[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H4820-H4823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING FIREFIGHTER LIFE SAFETY SUMMIT INITIATIVES AND MISSION OF 
    NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION AND UNITED STATES FIRE 
                             ADMINISTRATION

  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 180) to support initiatives 
developed by the Firefighter Life Safety Summit and the mission of the 
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the United States Fire 
Administration to reduce firefighter fatalities and injuries, to 
encourage implementation of the new ``Everyone Goes Home'' campaign to 
make firefighter safety a national priority, and to support the goals 
of the national ``stand down'' called by fire organizations.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 180

       Whereas for over 350 years our Nation's firefighters have 
     dedicated their lives to ensuring the safety of their fellow 
     citizens and communities;
       Whereas throughout our Nation's history too many 
     firefighters have died in the line of duty, leaving behind 
     family members and friends to grieve their tragic losses;
       Whereas these volunteer and career firefighters served with 
     pride and died with honor;
       Whereas in 1992 Congress created the National Fallen 
     Firefighters Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to 
     remember the Nation's fallen firefighters and assist their 
     survivors through a variety of programs;
       Whereas the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is 
     dedicated to preventing future firefighter deaths and 
     injuries;
       Whereas the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation 
     convened the first ever Firefighter Life Safety Summit in 
     March 2004 to support the United States Fire Administration's 
     goal of reducing firefighter fatalities by 25 percent within 
     5 years and 50 percent within 10 years through a commitment 
     of energy and resources;
       Whereas the Life Safety Summit developed 16 initiatives to 
     significantly reduce firefighter fatalities and injuries, 
     including the need to--
       (1) define and advocate the need for a cultural change 
     within the fire service relating to safety, incorporating 
     leadership, management, supervision, accountability, and 
     personal responsibility;
       (2) enhance the personal and organizational accountability 
     for health and safety throughout the fire service;
       (3) focus greater attention on the integration of risk 
     management with incident management at all levels, including 
     strategic, tactical, and planning responsibilities;
       (4) empower all firefighters to stop unsafe practices;
       (5) develop and implement national standards for training, 
     qualifications, and certification (including regular 
     recertification) that are equally applicable to all 
     firefighters, based on the duties they are expected to 
     perform;
       (6) develop and implement national medical and physical 
     fitness standards that are equally applicable to all 
     firefighters, based on the duties they are expected to 
     perform;
       (7) create a national research agenda and data collection 
     system that relates to the initiatives;
       (8) utilize available technology wherever it can produce 
     higher levels of health and safety;
       (9) thoroughly investigate all firefighter fatalities, 
     injuries, and near misses;
       (10) ensure that grant programs support the implementation 
     of safe practices and mandate safe practices as an 
     eligibility requirement;
       (11) develop and champion national standards for emergency 
     response policies and procedures;
       (12) develop and champion national protocols for response 
     to violent incidents;
       (13) provide firefighters and their families access to 
     counseling and psychological support;
       (14) provide public education more resources and champion 
     it as a critical fire and life safety program;
       (15) strengthen advocacy for the enforcement of codes and 
     the installation of home fire sprinklers; and
       (16) make safety be a primary consideration in the design 
     of apparatus and equipment; and

       Whereas the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the 
     International Association of Fire Fighters, the National 
     Volunteer Fire Council, and the Congressional Fire Services 
     Institute have partnered with a number of other fire service 
     organizations to call on all fire departments across the 
     Nation to conduct a ``stand down'' for firefighter safety 
     beginning Tuesday, June 21, 2005, during which fire 
     departments are urged to suspend all nonemergency activity 
     and instead focus entirely on firefighter safety in order to 
     raise the level of awareness toward firefighter safety and 
     call attention to the unacceptable number of line-of-duty 
     deaths and injuries: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) supports initiatives developed by the Firefighter Life 
     Safety Summit and the mission of the National Fallen 
     Firefighters Foundation and the United States Fire 
     Administration to reduce firefighter fatalities and injuries;
       (2) encourages implementation of the new ``Everyone Goes 
     Home'' campaign to make firefighter safety a national 
     priority; and
       (3) supports the goals of the national ``stand down'' 
     called by fire organizations beginning on June 21, 2005, and 
     encourages all career, volunteer and combination fire 
     departments across the country to participate in this 
     important and life saving effort.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Boehlert) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

