IB 
Union Calendar No. 135
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2692
[Report No. 108–245] 
To authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal Fire Prevention 
and Control Act of 1974 for fiscal years 2004 through 2006, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2003
Mr. SMITH of Michigan (for himself and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of 
Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Science 
AUGUST 4, 2003
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 10, 2003] 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal 
Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 for fiscal years 
2004 through 2006, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Fire Ad-
ministration Authorization Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATOR. 
Notwithstanding section 1513 of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 553), the Administrator of the 
United States Fire Administration shall continue to be ap-
pointed and compensated as provided under section 5(b) of 
the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 
U.S.C. 2204(b)). 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER STRAT-
EGY. 
Section 30 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control 
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2226) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ before 
‘‘The Director, acting’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(b) 
NATIONAL
RESIDENTIAL
FIRE
SPRINKLER 
STRATEGY.—The Administrator shall develop and imple-
ment a strategy for promoting the installation and use of 
residential fire sprinklers. The strategy shall include—
‘‘(1) advocacy and informational support to rel-
evant stakeholders, including builders, insurers, and 
State and local decisionmakers;
‘‘(2) promotion of residential sprinklers in resi-
dences supported by the Federal Government; 
‘‘(3) a particular focus on residences—
‘‘(A) at high risk to fire hazards; and 
‘‘(B) with occupants at high risk to fire 
hazards, such as senior citizens and persons with 
disabilities; and 
‘‘(4) a particular focus on localized fire suppres-
sion in high-risk areas of residences.’’. 
SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR TRAINING TO FIGHT MARITIME 
FIRES. 
Subsection (b)(3)(B) of the first section 33 of the Fed-
eral Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 
2229(b)(3)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘maritime fire-
fighting,’’ after ‘‘arson prevention and detection,’’. 
SEC. 5. FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS PROGRAM. 
The first section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘Director’’ each place it appears 
and inserting ‘‘Administrator’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (b)(2) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANCE.—The Ad-
ministrator shall establish specific criteria for the se-
lection of recipients of assistance under this section
and shall provide grant-writing assistance to appli-
cants.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘operate the 
office established under subsection (b)(2) and’’. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and 
Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘to carry out the purposes’’ and all that follows 
through the end of subparagraph (K) and inserting ‘‘to the 
Administrator to carry out the purposes of this Act, other 
than the firefighter assistance program under section 33—
‘‘(A) $58,928,000 for fiscal year 2004; 
‘‘(B) $60,700,000 for fiscal year 2005; and 
‘‘(C) $62,520,000 for fiscal year 2006.’’. 
SEC. 7. COURSES AND TRAINING ASSISTANCE. 
Section 7(l) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Con-
trol Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(l)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: ‘‘The Superintendent shall offer, 
at the Academy and at other sites, courses and training 
assistance as necessary to accommodate all geographic re-
gions and needs of career and volunteer firefighters.’’. 
SEC. 8. NEW FIREFIGHTING TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8 of the Federal Fire Pre-
vention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2207) is 
amended—
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 
(f); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e) DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to, or as part of, 
the program conducted under subsection (a), the Ad-
ministrator, in consultation with the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology, the Inter-Agency 
Board for Equipment Standardization and Inter-
Operability, national voluntary consensus standards 
development organizations, interested Federal, State, 
and local agencies, and other interested parties, 
shall—
‘‘(A) develop new, and utilize existing, 
measurement techniques and testing methodolo-
gies for evaluating new firefighting technologies, 
including—
‘‘(i) personal protection equipment; 
‘‘(ii) devices for advance warning of 
extreme hazard; 
‘‘(iii) equipment for enhanced vision; 
‘‘(iv) devices to locate victims, fire-
fighters, and other rescue personnel in 
above-ground and below-ground structures;
‘‘(v) equipment and methods to provide 
information for incident command, includ-
ing the monitoring and reporting of indi-
vidual personnel welfare; 
‘‘(vi) equipment and methods for train-
ing, especially for virtual reality training; 
and 
‘‘(vii) robotics and other remote-con-
trolled devices; 
‘‘(B) evaluate the compatibility of new 
equipment and technology with existing fire-
fighting technology; and 
‘‘(C) support the development of new vol-
untary consensus standards through national 
voluntary consensus standards organizations for 
new firefighting technologies based on techniques 
and methodologies described in subparagraph 
(A).
