Natural Disaster Protection Act would recognize fire services as primary first responders
If enacted, the broad-scoped Natural Disaster Protection Act (H.R. 1856/S. 1043)–described by some as “a comprehensive overhaul of the federal disaster policy”–would recognize the primacy of the fire services as first responders to natural disasters and require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state governments to include them in deliberations on disaster policy. It also would require states and local governments to adopt and enforce model building codes, including fire and safety codes, that will improve building construction; generate a new source of funding guaranteed by the private sector to help states enhance disaster planning and the training of first responders; and promote all-hazards insurance coverage and mitigation planning.
The bill, already the subject of three congressional hearings, has 261 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 21 in the Senate. At press time, the language pertaining to the insurance provisions in the proposal was being reevaluated.
An amendment to the bill, proposed by Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA), a volunteer fire chief and founder of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, would require states to consult with state and local fire and emergency organizations within the state on how the disaster mitigation funds provided by the legislation should be used and to earmark a portion of those funds for fire service use. The amendment also proposes that the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), in conjunction with the major fire service organizations, make recommendations on disaster preparedness to Congress within one year after the bill`s enactment.
Congress is expected to act on the measure by early summer, according to Michael J. Smith, Government Affairs, EMS coordinator for the CFSI. For more information, contact the CFSI at (202) 371-1277, fax: (202) 682-FIRE; or the Natural Disaster Coalition at (202) 783-2785, fax: (202) 783-0837.