[[Page H4821]]

may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 180.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in the early 1970s, a report by the President's National 
Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, entitled ``America 
Burning,'' presented a dismal assessment of fire safety in the United 
States. The report found that the U.S. had one of the worst, one of the 
worst, fire safety records in the industrialized world with nearly 
12,000 citizens and 250 firefighters lost to fires annually.
  In the years that followed that seminal report, the U.S. Fire 
Administration was created. Fire prevention and fire safety awareness 
programs were made a priority in communities across the country. And by 
1980, deaths suffered from both citizens and firefighters had been 
significantly reduced. These improvements steadily continued into the 
1980s, and by the end of the 1990s, firefighter deaths had been reduced 
to an average of about 100 annually. A dramatic drop; still too many.
  Unfortunately, after 3 decades of great progress, firefighter deaths 
are disturbingly once again on the rise. In 2003, 112 firefighters lost 
their lives in the line of duty. Last year 117 died. And so far this 
year, there have been 58 deaths, on pace for about 130, which is about 
a 30 percent increase over the average of the previous decade. That, 
Mr. Speaker, is totally unacceptable.
  These troubling statistics have triggered an unprecedented effort by 
the leadership of America's fire service to address this problem, and 
the concurrent resolution before us today recognizes and supports those 
efforts.
  Specifically, the concurrent resolution supports three important 
efforts, which I will briefly describe. First, the resolution supports 
the 16 fire safety initiatives developed at a recent Firefighter Life 
Safety Summit convened by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. 
The initiatives were developed to support the U.S. Fire 
Administration's goal, developed under the strong leadership of 
Administrator David Paulison, of reducing firefighter fatalities by 25 
percent within 5 years and 50 percent within 10 years. We are talking 
about life.
  The initiatives range from broad ideas on the need for cultural 
change within the fire service related to safety to specific goals such 
as the development of national standards for training, certification, 
and physical fitness.
  The second effort recognized by this concurrent resolution is the 
``Everyone Goes Home'' campaign to make firefighter safety a national 
priority. The campaign, led by the National Fallen Firefighters 
Foundation, intends to raise fire safety awareness and bring fire 
prevention to the forefront, using the 16 fire safety initiatives as a 
blueprint for change.
  And the third effort recognized by this concurrent resolution is a 
national ``stand down'' for firefighter safety. Today, all across the 
country, fire departments are being urged to suspend all nonemergency 
activity and instead focus entirely on firefighter safety, calling 
attention to the unacceptable number of line-of-duty deaths and 
injuries. During the stand down, fire departments will talk about the 
causes of line-of-duty deaths, check apparatus and equipment, discuss 
health and safety regulations, review fire ground safety issues, and 
take stock of training needs and fitness goals. The International 
Association of Fire Chiefs has also requested that all volunteer 
departments conduct a special safety meeting the evening of June 21, 
today, or as near to this date as is possible.
  I am pleased that we have the opportunity to bring attention to the 
firefighter safety problem that the fire service is facing today and 
recognize the importance of these efforts. But this problem, of course, 
cannot be addressed with one day of recognition. It will take years of 
steadfast commitment and cooperation by those in the fire service as 
well as the general public to achieve the fire safety goals set forth 
by the U.S. Fire Administration. But I am confident that if we work 
together, we will be successful; and I am hopeful that today's stand 
down marks an important turning point in our struggle to reduce line-
of-duty deaths by firefighters.
  And let me just add parenthetically that I am proud to be a Member of 
this great institution, the Congress of the United States, which has 
been responsible for initiating the Fire Safety Grant Award program, 
the SAFER program, providing resources. They get enough words from us 
on Capitol Hill about how supportive we are of the fire services. They 
want deeds, and we on a bipartisan basis have followed through by 
providing literally hundreds of million of dollars to firefighters 
across the country to get the necessary lifesaving equipment they need 
to do the job we expect of them: protecting us in our homes and our 
neighborhoods, our communities.
  So we all should take a brief moment to pat ourselves on the back for 
what we have done responsibly to respond to the problem. But that is 
not enough, and the fight continues, and I am proud to be a warrior in 
that fight. None of us had to be drafted. We enlisted.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. HOOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 180, 
which supports initiatives by the National Fire Service to reduce 
firefighter fatalities and injuries.
  I want to congratulate the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 
introducing this important measure. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Hoyer) is co-chair of the Fire Caucus and is a leading supporter of 
fire services in Congress and would be here now speaking except that he 
is in a markup on another legislation.
  This concurrent resolution calls attention to the need to take action 
to reduce firefighter deaths and injury. It explicitly endorses a call 
from the major fire service organizations for a stand down to promote 
fire safety. The stand down would apply to every volunteer and career 
fire department in the Nation.