‘‘(2) STANDARDS
FOR
NEW
EQUIPMENT.—(A) 
The Administrator shall, by regulation, require that 
new equipment or systems purchased through the as-
sistance program established by section 33 meet or ex-
ceed applicable voluntary consensus standards for 
such equipment or systems for which applicable vol-
untary consensus standards have been established. The
Administrator may waive the requirement under this 
subparagraph with respect to specific standards. 
‘‘(B) If an applicant for a grant under section 
33 proposes to purchase, with assistance provided 
under the grant, new equipment or systems that do 
not meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus 
standards, the applicant shall include in the applica-
tion an explanation of why such equipment or sys-
tems will serve the needs of the applicant better than 
equipment or systems that do meet or exceed such 
standards. 
‘‘(C) In making a determination whether or not 
to waive the requirement under subparagraph (A) 
with respect to a specific standard, the Administrator 
shall, to the greatest extent practicable—
‘‘(i) consult with grant applicants and 
other members of the fire services regarding the 
impact on fire departments of the requirement to 
meet or exceed the specific standard; 
‘‘(ii) take into consideration the explanation 
provided by the applicant under subparagraph 
(B); and 
‘‘(iii) seek to minimize the impact of the re-
quirement to meet or exceed the specific standard
on the applicant, particularly if meeting the 
standard would impose additional costs. 
‘‘(D) Applicants that apply for a grant under 
the terms of subparagraph (B) may include a second 
grant request in the application to be considered by 
the Administrator in the event that the Administrator 
does not approve the primary grant request on the 
grounds of the equipment not meeting applicable vol-
untary consensus standards.’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 17 
of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 
U.S.C. 2216) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY.—In addi-
tion to sums otherwise authorized under this Act, there are 
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry 
out section 8(e)—
‘‘(1) $2,200,000 for fiscal year 2004; 
‘‘(2) $2,250,000 for fiscal year 2005; and 
‘‘(3) $2,300,000 for fiscal year 2006.’’. 
SEC. 9. COORDINATION OF RESPONSE TO NATIONAL EMER-
GENCY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 10 of the Federal Fire Pre-
vention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2209) is 
amended—
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection 
(c); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) MUTUAL AID SYSTEMS.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator, after 
consultation with the Director of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency, shall provide technical as-
sistance and training to State and local fire service 
officials to establish nationwide and State mutual aid 
systems for dealing with national emergencies that—
‘‘(A) include threat assessment and equip-
ment deployment strategies; 
‘‘(B) include means of collecting asset and 
resource information to provide accurate and 
timely data for regional deployment; and 
‘‘(C) are consistent with the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency’s Federal Response 
Plan. 
‘‘(2) MODEL MUTUAL AID PLANS.—The Adminis-
trator, in consultation with the Director of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency, shall develop 
and make available to State and local fire service offi-
cials model mutual aid plans for both intrastate and 
interstate assistance.’’.
SEC. 10. TRAINING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Fire 
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) 
is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon in sub-
paragraph (E); 
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as sub-
paragraph (N); and 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(F) strategies for building collapse rescue; 
‘‘(G) the use of technology in response to 
fires, including terrorist incidents and other na-
tional emergencies; 
‘‘(H) response, tactics, and strategies for 
dealing with terrorist-caused national catas-
trophes; 
‘‘(I) use of and familiarity with the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency’s Federal Re-
sponse Plan; 
‘‘(J) leadership and strategic skills, includ-
ing integrated management systems operations 
and integrated response; 
‘‘(K) applying new technology and devel-
oping strategies and tactics for fighting forest 
fires;
‘‘(L) integrating terrorism response agencies 
into the national terrorism incident response 
system; 
‘‘(M) response tactics and strategies for 
fighting fires at United States ports, including 
fires on the water and aboard vessels; and’’. 
(b) CONSULTATION ON FIRE ACADEMY CLASSES.—The 
Superintendent of the National Fire Academy may consult 
with other Federal, State, and local agency officials in de-
veloping curricula for classes offered by the Academy. 
(c) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS TO AVOID 
DUPLICATION.—The Administrator of the United States 
Fire Administration shall, where appropriate, coordinate 
training provided under section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Fire 
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) 
with the heads of other Federal agencies—
(1) to ensure that such training does not dupli-
cate existing courses available to fire service per-
sonnel; and 
(2) to establish a mechanism for eliminating du-
plicative training programs.
Union Calendar No. 135
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2692
[Report No. 108–245] 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriations for activities under the 
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 
for fiscal years 2004 through 2006, and for other 
purposes. 
AUGUST 4, 2003
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed