U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800

Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001

74–725PDF 2012

WORKING FOR A FIRE SAFE AMERICA: 

EXAMINING UNITED STATES 

FIRE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND 

TECHNOLOGY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 

Serial No. 112–85 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

HON. RALPH M. HALL, Texas, Chair 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland 

FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois 

W. TODD AKIN, Missouri 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia 

SANDY ADAMS, Florida 

BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona 

CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, 

Tennessee 

E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

ANDY HARRIS, Maryland 

RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana 

DAN BENISHEK, Michigan 

VACANCY 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois 

LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

BRAD MILLER, North Carolina 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland 

BEN R. LUJA ́ N, New Mexico 

PAUL D. TONKO, New York 

JERRY MCNERNEY, California 

TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama 

FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida 

HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan 

SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

HON. BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona, Chair 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, 

Tennessee 

E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland 

FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

BEN R. LUJA ́ N, New Mexico 

SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon 

VACANCY 

VACANCY 

VACANCY 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Thursday, May 17, 2012 

Page 

Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 

Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 

Opening Statements 

Statement by Representative Benjamin Quayle, Chairman, Subcommittee on 

Technology and Innovation, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 

U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 8 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 9 

Statement by Representative Donna F. Edwards, Ranking Minority Member, 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Committee on Science, Space, 

and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................... 9 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 11 

Witnesses: 

Mr. Ernest Mitchell, Jr., Administrator, United States Fire Administration 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 12 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 15 

Dr. John R. Hall, Jr., Division Director, Fire Analysis and Research, National 

Fire Protection 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 22 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 24 

Chief Jim Critchley, Tucson Fire Department; President, Western Fire Chiefs 

Association 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 34 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 36 

Mr. Kevin O’Connor, Assistant to the General President for Governmental 

Affairs, International Association of Fire Fighters 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 40 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 42 

Discussion ................................................................................................................. 47 

Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions 

Mr. Ernest Mitchell, Jr., Administrator, United States Fire Administration .... 58 

Dr. John R. Hall, Jr., Division Director, Fire Analysis and Research, National 

Fire Protection Association .................................................................................. 74 

Chief Jim Critchley, Tucson Fire Department; President, Western Fire Chiefs 

AssociationTruth in Testimony ........................................................................... 76 

Mr. Kevin O’Connor, Assistant to the General President for Governmental 

Affairs, International Association of Fire Fighters ........................................... 78 

(1) 

WORKING FOR A FIRE SAFE AMERICA: 

EXAMINING UNITED STATES 

FIRE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES 

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:01 a.m., in Room 

2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Benjamin Quayle 

[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 

Chairman QUAYLE. The Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation will come to order. 

Good morning. Welcome to today’s hearing entitled ‘‘Working for 

a Fire-Safe America: Examining United States Fire Administration 

Priorities.’’ In front of you are packets containing the written testimony, biographies and Truth in Testimony disclosures for today’s 

witnesses. I now recognize myself for five minutes for an opening 

statement. 

Today’s hearing is being held to review the fire service community’s priorities for the future of the United States Fire Administration, the USFA. The USFA was established following the 1973 report of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, 

‘‘America Burning,’’ which recommended the creation of a federal 

fire agency to provide support to state and local governments and 

private fire organizations in their efforts to reduce fire deaths, injuries, and property loss. 

The USFA has a substantial public safety mission. Although the 

country’s fire death rate continues to decline, it is higher than 

more than half of the industrialized countries. 

The USFA prepares first responders and health care leaders to 

react to hazard and terrorism emergencies. It supports the efforts 

of state and local governments by providing training for first responders, educational programs and targeted outreach for communities, and conducting and coordinating the research and development of technologies for the fire service. The USFA also assists 

with data collection, analysis, and the dissemination of best practices for the Nation’s fire prevention and control, and emergency 

medical services activities. 

In recent years, there has been an escalation of severe wildfires 

resulting in home and property loss. This can be attributed to expanding development in wildland areas, which include an abundance of burnable brush and trees. 2011 was an exceptional year 

for wildfires in the United States, and major blazes affected my 

home State of Arizona. In late May 2011, the Wallow Fire raced 

across eastern Arizona, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and burning more than 469,000 acres, making it the largest 

in Arizona’s history. The fire is believed to have started after a 

campfire blew out of control and spread quickly due to dry weather 

and fierce winds. Over 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the Wallow Fire. 

Currently, there are hundreds of firefighters working to contain 

at least four blazes in central and eastern Arizona. This represents 

just a fraction of the thousands of first responders and firefighters 

who risk their lives each and every day battling fires across the 

country. The USFA supports these individuals. They don’t take 

their responsibilities lightly, and I as an authorizer of the USFA, 

neither do I. 

The testimony of our witnesses this morning should help the 

members of the Subcommittee to understand the priorities of the 

USFA, in order to better enable the USFA’s continued efforts to reduce fire deaths, injuries, and property loss. We thank our witnesses for being here today and we look forward to your testimony. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Quayle follows:] 
9 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SUBCOMMITTE CHAIRMAN DAN QUAYLE

Good Morning. I would like to welcome everyone to today’s hearing reviewing the 

fire service community’s priorities for the future of the United States Fire Administration (USFA). 

The USFA was established following the 1973 report of the National Commission 

on Fire Prevention and Control, America Burning, which recommended the creation 

of a federal fire agency to provide support to state and local governments and private fire organizations in their efforts to reduce fire deaths, injuries, and property 

loss. 

The USFA has a substantial public safety mission. Although the country’s fire 

death rate continues to decline, it is higher than more than half of the industrialized countries. 

The USFA prepares first responders and health care leaders to react to hazard 

and terrorism emergencies. It supports the efforts of state and local governments 

by providing training for first responders, educational programs and targeted outreach for communities, and conducting and coordinating the research and development of technologies for the fire service. The USFA also assists with data collection, 

analysis, and the dissemination of best practices for the nation’s fire prevention and 

control, and emergency medical services activities. 

In recent years, there has been an escalation of severe wildfires resulting in home 

and property loss. This can be attributed to expanding development in wildland 

areas—which include an abundance of burnable brush and trees. 2011 was an exceptional year for wildfires in the United States, and major blazes affected my home 

state of Arizona. In late May 2011, the Wallow Fire raced across eastern Arizona, 

forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and burning more than 469,000 

acres, making it the largest in Arizona’s history. The fire is believed to have started 

after a campfire blew out of control and spread quickly due to dry weather and 

fierce winds. 

Over 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the Wallow Fire. Currently, there are 

hundreds of firefighters working to contain at least four blazes in central and eastern Arizona. This represents just a fraction of the thousands of first responders and 

firefighters who risk their lives each and every day battling fires across the country. 

The USFA supports these individuals. They don’t take their responsibilities lightly, 

and as an authorizer of the USFA, neither do I. 

The testimony of our witnesses this morning should help the members of the Subcommittee to understand the priorities of the USFA, in order to better enable the 

USFA’s continued efforts to reduce fire deaths, injuries, and property loss. We thank 

our witnesses for being here today and we look forward to your testimony. 