                              {time}  1145

  It would require that each department suspend all nonemergency 
activities in order to concentrate on measures to raise awareness of 
safety issues and to institute steps to improve safety.
  A growing perception of the need to take corrective action to improve 
safety was the motivation for a major summit meeting of the fire 
service community in March 2004. The summit developed 16 firefighter 
life safety initiatives which are listed in the House resolution.
  Unfortunately, despite widespread dissemination and discussion of the 
initiatives, corrective action has been slow to develop, and the trend 
in loss in life in the fire service has not improved. The stand down 
constitutes an action to try to change the culture, which is widely 
believed to be a key factor in bringing about constructive change.
  The fire services perform a critical public safety role, and all 
Americans respect the high level of devotion to duty and sacrifice that 
characterize the service personnel. I applaud this resolution that 
seeks to reduce the loss of life and serious injury that too often 
occur to firefighters during the performance of their hazardous duties.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend this resolution to my colleagues and ask for 
their support in its passage by the House. Our firefighters have done 
an incredible job of fire prevention and rescue, saving millions of 
lives. It is our turn to make sure that we help them by reducing loss 
of life and serious injury through this resolution.
  If I may, I would just like to take a moment to read the names of 
those that have died in Oregon since 1997. There are 23 names: Randall 
E. Carpenter, Coos Bay Fire and Rescue; Jeffrey E. Common, Coos Bay 
Fire and Rescue; Chuck Hanners, Coos Bay Fire and Rescue; Paul E. 
Gibson, First Strike Environmental, Roseburg, Oregon; David Kelly 
Hammer, First Strike Environmental, Roseburg, Oregon; Jeffrey D. 
Hingel, First Strike Environmental, Roseburg; Jesse James, First Strike 
Environmental, Roseburg; Richard Burt ``Richie'' Moore, First Strike 
Environmental, Roseburg; Leland Price, First Strike Environmental, 
Roseburg, Oregon Department of Forestry Contractor; Mark

[[Page H4822]]

