N·E ·W·S ·L ·E ·T ·T ·E ·R

December 2003, Issue 3

USFA Touts Fire Safe 

Holidays

The U.S. Fire Administration 

and FEMA disseminated a press 

release and opinion piece and 

U.S. Fire Administration R. 

David Paulison conducted nearly 

a dozen radio interviews to 

promote a “fire safe” holiday 

this year. Statistics show that 

house fires increase during the 

winter holiday season – fueled 

in part by holiday decorations, 

candles and Christmas trees. Fires 

caused by children also spike 

in mid-December and again 

on New Year’s Day. The intent 

of the campaign was to reduce 

those statistics. Specific actions 

USFA and FEMA recommended 

included:

• Selecting a fresh Christmas tree 

that is kept in water at all times. 

Needles on fresh trees should 

be green and should not fall

off easily. Don’t leave the tree 

up longer than two weeks. 

Dried out Christmas trees can 

ignite easily and boost a fire by 

spreading it rapidly!

• Placing Christmas trees in a safe 

place, away from fireplaces or 

heat vents.

• Maintaining holiday lights. 

Inspect your lights before you 

use them to ensure they don’t 

have frayed wires, gaps in the 

insulation, broken or cracked 

sockets or excessive wear. Only 

use lighting that is listed by an 

approved testing laboratory and 

don’t leave the lights on when 

you’re not home.

• Avoiding overloading electrical 

outlets. Don’t link more than 

three light strands unless the 

directions indicate it is safe. 

Periodically check the wires. 

They should not be warm to the 

touch.

• Using only nonflammable 

decorations that are placed away 

from heat vents and if you’re 

using an artificial tree, make 

sure that it’s flame retardant.

• Avoiding using candles. If you 

do use candles, ensure they 

are in a stable holder and place 

them where they cannot be 

easily knocked down. Do not 

In This Issue...

USFA Touts Fire Safe Holidays

National Fire Service Credentialing 

System 

Noble Training Center Offers 

Healthcare Leadership and 

Administrative Decision Making 

Course 

National Fallen Firefighters 

Foundation Releases Large Format 

Book

Training Course To Help Safeguard 

Seniors and People with Disabilities 

Being Distributed by FEMA 

Some Recent USFA Facts

Community Emergency Response 

Teams Respond

Area Warning System Dedicated in 

Emmitsburg, Md. 

CIP DisasterHelp.gov Initiative

DOT and USFA Initiate Research on 

Non-Blinding Emergency Vehicle 

Warning Lighting Systems with 

Society of Automotive Engineers

Cooperative Agreements Funds 

Mississippi Project 

US Fire Administration Hosts First 

PARADE Conference 

National Fallen Firefighters 

Foundation Announces 23rd Annual 

National Memorial Weekend

FEMA Offers Multi-Hazard Building 

Design Summer Institute for College 

and University Faculty 

USFA and the National Fire 

Protection Association Initiate Project 

Examining Behavioral Mitigation of 

Smoking Fires

The Winter EENET Schedule is 

Available 

Upcoming Events
2

leave lit candles unattended, 

never put candles on a 

Christmas tree and never leave 

the house with candles burning. 

More information is available 

on the FEMA Web site at 

www.fema.gov and on the USFA 

Web site at www.usfa.fema.gov.

National Fire Service 

Credentialing System 

Congress has mandated that DHS 

and USFA establish a national 

fire service credentialing system 

for federally declared disasters. 

The goal is to improve multiagency coordination and response 

effectiveness.

The USFA supports establishing 

a system that allows agencies to 

identify the knowledge, skills, 

and abilities necessary to perform 

critical fire and rescue tasks, and 

to identify who has or has not 

been summoned to a federally 

declared disaster.

The participants in the first 

credentialing meeting limited 

their focus to personnel affiliated 

with a fire department (as defined 

in the National Fire Protection 

Association standards) with the 

understanding that the framework 

they developed should be 

applicable to other emergency 

services personnel. The 

fundamental operating principle 

for the national credentialing 

system is that it should operate 

within the framework of 

the existing state firefighter 

certification procedures rather 

than imposing an additional 

bureaucratic structure on that 

process. The system would be 

voluntary, not mandatory. Fire 

departments have the authority to 

determine if their members will 

participate.

