should be added so the local welfare agencies will 
have the authority to act in the case of a disaster. They stated that a 
lack of funding was the primary cause for all of these problems.

  Representatives from the local fire groups felt that there is a need 
to improve the communications between fire personnel and local public 
utilities. They also commented that FEMA should provide training, 
improve coordination on a local level, and provide criteria for when 
FEMA will get involved.
  Representatives from the local government were concerned over the 
lack of oversight regarding the construction of public buildings. Many 
plans name certain facilities as emergency shelters, but they are not 
equipped for that purpose. They representatives said that money should 
be made available for upgrading schools and other public buildings for 
use in the Emergency Services Plan. They propose a review process for 
the plans of these emergency shelters. They also recommended that a 
State or Federal agency should be placed in charge of researching 
available resources such as water availability, food, equipment, etc. 
This information should then be provided to local and county EMS. They 
also commented that there is currently no coordination between the 
medical facilities plan and the local and county EMS plan. They also 
recommended that a chain of command should be clearly defined at each 
incident.
  The emergency management coordinators recommended that FEMA should 
have an emergency operating plan. They also recommended that FEMA 
should have a flow chart that includes the Incident Command System and 
have better communications at the local level. They also commented that 
FEMA should provide more training at the local level in order to better 
deal with possible emergencies. In regards to the goals of FEMA, they 
recommended that FEMA should move away from its cold war civil defense 
policies and revamp its mission statement and objectives. They also 
suggested that FEMA should not be responders to an emergency, but 
should be involved heavily in recovery when requested by the governor 
of a state.
  This is just an example of the good ideas and initiatives that result 
when professionals have the opportunity to sit down and develop 
solutions to their problems. We need to foster more of this type of 
productive dialogue.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that the above expressed concerns will be taken 
into consideration when Congress cosniders FEMA reform in the 104th 
session.
  Participants of the seminar are listed below.
  Mr. Richard Burger; Mr. Chuck Van Camp; Mr. Fred DeLia; Mr. Michael 
DiPierri, Jr.; Mr. Gerald Dilmore; Mr. Paul Dost; Mr. William B. Duffy; 
Mr. Donald Elmer; Mr. Edward Emrich; Mr. William Fortier.

  Mr. Michael Grasso; Ms. Nancy Hallahan; Mr. Dan Holben; Mr. Richard 
H. Loock; Mr. Richard Newhard; Mr. Ralph J. Persico; Mr. Edward 
Reynolds; Mr. Gene Richards; Mr. Theodore Roth; Mr. Robert J. Saunders.
  Mr. Cyrus Saxon; Ms. Patricia Speas; Mr. Carl Wentzell; Chief David 
G. Aron; Chief Bill Bates; Mr. Harry Clayton; Chief George Cox; Chief 
Gene Dannenfelser; Mr. Cassamiro Delaurentis; Chief Scott A. Graboyes.
  Mr. Paul E. Hartstein; Mr. Joe Jackson; Mr. Samuel Jenkins; Mr. Paul 
Lidaka; Mr. Scott Longfellow; Mr. Charles W. Mars; Mr. George Martin; 
Mr. Donald Maxfield; Mr. William B. Murrow; Mr. John O'Leary.
  Mr. Gregory J. Price; Mr. Patrick J. Robinson; Mr. George W. Rogers; 
Chief Joel Rosenberg; Deputy Chief Kevin Scanlon; Chief William 
Schaffer; Deputy Chief William Shelton; Chief William Wakeman; Mr. John 
D. West; Mr. Joseph Whalen.
  Chief Richard Wright; Hon. Beatrice A. Cerkez; Ms. Rosemarie 
Chisholm-Cohen; Ms. Jean DiGennaro; Mr. Charles V. DiPietropolo; Mr. 
Forrest Eichmann; Hon. Pamela J. Hammer; Mr. Sheriff James Hogan; Hon. 
Walter Jost; Hon. Frank F. Law, Jr.
  Hon. Raymond E. Muller; Mr. Walter G. Sandell, Jr; Hon. Donald W. 
Steward; Hon. Harry J. Stone, Jr.; Mr. Fred Vilardo; Mr. Don Benedik; 
Ms. Eslyn Byarm; Ms. Joyce Drumming; Mr. Thomas J. Duffy; Mr. Wayne 
Eastlack.
  Ms. Yolanda Edwards; Mr. Don Gibbs; Mr. Gary Ginsberg; Mr. Joseph 
Giordano; Mr. Martin Idler; Dr. Frank Levin; Mr. Martin Marzullo; Mr. 
Sean McGovern; Mr. John McInerney; Dr. Mary C. O'Brien.
  Ms. Lisa Palmer; Mr. James Richmann; Mr. Thomas A. Starr; Mr. James 
Wood; Mr. James B. Kehoe; Mr. Donald Norcross; Mr. Thomas C. Ober; Ms. 
Cathie Abookire; Mr. Rich Archut; Mr. Glenn F. Holdcraft.
  Ms. Janet Kowalczyk; Ms. Andrea Ramsey; Ms. Robin Rieger; Mr. Charles 
Barone; Chief Joseph L. Batten; Ms. Kathleen V. Benton; Mr. Charles 
Dawalt III; Mr. Sheldon L. Fortune; Mr. William Gahagan; Chief Hank 
Jefferson.
  Mr. George Kimble; Mr. Richard Kirshbaum; Mr. James Marcott; Mr. 
Craig W. Martin; Mr. Michael McCarthy; Chief William Moffett; Chief 
Dominic Palese; Chief Joseph M. Palladino, Jr.; Chief Charles Pope; Mr. 
John Prettyman.
  Mr. Kenneth Saunders; Mr. Leo Selb; Mr. Theodore Taylor; Mr. Fred 
Wolcott; Mr. Frank Ambrouse; Mr. Clarence M. Davis; Mr. Chris DeLuzio; 
Mr. Robert Ellis; Ms. Priscilla R. Flynn; Ms. Shawn Hodges.
  Ms. Karen Nixon; Ms. Kathy O'Leary; Mr. John Barlas; Mr. Arthur 
Candenquist; Mr. Bob Carney; Mr. Skip Elliott; Mr. Steven Fasano; Mr. 
Bob Fatzinger; Mr. Robert E. Fonash; Mr. Robert Livingston; Mr. Arthur 
E. Shearman, Jr.; and Mr. David R. Tideman.

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