USFA

N e w s i n R e v i e w

An Electronic Newsletter for First Responders and Allied Professionals

U.S. Fire Administrator Addresses

Firefighter Life Safety Summit 

On March 11th, U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison addressed more than 

200 attendees at the Firefighter Life Safety Summit in Tampa, Fl. The event was 

sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

In speaking to this first-of-a-kind gathering, Chief Paulison was frank about his 

feelings.

 “I would be preaching to the choir to tell you in this room, 111 firefighter 

deaths in 2003 is unacceptable and a disgusting statistic,” he said. “I, as well as 

the entire national fire service, look forward to the outcomes you have created 

over the past days and stand ready to assist and join the effort to ensure all 

children, spouses, family members, fellow firefighters and Americans not suffer 

another loss of just one firefighter.”

Efforts are underway to provide reports from the two-day summit. The USFA 

will be assisting in getting the information to all firefighters and fire service 

leadership.

Firefighter Life Safety: Vehicle Collisions

1990-Present

From 1990 through the present, 200 

American firefighters have been killed 

in vehicle collisions. This represents 

14% of the 1,428 firefighters killed 

while on-duty during the period (not 

including the firefighters who died in 

the collapse of the World Trade Center). 

Excluding heart attacks, 161 of these 

200 firefighters died as the result 

of crashes that occurred while they 

were responding to an emergency or 

returning from the emergency. Fortyeight percent of the firefighter fatalities 

that occurred due to crashes while 

the firefighter was responding to or 

returning from an emergency involved 

the firefighter’s personal vehicle. The 

second most common vehicle type was 

fire department tankers, which involved 

23% of the fatalities.

Volume 2, No. 3, March 2004

In This Issue: March 2004

Executive Fire Officer Program Graduates

Set to Meet in April During the 2004

Symposium 2

Homeland Security Launches Expansion of 

Information Exchange System to States and 

Major Cities 2

Emergency Management Higher Education: 

A Year in Review and in Context 2

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge 

Approves National Incident Management 

System 3

Personal Protective Equipment Standards 

Adopted 4

Independent Study Course to Boost 

Environmental/Historic Preservation

Activities is Unveiled 4

Homeland Security Issues First Radiological 

and Nuclear Detectors Standards 5

Interagency Agreement Brings Customers 

and Border Protection Officials to the

Emergency Management Institute 5

Terrorism Course for National Capital-Area 

Officials Emphasizes Partnership 5

FEMA Review of Tire Recycling Facility Fire 

Shows Smoke Towers Can Respond

Effectively to Major Incidents 6

Community Fire Prevention Course Offered 

by the National Fire Academy in June 7

Review of 11-Alarm San Jose, California,

Fire Underscores Challenges Posed by 

Extremely Large-Scale Incidents 7

National Volunteer Week 7

Join USFA’s Higher Education

Listserv--Virtual LAMP-Post 8
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enforcement, and others. Future program expansion will 

include the county level, communication at the classified 

secret level, and the involvement of the private sector.

JRIES is a counterterrorism communications program 

founded and managed in conjunction with State and 

local governments, counterterrorism authorities, and law 

enforcement agencies. At the request of State and local 

partners, this platform has been adopted by Homeland 

Security as the system of choice for information sharing 

among DHS partners as part of the Homeland Security 

Information Network.

Already in use in the 24-7 DHS watch of the Homeland 

Security Operations Center, JRIES is an integrated 

component of the wider DHS information sharing and 

collaboration architecture that will help provide situational 

awareness, information sharing, and collaboration across 

the Nation.

Emergency Management Higher Education: A Year in 

Review and in Context

Emergency management higher education is virtually 

unnoticed and insufficiently appreciated in its potential 

for reshaping the profession. In 2003, 31 new collegiate 

hazard, disaster, crisis, and emergency management 

programs (hereafter simplified as emergency management) 

went into operation in U.S. colleges and universities. That 

averages two and one-half new operational programs (a 

degree, concentration, or certificate) per month! Programs 

include

•1 Doctorate in emergency management;

•3 Masters-level emergency management programs;

•1 Bachelor degree in emergency management;

•8 Associate degrees in emergency management; and

•18 Certificates, concentrations, diplomas, and/or 

 minors in emergency management--most of them 

 associate degree level.

Two thousand and three also crossed the 100 programs 

threshold--the total for collegiate programs at the end 

of the year was 106. As of February 2004, there are 108 

programs. In addition, at FEMA’s Emergency Management 

Higher Education Project, officials track schools that are 

investigating, proposing, or developing a new emergency 

Executive Fire Officer Program Graduates Set to Meet in 

April During the 2004 Symposium

On April 16, 17, and 18, 190 graduates of the U.S. Fire 

Administration’s (USFA) Executive Fire Officer Program 

(EFOP) will come together for a weekend of learning. 

The 2004 program includes highlights such as a review 

of the fire service and first responder response to the 

Columbia shuttle accident, a presentation of the outstanding 

research awards, and a presentation of the Broadway play, 

Guys, written by a New York Fire Department Captain 

during the weeks immediately following the World Trade 

Center(WTC) terrorism attacks. A full schedule is planned 

for the attendees. For further information, please visit 

www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/courses/oncampus/

nfa-on2g.shtm.

Homeland Security Launches Expansion of Information 

Exchange System to States and Major Cities 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding 

computer-based counterterrorism communications systems 

to all 50 States, five territories, Washington, DC, and 50 

major urban areas as a way to strengthen the flow of threat 

information.

This communications capability will deliver to States and 

major urban areas a real-time interactive connection with 

the DHS Homeland Security Operations Center through the 

Joint Regional Information Exchange System (JRIES). This 

secure system will strengthen the flow of real-time threat 

information significantly at the sensitive-but-unclassified 

level to all users immediately, and provides the platform for 

future classified secret communications to the State level. 

This collaborative communications environment, developed 

by State and local authorities, will allow all States and major 

urban areas to collect and disseminate information among 

Federal, State, and local agencies involved in combating 

terrorism.

Each State and major urban area’s Homeland Security 

Advisor will receive software licenses, technology, 

and training to participate in this Homeland Security 

Information Network for information sharing and 

situational awareness. Under the leadership of State 

and local Homeland Security advisors, the broadened 

JRIES community of users will include National Guard; 

State Emergency Operations Centers (EOC’s); and local 

emergency services providers including firefighters, law 
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management program.

It’s important to note that in 1995, when the FEMA 

Emergency Management Higher Education Project started, 

there were only four collegiate programs.

Anecdotal evidence from academics who manage existing 

emergency management programs suggest the trend is 

toward continued program growth--semester after semester 

those studying in these programs include traditional college 

students thinking that they would like to try to enter the 

profession upon graduation, emergency management 

practitioners seeking professional development and 

advancement, and practitioners from a wide range of 

other professions seeking a broader perspective as well as 

professional development and advancement.

Descriptions and points of contact for all 108 emergency 

management collegiate programs, 22 Homeland Security 

programs, and 9 international disaster management and 

humanitarian assistance programs are available on “The 

College List” on the FEMA Emergency Management Higher 

Education Project Web page at www.training.fema.gov/

emiweb/edu/.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Approves 

National Incident Management System

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has approved 

the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the 

Nation’s first standardized management plan that creates 

a unified structure for Federal, State, and local lines of 

government for incident response.

“NIMS gives all of our nation’s responders the same 

framework for incident management and fully puts 

into practice the concept of one mission, one team, 

one fight,” Ridge said. “I recognize the efforts of the 

dedicated professionals from State and local governments, 

law enforcement, the fire and emergency management 

communities, emergency medical services, tribal 

associations, public health, the private sector, public works, 

and nongovernmental organizations across America who 

teamed together in a collaborative effort to create NIMS.”

NIMS identifies and integrates core elements and best 

practices for all responders and incident managers. 