The process of credentialing 

involves the following elements:

• Identifying the standards that 

would be used as the basis for 

the credentials issued

• Certifying the individuals 

against these standards

• Reviewing the certifying bodies 

to ensure that their processes 

are valid

• Maintaining a record system 

that allows for identification of 

the individual and verification 

of the information contained on 

that identification

The purpose of the second 

meeting was to build on the

framework laid out in the 

previous meeting. The expectation 

was that, at the conclusion of this 

second meeting, the concept of 

the fire service member national 

credentialing system would 

be fully described, such that it 

could be presented to state fire 

service training directors and 

representatives of other fire 

service organizations at the third 

meeting.

The final credentialing meeting 

was held on Dec. 11, 2003. The 

credentialing working group 

concentrated on reviewing 

reactions to the concept, 

determining what needs to be 

done regarding the reactions 

and determining how to move 

the concept forward. A report 

is being developed with about 

nine recommendations. It will be 

reviewed and eventually presented 

to U.S. Fire Administrator R. David 

Paulison.

Noble Training Center 

Offers Healthcare 

Leadership and 

Administrative Decision 

Making Course

The Noble Training Center is 

holding a Healthcare Leadership 

and Administrative DecisionMaking in Response to Weapons 

of Mass Destruction (WMD) 

Incidents course on Jan. 12, 2004. 

Those interested in attending 

can call John Doyle at 256-

741-3600 or Linda Pressley at 

256-741-3751 or should visit: 

www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/

netc.

The course provides an exercisebased training activity to assist 

healthcare leaders and managers 

in developing the skills necessary 

for appropriate decision making 

in response to a WMD event. 

Among other things, participants 

will review and enhance 

their own emergency plans, 

particularly in regards to mass 

care/WMD, and will learn about 

the basic incident management 

framework for local, state, and 

federal response.

The Noble Training Center 

became part of FEMA’s training 

efforts on March 1, 2003, with 

the creation of DHS.

National Fallen 

Firefighters Foundation 

Releases Large Format 

Book

The spirit and essence of the 

firefighting community is being 

celebrated in a new, large format 

book published with the National 

Fallen Firefighters Foundation. 
3

The book was written by a team 

that included historians, authors 

and experts associated with 

firefighting, as well as several 

distinguished active and retired 

chiefs and officers, “Firefighters.” 

In more than 360 pages, there are 

essays on urban, volunteer, wild 

land, military firefighting and 

information on history, training, 

trucks and apparatus, and more.

“This is a beautiful book that 

graphically depicts all that is 

firefighting now and in the past,” 

said U.S. Fire Administrator R. 

David Paulison. “The pictures are 

compelling and the text will ring 

true to everyone who has ever 

called themselves a firefighter.”

The book costs $75 and can be 

ordered through www.hlla.com

or by calling 1-800-788-3123. 

For more information contact 

James O. Muschett, jim@hlla.com

Training Course To Help 

Safeguard Seniors and 

People with Disabilities 

Being Distributed by 

FEMA

FEMA has announced the 

dissemination of a new training 

course that helps ensure the needs 

of the nation’s most vulnerable 

residents are addressed during 

disasters. The course, G197 

Emergency Planning and Special 

Needs Populations, will be 

available on CD Rom to assist local 

and state emergency planners, and 

organizations serving seniors and 

people with disabilities.

Specialists at FEMA’s Emergency 

Management Institute developed 

the course, which is part of the 

Advanced Professional Series. The 

CD Rom contains an instructor 

guide, student manual, visual 

aids, additional resources, 

related articles, and manuals on 

evacuating people with disabilities 

and emergency procedures 

for people with disabilities in 

office jobs. The CD Rom will be 

distributed to all state training 

officers and regional training 

managers. These materials will 

also soon be available on the Web. 

Check at www.training.fema.gov/

emiweb for the materials.

Some Recent USFA Facts

As 2003 comes to a close, the U.S. 

Fire Administration has much to 

be proud of. Highlights include:

• Since June, more than 7,300 

fire departments have received 

over $564 million to support 

their role as first responders 

in the neighborhoods and 

communities they serve as 

firefighters. Preparations are 

underway for the FY04 program 

and the $750 million that will

be awarded.

• During FY03, the National Fire 

Academy (NFA) trained more 

than 70,000 fire and emergency 

response personnel nationwide. 

The academy’s wide range of 

specialized residential training 

programs were again filled to 

capacity at the Emmitsburg, 

Md., training facility.

• The NFA continues to garner 

high marks from both students 

and their supervisors. The 

academy gauges student 

reaction to its training after 

each course. Likewise, the 

academy’s long-term/level 

three training evaluation 

program solicits input from 

both students and their 

supervisors four to six months 

after the training. Recent data 

shows that 92 percent of 

supervisors who responded 

said the NFA’s training had 

improved their employee’s job

performance, and 97 percent 

of these same supervisors said 

they’d recommend NFA training 

to others.

San Luis Obispo City Fire Department received $412,200 from the 2003 Assistance to Firefighters Grant 

Program for the purchase of an enhanced communications system. Mayor Romero stated, “This grant will 

allow us to establish clear communications between our agency personnel and mutual aid resources throughout 

this county and the state”. Pictured left to right are: Fire Chief Wolf Knabe, Council members Ken Schwartz and 

Christine Mulholland, Mayor Dave Romero, and the grant team - Viv Dilts, Jeremy Dold, Kerri Rosenblum, and 

Steve Schmidt.
4

• The Emergency Management 

Institute’s (EMI) Integrated 

Emergency Management 

branch is training 110 Customs 

and Border Protection (CBP) 

personnel on how to design, 

develop, conduct, and evaluate 

emergency management 

exercises. EMI and CBP are 

working together through 

an interagency agreement. CBP 

personnel have already 

completed two weeks of handson training and are 

implementing the training by 

conducting tabletop exercises 

at CBP facilities across the 

nation. The third week of 

training for CBP officials will 

be held at EMI in February and 

March 2004.

• USFA conducted several public 

education campaigns to reduce 

fire deaths, injuries and 

property damage, including 

 the Infant and Toddler Fire 

Safety Campaign and the 

Holiday Fire Safety Campaign.

2005 USFA Training 

Catalog Slated for March 

The 2005 USFA Training Catalog 

will include both the National 

Fire Academy and the Emergency 

Management Institute course 

and schedule information. The 

2005 Catalog will mark the first 

year that the combined catalog 

has been published. The catalog 

is expected to be available for 

distribution by the middle of 

March 2004 and will be available 

in printed copy as well as on the 

USFA Web site.

Community Emergency 

Response Teams Respond

In recent months, Hurricane 

Isabel as well as wildfires, 

tornadoes and floods have struck 

communities across the country. 

Following these events, there were 

reports about the many positive 

actions taken by Community 

Emergency Response Teams 

(CERTs) to prepare for these 

hazards and to assist emergency 

responders and neighbors.

In Kansas, for example, CERTs 

from Olathe activated to help 

neighbors clean up after 

devastating tornadoes. In 

Arizona, CERTs in the Mount 

Lemmon Fire District helped 

with wildfire evacuations 

and then with reseeding 

burned out areas. Following 

Hurricane Isabel in Virginia 

and the District of Columbia, 

CERTs filled sandbags, directed 

traffic, evacuated residents, 

disseminated information to 

community members, identified 

and marked downed power 

lines, and performed damage 

assessment.In California, the Los 

Angeles and Simi-Valley Fire 

Departments reported that CERTs 

were used extensively to support 

their efforts by working in the 

Emergency Operations Center 

and performing duties that freed 

career and volunteer firefighters 

for other activities during the 

wildfires. And in Washington 

State, CERTs activated and worked 

with the American Red Cross on 

community relations and cleanup activities after the floods.

