To authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 for fiscal years 2004 through 2006, and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States Fire Administration 
Authorization Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATOR.

    Notwithstanding section 1513 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 553), the Administrator of the United States Fire 
Administration shall continue to be appointed and compensated as 
provided under section 5(b) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2204(b)).

SEC. 3. NATIONAL RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER STRATEGY.

    Section 30 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 
(15 U.S.C. 2226) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The 
        Director, acting''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(b) National Residential Fire Sprinkler Strategy.--The 
Administrator shall develop and implement a strategy for promoting the 
installation and use of residential fire sprinklers. The strategy shall 
include--
            ``(1) advocacy and informational support to relevant 
        stakeholders, including builders, insurers, and State and local 
        decisionmakers;
            ``(2) promotion of residential sprinklers in residences 
        supported by the Federal Government;
            ``(3) a particular focus on residences--
                    ``(A) at high risk to fire hazards; and
                    ``(B) with occupants at high risk to fire hazards, 
                such as senior citizens and persons with disabilities; 
                and
            ``(4) a particular focus on localized fire suppression in 
        high-risk areas of residences.''.

SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR TRAINING TO FIGHT MARITIME FIRES.

    Subsection (b)(3)(B) of the first section 33 of the Federal Fire 
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(3)(B)) is amended 
by inserting ``maritime firefighting,'' after ``arson prevention and 
detection,''.

SEC. 5. FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS PROGRAM.

    The first section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 
of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Director'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``Administrator'';
            (2) by amending subsection (b)(2) to read as follows:
            ``(2) Administrative assistance.--The Administrator shall 
        establish specific criteria for the selection of recipients of 
        assistance under this section and shall provide grant-writing 
        assistance to applicants.''; and
            (3) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ``operate the office 
        established under subsection (b)(2) and''.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 
1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``to carry out the 
purposes'' and all that follows through the end of subparagraph (K) and 
inserting ``to the Administrator to carry out the purposes of this Act, 
other than the firefighter assistance program under section 33--
            ``(A) $58,928,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            ``(B) $60,700,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            ``(C) $62,520,000 for fiscal year 2006.''.

SEC. 7. COURSES AND TRAINING ASSISTANCE.

    Section 7(l) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 
(15 U.S.C. 2206(l)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
``The Superintendent shall offer, at the Academy and at other sites, 
courses and training assistance as necessary to accommodate all 
geographic regions and needs of career and volunteer firefighters.''.