Through a balance between flexibility and standardization, 

and use of common doctrine, terminology, concepts, 

principles, and processes, use of NIMS during an incident 

will be consistent and seamless. Key elements and features 

of NIMS include

• Incident Command System (ICS). NIMS outlines a 

 standard incident management organization called 

 ICS that establishes five functional areas--Command, 

 Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/

 Administration--for management of all major 

 incidents. To ensure further coordination, and during 

 incidents involving multiple jurisdictions or agencies, 

 the principle of Unified Command has been universally 

 incorporated into NIMS. This Unified command not 

 only coordinates the efforts of many jurisdictions, 

 but provides for and ensures joint decisions on 

 objectives, strategies, plans, priorities, and public 

 communications.

• Preparedness. NIMS defines advance preparedness 

 measures such as planning, training, exercises, 

 qualification and certification, equipment acquisition 

 and certification, and publication management. 

 Preparedness also incorporates mitigation activities 

 such as public education, enforcement of building 

 standards and codes, and preventive measures to 

 prevent or reduce loss of life or property.

• Communications and Information Management. 

 NIMS prescribes interoperable communications 

 systems for both incident and information 

 management. Responders and managers across all 

 agencies and jurisdictions must have a common 

 operating picture for a more efficient and effective 

 incident response.

• Joint Information System (JIS). NIMS organizational 

 measures enhance public communication. A JIS 

 provides the public with timely and accurate incident 

 information and unified public messages. This system 

 employs Joint Information Centers and brings incident 

 communicators together during an incident to develop, 

 coordinate, and deliver a unified message. This will 

 ensure that Federal, State, tribal, and local levels of 

 government are releasing the same information during 

 an incident.

• NIMS Integration Center (NIC). To ensure that NIMS 

 remains an accurate and effective management tool, the 

 NIMS NIC will be established by the Secretary of 

 Homeland Security to assess proposed changes to 

 NIMS, capture and evaluate lessons learned, and 

 employ best practices. The NIC will provide strategic 
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direction and oversight, supporting both routine 

maintenance and continuous refinement of the system 

and its components.

The completion of NIMS follows the October 2003 

nationwide deployment of the Initial National Response 

Plan (INRP), which represented the first step in aligning 

incident management response and actions between all 

Federal, State, tribal, local, and private communities. A 

final National Response Plan is under development and 

eventually will replace the INRP, while NIMS will continue 

to provide the Nation doctrinal guidance for incident 

management for acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and 

other emergencies.

Personal Protective Equipment Standards Adopted

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and 

Technology division has adopted its first standards 

regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) developed 

to protect first responders against chemical, biological, 

radiological, and nuclear incidents. These standards are 

intended to provide emergency personnel with the best 

available protective gear.

Homeland Security is adopting these standards, developed 

in partnership with the National Fire Protection Association 

(NFPA) and the National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health (NIOSH). These guidelines also have 

been adopted by the Interagency Board for Equipment 

Standardization and Interoperability.

“President Bush, Secretary Ridge, and I are committed 

to our Nation’s first responders and the communities 

they serve,” said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of 

Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and 

Response. “Developing these standards in equipment used 

by our first responders will enable them to better prepare 

our Nation against natural and manmade disasters and 

protect them as they respond to any hazard.”

Homeland Security’s standards are designed to assist State 

and local officials in procurement decisions related to first 

responder equipment. In addition, these guidelines will 

assist manufacturers by providing performance standards 

and test methods. This provides the manufacturing 

community with minimum performance requirements 

for equipment, and the test methods to confirm that the 

required performance levels are achieved.

February 26 - Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson (center) joined national 

and local emergency response officials to announce the Department of Homeland Security’s 

adoption of its first set of standards for protective equipment used by firefighters, police 

officers and other first responders. The eight standards, announced at Fire Station #3 in 

Washington, DC, set minimum requirements for design, performance, testing and certification 

for self-contained breathing equipment, respirators and protective clothing. The National Fire 

Protection Association (NFPA) developed five of the standards and the National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health developed three.

Joining Deputy Administrator Dickinson at the announcement were (l to r): James Shannon, 

NFPA President; Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and 

Response Mike Brown; Chief Michael Neuhard, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department; 

Adrian Thompson, Washington, DC Fire Chief; and Under Secretary of Homeland Security 

for Science and Technology, Dr. Charles McQueary.