President Bush and the U.S. 

Congress continue to support 

Citizens Corps of which CERT 

is a charter member. They have 

allocated $40 million in the 

2004 budget to support Citizen 

Corps programs and community 

volunteerism. States and 

territories are applying for these 

funds.

To further support the CERT 

program, look for a Web-based 

Independent Study course called 

“Introduction to Community 

Emergency Response Teams.” 

This new course went on line 

in this month. Go to http://

www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/

is/is317.asp. This Independent 

Study course will introduce 

interested individuals to the CERT 

program and provide materials 

designed to prepare them for 

the classroom CERT training. It 

will also reinforce classroom 

lessons learned by those who have 

completed CERT training.

Area Warning System 

Dedicated in Emmitsburg, 

Md.

On Dec. 9, 2003, Maryland 

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., 

joined with Emmitsburg town 
5

officials and other dignitaries 

at a formal ceremony at the 

Vigilant Hose Company, the 

community’s all-volunteer fire/

rescue department, to dedicate 

a new area warning system. 

The system, properly known 

as a Mass Notification HighPower Voice and Siren System, 

is made up of outdoor warning 

speakers that can provide prerecorded messages, allow for live 

instructions and/or sound alert 

sirens indicating that citizens 

need to immediately turn on their 

radios or TVs for specific insights 

regarding a pending emergency. 

It operates on conventional or 

independent power and is radiocontrolled.

U.S. Deputy Fire Administrator 

Charlie Dickinson gave remarks 

during the ceremony.

Stopping his speech to speak 

directly to the many Emmitsburg 

children in attendance, he said, 

“the reason you see all of us 

older folks up here talking about 

this system today is so that you 

are safe tomorrow. You are our 

treasures, and today we have taken 

the steps to protect our treasures, 

the children of Emmitsburg and 

of this nation.”

To supplement the warning 

system, the town is also 

developing a free Emergency 

Preparedness Guide for all area 

residents and businesses.

FEMA Supports Release 

of Carbon Monoxide 

Guidelines for First 

Responders

FEMA has joined with the 

U.S. Consumer Product Safety 

Commission (CPSC) in 

announcing a new document 

to help first responders being 

called to residential carbon 

monoxide incidents. The new 

document, titled: Responding 

to Residential Carbon Monoxide 

Incidents-Guidelines for Fire and 

Other Emergency Responders” 

is available at www.cpsc.gov and 

www.usfa.fema.gov.

“This CPSC guideline is designed 

to help emergency response 

personnel act quickly and 

accurately when responding to 

carbon monoxide emergencies,” 

said U.S. Fire Administrator 

R. David Paulison. “Carbon 

monoxide is a real threat to all of 

us -- as events like the generator 

use during the recent blackouts 

and now the need for winter 

heating have demonstrated. I am 

pleased to share with the CPSC 

to ensure our first responders get 

this information.”

The new document will help 

responders:

• ensure their own protection 

from carbon monoxide when 

entering an occupancy;

• confirm whether a carbon 

monoxide hazard exists;

• make a preliminary assessment 

of potential sources of elevated 

carbon monoxide;

• give advice to the occupants 

on how to prepare home for reentry;

• promote carbon monoxide 

awareness and safe practices 

throughout a community.

CIP DisasterHelp.gov 

Initiative

For three years, the USFA 

Critical Infrastructure Protection 

(CIP) Program has published 

weekly INFOGRAMs to promote 

the protection of the critical 

infrastructures of emergency 

first responders. As a result of 

increased national demand, 

these documents containing 

relevant and consequential CIP 

information will continue.

In cooperation with the Federal 

Disaster Management EGovernment Initiative, and to 

improve service to INFOGRAM 

subscribers, the weekly 

documents are now available 

on the DisasterHelp.gov website 

through a portal that is quick 

and user friendly. DisasterHelp 

is a single Internet-based portal 

using cutting-edge information 

technology to provide disaster 

information and services to 

government agencies and nongovernment organizations.

