Date: 2016-03-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of S. 1180. the "Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015." I support this bill because it would address interoperability deficits among information technology systems and radio communications systems used by emergency services to exchange voice. data. disasters. and video in real time As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. I am intimately aware. as are many of my colleagues. of the essential and lifesaving role of communications during a crisis. S. 1180 directs FEMA to establish the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Subcommittee to develop and submit recommendations for an integrated public alert and warning system to the National Advisory Council through: establishing common alerting and warning protocols. standards. terminology. and operating procedures for the system. include in such system the capability to adapt the distribution and content of communications on the basis of geographic location. risks. and multiple communication technologies and to alert. warn. and provide equivalent information to individuals with disabilities. access and functional needs. or limited English proficiency. ensure that specified training. tests. and exercises for such system are conducted and that the system is resilient. secure. and can withstand external attacks. and conduct public education efforts and a general market awareness campaign about the system. The bill requires the system to: be designed to adapt to and incorporate future technologies for communicating directly with the public. provide alerts to the largest portion of the affected population feasible. and improve the ability of remote areas to receive alerts. promote local and regional public and private partnerships to enhance community preparedness and response. provide redundant alert mechanisms. and protect individual privacy. Because the tragedies of September 11. 2001. were compounded by communication failures among first responders who entered the burning towers that comprised the World Trade Center it has been an imperative of the Homeland Security Committee to address first responder communication interoperability challenges. S. 1180 amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to modernize the integrated U.S. public alert and warning system to help ensure that under all conditions the President. federal agencies. and state. tribal. and local governments can alert and warn the civilian population in areas endangered by natural disasters. acts of terrorism. and other manmade disasters or threats to public safety. Hurricane Katrina is an example of the need for emergency response agencies to be connected. After the storm the majority of the rescue operations were being conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard locating people who were on the roofs of their houses. The coast guard was not aware of the individuals who were stuck in their home calling 911. because they could not reach their roofs. causing about 986 Louisiana residents to perish after the storm due to the lack of effective communication. An estimated 1.836 lives were lost as a result of the hurricane. The City of Houston covers over a 1.000 square mile region in Southeast Texas. It has a nighttime population of nearly two million people. which peaks with over three million daytime inhabitants. The city of Houstons 911 Emergency Center manages nearly 9.000 emergency calls per day. The volume of emergency calls can easily double during times of inclement weather or special City social/sporting events like Hurricanes Ike in September 2008. and Katrina as well as Rita. which occurred in September and October of 2005. The types and severity of potential emergencies can encompass floods. hurricanes. and industrial incidents which would require multiple emergency agencies to respond. On the average. EMS responds to a citizen every 3 minutes. Each EMS response is made by one of 88 City of Houston EMS vehicles. There are over 200.000 EMS incidents involving over 225.000 patients or potential patients annually. In 2013. the City of Houstons fire Department lost Captain EMT Matthew Renaud. Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee. Firefighter EMT Robert Garner and Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan when they responded to a hotel fire. Throughout the history of the Houston Police Department over 110 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. Each member of the House of Representatives knows of the loss of a first responder who was going to the aid of those in harms way. S. 1180 will offer additional resources that can save the lives of first responders and those they help. S. 1180 will ensure that FEMAs response to a crisis is organized with state and local resources. I ask my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of S. 1180.