Chairman QUAYLE. I now recognize the gentlelady from Maryland, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Ms. Edwards, for 

her opening statement. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for calling this morning’s hearing to examine the activities and priorities 

of the United States Fire Administration. I am very pleased to welcome Chief Mitchell and our other witnesses here today so we can 

hear more about his vision for the Administration. I am particularly pleased to welcome my good friend Kevin O’Connor as well as 

our other witnesses, and I want to thank you for taking the time 

from your schedules to be with us. 

The Fire Administration was created in 1974 with the goal of reducing the number of fire-related deaths by half from a staggering 

12,000 per year. Through the good work of the Fire Administration 

and our first responders, we met this goal in 1988. The number of 

fire-related deaths continues to decline but, unfortunately, our 

country’s fire-related death rate is still one of the highest in the industrialized world. And it is estimated that in 2009, fire cost the 

United States over $331 billion in economic and human losses. 

Chairman Quayle just spoke about the loss in his own state. 

The Fire Administration continues to play a central role in reducing the impacts of fire and making our communities safer. It is 

responsible for improving the ability of fire departments around the 
10 

country to respond to fires safely and effectively through research 

and firefighter training and for increasing fire prevention and preparedness through public education and awareness activities. 

Certainly, fires are still a major problem in our country and the 

Fire Administration’s continued leadership in the area is critical. 

However, we can’t ignore the fact that our firefighters are not just 

fighting fires anymore. On any given day, our firefighters are rushing to the scene in response to over 72,000 calls that range in scope 

from a house fire to a car crash to a hazardous material spill to 

a medical emergency. The truth is that our firefighters are our first 

responders in all types of emergencies, including terrorist attacks 

and natural disasters, and the range of training and education they 

need to be successful must expand and evolve to reflect this reality. 

As part of the Fire Administration’s last reauthorization in 2008, 

we emphasized the need to advance training in, for example, emergency medical services and hazardous material response. I will be 

interested in hearing today about the status of those advances and 

learning from our witnesses whether the Fire Administration’s 

training courses are in fact meeting the expanded all-hazards 

needs of today’s fire service. 

I am also interested in hearing about the current state of firerelated research, any emerging research areas or existing gaps, and 

how the Fire Administration is contributing to these efforts. I 

would also like to learn more about how the Fire Administration 

prioritizes its research investments and how it coordinates its research activities with other federal entities engaged in fire-related 

research, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Science and Technology Directorate within the Department of Homeland Security. 

Most importantly, however, I am interested in hearing recommendations or suggestions about what ought to be included in 

the next Fire Administration reauthorization bill. As you are 

aware, the current authorization for the Fire Administration expires in just over four months. I am pleased that we are holding 

this hearing today and think it is an important first step, and I sincerely hope that the decision to call this hearing is an indication 

that there are plans to draft and move a reauthorization bill 

through this Committee in the coming weeks. I hope the Chairman 

will be able to provide some insight into these plans this morning. 

And as you may be aware, our colleagues in the Senate passed 

a Fire Administration reauthorization bill through the Committee 

on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs just yesterday. I 

believe we also have an obligation and an opportunity to ensure 

that the Fire Administration’s authority continues uninterrupted, 

and I look forward to working with the Chairman towards that 

end. 

Again, Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this important hearing. The Fire Administration plays an essential role in ensuring 

that our firefighters, who are so critical to the safety and resiliency 

of our Nation, have the tools they need to protect us and keep us 

out of harm’s way. I am looking forward to hearing from our witnesses about the tools Congress can provide the Fire Administration that will allow them to effectively assist fire departments all 

across the country. 
11 

And I yield the balance of my time. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Edwards follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER DONNA F. EDWARDS

Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this morning’s hearing to examine the activities and priorities of the United States Fire Administration. I’m very pleased to welcome Chief Mitchell here today so we can hear more about his vision for the Administration. The position of Administrator was vacant for far too long, and we’re delighted to finally have you on board and at the helm. I’d also like to thank our other 

witnesses for taking time out of their schedules to be here today and share their 

critical insight with us. 

The Fire Administration was created in 1974 with the goal of reducing the number of fire-related deaths by half from a staggering 12,000 per year. Through the 

good work of the Fire Administration and our first responders, we met this goal in 

1988. The number of fire-related deaths continues to decline but, unfortunately, our 

country’s fire-related death rate is still one of the highest in the industrialized 

world. And it is estimated that, in 2009, fire cost the United States over $331 billion 

dollars in economic and human losses. 

The Fire Administration continues to play a central role in reducing the impacts 

of fire and making our communities safer. It is responsible for improving the ability 

of fire departments around the country to respond to fires safely and effectively 

through research and firefighter training and for increasing fire prevention and preparedness through public education and awareness activities. 

Certainly, fires are still a major problem in our country and the Fire Administration’s continued leadership in this area is critical. However, we can’t ignore the fact 

that our firefighters are not just fighting fires anymore. On any given day, our firefighters are rushing to the scene in response to over 72,000 calls that range in scope 

from a house fire to a car crash to a hazardous material spill to a medical emergency. The truth is that our firefighters are our first responders in all types of emergencies, including terrorist attacks and natural disasters, and the range of training 

and education they need to be successful must expand and evolve to reflect this reality. 

As part of the Fire Administration’s last reauthorization in 2008, we emphasized 

the need to advance training in, for example, emergency medical services and hazardous material response. I’m interested to hear today about the status of those advances and learn from our witnesses whether the Fire Administration’s training 

courses are in fact meeting the expanded all-hazards needs of today’s fire service. 

I’m also interested in hearing about the current state of fire-related research, any 

emerging research areas or existing gaps, and how the Fire Administration is contributing to these efforts. I would also like to learn more about how the Fire Administration prioritizes its research investments and how it coordinates its research activities with other Federal entities engaged in fire-related research, including the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Science and Technology Directorate within the Department of Homeland Security. 

Most importantly, however, I am interested in hearing recommendations or suggestions about what ought to be included in the next Fire Administration reauthorization bill. As you are aware, the current authorization for the Fire Administration 

expires in just over four months. I am pleased that we are holding this hearing 

today and think that it is an important first step. I sincerely hope that the decision 

to call this hearing is an indication that there are plans to draft and move a reauthorization bill through this Committee in the coming weeks. I hope that the Chairman will be able to provide some insight into these plans this morning. 

As you may be aware, our colleagues on the Senate passed a Fire Administration 

reauthorization bill through the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs yesterday. I believe we also have an obligation and an opportunity 

to ensure that the Fire Administration’s authority continues uninterrupted and I 

look forward to working with the Chairman towards that end. 

Again, Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this important hearing. The Fire Administration plays an essential role in ensuring that our firefighters—who are so 

critical to the safety and resiliency of our Nation—have the tools they need to protect us and keep us out of harm’s way. I’m looking forward to hearing from our witnesses about the ‘‘tools’’ Congress can provide the Fire Administration that will 

allow them to effectively assist fire departments across the country. 

I yield back the balance of my time. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Ms. Edwards. 
12 

If there are Members who wish to submit additional opening 

statements, your statements will be added to the record at this 

point. 

At this time I would like to introduce our witnesses, and then we 

will proceed to hear from each of them in order. 