All members of the emergency 

management fields and our 

Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson 

(left) and Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich, Jr. 

(right) spoke to a large gathering of Emmitsburg, 

MD residents and dignataries on December 9 

at the announcement of a new early warning 

system installation for the town. USFA will also 

be installing a part of the early warning system 

at NETC to further protect and inform students, 

visitors and staff.
6

nation’s first responders 

are advised to register with 

DisasterHelp.gov and subscribe to 

the weekly documents. However, 

each fire/EMS department chief 

officer, the deputy/assistant chief 

officer, the state fire marshal, and 

the senior emergency manager 

at all levels of government are 

strongly urged to subscribe to 

the INFOGRAM. Those senior 

leaders who are registered and 

verified will automatically receive 

Sensitive CIP Information for 

official use from DHS, but only 

after their identity has been 

accurately confirmed.

To subscribe, follow the 

instructions available at: https:

//disasterhelp.gov/usfacip.html.

Please complete the required 

application as best as possible. If 

you have problems, please contact 

the DisasterHelp Help Desk at 

800-451-2647.

DOT and USFA Initiate 

Research on NonBlinding Emergency 

Vehicle Warning Lighting 

Systems with Society of 

Automotive Engineers

FEMA, USFA and the Department 

of Transportation’s Intelligent 

Transportation Systems Joint 

Program Office have initiated 

a partnership with the Society 

of Automotive Engineers to 

research the disorientation of 

motorists caused by emergency 

warning lights. This research 

will also look at ways to mitigate 

the disorientation, and the 

effects of emergency lighting 

on impaired and drowsy drivers 

(also known as the moth effect). 

All emergency lighting systems 

will be examined as part of this 

effort - including incandescent, 

halogen, strobe and light-emitting 

diode systems.

Further information about this 

research initiative can be found 

on the USFA Web site at http://

www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/

research/vehicle.shtm.

Cooperative Agreements 

Funds Mississippi Project

In October, USFA joined with 

NFPA in a cooperative agreement 

to fund a smoke detector 

project in Holmes County, Miss. 

According to the U.S. Census, this 

county has the highest poverty 

level in the state and over a 10-

year period, Mississippi has 

experienced the highest fire death 

rate in the U.S. The town of 

Tchula was chosen for the launch 

of the project because six children 

there were killed in a 2002 

residential fire where no smoke 

alarm was installed.

In all, 8,700 10-year lithium 

battery smoke alarms have been 

purchased. In addition, materials 

to assist in the installation such 

as safety ladders, drills, and 

batteries have been purchased. 

An informational brochure with 

basic escape planning information 

has also been developed and 

distributed as part of the smoke 

alarm installation project. To date, 

1,000 alarms have been installed.

US Fire Administration 

Hosts First PARADE 

Conference 

The U. S. Fire Administration 

hosted the first national 

Prevention Advocacy Resources 

and Data Exchange (PARADE) 

conference on the National 

Emergency Training Center 

campus in November, with some 

90 participants. Invitees to the 

conference included fire marshals, 

at the state and local levels.

The participants were provided 

the opportunity to attend 

professional development 

workshops, network and 

exchange fire prevention 

materials at the PARADE 

Staff member John Brasko (left) provides information to PARADE attendees on USFA’s Critical Infrastructure 

Protection Program.
7

Grounds, and hear presentations 

on a variety of topics ranging 

from fire prevention marketing 

management, college campus 

fire safety, and new international 

concepts in public fire education 

from recognized leaders in these 

areas.

“The 2003 PARADE conference 

was indeed an incredibly 

successful event. Whenever 

you bring together so many 

talented individuals from 

fire prevention, good things 

are going to happen,” U.S. 

Fire Administrator R. David 

Paulison said. “Preventing 

fires and fire deaths and 

injuries in this nation, can 

only be achieved through 

teamwork. Americans will 

be even safer in 2004 as a 

result of this team-building 

event.”

