110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4847 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the United States Fire Administration, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Fire 

3 Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The loss of life due to fire has dropped sig7 nificantly over the last 25 years in the United 

8 States. However, the United States still has one of 

9 the highest fire death rates in the industrialized 

10 world. For 2006, the National Fire Protection Asso11 ciation reported 3,245 civilian fire deaths, 17,925 ci12 vilian fire injuries, and $11,307,000,000 in direct 

13 losses due to fire. 

14 (2) Every year, over 100 firefighters die in the 

15 line of duty. The United States Fire Administration 

16 should continue its leadership to help local fire agen17 cies dramatically reduce these fatalities. 

18 (3) Members of the fire service community 

19 should continue to work together to further the pro20 motion of national voluntary consensus standards 

21 that increase firefighter safety. 

22 (4) The United States Fire Administration pro23 vides crucial support to the Nation’s 30,300 fire de24 partments through training, data collection, fire 

25 awareness and education, and other activities for im-
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1 proving fire prevention, control, and suppression 

2 technologies. 

3 (5) The collection of data on fire and other 

4 emergency incidents is a vital tool both for policy 

5 makers and emergency responders to identify and 

6 develop responses to emerging hazards. Improving 

7 the United States Fire Administration’s data collec8 tion capabilities is essential for accurately tracking 

9 and responding to the magnitude and nature of the 

10 Nation’s fire problem. 

11 (6) The research and development performed by 

12 the Federal Government and non-government orga13 nizations on fire technologies, techniques, and tools 

14 advance the capabilities of the Nation’s fire service 

15 to prevent and suppress fires. 

16 (7) The United States Fire Administration is 

17 one of the strongest voices representing the Nation’s 

18 fire service within the Federal Government, and, as 

19 such, it should have a prominent place within the 

20 Federal Government. 

21 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR UNITED 

22 STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION. 

23 Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 

24 Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended— 
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1 (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

2 after the semicolon; 

3 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period 

4 at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

5 (3) by adding after subparagraph (D) the fol6 lowing new subparagraphs: 

7 ‘‘(E) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

8 ‘‘(F) $72,100,000 for fiscal year 2010; 

9 ‘‘(G) $74,263,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 

10 ‘‘(H) $76,490,890 for fiscal year 2012.’’. 

11 SEC. 4. NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY TRAINING PROGRAM 

12 MODIFICATIONS AND REPORTS. 

13 (a) AMENDMENTS TO FIRE ACADEMY TRAINING.— 

14 Section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Con15 trol Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) is amended— 

16 (1) by amending subparagraph (H) to read as 

17 follows: 

18 ‘‘(H) response, tactics, and strategies for 

19 dealing with national catastrophes, including 

20 terrorist-caused national catastrophes and inci21 dents that involve weapons of mass destruc22 tion;’’; 

23 (2) in subparagraph (K), by striking ‘‘forest’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘wildland’’; 
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1 (3) in subparagraph (M), by striking ‘‘response 

2 tactics and’’ and inserting ‘‘response, tactics, and’’; 

3 (4) by redesignating subparagraphs (I) through 

4 (N) as subparagraphs (M) through (R), respectively; 

5 and 

6 (5) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the fol7 lowing new subparagraphs: 

8 ‘‘(I) response, tactics, and strategies for 

9 fighting large-scale fires or multiple fires in a 

10 general area that cross jurisdictional bound11 aries; 

12 ‘‘(J) response, tactics, and strategies for 

13 fighting fires occurring at the wildland-urban 

14 interface; 

15 ‘‘(K) response, tactics, and strategies for 

16 fighting fires involving hazardous materials; 

17 ‘‘(L) advanced emergency medical services 

18 training;’’. 

19 (b) TRIENNIAL REPORTS.—Section 7 of such Act (15 

20 U.S.C. 2206) is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing new subsection: 

22 ‘‘(m) TRIENNIAL REPORT.—In the first annual re23 port filed pursuant to section 16 for which the deadline 

24 for filing is after the expiration of the 18-month period 

25 that begins on the date of the enactment of the United 
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1 States Fire Administration Reauthorization Act of 2008, 

2 and in every third annual report thereafter, the Adminis3 trator shall include information about changes made to the 

4 Academy curriculum, including— 

5 ‘‘(1) the basis for such changes, including a re6 view of the incorporation of lessons learned by emer7 gency response personnel after significant emergency 

8 events and emergency preparedness exercises per9 formed under the National Exercise Program; and 

10 ‘‘(2) the desired training outcome of all such 

11 changes.’’. 

