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    - 2004
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# USFA Newsletter

November 2003 | Volume 2

## In this issue:

    - 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grants Awards Continue as Planning for 2004 Gets Underway
    - Residential Sprinkler Law Goes into Effect in Maryland, Thanks in Part to the US Fire Administration
    - US Fire Administrator Named Fire Protection Person of the Year
    - FEMA Announces New Fire Safety Resource to Enhance Fire Safety
    - FEMA and USFA Used Daylight Savings Time Change to Push Smoke Alarm Use 
    - Homeland Security Office of Inspector General Completes Assessment of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program; Finds "Equitable and Dynamic Process"
    - USFA Develops CD-Based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Tutorial
    - FEMA Review of Pennsylvania Explosion Shows Needs for Hazardous Materials Training for Emergency Responders 
    - Firefighter Grants Update
    - Firefighter Training Report
    - US Fire Administrator Visits California Wildfire Areas 
    - National Emergency Management Training Center Joins Emmitsburg, Md., In New Warning System
    - Fallen Firefighter Memorial Weekend
    - The Re-invention of an Old Training Tool
    - 2003 NFIRS Data Update
    - FEMA Announced Application Procedures for 2004 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program 
    - Texas A&M Bonfire Technical Report 
    - DHS Announces $2.2 Billion for State and Local First Responders; States Apply Through One Form in Streamlined Online Process
    - New Web-Based Compendium Helps Officials Interested In Federal Terrorism Training
    - CERT Best Practices Shared At FEMA-Sponsored Seminar
    - U.S. Fire Administrator Speaks to Women Chief Fire Officers Association
    - Upcoming Events
    - Notes

### 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grants Awards Continue as Planning for 2004 Gets Underway

With over 5800 awards already made in the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) continues to work diligently on completing the remaining 2003 awards which are expected to total around 9,500 recipients in all.

Also underway is the planning for the 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program which has been appropriated $750,000,000 by Congress and the President. While the 2004 funds have been assigned to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP), ongoing coordination meetings between USFA and ODP are already being conducted to assure a smooth and seamless transition of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program for 2004. Present plans are for USFA to administer the program for ODP in 2004 with very little change anticipated.

 While it is likely that a limited number of specialized items and training activities to enhance preparedness for terrorism and WMD preparedness will be added to the list of eligible grant projects in 2004, the AFG Program will continue to maintain its major focus on enhancing basic firefighting capabilities for America's fire departments.

The nine national fire service organizations that have provided input and criteria guidance to USFA for previous years programs have already convened and completed their recommendations for the 2004 AFG Program. With that fire service input completed, actual details of the 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program are presently being developed so that the 2004 Program Guidance and Notice of Funds Availability can be ready for release in early January.

Since coordination meetings between ODP and USFA are continuing on a weekly basis,  it is anticipated that the 2004 AFG program will be able to maintain a calendar similar to previous years AFG Programs with workshops and informational sessions commencing in mid-January and the application period occurring during the month of March.

Participating staff from both ODP and USFA remain fully committed to assuring the continued success of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program which passes critically needed federal dollars direct to local fire departments in order to enhance their basic capabilities. 

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### Residential Sprinkler Law Goes into Effect in Maryland, Thanks in Part to the US Fire Administration

Just four months after the US Fire Administration (USFA) went on the record advocating both sprinkler systems, Dave Paulison was invited to celebrate and join in the signing of the new sprinkler ordinance enacted in Montgomery County, Maryland, thus becoming the largest jurisdiction in the nation to mandate sprinkler systems in new homes. The US Fire Administrator was able to recognize the efforts of Montgomery County legislative and fire officials to enact this legislation, draw attention to the proactive efforts of those involved with the new ordinance and use this opportunity to once again draw attention to the importance of residential sprinklers.

The Montgomery legislation requires all new single-family houses to include an approved fire sprinkler system. The law also requires that all property tax notices provide information about the local tax credit available for installing sprinkler systems in existing buildings that lack sprinkler systems. Maryland state and county laws already require sprinkler systems in new multi-family dwellings, townhouses and commercial structures.

Sprinkler systems are an important step toward reducing the number of people in the U.S. who lose their lives in house fires each year; some 3,000 people died in house fires in 2002. Tests of new residential quick-response sprinkler systems show that sprinklers respond in as little as 35 seconds, completely extinguishing a fire. Sprinkler systems normally cost less than one percent of the cost of a new house - similar to wall-to-wall carpeting. 

Nationally, no more than two percent of new residences are being protected with residential sprinkler systems. The USFA believes that other counties and municipalities may be inclined to follow Montgomery County's lead as they see the positive effect of such legislation on loss of life and property due to residential fires.

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### US Fire Administrator Named Fire Protection Person of the Year

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers has named U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison, who also serves as FEMA's director of preparedness, "Fire Protection Person of the Year." The award, presented at the society's annual banquet, recognizes significant, lasting achievement in fire protection. Paulison was honored for his contribution to the nation in his role as USFA administrator and for his commitment to fire prevention and innovative approaches to fire safety.

"We congratulate Chief Paulison as the recipient of this outstanding achievement award," said Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response. "Chief Paulison's hard work and dedication has been well noted and appreciated within the Department of Homeland Security and I am glad that his work has received recognition outside of the agency as well."

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### FEMA Announces New Fire Safety Resource to Enhance Fire Safety

FEMA has joined with the Fire Safety Council (FSC) to address the threat of fires in residential homes. The joint effort, which will focus initial efforts on the 5 million American homes without smoke alarms, will include a two-year pilot phase with focus on public fire safety education and awareness, as well as new research on fire safety technology for the home. Though all of the partners have had smoke alarm installation programs, a joint effort combining knowledge and experiences from these programs has never before been attempted. 

Additionally, FEMA and the FSC have launched the web site www.firesafety.gov to provide up-to-date information about program activities, prevention tips and a special interactive page for children to learn about fire safety.

The National Fire Protection Association reports that an estimated 2,670 people died in residential fires in 2002.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the USFA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission were the founding FSC partners. Other member agencies and organizations include the American Red Cross, the Congressional Fire Services Institute, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Fire Marshals Association, the National Association of State Fire Marshals and National Fire Protection Association, among others. 

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### FEMA and USFA Used Daylight Savings Time Change to Push Smoke Alarm Use 

FEMA and the USFA urged residents to replace their smoke alarm batteries and check their units on Oct. 27, when clocks were turned back to end Daylight Savings Time. Some 2,700 people lost their lives in residential fires in 2002 and another 14,000 were injured. In many of the house fires where lives are lost, an operating smoke alarm could have made a difference. Studies show that a smoke alarm reduces the risk of dying in a house fire by 50 percent.Residents were urged to:
    - Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, especially near bedrooms;
    - Test all smoke alarms monthly; 
    - Keep smoke alarms clean by vacuuming over and around them regularly; 
    - As with any appliance, smoke alarms wear out. Replace the entire unit after 10 years or as recommended by the manufacturer;
    - Make sure you know the location of your fire department, police station and hospital and post a list of emergency numbers near all the telephones;
    - Organize and practice a family fire drill.

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### Homeland Security Office of Inspector General Completes Assessment of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program; Finds "Equitable and Dynamic Process"

The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General recently completed an assessment of the first Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which has been providing funds to rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States since 2001. 

"I wish to thank all of those individuals, including DHS, FEMA and USFA staff, who have helped make this program as successful as the assessment indicated," said U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison. "But our work is not complete. We will review recommendations from this report, and continue to assist the fire service responding to all emergencies." 

The full report can be found at: http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_Review_Fire_Assist.pdf

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### USFA Develops CD-Based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Tutorial

Every year, more fire departments are implementing GIS in their departments as the tool of choice for analysis and display of their departments' activities reported via NFIRS then related to the geographic areas and populations they protect. To assist in this, USFA has released a first edition CD-ROM based GIS Tutorial (FA-259).

This CD-ROM serves as an introduction for the fire service to these technologies while offering links to more advanced information and key resources, including the United States National Grid - North American Datum 1983 (USNG-NAD83) standard, the single consensus "location interoperability" reference standard required nationwide to make location-based technologies, such as Global Positioning Systems and GIS, the most effective and useful they can be in terms of equipment, plans, communications protocols, and disaster operations.