Deputy U. S. Fire Administrator, 

Charlie Dickinson opened the 

ceremonies and provided an 

overview of USFA programs and 

organizational mission planks. In 

addition, Ken Burris, Director or 

FEMA Region IV, and former U.S. 

Fire Administrator, gave keynote 

remarks.

A tentative date of November 3-7, 

2004, has been set aside for the 

next National PARADE Conference 

at the NETC.

For more information regarding 

these conferences, contact 

Rebecca A. Ryan by at: 

becky.ryan@dhs.gov or by 

calling (301) 447-1128.

National Fallen 

Firefighters Foundation 

Announces 23rd Annual 

National Memorial 

Weekend

The 23rd annual National Fallen 

Firefighters Memorial Weekend 

will be held from September 

30 through October 3, 2004. A 

plaque with the names of the 

firefighters killed in the line of 

duty in 2003 will be added to 

the National Fallen Firefighters 

Monument, located on the 

National Fire Academy campus 

in Emmitsburg, Md., during the 

weekend.

For more information on the 

National Fallen Firefighters 

foundation visit ww.firehero.org.

FEMA Offers MultiHazard Building Design 

Summer Institute for 

College and University 

Faculty 

FEMA has announced four 

seminars on hazard mitigation 

in building design to be held 

during a two-week-long institute 

in July 2004. The institute covers 

protective design for earthquakes, 

fires, flood and wind.

The seminars, part of the 

Multihazard Building Design 

Summer Institute, are 

designed for active college or 

university faculty teaching 

undergraduate or graduatelevel architecture and 

engineering courses in 

U.S-based institutions. The 

seminars were developed by 

staff at EMI in conjunction 

with experienced architects 

and engineers. The sessions, 

free of charge to qualified 

applicants, are conducted by 

EMI. Qualified applicants are 

eligible for no-cost housing 

at the training center and 

are reimbursed for travel 

expenses.

During the summer institute, two 

seminars are offered each week. 

Flood Protection Design and Wind 

Engineering are offered the week 

of July 19, 2004. Earthquake 

Protective Design and Fire Design 

are offered during the week of 

July 26.

University faculty interested in 

attending one or more of the 

seminars should contact Joe Bills 

at 301-447-1356. Depending on 

faculty enrollment, limited slots 

may be available for architects 

and engineers who are not faculty 

members. Additional information 

about the course can be obtained 

at: http://training.fema.gov/

emiweb/MBDSI/

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
8

USFA and the National 

Fire Protection 

Association Initiate 

Project Examining 

Behavioral Mitigation of 

Smoking Fires

The USFA has partnered in 

a project with the NFPA to 

develop sound, research-based 

recommendations for behavioral 

mitigation strategies to reduce 

smoking fire fatalities in the 

United States. Smoking continues 

to be the number one cause of 

residential fire deaths, which 

justifies a new look into what 

research can tell about the role of 

behaviors in causing these deaths.

In 1999, residential fires started 

by smoking materials claimed 

an estimated 776 lives in the 

United States and injured over 

1,900 more people. Nearly half 

of the victims were in the USFA 

target age groups of age 14 and 

under or age 65 or older, with 

40 percent of victims aged 65 or 

older. These national estimates 

were derived from the National 

Fire Incident Reporting System, 

USFA’s national fire incident 

database, and the NFPA survey.

Further information on this 

research initiative can be found 

at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/

inside-usfa/research/smokingmitigation.shtm.

The Winter EENET 

Schedule is Available 

Starting in calendar year 2004, 

EENET is being “re- tooled” as 

USFA is now part of DHS. The 

first change will be noticeable 

in the January – March 2004 

schedule. Not only will EENET 

return to broadcasting every Wednesday during the 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time slot, but we will also be re-broadcasting the afternoon 

program each evening between 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. This is being done to 

accommodate those viewers unable to view the afternoon broadcasts. 

There may be exceptions to this schedule for special programs, but those 

subscribing to the e-mail list will still receive weekly updates with the 

changes.