Independent Study Course to Boost Environmental/

Historic Preservation Activities is Unveiled

A new, online, independent study course is now available 

to help State, local, Federal, and tribal officials navigate 

environmental and historic preservations compliance 

regulations that affect FEMA’s disaster recovery programs.

The course, one of the largest and most complex ever put 

on the online Virtual Campus, took some 2 years to convert 

from a paper-based curriculum.

Specialists at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute 

developed the online course, IS 253: Coordinating Environmental 

and Historical Preservation Compliance. The online course not only 

presents how compliance issues should be addressed, but 

also emphasizes that environmental/historical preservation 

issues should be considered early in the recovery process in 

order for projects to be funded as quickly as possible.
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The course takes a minimum of 10 hours to complete, and 

those who successfully complete it will receive a certificate. 

The course can be accessed at www.training.fema.gov. 

From there, interested students should click on National 

Emergency Training Center (NETC) Virtual Campus to 

enroll.

Homeland Security Issues First Radiological and 

Nuclear Detectors Standards

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and 

Technology division has adopted its first radiological and 

nuclear detectors standards, designed to assist Federal 

agencies, State and local officials, and manufacturers 

in procurement decisions related to radiological and 

nuclear detection equipment. These guidelines provide 

performance standards and test methods, as well as 

minimum characteristics for four classes of radiation 

detection equipment ranging from hand-held alarming 

detectors to radiation portal monitors for cargo containers. 

The guidelines are expected to be helpful to Homeland 

Security officials and first responders using technology to 

protect themselves and residents from potential threats.

The standards were developed in partnership with the 

Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards 

and Technology (NIST), the Department of Energy’s 

National Laboratories, and the Institute for Electrical and 

Electronics Engineers. Homeland Security and its partners 

will convene on a regular basis to revise these standards as 

detection technology evolves.

Interagency Agreement Brings Customers and Border 

Protection Officials to the Emergency Management 

Institute

Thanks to an interagency agreement between FEMA and 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 56 CBP officials 

now hold the title of Master Exercise Practitioner after 

completing a 3-week series of courses conducted by 

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. The CBP 

participants ranged from border patrol agents to port 

officials and came from locales ranging from North Dakota 

to Puerto Rico. Another 48 officials completed the training 

on March 19th.

In order to receive the title, participants had to complete 

the three courses and eight exercise proficiency 

demonstrations, which included such challenges as 

developing, coordinating, and evaluating a tabletop exercise 

and serving as a controller, simulator, or evaluator in a 

functional exercise.

While EMI has been offering exercise design courses 

since the 1980’s, the emphasis on exercises has grown 

since September 11, 2001. The ability to design, develop, 

evaluate, and manage exercises ranging from tabletop 

to full-scale exercises complete with mock victims and 

deployed equipment now is considered vital throughout 

emergency management and Homeland Security 

communities.

“Exercises are the end of the planning-training-exercises 

loop,” said Lowell Ezersky, the Master Exercise Practitioner 

Program Manager. “Exercises validate policy, planning, 

procedures, and essential functions. It also validates people 

and performance, testing to see if people can perform the 

way they have been trained to perform.”

It’s vital, according to Ezersky, that those carrying out the 

exercises are trained properly themselves.

“The better the exercise, the better the reality and the better 

you are able to test what you want to test,” he said. “It’s 

also important that the exercise is evaluated correctly so 

that shortfalls are identified and outcomes can be moved 

into correction actions.”

In addition to the special courses for the CPB, local and 

State officials are taking advantage of the program through 

several offerings in 2004.

Terrorism Course for National Capital-Area Officials 

Emphasizes Partnership

Hospital administrators, State and local emergency 

management, law enforcement officers, college security 

personnel, Army officers, Secret Service officials, and 

staff from such Federal offices as the State Department, 

Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of 

Energy came together this week to increase their awareness 

about terrorism.