SEC. 8. NEW FIREFIGHTING TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) In General.--Section 8 of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2207) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) Development of New Technology.--
            ``(1) In general.--In addition to, or as part of, the 
        program conducted under subsection (a), the Administrator, in 
        consultation with the National Institute of Standards and 
        Technology, the Inter-Agency Board for Equipment 
        Standardization and Inter-Operability, national voluntary 
        consensus standards development organizations, interested 
        Federal, State, and local agencies, and other interested 
        parties, shall--
                    ``(A) develop new, and utilize existing, 
                measurement techniques and testing methodologies for 
                evaluating new firefighting technologies, including--
                            ``(i) personal protection equipment;
                            ``(ii) devices for advance warning of 
                        extreme hazard;
                            ``(iii) equipment for enhanced vision;
                            ``(iv) devices to locate victims, 
                        firefighters, and other rescue personnel in 
                        above-ground and below-ground structures;
                            ``(v) equipment and methods to provide 
                        information for incident command, including the 
                        monitoring and reporting of individual 
                        personnel welfare;
                            ``(vi) equipment and methods for training, 
                        especially for virtual reality training; and
                            ``(vii) robotics and other remote-
                        controlled devices;
                    ``(B) evaluate the compatibility of new equipment 
                and technology with existing firefighting technology; 
                and
                    ``(C) support the development of new voluntary 
                consensus standards through national voluntary 
                consensus standards organizations for new firefighting 
                technologies based on techniques and methodologies 
                described in subparagraph (A).
            ``(2) Standards for new equipment.--(A) The Administrator 
        shall, by regulation, require that new equipment or systems 
        purchased through the assistance program established by section 
        33 meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus standards for 
        such equipment or systems for which applicable voluntary 
        consensus standards have been established. The Administrator 
        may waive the requirement under this subparagraph with respect 
        to specific standards.
            ``(B) If an applicant for a grant under section 33 proposes 
        to purchase, with assistance provided under the grant, new 
        equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed applicable 
        voluntary consensus standards, the applicant shall include in 
        the application an explanation of why such equipment or systems 
        will serve the needs of the applicant better than equipment or 
        systems that do meet or exceed such standards.
            ``(C) In making a determination whether or not to waive the 
        requirement under subparagraph (A) with respect to a specific 
        standard, the Administrator shall, to the greatest extent 
        practicable--
                    ``(i) consult with grant applicants and other 
                members of the fire services regarding the impact on 
                fire departments of the requirement to meet or exceed 
                the specific standard;
                    ``(ii) take into consideration the explanation 
                provided by the applicant under subparagraph (B); and
                    ``(iii) seek to minimize the impact of the 
                requirement to meet or exceed the specific standard on 
                the applicant, particularly if meeting the standard 
                would impose additional costs.
            ``(D) Applicants that apply for a grant under the terms of 
        subparagraph (B) may include a second grant request in the 
        application to be considered by the Administrator in the event 
        that the Administrator does not approve the primary grant 
        request on the grounds of the equipment not meeting applicable 
        voluntary consensus standards.''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 17 of the Federal 
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Development of New Technology.--In addition to sums otherwise 
authorized under this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated to 
the Administrator to carry out section 8(e)--
            ``(1) $2,200,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            ``(2) $2,250,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            ``(3) $2,300,000 for fiscal year 2006.''.

SEC. 9. COORDINATION OF RESPONSE TO NATIONAL EMERGENCY.

    (a) In General.--Section 10 of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2209) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b) Mutual Aid Systems.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator, after consultation 
        with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
        shall provide technical assistance and training to State and 
        local fire service officials to establish nationwide and State 
        mutual aid systems for dealing with national emergencies that--
                    ``(A) include threat assessment and equipment 
                deployment strategies;
                    ``(B) include means of collecting asset and 
                resource information to provide accurate and timely 
                data for regional deployment; and
                    ``(C) are consistent with the Federal Emergency 
                Management Agency's Federal Response Plan.
            ``(2) Model mutual aid plans.--The Administrator, in 
        consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency, shall develop and make available to State 
        and local fire service officials model mutual aid plans for 
        both intrastate and interstate assistance.''.
    (b) Report on Strategic Needs.--Within 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Fire 
Administration shall report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee 
on Science on the need for a strategy concerning deployment of 
volunteers and emergency response personnel (as defined in section 6 of 
the Firefighters' Safety Study Act (15 U.S.C. 2223e), including a 
national credentialing system, in the event of a national emergency.
    (c) Update of Federal Response Plan.--Within 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall--
            (1) revise that Agency's Federal Response Plan to 
        incorporate plans for responding to terrorist attacks, 
        particularly in urban areas, including fire detection and 
        suppression and related emergency services; and
            (2) transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, 
        Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives 
        Committee on Science describing the action taken to comply with 
        paragraph (1).

SEC. 10. TRAINING.