This is the first of many changes that USFA will be making in the future to 

provide informative programming and new products. Check the EENET 

web site at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/EENET or for the most 

current news from the USFA, use www.usfa.fema.gov to subscribe to the 

e-mail list serve.

Upcoming Events:

Calendar Year 2004 Major Events Schedule

Selected Fire Service, Fire & Life Safety

Dates Event Location

January 22-24 Fire-Rescue East Jacksonville, Florida

February1-5 Firehouse World Exopsition and Conference San Diego, CA

February 1-7 National Burn Awareness Week --------------------

March 2-6 EMS Today (JEMS) Salt Lake City, Utah

March 18-21 TRADE Co-Chairs Conference Emmitsburg, Maryland

March 23-26 American Burn Association 36th Annual Meeting Vancunver, BC

April 16-18 EFOP Graduate Symposium NETC, Emmitsburg, Maryland

April 18-23 55th Annual International Association of 

ArsonInvestigators (IAAI) General Meeting and Conf.

St. Louis, Missouri

April 20-24 International Fire Service Accreditation Congress 

(IFSAC) Annual Meeting

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

April 26 - May 1 Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) Indianapolis, Indiana

National Terrorism Conference NETC, Emmitsburg, Maryland

May 1-9 National SAFE KIDS Week --------------------

May 2-9 National Arson Awareness Week --------------------

May 5 Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) Dinner Washington Hilton Hotel, DC

May 6-8 National Volunteer Fire Council Spring Meeting Washington, DC

May 16-22 National EMS Week --------------------

May 21-23 Fire Expo. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

May 23-27 NFPA World Safety Conference and Exposition Salt Lake City, Utah

June 3-6 International HazMat Response Teams Conference Hunt Valley, Maryland

June 10-12 NY Chiefs 98th Annual Conference Syracuse, New York

June 12-18 MD State Firemen’s Assoc. Annual Conf. & Conv. Ocean City, Maryland

June 26-28 FESHE Conference NETC , Emmitsburg, Maryland

IAFC Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Conference

July 15-17 Firehouse Expo. Baltimore, Maryland

NASFM Annual Meeting

August 12-15 IAFC Fire-Rescue International New Orleans, Louisiana

August 15-20 IAFF Convention Boston, Massachusetts

NFPA’s AMerica’s Fire Expo.

National Volunteer Fire Council Fall Meeting

September 8-9 6th Annual Stakeholders Meeting
9

National 9-1-1 Day --------------------

September 24-25 International FIre Service Accreditation Congress 

(FSAC) Fall Conference

September 26-30 National Association of State FOresters Annual Mtg. Jackson, Mississippi

Federal Fire Working Group (FFWG) FEMA HQ., Washington, DC

Nat’l SOciety of Exec. Fire Officers Annual Conf.

September 30 

- October 3

23rd Annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial Weekend NETC, Emmitsburg, Maryland

Nat’l Safe Kids Campaign Annual Leadership Conf.

October 3-9 National Fire Prevention Week --------------------

October 14-16 National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) Fall Meeting Asheville, North Carolina

October 26-30 Fire Department Instructor’s Conference East Atlantic City, New Jersey

October 30 - 

November 3

TRADE Conference NETC, Emmitsburg, Maryland

November 13-17 NFPA Fall Education Conference Miami Beach, Florida

PARADE National Conference NETC, Emmitsburg, Maryland

Notes:

If you are not signed up for the USFA e-mail list, please take a moment to enroll. The most current grant, program 

and training information is always sent to your e-mail as it occurs. Visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov to sign up.

National Fire Academy Second Semester enrollment period is now open, but will close soon. Application must 

be postmarked on or before December 31, 2003. Visit www.usfa.fema.gov to take advantage of this free training 

opportunity.

The staff of the United States Fire Administration wish you and your families, a happy and safe Holiday Season. 

We are grateful for your continued support and your contributions to the safety of all first responders, and the 

people of this nation. So here’s to looking forward to 2004.