The NFIRS data standard, used by fire departments around the USA for many years, also is a great advantage when it comes to interoperable computer-based technologies being able to use fire incident data to fight fire with facts. Because there is a stable and long-standing data content standard in place, NFIRS, GIS applications developed by one vendor or fire department can easily be used by and/or shared with others.

Also included in a separate folder on the CD-ROM is a video viewable on a PC with a media player called "Mapping the Future of Fire" provided courtesy of American Heat - Primedia Workplace Learning. This video shows community "enterprise GIS" concepts and real fire department uses for GIS, on the apparatus and in the office, implemented from scratch for the Wilson, North Carolina, Fire Department.

The USFA NFIRS/GIS Introduction and Tutorial can be obtained at no cost from the USFA publications center, http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/ or visit http://www.gisday.com/ for more information.

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### FEMA Review of Pennsylvania Explosion Shows Needs for Hazardous Materials Training for Emergency Responders 

A technical review of the devastating explosion at Concept Sciences, Inc. (CSI) in Pennsylvania, which claimed five lives and caused $5 million in damage, has been released. The explosion in Hanover Township could be seen for seven miles, produced a four-foot-deep crater and damaged 11 adjacent buildings to CSI, which manufactured free-base hydroxylamine, a semiconductor cleaner.

The USFA review noted that it was 60 to 80 minutes into the incident before the hazardous materials team became fully operational and able to conclusively identify the product, and that some emergency personnel entered the area without proper protective clothing. Other lessons learned cited in the report include:
    - The incident response involved three agencies from three counties, but there was no set radio frequency that was common;		
    - Although more than 400 personnel responded, in addition to agencies from the local, state and federal level, a unified incident command system and solid emergency management plan allowed the incident to be successfully managed;		
    - Extreme caution must be exercised when search and rescue dogs are used in a situation involving hazardous materials. Chemicals that are caustic to the respiratory tract can severely injure a dog and permanently reduce or destroy their olfactory abilities;		
    - Fire investigators, state police officers and coroner's personnel who responded did not have a significant amount of training in handling hazardous materials incidents and they lacked the protective clothing and respiratory devices requires to safely work an incident of this type. 

After receiving calls of the explosion on Feb. 19, 1999, firefighters arrived at CSI to find a collapsed building, smoke drifting from the blast site and a small fire of little significance. Water was pouring from the demolished automatic sprinkler system and the area was strewn with debris and crushed cars. Six people were trapped and the Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, from Harrisburg, Pa., was activated and responded. The incident lasted for nearly four days. The investigation into the cause of the explosion is continuing.

A copy of the full report is at: www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/techreports/tr127.shtm.

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### Firefighter Grants Update

In the 23rd round of the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, 134 grants for over $10 million went to fire departments throughout the U.S. The grants will ultimately total approximately 9500 awards worth almost $750 million in direct assistance to firefighters. Since June, more than 5800 fire departments have received nearly $406 million to support their role as first responders in the neighborhoods and communities they serve.  USFA is looking for success stories.  Please send your photos with captions to: [email protected].

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### Firefighter Training Report

A technical special report on the risks of firefighting training and ways to reduce deaths and injuries has been released; the report underscores the inherent danger of such training but reiterated the importance of experience gained in real, rather than closely controlled training fires.

The USFA review also highlighted the importance of following currently accepted procedures and standards to avoid training deaths and injuries, and the need for instructors to avoid situations for which the students are not yet prepared. The challenge is very real. Since 1987, reported training-related injuries have increased by nearly 21 percent. In 2001 alone, almost 7,000 training-related injuries were reported. That year, a firefighter died and two were injured while participating in a live-burn training situation.

At the same time, live fire training buildings and simulators fed by propane or natural gas have many safety features but may not provide the same realism as live fire training in acquired structures, according to the report. The training buildings, for example, fail to teach students to react to the diverse conditions encountered in real fire operations.