Our first witness is Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr., an Assistant Administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 

the United States Fire Administrator in charge of the United 

States Fire Administration at the Department of Homeland Security. Next, we will hear from Dr. John Hall, Jr., who is the Division 

Director of Fire Analysis and Research at the National Fire Protection Association. Dr. Hall has been active in fire analysis and fire 

research for nearly 35 years. Our third witness is Chief Jim 

Critchley. Chief Critchley represents the Tucson Fire Department 

in my home State of Arizona and also currently serves as the President of the Western Fire Chiefs Association. Our final witness is 

Mr. Kevin O’Connor, Assistant to the General President for the 

International Association of Fire Fighters. 

Thank you again to our witnesses for being here today. As our 

witnesses should know, spoken testimony is limited to five minutes 

each. After all witnesses have spoken, members of the Committee 

will have five minutes each to ask questions. 

I now recognize our first witness, the United States Fire Administrator, Ernest Mitchell. 

STATEMENT OF MR. ERNEST MITCHELL, JR., ADMINISTRATOR, 

UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION 

Chief MITCHELL. Good morning, Chairman Quayle, Ranking 

Member Edwards and distinguished members of the Committee. 

My name is Ernest Mitchell, Jr. I am an Assistant Administrator 

at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United 

States Fire Administrator in charge of the United States Fire Administration at the Department of Homeland Security. It is indeed 

an honor to appear before you today to discuss the U.S. Fire Administration. 

The Fire Administration is committed to providing national leadership to foster a solid foundation for our fire and emergency services stakeholders and prevention, preparedness and response. In 

my testimony today, I will share an overview of the Fire Administration’s core functions, major priorities and present activities and 

goals. 

Despite making progress over time, fire losses in the United 

States have been higher than in most of the industrialized world. 

This has held true in both fire deaths and dollar loss rates. Thousands of Americans die each year, and thousands more are injured. 

Property losses reach billions of dollars. Average annual fire losses 

in the United States greatly exceed those from floods, hurricanes, 

tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters combined in 

our country. 

The Fire Administration is a national leader in providing fire 

safety and prevention programs to help decrease tragic losses. We 

also lead the way in preparing communities to respond to fires and 

other hazards in line with FEMA’s whole community approach to 

emergency management. We are supporting the efforts of local 
13 

communities to reduce the number of fires and fire deaths, and 

champion federal fire prevention and control efforts and coordinates information about fire programs throughout the country. 

There are four traditional stars of the Fire Administration and 

one relatively new or budding star that we have initiated more recently. One is data collection. The National Fire Data Center administers a national system for collecting, analyzing and disseminating data and information on fire and other emergency incidents 

to state and local governments and the fire communities. 

Two is through public education and awareness. Through partnerships and special initiatives, the Fire Administration involves 

the fire service, the media, other federal agencies and safety interest groups, and the development and delivery of fire safety awareness and education programs. 

Three is training. The National Fire Academy offers educational 

opportunities for the advanced professional development of the 

midlevel and senior fire and emergency medical services officers 

and allied professionals involved in fire prevention and life safety 

activities. 

Four is research and technology. Through research, testing and 

evaluation, the Fire Administration works with public and private 

entities to promote and improve fire and life safety. Research and 

special studies are conducted on fire detection, suppression and notification systems as well as issues related to firefighter and emergency responder health and safety. 

Five, and the more recent, is technical assistance and response. 

It is a recent initiative for the Fire Administration in developing 

a national firefighters deployment strategy. The mission’s purpose 

is to establish an overall multidisciplinary response and recovery 

support mechanism for FEMA by establishing a structured approach to engaging and enhancing access to the Nation’s structural 

fire and emergency medical services skill sets, thereby expanding 

the capacity for responding and providing faster, coordinated efforts to contain and minimize losses of life and property during disasters. 

Within the scope of these efforts, it is essential that we work on 

multiple levels and with a wide variety of partners. We engage governmental and private stakeholders and partners in evaluating 

programs that will address the emerging fire, emergency medical, 

and disaster response needs. 

One example is our collaboration with the National Fire Protection Association on the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition and the mission of that coalition is to inform consumers about lifesaving benefits of installing home fire sprinkler systems. 

The more recent or emerging star has been utilized already at 

this point to respond to disasters and has resulted in some success. 

We provided technical expertise and assistance during the development of all-hazard management teams across the country. We have 

responded to and demonstrated effectiveness in the 2011 flooding 

in Colorado, Alabama, Georgia, and during this April’s tornadoes in 

Texas. Graduates of our highly sought after programs have contributed to and participated in these events. 

Given the dynamics of our times, the Fire Administration has 

identified five broad goals as a framework to provide national lead-
14 

ership on fire safety issues. We will continue to pursue these goals 

through the existing programs while evaluating issues and instituting new initiatives relevant to our current and future operating 

climate. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for giving me this opportunity to appear before you today. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. I will be glad to answer any questions you might have. 

[The prepared statement of Chief Mitchell follows:] 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you very much, Administrator Mitchell. 

I now recognize Dr. Hall to present his testimony. 

STATEMENT OF DR. JOHN R. HALL, JR.,DIVISION DIRECTOR, 

FIRE ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH, 

NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION 

Dr. HALL. Mr. Chairman, Members of Congress, my name is 

John Hall and I am here on behalf of the National Fire Protection 

Association to communicate our very strong support for the reauthorization of the U.S. Fire Administration. 

Next year marks the 40th anniversary of ‘‘America Burning.’’ Of 

the 90 recommendations in that report, the first was for establishment of a U.S. Fire Administration ‘‘to provide a national focus for 

the Nation’s fire problem.’’ The report also identified tasks appropriate to the federal role in what would continue to be primarily 

a local responsibility: ‘‘technical and educational assistance to state 

and local governments, collecting and analyzing fire information, 

conducting research and development in certain areas, and providing financial assistance when adequate fire protection lies beyond a community’s means.’’ The USFA has maintained this mandated focus throughout its existence. 

The report also set out ambitious goals saying ‘‘a reduction of 50 

percent in deaths, injuries and property losses is quite possible 

within the next generation.’’ How has America done on this goal? 

Civilian fire deaths declined by about 60 percent. Firefighter onduty fatalities declined by half, civilian fire injuries by about 40 

percent, firefighters injuries by about a third, and direct property 

damage adjusted for inflation by about one-quarter. Even so, we 

still have some of the highest fire loss rates in the developed world. 

We know how far we have come but we also know how much better 

we can do because we see greater safety in countries like us. And 

thanks to the National Fire Incident Reporting System, NFIRS, 

used within the NFPA survey, we have a greater ability to target 

problems and to design and evaluate programs than any other 

country in the world. 

In the years since the USFA was founded, the fire service has 

transformed itself into an all-hazard emergency response force. Reported fires have declined by more than half since 1980. However, 

hazardous material responses have more than doubled, and medical aid calls have more than tripled. 

Imagine a gasoline tank truck rolling over on a highway in a 

small community. The truck was built and loaded in other states 

and crashed on an interstate built and maintained by the Federal 

Government. The fire department will be expected to contain the 

spill and clean up in accordance with state and national environmental regulations using training and personal equipment in compliance with national consensus standards. It is far from easy to 

find a local responsibility in such an incident. Now add in natural 

disasters, terrorist attacks, and fire scenarios unheard of two decades ago such as a burning building with a roof covered with photovoltaic solar power cells. 