12 (c) AUTHORIZING THE ADMINISTRATOR TO ENTER

13 INTO CONTRACTS TO PROVIDE ON-SITE TRAINING

14 THROUGH CERTAIN ACCREDITED ORGANIZATIONS.—Sec15 tion 7(f) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2206(f)) is amended to 

16 read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(f) ASSISTANCE.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator is au19 thorized to provide assistance to State and local fire 

20 service training programs through grants, contracts, 

21 or otherwise. 

22 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO CON23 TRACTS TO PROVIDE ON-SITE TRAINING THROUGH

24 CERTAIN ACCREDITED ORGANIZATIONS.— 
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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator is 

2 authorized to enter into a contract with one or 

3 more nationally recognized organizations that 

4 have established on-site training programs that 

5 prepare fire service personnel to meet national 

6 voluntary consensus standards for fire service 

7 personnel and that facilitate the delivery of the 

8 education and training programs outlined in 

9 subsection (d)(1) directly to fire service per10 sonnel. 

11 ‘‘(B) RESTRICTIONS.—The Administrator 

12 shall not enter into a contract with such organi13 zation unless such organization— 

14 ‘‘(i) provides training that leads to 

15 certification by a program accredited by a 

16 nationally recognized accreditation organi17 zation; or 

18 ‘‘(ii) at the time the Administrator en19 ters into the contract, provides training 

20 under such a program under a cooperative 

21 agreement with a Federal agency. 

22 ‘‘(3) RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS.—The 

23 amounts expended by the Administrator to carry out 

24 this subsection in any fiscal year shall not exceed 4 

25 percent of the amount authorized to be appropriated 
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1 in such fiscal year pursuant to section 17 of this 

2 Act.’’. 

3 (d) INCIDENT COMMAND TRAINING COURSE FOR

4 FIRES AT PORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than 2 years 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis6 trator of the United States Fire Administration, in con7 sultation with the Superintendent of the National Acad8 emy for Fire Prevention and Control, shall consolidate and 

9 integrate into the current Academy curriculum a course 

10 on incident command training for fire service personnel 

11 for fighting fires at United States ports and in marine 

12 environments, including fires on the water and aboard ves13 sels. Such course shall not relate to border and port secu14 rity. 

15 SEC. 5. NATIONAL FIRE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM UP16 GRADES. 

17 (a) INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM DATABASE.—Sec18 tion 9 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 

19 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2208) is amended by adding at the end 

20 the following new subsection: 

21 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL FIRE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM

22 UPDATE.—Of the amounts made available pursuant to 

23 subparagraphs (E), (F), and (G) of section 17(g)(1), the 

24 Administrator shall use no more than an aggregate 

25 amount of $5,000,000 during the 3-year period consisting 
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1 of fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011 to carry out activities 

2 necessary to update the National Fire Incident Reporting 

3 system to an Internet-based, real-time incident reporting 

4 database, including capital investment, contractor engage5 ment, and user education.’’. 

6 (b) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.—Section 9(b)(2) of 

7 such Act (15 U.S.C. 2208(b)(2)) is amended by striking 

8 ‘‘assist State,’’ and inserting ‘‘assist Federal, State,’’. 

9 SEC. 6. FIRE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMINA10 TION. 

11 (a) ASSISTANCE TO FIRE SERVICES FOR FIRE PRE12 VENTION AND CONTROL IN WILDLAND-URBAN INTER13 FACE.—Section 8(d) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 

14 Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2207(d)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘RURAL ASSISTANCE’’ in the 

16 heading and inserting ‘‘RURAL AND WILDLAND17 URBAN INTERFACE ASSISTANCE’’; 

18 (2) by striking ‘‘The Administrator’’ and insert19 ing ‘‘(1) The Administrator’’; and 

20 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

21 paragraph: 

22 ‘‘(2) The Administrator is authorized to assist the 

23 Nation’s fire services, directly or through contracts, 

24 grants, or other forms of assistance, for activities and 
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1 equipment to improve fire prevention and control in the 

2 wildland-urban interface.’’. 

3 (b) DISSEMINATION.—Section 8 of such Act (15 

4 U.S.C. 2207) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing new subsection: 

6 ‘‘(h) DISSEMINATION.—Beginning 1 year after the 

7 date of the enactment of the United States Fire Adminis8 tration Reauthorization Act of 2008, the Administrator, 

9 in collaboration with the relevant departments and agen10 cies of the Federal Government, shall make available to 

11 the public information regarding United States Fire Ad12 ministration funded activities to advance new knowledge 

13 and best practices in firefighting, through a regularly up14 dated Internet database.’’. 