Robert Ransdell, First Strike Environmental, Roseburg, Oregon; Ricardo 
M. Ruiz, First Strike Environmental, Roseburg, Oregon; Robert Chisholm, 
Gearhart Volunteer Fire Department; Daniel Eric Rama, Grayback 
Forestry, Inc.; Bartholomew Blake Bailey, Grayback Forestry; Retha Mae 
Shirley, Grayback Forestry, Inc.; Larry A. Brown, Kingsley Field Fire 
Department, Klamath Falls; John Robert Hazlett, Odell Fire District; D. 
Craig Mackey, Oregon Department of Forestry; Lawrence J. ``Larry'' 
Hoffman, Oregon Department of Forestry; Thomas Howard Kistler, Polk 
County Fire District 1; Randall Harmon, Superior Helicopter, Grants 
Pass; George P. Converse, USDA Forest Service; Alan W. Wyatt, USDA 
Forest Service; and Richard W. Black, Weyerhaeuser, Eugene Helicopter 
Operation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  In wrapping up, I just want to recall a story about when I was a 
freshman Member of this great body 23 years ago. I sat on the Committee 
on Science, and we have jurisdiction over firefighter programs. I 
recall one of the witnesses being asked if there was a distinction 
between the professional and volunteer firefighters, and one of my 
senior colleagues at the time quickly demanded recognition from the 
chair, and he said to that Member asking the question, There are no 
amateurs in this business; they are all professionals. Some are paid, 
some are volunteer, but they are all professionals.
  The recognition of that has prompted all of us to initiate the fire 
safety Grant program, to initiate the SAFER program. We expect so much 
of our firefighters. They need the resources to do the job that we 
demand that they do every single day.
  All of us in our consciousness have a new appreciation for what the 
firefighters of America do as a result of 9/11 when 343 firefighters 
lost their lives. They gave their all for this Nation. Since then, we 
have developed in some quarters, where there was no prior recognition 
of the need of the fire service, a new appreciation for what we have to 
do.
  Once again, let me credit this institution. We are often criticized 
for not being as responsive as some would like to some of the issues 
facing us across this country. But this institution, on a bipartisan 
basis, has responded to the call.
  Today's resolution is about words and concepts and ideas, but more 
meaningful is the action, the deeds that we do by appropriating money, 
by following through to make certain that money is used for its 
intended purpose and used wisely, and it is. So this, in a sense, is an 
affirmation of our great appreciation for the firefighters, the men and 
women all across America on a very professional basis who daily are 
providing some measure of security for us in our homes and in our 
communities, and in our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. HOOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I read a list of 23 names from just those in Oregon, but that list 
could go on and on and on, depending on the State. I am hoping that 
through this resolution, although I am not foolish enough to believe 
that there will be no names, but I would sure like to see that reduced 
to as few as possible. They have done an incredible service to our 
country, to our communities, and I wish that for every profession we 
could look at a little bit later on and say, you have done this amazing 
job of prevention. Mr. Speaker, they are the ones that really make sure 
that every home, every business had a fire detector, and we think of 
the number of lives they have saved just by making sure we had that 
prevention piece. They have done it over and over and over again.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) is right, 
they were volunteers, but they were professional. They were there 
training, they were there every night of the week training, they worked 
all day. Yet when a fire called, they came from wherever they were to 
make sure that they helped put out that fire and saved and rescued 
lives. I represent a district that has many rural communities and, 
again, we have many volunteer fire departments, but they are 
professional. I hope my colleagues would support this measure.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased the House is considering this 
important resolution, which I have introduced with fire caucus co-
chairmen Curt Weldon, Sherry Boehlert and Rob Andrews.
  I would like to express my sincere gratitude not only for their hard 
work and support on this measure, but for their years of dedication and 
leadership on issues of importance to the men and women serving our 
communities, and our Country, in the fire service.
  I would also like to also recognize the contributions of Hal Bruno 
and Ron Siarnicki at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, as 
well as the United States Fire Administrator David Paulison, for having 
convened the Firefighter Life Safety Summit that resulted in the 
recommendations upon which this resolution is based.
  Finally, Bill Webb at the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, as he 
does on so many issues, worked to coordinate the efforts of NFFF, USFA, 
the fire service organizations and our Congressional offices to make 
this resolution a reality.
  Mr. Speaker, for a number of years, the Congressional Fire Services 
Caucus has worked with the Nation's fire service organizations to 
identify and address some of the major challenges facing career and 
volunteer fire departments across the Country.
  Among the results of these efforts has been the establishment and 
funding of such critical federal programs as the Fire Grants and SAFER.
  These programs have resulted in billions of dollars being 
appropriated to help meet the equipment, training and staffing needs of 
fire departments in large cities, small towns and rural communities 
across the Country.
  And there is no doubt the dollars provided by these programs have 
helped save the lives of firefighters and the citizens they protect.
  But there is also no escaping the reality that despite the amount of 
money spent, and the impact of these programs on improving the 
effectiveness and efficiency of fire departments, we still lose more 
than 100 firefighters every year to line of duty deaths, so many of 
which are preventable.
  The NFFF and USFA recognized this, and convened the firefighter life 
safety summit last year, with a goal of reducing firefighter fatalities 
by 25 percent within 5 years and 50 percent within 10 years.
  These are ambitious goals that will only be attained if every member 
of the Nation's fire service, from the presidents of national 
organizations to individual firefighters, is committed to implementing 
the 16 initiatives recommended at the summit, and supported by this 
resolution.
  These recommendations range from developing medical and physical 
fitness standards for all firefighters to empowering all firefighters 
to stop unsafe practices.
  To highlight the need to adopt these common sense changes, the 
International Association of Fire Chiefs is leading a national stand 
down this week, whereby all fire departments are urged to suspend all 
non-emergency activity and focus on firefighter safety.
  This resolution supports this effort, and encourages every fire 
department to participate in this national stand down in order to raise 
awareness among our firefighters about the need to take responsibility 
for their health and safety.
  Mr. Speaker, the job of fighting fires is one of the most dangerous 
and physically demanding activities one can undertake.
  The real tragedy is that we have allowed unsafe practices and 
unhealthy habits to make the job even more hazardous than it already 
is.
  Congress has, and will, continue to accept our responsibility to 
provide funding for the equipment, training and staffing needs of our 
departments, but we must insist that our firefighters accept 
responsibility for making themselves safer on the job.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 180 speaks to 
the heart of how we as a nation value the lives of each and every one 
of our firefighters. This resolution is a wake-up call to make 
firefighter safety a national priority. It is a wake-up call to remind 
us that we need to do more to prevent and reduce firefighter fatalities 
and injuries. It begins today, where fire departments across the 
country are participating in ``stand down.'' Today, at participating 
departments, all non-emergency activities are suspended and 
firefighters instead will focus only on firefighter safety. 
Firefighters are so used to putting their lives at risk to save others 
that their health and well-being is often neglected. Today we hope to 
begin a new trend where firefighter safety becomes a top priority for 
every firefighter, whether volunteer or paid, rural or urban, young or 
old.
  The safety and health of firefighters has never been a more important 
issue. Firefighters now have more responsibilities with

[[Page H4823]]

the increased focus on homeland security and hazard response. We rely 
on them to protect us from harm while we are at home, at work, and 
everywhere in between. Regrettably, more than 58 firefighters have died 
this year, a number that far exceeds the annual pace. This is 
especially disturbing because most, if not all, of these deaths are 
preventable. There are measures to be taken to reduce the number of 
fatalities--measures that are described in this resolution. These 
firefighters don't have to die. The number of deaths can be reduced, 
but we have to do more. Not only can we ill-afford to lose over 100 
firefighters a year, but we cannot afford to lose any. I fully support 
the goals of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the United 
States Fire Administration with respect to firefighter safety. I truly 
believe that at the end of the day, every firefighter must go home.
  Ms. HOOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the remainder of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Issa). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
180.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8, rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________