MOBILIZING THE FIRE SERVICE CFSI Report
CONGRESSIONAL CLIPBOARD
The Congressional Fire Services Caucus, spearheaded by Congressman Curt Weldon (R-Pa), is now the largest caucus in Washington, with 345 members. To support the communication needs of the caucus and provide all fire service members with the opportunity for interaction in the legislative process, Weldon founded the Congressional Fire Sendees Institute. With the institute providing the voice for three million members in more than 34,000 fire and rescue organizations, the potential for a true, powerful grass roots movement is quite real. Its success and its strength lies in the commitment and involvement of its people. Contact the Congressional Fire Sendees Institute at: 900 2nd Street NE, Suite 207, Washington, D.C. 20002, 202-3711277/ FAX 202-682-FIRE.
NEVER LET it be said that the fire service is lackadaisical! Less than six weeks after the successful Fire and Emergency Services Dinner was history, members of the fire service were already asking “What’s the Congressional Fire Services Institute doing?” “Where has all that money and effort brought us?” and “What can we expect?”
The CFSI, established in Washington, D.C. in April of this year, has among its staff the following:
John McNichol, formerly legislative assistant to Congressman Weldon, assumed the role of executive director. John has been active in the Congressional Fire Services Caucus and served the Bush/Quayle campaign as national director of the Firefighters for Bush National Voters Coalition. He was also instrumental in the orchestration of the April 12 dinner and in drawing President Bush and Vice President Quayle to attend the reception and dinner.
Joanna Hamilton, also from Congressman Weldon’s staff, joined the CFSI as director of governmental affairs. She brings to the institute an excellent understanding of the networking and procedural requirements in the legislative process.
Congressman Weldon and CFSI Vice President Art Glatfelter recruited Bill Jenaway, technical operations manager for CIGNA Property and Casualty Insurance Companies and long-time chief fire officer, to serve as director of external affairs, assisting in the management and technical aspects of the institute. He’ll be working with the institute’s 50-member advisory board, coordinating fire service groups and technical research and overseeing the state liaison committee and CFSI awards program.
Mason Lankford, technical analyst for the Fort Worth (TX) Fire Department, will serve as chairman of the state liaison committee. He has been, according to Congressman Weldon, an exceptional influence on the formative period of the caucus and the CFSI.
In mid-June, with every thing on-line, the first planning session was held to determine shortand long-term goals. Several of these have already been initiated: the CFSI Intern Program, the CFSI Awards Program, and the CFSI State Liaison Program.
The intern program provides college students with an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the work environments of both the fire protection industry and Capitol Hill as they earn college credit.
The awards program was initiated as a way for members of Congress to recognize individuals or groups who perform a unique or special fire-related service within their community. The awards are available for community service, heroism, length of service, or special events. Available at no cost, the awards are signed and presented by members of Congress.
Initiation of the state liaison program/ committee is vital to the success of CFSI. The purpose of the committee, according to Congressman Weldon, is to develop “an extended communications network enabling fire services personnel from around the country to become a visible, functioning, and interactive part of the [legislative] process, providing guidance and resources to our elected officials throughout our 50 states.”
The committee seeks to appoint recognized leaders of the fire service community who will coordinate, on a voluntary basis, the two-way path of communication between the fire service in the field and the Congressional Fire Services Caucus through the CFSI.
To achieve this communications network, volunteers are being sought to serve in three capacities:
- Regional liaisons. Three experienced fire service leaders —from the Northeastern, Central, and Western regions—who have the time and desire to coordinate institute activities in approximately 15 states are needed. (Mason Lankford will act as regional leader for the Southeast.) Functioning in this capacity could require attendance at the state association meetings in each of the states plus other special meetings where the federal legislative input or inquiry is discussed. These leaders would be expected to make presentations within their assigned area to maintain the close link necessary for motivating membership and keeping each individual in every fire service organization throughout the country informed of fire service issues.
- State liaisons. Support at the state level is mandatory to the success of the liaison committee. A strong, wellknown, and knowledgeable fire service member is needed in each of the 50 states to coordinate activities and channel information between regional and state levels. There are many members who currently coordinate such activities on a lesser scale and who likely could expand and adapt to this program.
- Local liaisons. These individuals will channel information on the interstate level and work directly with the state liaisons. The liaison committee needs current mailing lists of fire and rescue departments from all the states. Since its inception, the CFSI has received about 20 state lists. The lists must be updated each year and the database that is formed will be shared with other national fire organizations who need the information. The local liaisons are vital to the success of this endeavor.
The CFSI hopes that the liaison program will be fully functional by January 1990.
In addition to press releases issued in June, the CFSI distributed a “Legislative Digest” to all members of Congress, advising them of current fire-related legislation being worked on. These proposed bills include the Hotel-Motel FireSafety Act of 1989 (H R. 94); the Fire Safe Cigarette Act of 1989 (H R. 293) (see “Dispatches,” Fire Engineering, August ’89) and the Fire Safe Cigarette Implementation of 1989 (H R. 673); the Volunteer Protection Act (H R. 911), which encourages states to pass laws exempting volunteers on behalf of nonprofit agencies and local governments from personal financial liability in any lawsuits against the organization they serve; and the Rural Emergency Medical Services Improvement Act of 1989 (H.R. 1587), providing grants to states for rural EMS programs.
On the agenda for July were holding a press conference for the major fire media, scheduling an August board of directors meeting, distributing the first CFSI newsletter to the fire service and the caucus, and finalizing plans for the first advisory board meeting in September.