We have asked our fire service to perform more varied tasks at 

more varied emergencies with more rules whenever something goes 
23 

wrong. They have responded to every challenge and everything we 

have asked of them, but it takes a nation to save a village. They 

need our help. For nearly 40 years, the USFA has been there. 

Recent surveys of fire service needs conducted by NFPA in cooperation with the USFA have found the following. By comparison 

with national standards, the fire service has extensive needs for 

every type of resource. Fire departments serving the smallest communities are most likely to have needs. Although the needs are still 

great, there has been great progress. The Assistance to Firefighters 

and SAFER grant programs have been well targeted to real needs 

and collectively effective in reducing the needs they targeted. 

‘‘America Burning’’ identified research as a priority. The USFA 

has filled research gaps and complemented research partners when 

appropriate. Some major current or recent projects the USFA has 

led or supported include the following: the next generation of home 

fire alarms, the next generation of firefighters personal protective 

clothing, safety in the wildland-urban interface, and decision support tools for dealing with unwanted alarms. 

NFPA salutes Chief Ernie Mitchell, newly confirmed Fire Administrator and latest in a distinguished line of leaders who have 

headed the USFA. We look forward to working with him. 

So to sum up, NFPA urges you to reauthorize the USFA. We 

urge you to provide requested funding for the USFA, its research 

program, the academy’s training program, the grants programs, 

and NFIRS. The USFA does great work. They have made a great 

difference and they can and will do more, all in keeping with the 

original vision of an agency that would provide a national focus on 

fire through effective actions appropriate to a federal role. 

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with on behalf 

of NFPA, and like Chief Mitchell, I will be happy to answer your 

questions. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Hall follows:] 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Dr. Hall. 

I now recognize Chief Critchley for five minutes to present his 

testimony. 

STATEMENT OF CHIEF JIM CRITCHLEY, 

TUCSON FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND PRESIDENT, 

WESTERN FIRE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION 

Chief CRITCHLEY. Good morning, Chairman Quayle and Ranking 

Member Edwards. I am Chief Critchley of the Tucson Fire Department and the President of the Western Fire Chiefs Association. I 

am also a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. 

I thank the Committee for the opportunity to testify about the vital 

work that the U.S. Fire Administration does for America’s fire and 

emergency medical service. 

It is important to recognize the major accomplishments that have 

taken place since the USFA was created in the 1970s. In 1978, 172 

firefighters died in the line of duty. In 2011, we had 83 firefighters, 

a decline of more than 50 percent. In 1978, we have seen the number of civilian fire deaths also drop over 50 percent to a little over 

3,000 in 2010. The United States Fire Administration has played 

a major role in these accomplishments through fire service training, public education, and research. 

As a local chief, I would like to especially emphasize the importance of the National Fire Academy, which used online learning, 

train-the-trainer programs, on-campus classes, and other educational tools to train more than half a million responders in 2007 

through 2011. I am proud to be one of the more than 6,000 Arizonans who have completed the NFA classes during this time period. 

A highlight of NFA’s curriculum is the executive fire officer program. This program is a gold standard for developing transformative fire officers ready to deal with the Nation’s future challenges. As a local fire service instructor, the NFA provides educational material based on national best practices to help me train 

the next generation of fire service leaders. This common training 

provides interoperability at the incident scene of many national 

disasters. 

The USFA also provides excellent data through the National Fire 

Data Center and the National Fire Incident Reporting System. The 

NFIRS allows local fire departments to report incidents in their 

area and identify national trends. For example, I used the USFA 

report to compare their statistical data in the incidents that I have 

in Tucson. This capability allows me to prepare for the future 

threats to my citizens. 

The USFA’s budget already has been reduced 25 percent over the 

past decade. The fiscal year 2013 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill would cut the USFA budget by an additional 3.5 percent. These proposed cuts will reduce classes at the 

NFA, eliminate many important prevention programs. It will also 

cancel the final stages of the NFIRS modernization effort. 

My organizations urge Congress to restore the funding to USFA. 

The fiscal year 2011 budget of only $45 million is not a large federal spending program. However, the agency plays an effective role 

in the inherently governmental function of protecting the American 

public. 
35 

We also would like to express the support for the efforts to clarify 

that the USFA should be the lead agency of non-wildland fire incidents in the Emergency Support Function #4, the firefighting 

annex. USFA and the U.S. Forest Service currently have a memorandum of understanding which allows the USFA to act as a support agency for ESF 4. Local fire departments work well with the 

Forest Service in coordinating ESF 4 for wildland fires. However, 

based on its relationship with the Nation’s fire and emergency 

services, we think that the MoU should continue with the USFA 

playing a stronger and primary role in structural events, terrorist 

attacks and non-wildland fire incidents. 

In addition, we support the establishment of teams of firefighters 

that can quickly deploy in the event of a major all-hazards disaster. 

As we witnessed in Arizona last year, local fire departments are 

the first on scene and the last to leave the incident. These support 

teams can provide a major benefit to the fire chiefs by helping the 

incident management recovery activities and working with state, 

tribal, and local agencies. 

The current authorization for the USFA expires on September 

30th. In the Senate, Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins 

have introduced markup S. 2218. This bill would authorize funding 

for the USFA through fiscal year 2017. On behalf of the leadership 

of the Nation’s fire and EMS service, I ask the Committee to consider companion legislation this year. 

I would like to thank this Committee for being a continued supporter of the Nation’s fire service over the years. We have made 

major progress in reducing the tragedy of fire loss in the past 30 

years. However, we have much work to do. 

Thank you for holding this hearing and I look forward to answering any of your questions. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Chief Critchley follows:] 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Chief Critchley. 

I now recognize Mr. O’Connor for his testimony. 

STATEMENT OF MR. KEVIN O’CONNOR, 

ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL PRESIDENT FOR 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF 

FIRE FIGHTERS 

Mr. O’CONNOR. Thank you, Chairman Quayle, Ranking Member 

Edwards, Representative Bonamici. I am Kevin O’Connor representing the International Association of Firefighters, whose 

300,000 members proudly serve communities in each of the Nation’s 435 Congressional districts. 

I am especially pleased to be before this Subcommittee because 

I am currently a constituent of Member John Sarbanes and after 

the November elections will be a very proud new constituent of the 

Ranking Member. 

As firefighters have taken on additional responsibilities and expanded our capabilities to meet total response needs of our communities, so too must the Fire Administration evolve to meet the 

needs of the 21st century fire service. The days of firefighters 

whose primary function was to simply put out fires are long gone. 

Today’s firefighters are well-educated, highly trained and skilled, 

all-purpose emergency responders with broad responsibilities ranging from EMS, hazmat response, WMD and all-hazards response. 

Most significantly, your firefighters are always the first boots on 

the ground for any manmade or natural disaster. 

