[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9783]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             FIRE ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 1999

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1550, 
the Fire Administration Authorization Act of 1999 because it embodies 
the proper role the federal government can play in the important area 
of fire prevention.
  The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is charged with reducing the 
number of fires and fire deaths in the United States. In 1997, the 
number of fires reached 1.79 million, claimed 4,050 lives, and produced 
$8.5 billion in damages. Given these large numbers, sometimes the 
temptation is to forge ahead creating new programs and pouring billions 
of taxpayer dollars into grants with Federal strings attached despite 
the expertise and accountability found best at the local level. In my 
state of Delaware, most of the firefighters are volunteers. They serve 
as firefighters out of dedication to their communities. In addition, 
because they are taxpayers in these communities, they make careful, 
calculated decisions about what investments are really needed in fire 
prevention. The United States should encourage more of this style of 
government and less top-down, centralized control.
  H.R. 1550 resists that temptation and maintains the proper role of 
the federal government in these affairs. It increases discretionary 
funding by $96 million to a total of $45.1 million in FY 2000 and $47.5 
million in FY 2001 so USFA can improve its service as a research center 
and clearinghouse of information for state and local governments to 
draw upon.
  Furthermore, the bill sets aside $6 million in FY 2000 and $8 million 
in FY 2001 to train fire crews for anti-terrorism and response 
activities. This goes beyond the Clinton Administration's budget 
request. One of the best areas the federal government can play a role 
in fire prevention, is in helping states respond to terrorist attacks. 
The federal government is best suited to provide training or anti-
terrorism and response activities due to its expertise in national 
defense, its strong intelligence capabilities, and the often-
international character of terrorism.
  More work may be needed in training our state and local governments 
to respond to terrorism incidents. H.R. 1550 requires USFA to 
investigate the need for further counter-terrorism training programs. 
Last year, Congress passed the Rescue and Emergency Services Prepared 
for Our Nation's Defense Act. It created a commission to assess our 
nation's weapons of mass destruction domestic response capabilities. I 
am anxious to read these reports when they are completed and begin to 
implement the suggestions in a timely manner. As the world's only 
superpower, the United States is a big target for terrorist attacks. We 
must accept the reality that comes with being a world superpower and 
respond accordingly.
  Again, I urge my colleagues to support this bill as a strong common 
sense, fiscally responsible measure that preserves the principles of 
federalism that have helped make the United States a world leader. 
Firefighting will always be predominantly a local responsibility 
carried out by dedicated members of the community. The federal 
government should not interfere in this effort, but provide appropriate 
support to help on national problems such as terrorism. This bill 
maintains that important balance.




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