[House Report 110-563]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



110th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     110-563

======================================================================



 
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL (H.R. 4847) TO REAUTHORIZE THE 
       UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

                                _______
                                

   April 2, 2008.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

    Ms. Sutton, from the Committee on Rules, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                      [To accompany H. Res. 1071]

    The Committee on Rules, having had under consideration 
House Resolution 1071, by a nonrecord vote, report the same to 
the House with the recommendation that the resolution be 
adopted.

                SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF THE RESOLUTION

    The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4847, the 
``United States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 
2008,'' under a structured rule. The resolution provides one 
hour of general debate equally divided and controlled by the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
Science and Technology.
    The resolution waives all points of order against 
consideration of the bill except those arising under clause 9 
or 10 of rule XXI. The resolution provides that, in lieu of the 
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the 
Committee on Science and Technology now printed in the bill, 
the amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in part A 
of this report shall be considered as an original bill for 
purpose of amendment and shall be considered as read. The 
resolution waives all points of order against the amendment in 
the nature of a substitute printed in part A of this report 
except those arising under clause 10 of rule XXI. This does not 
affect the point of order available under clause 9 of rule XXI 
(regarding earmark disclosure).
    The resolution makes in order only those amendments printed 
in part B of this report. Amendments so printed may be offered 
only in the order printed in this report, may be offered only 
by a Member designated in this report, shall be considered as 
read, shall be debatable for the time specified in this report 
equally divided and controlled by a proponent and an opponent, 
shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to 
a demand for division of the question in the House or in the 
Committee of the Whole. The resolution waives all points of 
order against such amendments except those arising under clause 
9 or 10 of rule XXI.
    The resolution provides one motion to recommit with or 
without instructions. Finally, notwithstanding the operation of 
the previous question, the Chair may postpone further 
consideration of the bill to a time designated by the Speaker.

                         EXPLANATION OF WAIVERS

    Although the resolution waives all points of order against 
the bill and its consideration (except those arising under 
clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI), the Committee is not aware of any 
points of order against the bill or its consideration. The 
waivers of all points of order against the bill and its 
consideration (except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of 
rule XXI) are prophylactic in nature.

SUMMARY OF AMENDMENT IN PART A PROPOSED TO BE MADE IN ORDER AS ORIGINAL 
                                  TEXT

    The amendment in the nature of a substitute makes changes 
to the findings in the bill, including changes to reflect 2006 
statistics of fire deaths, injuries, and property losses. For 
each fiscal year, the amendment removes the specific 
authorization for activities pertaining to section 8 of the 
original Federal Fire and Prevention Control Act (PL 93-498) 
regarding research, development, and standards activities. In 
section 4 of the bill, regarding National Fire Academy Training 
Program Modifications and Reports, the amendment changes the 
type of organization the Administrator of the U.S. Fire 
Administration (``USFA'') is authorized to contract with to 
deliver USFA training from organizations that ``comply with 
national voluntary consensus standards'' to organizations that 
``prepare fire service personal to meet national voluntary 
consensus standards for fire service personnel.'' It changes 
the type of organization the Administrator is authorized to 
enter into contracts with from an organization that ``operates 
a fire service training program accredited by a national 
recognized accreditation organization'' to organizations that 
provide ``training that leads to certification by a program 
accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation 
organization.'' It changes section 4 of the bill to provide 
that the incident command training course for fires at ports 
should not relate to border and port security. Finally, the 
amendment changes language requiring USFA to maintain an 
Internet database to strike ``fire-related research'' and 
substitute U.S. Fire Administration ``funded activities to 
advance new knowledge and best practices in firefighting.''

          SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS IN PART B TO BE MADE IN ORDER

    (Summaries derived from information provided by sponsors.)
    1. Pascrell (NJ): The amendment would provide that the 
National Fire Academy Training Program could train fire service 
personnel in response, tactics, and strategies for dealing with 
national catastrophes, including terrorist-caused national 
catastrophes and incidents that involve weapons of mass 
destruction. (10 minutes)
    2. Sali (ID): The amendment directs the Administrator, in 
collaboration with relevant Federal agencies and departments, 
to develop and provide information and training to such 
agencies and departments on the importance of clearing biomass 
in wildland areas of Federal lands to promote the safety of 
firefighters. (10 minutes)
    3. Langevin (RI): The amendment is a non-binding resolution 
demonstrating congressional support for the adoption of fire 
sprinklers in commercial buildings. This amendment also would 
demonstrate congressional support for educational programs that 
raise awareness of the importance of installing fire sprinklers 
in residential buildings. (10 minutes)

     PART A: TEXT OF AMENDMENT TO BE MADE IN ORDER AS ORIGINAL TEXT

  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

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. 
        For 2006, the National Fire Protection Association 
        reported 3,245 civilian fire deaths, 17,925 civilian 
        fire injuries, and $11,307,000,000 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, data collection, fire awareness and 
        education, and other activities for improving 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 
        Federal Government and non-government organizations on 
        fire technologies, techniques, and tools advance the 
        capabilities of the Nation's fire service to prevent 
        and suppress 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 Federal 
        Government.

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;
                  ``(F) $72,100,000 for fiscal year 2010;
                  ``(G) $74,263,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
                  ``(H) $76,490,890 for fiscal year 2012.''.

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 ``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 
                prepare fire service personnel to meet national 
                voluntary consensus standards for fire service 
                personnel and that 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) provides training that leads to 
                        certification by a program accredited 
                        by a nationally recognized 
                        accreditation organization; 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 
        percent 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. 
Such course shall not relate to border and port security.

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 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, for activities and equipment to improve 
fire prevention and control in the wildland-urban interface.''.
  (b) Dissemination.--Section 8 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2207) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
  ``(h) 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 regarding United States Fire Administration funded 
activities to advance new knowledge and best practices in 
firefighting, through a regularly updated Internet 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)).''.

             PART B: TEXT OF AMENDMENTS TO BE MADE IN ORDER

1. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Pascrell of New Jersey, 
               or His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 3, strike lines 23 through 25 and insert the following 
new paragraph:

          (1) by amending subparagraph (H) to read as follows:
                  ``(H) response, tactics, and strategies for 
                dealing with national catastrophes, including 
                terrorist-caused national catastrophes and 
                incidents that involve weapons of mass 
                destruction;'';
                              ----------                              


 2. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Sali of Idaho, or His 
                   Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 9, line 24, strike ``section'' and insert ``sections''.
  Page 10, after line 11, insert the following:

``SEC. 38. TRAINING AGENCIES ON IMPORTANCE OF CLEARING BIOMASS IN 
                    WILDLAND AREAS TO PROMOTE FIREFIGHTER SAFETY.

  ``In collaboration with the relevant departments and agencies 
of the Federal Government, the Administrator shall develop and 
provide information and training to relevant departments and 
agencies of the Federal Government on the importance of 
clearing biomass in wildland areas of Federal lands to promote 
the safety of firefighters.''.
                              ----------                              


   3. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Langevin of Rhode 
           Island, or His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  At the end of the bill, add the following new section:

SEC. 10. SUPPORTING THE ADOPTION OF FIRE SPRINKLERS.

  Congress supports the recommendations of the United States 
Fire Administration regarding the adoption of fire sprinklers 
in commercial buildings and educational programs to raise 
awareness of the importance of installing fire sprinklers in 
residential buildings.