The prevalence of fire-based EMS delivery systems requires the 

agency to fully integrate EMS training and preparedness into its 

mission. Although USFA is beginning to move in that direction, we 

want to ensure that EMS be afforded its appropriate recognition 

and attention. While the Fire Administration continues to integrate 

all-hazards training and preparedness into all of its programs, it 

must work to change the perception that its primary focus is simply on fire. 

One way that perception problem may be solved is to simply 

change the agency’s name to reflect its current mission. The U.S. 

Fire, EMS and All-Hazards Administration or similar branding 

would better describe the expanded role of both the modern fire 

service and the agency. 

After the well-publicized problems stemming from Hurricane 

Katrina, Congress rightly took steps to revamp our Nation’s approach to emergency response. USFA is currently working to develop a better means of coordinating existing state and local response for disaster deployment. Currently, the agency is considering organizing firefighters and other responders to support 

FEMA disaster response and recovery efforts. The IAFF fully supports this endeavor, but we must ensure that firefighters are appropriately utilized and deployed during any disaster. 

During the delayed response to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA called 

up 1,000 firefighters to serve as community relations officers, 

tasking them with the distribution of flyers instead of deploying 

these well-trained responders to the front line where their presence 

was desperately needed. Frankly, it was a tragic waste of resources 

and capabilities. 
41 

The IAFF hopes to partner with USFA and FEMA to ensure that 

personnel resources are properly identified and utilized during 

emergencies. The best way to accomplish that goal would be to establish a national firefighter credentialing system. In the past, too, 

well-meaning firefighters have self-dispatched to an emergency, but 

many of those firefighters have lacked the requisite training and 

experience to operate effectively. A national credentialing system 

will alleviate that uncertainty by typing responders and departments based on training and certification levels. This will enable 

incident commanders to make the most appropriate use of their 

most valuable resource—personnel. The establishment of a 

credentialing system has been in development at FEMA since 2006. 

There is simply no excuse for this long delay. The project needs to 

be completed. 

Most importantly, USFA serves as the voice of the fire service 

within Federal Government. Unfortunately, the Fire Administration’s ability to represent the fire service at the federal level is 

compromised by a lack of adequate funding. USFA has long struggled to function with insufficient and sadly diminishing resources. 

The current authorization level of $76.5 million must be maintained for the agency to carry out its mission, and I urge this Subcommittee to retain or even increase the current authorization 

level. Rest assured, we will be making the same case to your colleagues in appropriations. 

Lastly, I would like to address a prior Congressional recommendation that in our view, USFA has been slow to implement. 

The U.S. Fire Academy has successfully furthered professional development of fire service through training and education. Today the 

academy offers distant learning training locally sponsored centers 

throughout the states, to expand its ability to serve individuals 

who are unable to attend training at Emmitsburg. To expand the 

academy’s reach, Congress authorized USFA to partner with nationally recognized organizations that have established fire service 

training programs to deliver a portion of the agency’s training. Organizations such as the IAFF provide excellent partners to conduct 

this real-world training that few institutions can match. Through 

such partnerships, USFA could easily and cost-effectively increase 

the number of firefighters that benefit from its training programs. 

We look forward to working with Chief Mitchell in his role and 

hopefully implementing this program. 

This concludes my testimony. I thank you for the opportunity to 

speak before you today, and like my colleagues, I am ready to answer any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. O’Connor follows:] 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Mr. O’Connor, and I want to 

thank all of the witnesses for their testimony and also for being 

right at the five minute button. That is a rarity on Capitol Hill, 

and I thank you for your punctuality.Now I want to remind Members that Committee rules limit questioning to five minutes. The 

Chair at this point will open the round of questions. I recognize 

myself for five minutes. 

Chief Mitchell, as we are examining the USFA, we are interested 

in what changes should be made to the USFA’s authorities. Currently, it serves as the support agency for the U.S. Forest Service 

and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Support Function #4, firefighting annex. These responsibilities are assigned at the discretion of the Homeland Security Secretary. Some 

in the fire service community have recommended that the USFA 

should be elevated to co-leader with the U.S. Forest Service to ensure a more effective state and local response. Would the USFA be 

able to handle this responsibility, and to your knowledge, has the 

Department explored the possibility of making this change with the 

Forest Service. 

Chief MITCHELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes. The short answer is yes, we have explored it. In fact, we have come up with a 

couple of initiatives that would allow us to participate more in response. We are meeting with FEMA response leadership at this 

time, this very week, and also meeting with the U.S. Forest Service 

to discuss how we would coordinate being dual coordinators within 

ESF 4. We have a lot of ideas on how we could do that and 

partnering with the other fire service non-governmental organizations and state and regional agencies to provide some level of coordination to disaster response across the country through some of 

the existing mutual aid agreements and contracts, and so there 

was a point where we wondered if we had that authority. We have 

talked with our legal folks and we do find that the FEMA Administrator has the authority to write us into that program. And so right 

now we are just trying to coordinate that effort with the Forest 

Service and do it in a way that is acceptable to all the parties involved. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Great. Thank you. 

Chief Critchley, how would having the USFA serve as the coleader to the U.S. Forest Service under ESF 4 strengthen and complement the fire service response to all hazards? 

Chief CRITCHLEY. At this time, we are learning the same incident 

management type that the Forest Service uses yet we have some 

specific entities, some specific duties that we do in an event that 

the Forest Service model doesn’t address in the hazmat, the technical rescue during a big fire scene. I think this just would build 

up the strength of it if we are both part of that decision-making 

instead of just one and then coming to a support agency. If we are 

both there with our voices saying this is the best way to go, I think 

that is a much better end product than having to wait for support. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Thank you. 

Chief Mitchell, we are always interested in leveraging R&D underway in different agencies. There is ongoing research at DHS 

S&T Directorate and NIST Fire Safety Research is looking at fireretardant materials to protect firefighters. How does the USFA co-
48 

ordinate its research with NIST along with other fire safety research going on with the Departments of Homeland Security and 

Defense? 

Chief MITCHELL. We meet with them regularly, both DHS S&T. 

We just had a meeting, an onsite meeting, last week at NIST. We 

partner with NFPA. We partner with the Underwriters Laboratories. We are talking right now, or recently, with Oak Ridge Laboratories about new smoke detector technologies. Essentially, we 

continually have communications through our team that works on 

technology and research at the USFA and just stay in constant 

communication. We gather input from our fire service stakeholders 

and the other non-governmental organizations across the country 

in the fire service as to needs. We communicate those with the 

technology agencies and laboratories and partners and try to see 

that our needs are being met by the research community. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Have you seen—have you experienced any 

sort of problems with actually getting the level of cooperation between the different agencies? You know, sometimes we hear that 

it is hard to get information from one agency if you are working 

with another agency. 

Chief MITCHELL. I have only recently come in to the Federal Government and so the level of bureaucracy—is that the right word? 

Chairman QUAYLE. You can say it. Go ahead. 

Chief MITCHELL. That you maybe need to go through to go from 

one step to the next is a little different than local government. But 

no, the people engaged are very cooperative. I think, though, that 

sometimes the process and our level of resource that supports us 

being engaged in the research process probably limits our ability 

to move forward faster. But we work with them to the extent that 

we can. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Thank you very much. 

I now recognize the Ranking Member, Ms. Edwards, for five minutes. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our 

witnesses. 