15 SEC. 7. ENCOURAGING ADOPTION OF STANDARDS FOR 

16 FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY. 

17 The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 

18 (15 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

19 the following new sections: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 37. ENCOURAGING ADOPTION OF STANDARDS FOR 

21 FIREFIGHTER HEALTH AND SAFETY. 

22 ‘‘The Administrator shall promote adoption by fire 

23 services of national voluntary consensus standards for fire24 fighter health and safety, including such standards for 

25 firefighter operations, training, staffing, and fitness, by 
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1 educating fire services about such standards, encouraging 

2 the adoption at all levels of government of such standards, 

3 and making recommendations on other ways in which the 

4 Federal Government can promote the adoption of such 

5 standards by fire services. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 38. TRAINING AGENCIES ON IMPORTANCE OF CLEAR7 ING BIOMASS IN WILDLAND AREAS TO PRO8 MOTE FIREFIGHTER SAFETY. 

9 ‘‘In collaboration with the relevant departments and 

10 agencies of the Federal Government, the Administrator 

11 shall develop and provide information and training to rel12 evant departments and agencies of the Federal Govern13 ment on the importance of clearing biomass in wildland 

14 areas of Federal lands to promote the safety of fire15 fighters.’’. 

16 SEC. 8. COORDINATION REGARDING FIRE SERVICE-BASED 

17 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 21(e) of the Federal Fire 

19 Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2218(e)) 

20 is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent practicable, 

23 the Administrator shall utilize existing programs, 

24 data, information, and facilities already available in 

25 other Federal Government departments and agencies 
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1 and, where appropriate, existing research organiza2 tions, centers, and universities. 

3 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION OF FIRE PREVENTION AND

4 CONTROL PROGRAMS.—The Administrator shall pro5 vide liaison at an appropriate organizational level to 

6 assure coordination of the Administrator’s activities 

7 with State and local government agencies, depart8 ments, bureaus, or offices concerned with any matter 

9 related to programs of fire prevention and control 

10 with private and other Federal organizations and of11 fices so concerned. 

12 ‘‘(3) COORDINATION OF FIRE SERVICE-BASED

13 EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROGRAMS.—The 

14 Administrator shall provide liaison at an appropriate 

15 organizational level to assure coordination of the Ad16 ministrator’s activities with State and local govern17 ment agencies, departments, bureaus, or offices con18 cerned with programs related to emergency medical 

19 services provided by fire service-based systems with 

20 private and other Federal organizations and offices 

21 so concerned.’’. 

22 (b) FIRE SERVICE-BASED EMERGENCY MEDICAL

23 SERVICES BEST PRACTICES.—Section 8(c) of such Act 

24 (15 U.S.C. 2207(c)) is amended— 
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1 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

2 (4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and 

3 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol4 lowing new paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(2) The Administrator is authorized to conduct, di6 rectly or through contracts or grants, studies of the oper7 ations and management aspects of fire service-based emer8 gency medical services and coordination between emer9 gency medical services and fire services. Such studies may 

10 include the optimum protocols for on-scene care, the allo11 cation of resources, and the training requirements for fire 

12 service-based emergency medical services.’’. 

13 SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 

14 Section 4 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 

15 Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203) is amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Administra17 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘Administration, who is the As18 sistant Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

19 Management Agency’’; 

20 (2) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

21 the semicolon; 

22 (3) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at 

23 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

24 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and 

25 (8) as paragraphs (7), (8), and (9), respectively; 
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1 (5) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol2 lowing new paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(6) ‘hazardous materials’ has the meaning 

4 given such term in section 5102(2) of title 49, 

5 United States Code;’’; and 

6 (6) by adding at the end the following new 

7 paragraph: 

8 ‘‘(10) ‘wildland-urban interface’ has the mean9 ing given such term in section 101(16) of the 

10 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 

11 6511(16)).’’. 

12 SEC. 10. SUPPORTING THE ADOPTION OF FIRE SPRIN13 KLERS. 

14 Congress supports the recommendations of the 

15 United States Fire Administration regarding the adoption 

16 of fire sprinklers in commercial buildings and educational 

17 programs to raise awareness of the importance of install18 ing fire sprinklers in residential buildings. 

Passed the House of Representatives April 3, 2008. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4847 

AN ACT 

Administration, and for other purposes. 

To reauthorize the United States Fire