The 150 participants who attended the 1-day course at 

FEMA’s NETC in Emmitsburg, Maryland, also networked 

and discussed how their respective organizations can work 

together to strengthen overall terrorism preparedness 

and response in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, 

Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware.
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The course helped officials who are not necessarily first 

responders, but nevertheless have important roles in overall 

terrorism preparedness and response, to identify suspicious 

circumstances, understand how to protect their critical 

assets, and know what to expect during a Federal response 

to such an event.

The course brought home to many of the participants 

the severity of the threat situation and how they may 

be affected by a response--even if they are not directly 

involved, such as in hospitals in areas somewhat removed 

from where an actual event might occur.

The NETC, which includes both the Emergency 

Management Institute and the National Fire Academy, 

offers a variety of terrorism-related courses each year and 

holds regular networking meetings for National Capitalarea emergency services personnel as part of an overall 

Homeland Security mission to enhance terrorism response 

capabilities.

FEMA Review of Tire Recycling Facility Fire Shows 

Smoke Towers Can Respond Effectively to Major 

Incidents

A technical review of a fire at a Nebraska tire recycling 

plant--which took 11 days to extinguish and posed an 

environmental threat to the Missouri River--has been 

released. According to the report, the facility recycling tires 

was not designed for that use and adequate safeguards were 

not in place. The report urged fire departments facing such 

situations to be proactive in the permit and zoning process 

whenever possible.

“The report illustrated how well mutual aid and 

cooperation worked in this incident, but underscored 

that stricter zoning and building codes are necessary 

to prohibit certain operations within city limits and in 

facilities not designed for that use,” said Michael D. Brown, 

Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency 

Preparedness and Response.

USFA develops reports on selected major fires and 

emergencies, usually involving multiple deaths or a large 

loss of property. The objective reviews are intended to 

uncover significant “lessons learned” or new knowledge 

about firefighting or to underscore ongoing issues in fire 

service.

“This was a complex situation with wide-ranging impacts. 

Rail traffic was halted, residents evacuated and more than 

a dozen firefighters injured, all occurring in freezing 

temperatures,” said U.S. Fire Administrator R. David 

Paulison. “Yet this technical review found that small towns 

can indeed muster the resources necessary to handle a 

major incident.”

Wreckers were used to pull steel debris from the fire.

The Nebraska City Fire Department was dispatched to the 

fire January 23, 2002. The facility, which recycled old 

tires into reusable rubber, had four 64-feet high silos that 

could each hold 100,000 shredded tires; all four silos were 

burning. Firefighters eventually used nitrogen in an attempt 

to extinguish the fire. While the nitrogen was being used, 

one of the silos exploded, injuring firefighters. Firefighters 

from surrounding communities assisted in the incident 

while local law enforcement handled traffic around the 

area and State and Federal agencies monitored air and 

water quality. In the end, a private contractor renowned 

for extinguishing oil well fires extinguished the blaze. At 

one point in the response, a microphone stuck in an open 

position disrupted communication between responders. All 

told, 390,000 gallons of contaminated water and 3.3 tons 

of tire crumb material had to be removed from the site.

A copy of the full report can be downloaded by going to 

www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/techreports/tr145.shtm.
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Community Fire Prevention Course Offered by the 

National Fire Academy in June

A course ideally suited to small towns interested in 

boosting their community’s fire prevention efforts is being 

held June 6 to 11, 2004, at the National Fire Academy, in 

Emmitsburg, Maryland.

The course, Leading Community Fire Prevention (R-823), is 

especially suited to emergency responders in communities 

with populations of 25,000 or fewer, and covers risk 

identification, tools and techniques, community coalitions, 

marketing, and development of individual community 

prevention plans. Students completing the course will 

be better able to develop and implement their own 

community prevention plans.

There is no tuition charge for this course. Lodging also is 

free and transportation costs are reimbursed. Students pay 

only a small fee for meals. Information on how to apply 

can be found at www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/nfaabt1c.shtm#75-5.