My staff actually just recently had a chance to spend a day at 

our fire training academy, and I have to say, for the work of firefighters and our chiefs, Chief Critchley, you know, on the ground, 

that is not for the faint of heart. So I really appreciate what you 

do for all of communities. 

In your testimony, Mr. O’Connor and Chief Critchley, both of 

you—and we will allow you to answer this question out of respect 

for Administrator Mitchell, and I will share you with. You both expressed concerns over the Administration’s current level of funding 

and you describe the impact this declining budget is having on the 

Fire Administration’s activities, and specifically, Chief Critchley, 

you mentioned that the Fire Administration won’t be able to complete modernization of the Fire Incident Reporting System, the National Fire Incident Reporting System, and that a number of 

courses offered at the Fire Academy will be eliminated and new 

courses will not be developed. I wonder if you can comment on the 

ability of the Fire Administration to fulfill its mission, especially as 

you know what the needs are, both for the Western States but at 

the most local level, and I wonder if the two of you could comment 
49 

on what these budget constraints mean and what level of authorized funding do you think ought to be included in a reauthorizing 

bill as we move forward through Congress? Chief? 

Chief CRITCHLEY. So to the first point about the losses that we 

have seen in the U.S. Fire Administration, specifically at the National Fire Academy, we have seen a reduction in the number of 

courses, wide-ranging courses from hazardous material to prevention to deployment for command and control. Lots of those have 

been reduced. We have seen a wonderful program called the Trade 

Program that is also looking at a reduction in funding. The Trade 

Program is where I met Fire Chief Garrett Olson for the very first 

time as training officers, which builds a network across the Nation 

about doing the right thing with our training. I am worried that 

that may be lost. The Executive Officer program, what an outstanding way to educate a continuum of leaders in the fire service 

so that we are thinking forward instead of staying the way we are 

because we are all going to have to change. Those are issues that 

I would be concerned about with being cut. 

On the modernization of the NFIRS, right now we get reports, 

lots of reports for how it relates to the NFPA data, wonderful 

things for us to do, but I am wondering if there is a way that we 

can do real-time numbers and we can get to finish this so that we 

can have numbers—that we can compare our organization to—for 

example, we have got L.A. Fire Department and then Fire Department New York having questions about what their times mean. 

Well, if we had a data spot that we could get real-time numbers 

from, I believe that it is an incredible value. 

Ms. EDWARDS. So what you are sharing with us is that a reduction in the budget has—because it is a fairly lean agency—has real 

impact locally. 

Mr. O’Connor, do you have a comment about that? 

Mr. O’CONNOR. Yeah, just to piggyback on what the Chief referenced, we all recognize that the fire service is inherently a local 

operation but the Chairman referenced the landmark ‘‘America 

Burning’’ in 1973, and frankly, Congress recognized and the Federal Government that there needs to be an agency that is the voice 

of the fire service, and you described it as being very lean, and that 

is correct. Some of my testimony was predicated on EMS, other 

issues such as credentialing. I don’t offer that as a criticism. With 

the limited resources that are consistently diminishing, USFA is 

having a hard time doing its job and the simple reality is, the authorization level is great, it needs to be at least at the current 

level, but it certainly needs to be appropriated. This is a lean agency. There is not a lot of fat there. And it is supporting over 300,000 

professional firefighters and probably twice and a half as many volunteers across the country in every community, and we just really 

encourage Congress to recognize that this is an efficient use of federal funds that is protecting communities and that really in our 

view is government’s most basic responsibility. 

Ms. EDWARDS. And Administrator Mitchell, if I could just ask 

you, in terms of what firefighters need and departments need all 

across the country, some of the things, credentialing and others, 

you would like the capacity to be able to deliver those things. Is 

that correct? 
50 

Chief MITCHELL. Yes. I would like to expand our capacity and 

really, since I have been at the Fire Administration, I have found 

that we have excellent people working there. They have a plan that 

is outstanding. We do not really have the resources to carry all elements through expeditiously so the reductions have limited and retarded our ability to move forward with some of the newer programs that we need to move forward. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, and I yield. 

Chairman QUAYLE. I now recognize the Chairman of the full 

Committee, the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Hall, for five minutes. 

Chairman HALL. Mr. Chairman, I do thank you, and I thank this 

panel. You have such an important job and it is important to the 

smallest group of firefighters to the big cities. Thank you for your 

testimony and giving your time to prepare and the services you 

render really ought to be appreciated by this Committee, and I 

think we do. 

Along the lines of Ms. Edwards’ questions, she and I kind of 

work as a team a lot of times, and I want to enlarge a little bit 

on her questions and some of the answers that you have given. 

My dad was a firefighter in the smallest county in the State of 

Texas. Two hundred and fifty-four counties, they were the smallest, 

and they had a fire department, one truck. The siren would go off 

at night and everybody could hear it. I could hear it too and it 

would wake me up. My dad would get up and run all the way to 

the fire station because they wanted to be there before lightning 

bridges got there because the first one there got to drive the one 

truck they had, and it was always a race for them, and when it was 

all over and they would come home, I would ask Dad, well, how 

did it go. He said well, we saved a lot was usually his answer. 

It means a lot, and I have to rely on you. I guess, Administrator 

Mitchell, I will ask you, how does the United States Fire Administration, how do you support the rural departments? I have a lot of 

them in my 4th Congressional District there. How do you support 

those? I guess the fundamental difference is in the nature of the 

rural fire problems compared to the U.S. fire problem as a whole, 

and I say this. It is sad that we have to have a 9/11 to really get 

people to appreciate you all the way they should. A lot of communities are protected by volunteer fire departments and face very 

unique challenges—agricultural fires, fires on wildland and urban 

interface. Does the USFA offer training especially tailored to volunteer firefighters and what type of resources have you developed to 

assist fire departments operating in rural communities? I guess, do 

you want me to repeat that, Mr. Mitchell? 

Chief MITCHELL. I think I get it. Thank you, Congressman. 

Chairman HALL. I didn’t think you would want me to repeat it. 

Chief MITCHELL. Okay. Yes, we have courses specifically tailored 

for volunteers. Largely what we have are offerings of those courses. 

We work with the volunteers to try to make them more available, 

recognizing the difficulties in having the time to get additional 

training, so we work more to expand the online offerings and the 

in-the-field courses that go out through the states, state fire training. Much of the basic training is done locally and so those are 

handled outside. What we do try to do or do on a larger basis is 

a lot of that online. 
51 

With respect to rural areas and wildland, we have courses in development right now for wildland-urban interface fires to protect 

those structures close to the wildland, and we have some wildland 

courses that are being offered through the National Wildland Coordinating Group. So I guess the overall answer is that we are 

reaching out trying to make the courses more available to the volunteers and working with the volunteer associations also to help 

that to happen. 

Chairman HALL. I thank you for that, and I think it is very important. 

I yield back my time, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

And I now recognize Ms. Bonamici for five minutes. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I want to 

join the other members of the Committee in thanking you all for 

the work that you do to keep our communities safe. 

Administrator Mitchell, in your testimony, you talked about the 

indirect costs of fire, and estimate that according to your testimony 

here, the indirect costs, which include things like lost business, 

medical expenses, temporary lodging, psychological damage maybe 

as much as eight to ten times higher than the direct costs of fire, 

and that just emphasizes the importance of training and education 

and prevention. And I know that right now many communities, not 

only in my district and State, but across this country are struggling 

and don’t have the resources they need at the local level to do all 

the work that they need to do, and so what I would like you to do, 

maybe Dr. Hall, because you mentioned this in your testimony, can 

you talk about the progress that has been made with the areas 

that are targeted, for example, with the Assistance to Firefighters 

and the SAFER grant programs? Can you comment about how 

these programs have really contributed to addressing the challenges that are faced by our local fire service districts? 

Dr. HALL. Yes, I would be glad to. Thank you. We have conducted three needs assessment surveys of the fire service, and the 

second and third we accompanied with a matching analysis looking 

at how the needs had been affected by the grants that people have 

gotten in the years before the survey was conducted. What we 

found was that the particular types of needs that were especially 

targeted by the AFG and SAFER grants tended to show the biggest 

improvements over the ten years between the first and the last 

needs assesment survey. These improvements were seen in all 

sizes of communities from the big cities to the small rural volunteer fire department areas that Mr. Hall was talking about. So it 

was—what we got was, the programs are—the grants are very well 

targeted, they are very effective. The only limit on the degree of 

improvement and need that we have seen is that there is limited 

funding. They have accomplished as much as could have been expected given the amounts of the grants that were out there. And 

so to us, the roadmap was fairly clear. If you want to get these 

needs really far down, you need to, as the other speakers have said, 

maintain the funding and, if possible, increase the funding for 

these grants. 

Now, another thing that we looked at in the grants—in the needs 

assessment—was training do they have the training, do they have 
52 

the certification for various different tasks. And here again, we saw 

improvements in need but still very great needs, and this ties back 

to the outreach programs that are being conducted from the academy. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you. 

Now, in my State of Oregon, we pride ourselves in sustainability 

and green buildings, so when somebody mentioned the rooftop covered with photovoltaic cells, that sounded like back home, so would 

you talk a little bit about the work that is being done to make sure 

that new methods and tactics are developed for fighting fires in 

green buildings? 

Dr. HALL. I think that was my statement that you are reacting 

to Congresswoman. Thank you. 

There is an active project at NFPA that is in cooperation with 

the Fire Administration and with other key entities to try to develop best practices, how should you adjust your way of fighting a 

fire in order to identify that this particular hazard is there when 

you show up and then to decide how you avoid shock hazards and 

other sorts of things in the course of fighting the fire. It is not only 

going very well in terms of producing results but I think it is something of a role model project for how new hazards can be incorporated into the best practices of the fire service in general. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you very much, and I yield back. Thank 

you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you. 

I now recognize the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Lipinski, for five 

minutes. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I thank all the witnesses for their testimony, obviously very critical issue here we are talking about, about fire safety. 

In the written testimony of both Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Mitchell, 

you both highlight one area in which you think the USFA can do 

more as in training, and Mr. O’Connor, you specifically mentioned 

that USFA has been slow to implement Congress’s recommendations that the USFA partner with organizations that have established fire training programs. So I want to ask Mr. O’Connor, can 

you tell me—tell us more about IAFF training programs and how 

they can help the U.S. Fire Academy expand the reach of its classes. 

Mr. O’CONNOR. Well, I think that in all fairness to the academy, 

part of the issue is resources as we have talked previously, but in 

our view, the National Fire Academy is a wonderful resource. For 

people that are actually able to be in residence there and actually 

travel to Emmitsburg, it is wonderful training, and the outreach of 

the state training academies has been magnificent. But I think this 

Committee and Congress in the previous authorization recognized 

that there are other opportunities, and while we are very proud of 

the IAFF, I wouldn’t limit it to simply our organization. There are 

a lot of folks throughout the fire service organizations representing 

firefighters of all types that have very vibrant training programs. 

For example, the one I know best, obviously, is the IAFF. We 

have several grant programs funded through the Department of 

Energy, Department of Homeland Security and Department of 

Transportation that are predicated on peer-to-peer training. Essen-
53 

tially, we have training programs that are certified to meet the 

standards and the approval of the Fire Academy and other sources 

through the fire service but they are delivered very economically on 

the local level, meaning if there is a need for a training course in 

hypothetically a town in Oregon, we would find instructors who 

were also trained and certified in Portland. Their day job may be 

being a firefighter in Portland or Medford or somewhere else but 

they would be dispatched to this area that needs training and basically only be compensated for the period that they are actually 

training. They are spread geographically across the Nation so it is 

a very efficient and economical way of delivering the training. That 

cadre of instructors currently exists, and if we were contracted or 

through some mechanism be allowed that opportunity to put these 

programs in the field, and again, I don’t limit this simply to the 

IAFF but it is certainly a very good model of training. 

It is especially effective because it is not just an academic setting, it is an actual firefighter who may be an expert in hazmat response training other firefighters in that discipline, so there is that 

natural respect and camaraderie. And it is just a very good way of 

expanding training profiles and getting a curriculum in the field 

that you avoid travel costs and residency and things of that nature. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you. 

I want to turn the rest of my time over to the issue of fire grants. 

In 2009 and again in 2011, I helped introduce legislation to reauthorize the fire grant program. Unfortunately, neither of these initiatives have been passed into law. The reauthorization legislation 

would make these grants more accessible to fire departments 

across the country and bring stability to a crucial source of funds 

for local fire authorities. 

Dr. Hall, in your testimony, you speak to the importance of these 

grant programs and the effects they have had in our communities. 

Can you comment on the importance of reauthorizing these programs and your thoughts on proposed changes in the reauthorizing 

language? 

Dr. HALL. Thank you, Congressman. Yes, we have considerable 

analysis, which was done in association with our needs assessment 

surveys, to demonstrate the good targeting and the effectiveness 

and the cost-effectiveness of the grants programs in all kinds of different resource areas. We have made the results of those studies 

available to every Member of Congress and their staff and would 

be happy to discuss these things in detail at your discretion. 

I do not honestly have any suggestions or thoughts on the reauthorizing language. I know our Washington, D.C., office would be 

more than happy to discuss that kind of detail with any of you and 

your staffs as you go forward. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. I thank you. I appreciate that and hopefully—I certainly will continue to take advantage of that opportunity and I 

hope my colleagues do also, and with that, I will yield back the remainder of my time. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Mr. Lipinski. 

I am now going to open it up to a second round for those who 

would like to ask additional questions. I now recognize myself for 

five minutes. 
54 

There has been a lot of discussion about resources, and I understand that over the course of a number of different years that the 

authorization level has been up to $70 million for the USFA and 

then the appropriations actually came in much lower than that, 

and I think in the 2013 House funding bill basically it provides 

$42.46 million, which is right about the same level that the request 

from the President in his budget. I know that that is not the level 

that you would like, but I do think that this hearing has been very 

informative to see what the priorities are of the USFA and how we 

can support your endeavors in very tough budgetary times. I think 

that providing an authorization level that is much higher than 

really we can afford, I think is a little bit irresponsible, but I do 

want to continue to go down and see what priorities and what we 

can do to make sure that we are giving the support that is necessary even though we might not be getting to the levels that you 

would like. So I do appreciate everybody’s testimony. 