In addition, the need to provide training in situations other than fires, such as hazardous material incidents, increases the danger to participants. In 1997, for example, a member of a unit training to respond to a chemical incident was overcome by a nerve agent and needed to be administered an antidote to stop the seizures.

This special report was based on meetings, informal interviews and a study of a wide array of fire training literature. A copy of the full report can be found at: www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/techreports/tr100.shtm

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### US Fire Administrator Visits California Wildfire Areas 

Homeland Security top officials all recently toured the areas of California devastated by wildfires. In addition to President Bush and Homeland Security Under Secretary Michael D. Brown, U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison flew to the area at Secretary Ridge's request to advise and assist federal, state and local authorities. President Bush had declared several Southern California counties federal disaster areas, freeing up federal disaster aid to individuals, businesses and governments. 

### National Emergency Management Training Center Joins Emmitsburg, Md., In New Warning System

The town of Emmitsburg, Md., near the FEMA's National Emergency Training Center, will kick off a new Area Warning System in December. The system, properly known as a Mass Notification High-Power Voice and Siren System, is made up of outdoor warning speakers that can provide pre-recorded messages, allow for live instructions and/or sound alert sirens indicating that citizens need to immediately turn on their radios or televisions for emergency information.

Located on the southern edge of Emmitsburg just outside town limits, NETC is installing the system at its facility as well. 

"We had been looking for such an opportunity and given our role in helping communities and the nation prepare for major emergencies we were delighted to join with Mayor Hoover and the town of Emmitsburg in installing a part of the system at the National Emergency Training Center," said US Fire Administrator R. David Paulison.

In the planning stages for well over a year, this new system can be a powerful life-saving tool. Emmitsburg is the second Maryland community to have such a system. LaPlata installed a system following a F-5 tornado, which left a swath of deadly destruction more than a 20-miles long last year.

The Emmitsburg system can be activated both by the Frederick County Department of Emergency Communications, which includes the county's Fire / Rescue Dispatch Center, as well as from the town itself. The system will be tested weekly via a non-audible "paper test" but periodic audible tests are being considered so citizens know the system is operational and what it sounds like when activated. 

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### Fallen Firefighter Memorial Weekend

The 2003 Memorial Weekend was a special time for the fire service in that both the Candlelight Service on October 4th and the National Memorial Service on October 5th were broadcast into more than 6 million households throughout the country. This broadcast was made possible through two new USFA Memorandums of Understanding: one with the Alliance of Community Broadcasters and the other with the National Information Officer Association. Both the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation and these new partners look forward to increasing this participation in upcoming years.

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### The Re-invention of an Old Training Tool

After broadcasting training and awareness programming for more than 22 years, the Emergency Education NETwork (EENET) will be changing its name to reflect the broader focus of the new Department of Homeland Security. The new network name will be National Preparedness Network (NPN) and will address all aspects of the newly created department. This new network will be rolled out early in 2004.

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### 2003 NFIRS Data Update

The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), part of the USFA's National Fire Data Center, reports that as of Nov. 11, 2003, 7,943 departments reported 2.43 million incidents to NFIRS for the 2003 calendar year. Overall, 56 percent of the incidents reported to date are EMS in nature, 9 percent were fires and 35 percent were "other" incident types. The state data submission deadline for reporting 2003 calendar year NFIRS data to the National Fire Data Center is June 1, 2004. 

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### FEMA Announced Application Procedures for 2004 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program 

Application procedures have been established for the 2004 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program, sponsored through a partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and FEMA. Each organization will fund the tuition costs of two individuals for a total of eight fellowships.

US Fire Administrator R. David Paulison, a graduate of the Harvard Fellowship Program, applauds the program.

"I know this experience provides the opportunity for senior fire executives to participate in a high quality and world recognized, professional development program," he said. "The individuals selected will have the unique opportunity to share with other state and local government participants about the many contemporary emergency services issues and challenges faced by all Americans."

Eight senior fire executives will be awarded fellowships to attend Harvard's annual "Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government." The three-week program is conducted on the Harvard campus in Cambridge, Mass.  Selected fellows would be assigned to attend one of the two 2004 session dates: June 13 - July 2, 2004, July 11-30, 2004 or a third session scheduled for February of 2005. Applicants must be available to attend any one of the three sessions. Applicants are responsible for travel costs to the final interview process and, if selected, also to Cambridge. Housing will be provided at NETC for the interview process.

