109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 180
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
To support initiatives developed by the Firefighter 
Life Safety Summit and the mission of the Na-
tional Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the 
United States Fire Administration to reduce fire-
fighter fatalities and injuries, to encourage imple-
mentation of the new ‘‘Everyone Goes Home’’ 
campaign to make firefighter safety a national 
priority, and to support the goals of the national 
‘‘stand down’’ called by fire organizations.
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 180
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas for over 350 years our Nation’s firefighters have 
dedicated their lives to ensuring the safety of their fellow 
citizens and communities; 
Whereas throughout our Nation’s history too many fire-
fighters have died in the line of duty, leaving behind fam-
ily members and friends to grieve their tragic losses;
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Whereas these volunteer and career firefighters served with 
pride and died with honor; 
Whereas in 1992 Congress created the National Fallen Fire-
fighters Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to re-
member the Nation’s fallen firefighters and assist their 
survivors through a variety of programs; 
Whereas the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is dedi-
cated to preventing future firefighter deaths and injuries; 
Whereas the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation con-
vened the first ever Firefighter Life Safety Summit in 
March 2004 to support the United States Fire Adminis-
tration’s goal of reducing firefighter fatalities by 25 per-
cent within 5 years and 50 percent within 10 years 
through a commitment of energy and resources; 
Whereas the Life Safety Summit developed 16 initiatives to 
significantly reduce firefighter fatalities and injuries, in-
cluding the need to— 
(1) define and advocate the need for a cultural 
change within the fire service relating to safety, incor-
porating leadership, management, supervision, account-
ability, and personal responsibility; 
(2) enhance the personal and organizational ac-
countability for health and safety throughout the fire 
service; 
(3) focus greater attention on the integration of risk 
management with incident management at all levels, in-
cluding strategic, tactical, and planning responsibilities; 
(4) empower all firefighters to stop unsafe practices; 
(5) develop and implement national standards for 
training, qualifications, and certification (including reg-
ular recertification) that are equally applicable to all fire-
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fighters, based on the duties they are expected to per-
form; 
(6) develop and implement national medical and 
physical fitness standards that are equally applicable to 
all firefighters, based on the duties they are expected to 
perform; 
(7) create a national research agenda and data col-
lection system that relates to the initiatives; 
(8) utilize available technology wherever it can 
produce higher levels of health and safety; 
(9) thoroughly investigate all firefighter fatalities, 
injuries, and near misses; 
(10) ensure that grant programs support the imple-
mentation of safe practices and mandate safe practices as 
an eligibility requirement; 
(11) develop and champion national standards for 
emergency response policies and procedures; 
(12) develop and champion national protocols for re-
sponse to violent incidents; 
(13) provide firefighters and their families access to 
counseling and psychological support; 
(14) provide public education more resources and 
champion it as a critical fire and life safety program; 
(15) strengthen advocacy for the enforcement of 
codes and the installation of home fire sprinklers; and 
(16) make safety be a primary consideration in the 
design of apparatus and equipment; and
Whereas the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the 
International Association of Fire Fighters, the National 
Volunteer Fire Council, and the Congressional Fire Serv-
ices Institute have partnered with a number of other fire 
service organizations to call on all fire departments 
across the Nation to conduct a ‘‘stand down’’ for fire-
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fighter safety beginning Tuesday, June 21, 2005, during 
which fire departments are urged to suspend all non-
emergency activity and instead focus entirely on fire-
fighter safety in order to raise the level of awareness to-
ward firefighter safety and call attention to the unaccept-
able number of line-of-duty deaths and injuries: Now, 
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress—
(1) supports initiatives developed by the Fire-
fighter Life Safety Summit and the mission of the 
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the 
United States Fire Administration to reduce fire-
fighter fatalities and injuries; 
(2) encourages implementation of the new ‘‘Ev-
eryone Goes Home’’ campaign to make firefighter 
safety a national priority; and 
(3) supports the goals of the national ‘‘stand 
down’’ called by fire organizations beginning on 
June 21, 2005, and encourages all career, volunteer 
and combination fire departments across the country
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to participate in this important and life saving ef-
fort.
Passed the House of Representatives June 21, 2005. 
Attest:
Clerk.