I want to go to Chief Critchley. Chief Mitchell was talking about 

how wildfires are becoming a more significant threat. As you know, 

Arizona is currently battling four wildfires in the central and eastern part of the state, and we had the Wallow Fire last year and 

we continue to see this. Can you kind of give me some insight on 

why are wildfires becoming a more significant threat? Is it forest 

management policy such as ensuring that we are keeping fuel loads 

low and trees thinned to a healthy level or patterns of development 

because people are moving closer to forests, or is it a combination 

of both? 

Chief CRITCHLEY. Thank you. I would say it is a combination of 

both. I am not as well versed on the Fuels Management Program 

that they have but I can promise you that as we grow as a community, we are reaching out into areas that were never designed for 

fire trucks to get in to take care of. So as we expand the size of 

our cities or the movement out into the urban interface area, we 

just increase the number of buildings that are going to be hurt during a wildland fire. So I believe it is both but primarily it is the 

way that we are managing our growth. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Thanks. 

And Chief Mitchell, do you have any thoughts on why they are 

becoming more significant? 

Chief MITCHELL. Again, I am not as familiar with the fuel management part of it, although, you know, we are engaged with other 

agencies now in studying fuel management and how fuel management versus bioresponse and prevention all interact. But coming 

up in the fire service in southern California, I know a large part 

of the problem was based upon more building and living in the 

interface zones, the lack of fire-resistive construction in those 

areas, and some of the other preventative and mitigation measures 

that could and should be enacted to prevent loss. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Thank you. 

And Dr. Hall, it has been described that one of USFA’s training 

challenges is reaching out to all firefighters across the country and 

increasing online classes and distance training. Has the NFPA performed any research to try to quantify the impact of training programs and has the NFPA specifically measured the effectiveness of 

remote training? 
55 

Dr. HALL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The analysis that we have 

conducted is not at that level of detail. We have results that indicate that the training situation for the fire service has improved to 

a limited degree between the first of our needs assessment surveys 

and the more recent survey but we have not been in a position to 

look at specific data about people reached or the efficiency of particular methods of delivery. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Thank you very much. 

I now recognize the Ranking Member, Ms. Edwards. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for this 

second round of questions. I want to go back to the issue of 

credentialing because I recognize that, you know, we have a lot of 

local fire departments. Firefighting is essentially a local activity. 

But we also have a number of circumstances, particular in major 

disasters, where we are calling on, you know, one jurisdiction to 

support another jurisdiction, and for me, this is where the question 

of credentialing comes forward because I think it is really important for us to make sure that whomever is responding in whatever 

jurisdiction has the same capacities so that they kind of fit right 

into the program and are able to respond appropriately. 

So Mr. O’Connor, can you elaborate on the recommendation for 

credentialing and explain why you think it is important? And then 

if Chief Mitchell could comment on the status because I think, Mr. 

O’Connor, in your testimony you indicated that there is some, you 

know, lagging because it has kind of been in the hopper since 2006. 

Mr. O’CONNOR. Yes. I mean, this was something that was 

brought forth after 9/11 and certainly Katrina, and you have actually articulated it very well. I don’t think anyone on the federal 

level or even the fire service wants to suggest to local communities 

what their level of fire training should be or ought to be. That is 

up to the local community. We recognize that. We don’t want to try 

to intervene with that. However, on those larger-scale instances, 

whether it is flooding in the plains, a hurricane coming ashore, a 

wildfire, whatever the incident is, you need an appropriately 

trained and skilled responder to actually handle that type of a crisis, and throughout very many fire departments—as you know, I 

was a firefighter, structural firefighter, in Baltimore County. I 

don’t have the training in wildland firefighting. So it would be useless to have me dispatched to that type of an incident. 

So the point of this is to make sure that incident commanders 

and there is some type of, if you will, clearinghouse or databasing 

that firefighters and departments are actually typecast so that you 

know what training, to what level a responder is trained. It simply 

makes common sense, and I think everyone recognize that. I also 

recognize that this was not specifically tasked to the U.S. Fire Administration, to the NICC, but it is something that frankly is a responsibility of the incident commander and the people responding 

and it is why it is so important that it is followed through. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Administrator Mitchell, then, if you could comment about what the status is and sort of where we are moving on 

that, I mean, if this is something we have been considering since 

2006, and my recollection is that in the 9/11 disaster where you 

had people who understandably departments that wanted to respond but in a very unique fire situation you could see how making 
56 

sure that you have got the right people responding could be lifesaving. 

Chief MITCHELL. Yes. I worked in a very active mutual aid system myself for many years, and we do recognize how important it 

is that people are able to work together at the essential levels for 

their own safety and in order to be effective. I have been advised 

that the Fire Administration and the Fire Academy did a 

credentialing review and took input from the fire service and made 

a recommendation internal to FEMA to the NICC. I would have 

to—back in 2005 or 2006. I would have to get back to you on what 

that status is since our recommendation went forward. 

Ms. EDWARDS. That would be extremely helpful, I mean, because 

it is 2012 and, you know, it would seem to me that if a recommendation has been made from the experts, then there should 

be some way that that gets expedited for consideration. You know, 

six years is a good way to expedite things. Thank you. 

And then lastly, Chief Mitchell, in the authorizing bill, there is 

a requirement for the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Fire Administration to establish a fire service position 

at the National Operations Center, and I have been given to understand that that is not a full-time position with full-time status. Can 

you update us on that requirement and how it is being fulfilled by 

the Fire Administration? 

Chief MITCHELL. That is correct. It was not approved as 24/7 in 

terms of full time, but as a full-time position for a person to deal 

with the transfer of data and information. That position has been 

approved and is presently being advertised for, so we are in the 

process of filling that position. 

Ms. EDWARDS. And is it important that there be, you know, sort 

of a concerted person designated from the Fire Administration representing the fire services at the National Operations Center? 

Chief MITCHELL. Yes. We believe that would be extremely helpful 

as far as when you say full time, if we are talking about around 

the clock. Given the resource demands, that is probably not our 

most efficient way. If the threat level were raised to a point, we 

would handle it as we do other positions at that time and then staff 

up around the clock based on conditions, but on a day-to-day basis, 

it would be a full-time equivalent position. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you very much, and thanks to all the witnesses. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Ms. Edwards. 

I would like to thank all the witnesses for their valuable testimony and the Members for their questions. The Members of the 

Subcommittee may have additional questions for the witnesses, 

and we will ask you to respond to these in writing. The record will 

remain open for two weeks for additional comments and statements 

from members. 

The witnesses are excused. Thank you all for coming. This hearing is now adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:06 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 
(57) 

Appendix I 

ANSWERS TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS
58 

ANSWERS TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS

Responses by Mr. Ernest Mitchell, Jr. 
59 
60 
61 
62 
63 
64 
65 
66 
67 
68 
69 
70 
71 
72 
73 
74 

Responses by Dr. John R. Hall, Jr., Division 
75 
76 

Responses by Chief Jim Critchley 
77 
78 

Responses by Mr. Kevin O’Connor 
79 

Æ