    (a) In General.--Section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon in subparagraph 
        (E);
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as subparagraph (N); 
        and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:
                    ``(F) strategies for building collapse rescue;
                    ``(G) the use of technology in response to fires, 
                including terrorist incidents and other national 
                emergencies;
                    ``(H) response, tactics, and strategies for dealing 
                with terrorist-caused national catastrophes;
                    ``(I) use of and familiarity with the Federal 
                Emergency Management Agency's Federal Response Plan;
                    ``(J) leadership and strategic skills, including 
                integrated management systems operations and integrated 
                response;
                    ``(K) applying new technology and developing 
                strategies and tactics for fighting forest fires;
                    ``(L) integrating terrorism response agencies into 
                the national terrorism incident response system;
                    ``(M) response tactics and strategies for fighting 
                fires at United States ports, including fires on the 
                water and aboard vessels; and''.
    (b) Consultation on Fire Academy Classes.--The Superintendent of 
the National Fire Academy may consult with other Federal, State, and 
local agency officials in developing curricula for classes offered by 
the Academy.
    (c) Coordination With Other Programs To Avoid Duplication.--The 
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall, where 
appropriate, coordinate training provided under section 7(d)(1) of the 
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) 
with the heads of other Federal agencies--
            (1) to ensure that such training does not duplicate 
        existing courses available to fire service personnel; and
            (2) to establish a mechanism for eliminating duplicative 
        training programs.




                                                 

Summary: United States Fire Administration Authorization Act of 2003 - Re-establishes the position of United States Fire Administrator. Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to require the Administrator to develop and implement a national residential fire sprinkler strategy that meets specified requirements. Allows the use of fire prevention program grant assistance for training of firefighting personnel in maritime firefighting. Transfers the duties of the Director of the United States Fire Administration to the Administrator with respect to the firefighter assistance grants program. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish specific criteria for the selection of assistance recipients. And (2) provide grant-writing assistance to applicants. Authorizes FY 2004 through 2006 appropriations for the Administrator to carry out this Act other than the firefighter assistance grants program. Requires the Superintendent of the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control to offer, at the Academy and other sites, courses and training assistance as necessary to accommodate all geographic regions and needs of career and volunteer firefighters. Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop new, and utilize existing, measurement techniques and testing methodologies for evaluating firefighting technologies. (2) evaluate the compatibility of new and existing equipment and technology. And (3) support the development of new standards through national voluntary consensus standards organizations for new firefighting technologies. Requires the Administrator, by regulation, to require that new equipment or systems purchased through the assistance program established by the Act meet or exceed established applicable voluntary consensus standards. Allows the Administrator to waive this requirement. Requires a grant applicant, who proposes to purchase with assistance provided under the grant new equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus standards, to include in the application an explanation of why such equipment or systems will serve the needs of the applicant better than equipment or systems that do meet or exceed such standards. Allows a grant applicant to include a second grant request in the application to be considered by the Administrator in the event the primary grant request is not approved on the grounds of the equipment not meeting such standards. Authorizes FY 2004 through 2006 appropriations for the Administrator to develop new firefighting technology. Directs the Administrator to: (1) provide technical assistance and training to State and local fire service officials to establish nationwide and State mutual aid systems for dealing with national emergencies. And (2) develop and make model mutual aid plans for both intrastate and interstate assistance available to State and local fire service officials. Requires the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees on the need for a strategy concerning deployment of volunteers and emergency response personnel, including a national credentialing system, in the event of a national emergency. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: (1) revise the FEMA Federal Response Plan to incorporate plans for responding to terrorist attacks, particularly in urban areas, including fire detection and suppression and related emergency services. And (2) report to specified congressional committees on the action taken to comply with such revisions. Authorizes the Superintendent of the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control to train fire service personnel in: (1) strategies for building collapse rescue, (2) the use of technology in response to fires. (3) response, tactics, and strategies for dealing with terrorist-caused national catastrophes. (4) use of and familiarity with the FEMA's Federal Response Plan. (5) leadership and strategic skills, including integrated management systems operations and integrated response. (6) applying new technology and developing strategies and tactics for fighting forest fires. (7) integrating terrorism response agencies into the national terrorism incident response system. And (8) response tactics and strategies for fighting fires at US ports, including fires on the water and aboard vessels. Authorizes the Superintendent to consult with other Federal, State, and local agency officials in developing curricula for classes offered by the Academy. Requires the Administrator, where appropriate, to coordinate training provided under the Act with the heads of other Federal agencies to: (1) ensure that such training does not duplicate existing courses available to fire service personnel, and (2) establish a mechanism for eliminating duplicative programs.