Review of 11-Alarm San Jose, California, Fire 

Underscores Challenges Posed by Extremely LargeScale Incidents

A technical review of the worst fire loss in San Jose, 

California, history--damages of more than $90 million-

-has been released by FEMA. According to the report, 

San Jose fire officials identified county-wide radio/data 

interoperability, the need for additional radio frequencies, 

and reviewing the mutual-aid plan as priorities to be 

addressed based on lessons learned in the October 2002 

fire.

“This was an extremely large fire that spread beyond 

the initial construction site to engulf nearby housing, 

putting many firefighters at risk and leaving many families 

homeless,” said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of 

Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and 

Response. “While the San Jose Fire Department was able to 

manage the incident without any fatalities and only minor 

injuries, there is much to be learned from the fire.”

USFA develops reports on selected major fires and 

emergencies, usually involving multiple deaths or a large 

loss of property. The objective reviews are intended to 

share significant “lessons learned” or new knowledge 

about firefighting or to underscore ongoing issues in the 

fire service. USFA, which has no regulatory authority, 

sends an experienced fire investigator to the community 

after a major incident only after conferring with local fire 

authorities.

Fully involved corner at intersection of Winchester Street.

“It’s widely recognized that communication systems were 

quickly overloaded during this extraordinarily large event,” 

said U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison. “The call 

volume pushed the fire department’s system to the brink, 

even with police department assistance, and the amount 

of radio traffic also exceeded the capabilities of the fire 

department’s system. These issues have been recognized by 

senior fire officials and included in a formal postincident 

evaluation done locally.”

The fire began at the 42-acre Santana Row construction site 

and was reported to the 911 operator by a caller located 

in a nearby highrise building. Less than 10 minutes after 

the initial call, there was a second call reporting roof fires 

about half a mile from the initial fire site. Eventually, 119 

firefighters and 31 pieces of apparatus would respond 

to the construction site fire and 102 firefighters and 34 

pieces of apparatus would respond to the secondary fire 

that burned through nearby residential units. A total of 11 

alarms would eventually be dispatched to the fires.

A copy of the full report can be found at 

www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/techreports/tr153.shtm.

National Volunteer Week

April means its time to shower volunteers with praise. 

National Volunteer Week 2004 is April 18-24, 2004, and 

this year’s theme is “Volunteers Inspire by Example”. 

The annual celebration of volunteer service began in 

1974. As part of the week’s celebration, the Presidential 
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Volunteer Service Awards and the Make A Difference 

Day Awards will be announced. A toolkit with items to 

help recognize and promote volunteerism is available at 

www.pointsoflight.org/NVW/nvw.cfm.

Join USFA’s Higher Education Listserv--Virtual LAMPPost

The U. S. Fire Administration has launched the Virtual 

LAMP-Post listserv on its Fire and Emergency Services 

Higher Education (FESHE) Web site. LAMP stands for 

Learning-Academic Materials and Programs and is an 

electronic version of the LAMP Post offered at the annual 

FESHE conference. Periodically, we will send to your e-mail 

address information deemed of interest to the professional 

development community, including new USFA research 

studies, technical programs and press releases that may 

have relevance to fire-related training and degree programs 

and FESHE-related announcements including upcoming 

conference information, updates on the model curriculum, 

and new activities.

We are now accepting postings from the professional 

development community. If you would like to post an 

announcement, please e-mail it to Lori.Welch@dhs.gov. 

The following types of announcements are welcomed:

• Fire-related professional development activities in the 

areas of training, education, or certification, e.g., results 

of State professional development summits, articulation 

agreements, successful American Council of Education 

(ACE) review of courses, etc.

• Job vacancy announcements of interest to training 

and education communities, including faculty, staff, and 

students.

• Published fire-related academic research.

• Significant institutional grant awards.

• Requests for information, assistance, or input (consider 

TRADENET, as well).

Commercial announcements about products or services 

are not permitted. All submitted postings are reviewed and 

approved by the FESHE program office.

To register for the Virtual LAMP-Post, please visit http://

www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/listserv/usfamail.cfm.

For more information about fire-related professional 

development, visit the FESHE Web page at http://

www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/higher-ed/he.shtm.