The following criteria and guidelines have been established for the 2004 program:
    - Application is open to senior fire executives who have demonstrated significant career accomplishments and have the potential		to impact and initiate change. Attainment of a senior position is less important than demonstrated experience in facilitating		significant change within a public sector setting.		
    - Preference may be given to applicants who are graduates of the NFA's "Executive Fire Officer Program," although program		completion is not a prerequisite. Preference may also be given to applicants who have completed graduate-level degree programs or		course work.		
    - Individuals whose organizations have been represented in the Harvard	Fellowship Program during 2001, 2002, or 2003 will not be considered. The program is available to international participants.

A FEMA General Admission Application (Form 75-5) is required and must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2004. An organizational chart of the applicant's sponsoring organization (with applicant's position highlighted) is required. All applicants are encouraged to include a resume with their submission. 

All application packages should be forwarded to:Harvard Fellowship Program, U.S. Fire Administration,c/o Ms. Kathleen Carter, 16825 South Seton Ave, Emmitsburg, Maryland, 21727.

For questions contact Ms. Carter @ (301) 447-1349 or send e-mail to: [email protected]. More information can be found at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/nfa/higher-ed/degree_programs/he3b.shtm and http://www.execprog.com/programs.asp?programid=29&displaymode=view

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### Texas A&M Bonfire Technical Report 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A technical review of the response to the Texas A&M University bonfire collapse, which killed 12 university students and graduates, was released in November. According to the review, emergency responders dealing with such challenging emergencies must "think big" in terms of ordering additional resources immediately to meet possible management needs. The report also showed the importance of pre-incident planning. In this case, there had been a tabletop exercise with city and university responders just one week prior to the event and the university's emergency management service personnel had conducted a drill just two weeks before.

Other lessons learned cited in the report include:
    - The advantages of having electric power and hardwired telephone lines brought to the scene's command post to help with		 communications as the magnitude of the emergency quickly exceeded the capabilities of the emergency responder communications		 systems, and the telecommunications system of the community and two local hospitals;
    - The need to consider redirecting non-critical patients to other medical facilities in an event involving multiple casualties,		 since the capabilities of local hospitals can be easily overwhelmed;
    - The need to provide additional staffing to hospitals, which may need help in a multi-casualty incident to assist with		 unloading patients and dealing with families and friends of the injured; and
    - The need to control rumors. So much misinformation was broadcast following the collapse that two local hospitals turned off		 their television sets to reduce anxiety. 

A press release sent out about the report erroneously noted that an incident command system was not in place. The error was corrected in a statement issued from U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison.

Texas A&M University is located in College Station, Texas, and has an annual enrollment of more than 40,000 students. The university is the site of a training school for firefighters and the headquarters of Texas Task Force One, a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue team. As part of a 90-year-old tradition, 58 people were working to construct the fourth tier of the bonfire stack on the campus in the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 1999. The 40-foot stack, consisting of some 5,000 logs, collapsed without warning. In addition to the 12 deaths, another 27 people were injured.

The rescue effort began immediately as emergency personnel were on the site at the time of the collapse and lasted almost 24 hours. Listening devices and search cameras were used to locate trapped victims. A full copy of the report can be found at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fire-service/techreports/tr133.shtm

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### DHS Announces $2.2 Billion for State and Local First Responders; States Apply Through One Form in Streamlined Online Process

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has announced the allocation of more than $2.2 billion dollars in grant funding from the Office for Domestic Preparedness. For the first time, states can apply online for their allocated grants using one form that will serve as a "one-stop-shop" application for three different programs that benefit first responders and will provide additional resources to state and local government counterterrorism efforts.

"No longer will our state and local partners have to go to different places within the department to apply for terrorism-related funding.  It ensures that nationwide, Homeland Security officials have one place where they can tap into the resources as well as the information they need," said Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.

Since March 1, DHS will have allocated or awarded more than $6 billion dollars in grant funding for first responders from the FY '03 Budget, the FY '03 Supplemental and the FY '04 Budget. 

The $2.2 billion dollars allocated to DHS from the FY '04 Budget will be distributed as part of three programs that provide significant resources to the state and local governments in different areas. These three programs are the State Homeland Security Program, the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program and Citizen Corps. Under the new system, agencies apply with one application form online as part of the Homeland Security Grant Program, streamlining the process with which DHS distributes the funds through the state governments. In addition to the single application, DHS is launching an interagency grants and training website on the DHS website at www.dhs.gov/grants. The Web site provides information on homeland security and public safety grant opportunities and a link to an interagency site for training opportunities available to state and local emergency personnel. 

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### New Web-Based Compendium Helps Officials Interested In Federal Terrorism Training

On Nov. 3, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security launched a searchable Web-based "Compendium of Federal Terrorism Training," a database originally developed by the Army in 1998 and significantly updated and redesigned by FEMA's Emergency Management Institute.This new Web-based compendium provides state and local officials a single location to quickly and easily obtain detailed information on all terrorism training available from federal departments and agencies. Users can query the system for specific subject area, by department or agency, or alphabetically. They can also print out customized lists of training that meets specific requirements or even an entire database catalog. The compendium includes details such as course objectives, intended audience, how the training is delivered (in the field, at a training center, by distance learning), and how to enroll students or arrange for the training to be delivered in a particular jurisdiction.

The compendium serves as a tangible demonstration of the department's support for a single portal through which to state, local and tribal officials can access up-to-date and detailed information on federal terrorism-related training. The compendium can be reached at: http://www.FEMA.gov/compendium.

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### CERT Best Practices Shared At FEMA-Sponsored Seminar 

About 100 participants from state, local and tribal governments shared their Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) best practices on Sept. 2 and 3, 2003, at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI). The meeting was the first of what may become annual FEMA-sponsored CERT seminars.

Participants of the seminar heard from a wide range of presenters on topics specifically related to CERT.  Presenters from large metropolitan departments shared the stage with small community presenters to offer their successes and challenges in implementing and sustaining the CERT program in their communities.  Topics included volunteer management, CERT in action, state coordination of the teams, working with tribal governments, sharing news and managing stress in a changing environment.  

U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison welcomed and addressed the participants. He stressed the importance of the CERT program and acknowledged the hard work of the dedicated CERT coordinators present at the conference.

In addition to allowing participants to learn what presenters were doing in their communities, the two-day seminar also provided participants with the opportunity to network and share information informally.

EMI is planning to conduct another CERT seminar on Sept. 8 and 9, 2004.  State CERT Coordinators must select and approve the local representatives from their jurisdiction that will attend this conference, and next year each State will be allowed to send three local "best practice" participants.  For information on other high quality EMI training opportunities visit the EMI website at:  http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/

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### U.S. Fire Administrator Speaks to Women Chief Fire Officers Association

U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison addressed the Women Chief Fire Officers Association on Nov. 7 in Plantation, Fla. He talked about his pride on behalf of the women officers in the audience "not because you fill a number, I support you because you are the best in your field." He went on to speak about the importance of women in firefighting.

"I am committed to promoting a diverse emergency management environment, as my daughters and grandchildren may one day want to be in this field," he said.

He also spoke of increasing the number of women leaders in firefighting through education, training, merit promotion, recruiting and networking. 

In his remarks, Paulison also reiterated his overall goals, including reducing firefighter deaths, reducing the loss of life due to fire, especially among infants and toddlers, and the important of residential sprinklers.

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### Upcoming Events:

November 19  		Credentialing Meetings for Wildland FiresNovember 21-24  	PARADE Conference on NETC CampusDecember 9		National Safe Kids Holiday Media Tour (Administrator Paulison)

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### Notes

**If you are not receiving this directly from the USFA list serve, take a moment to enroll.** The most current grant, program and training information is always sent to your email as it occurs. Visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov to sign up.

**National Fire Academy Second Semester enrollment period is now open.** Visit www.usfa.fema.gov to take advantage of this free training opportunity.

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Last Updated: June 23, 2004 12:40 PM

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