Enhancing Risk Management Capabilities of Local Fire Departments

Release Date: June 7, 2005

Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, and head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, announced today the United States Fire Administration (USFA) will be working with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in a project to enhance risk management capability of local fire departments.

The goal of this initiative is to enable fire departments to design effective risk management programs based on community hazards and service commitment, enhance firefighter safety, and provide tools for continual evaluation of emergency response systems.

Service demands and public expectations placed on local-level fire departments continue to rise as threats to communities from both natural and man-made disasters, including terrorism reach new highs. Historically, the fire service has been based solely on those activities related to fire prevention and suppression. Over the past three decades however, fire department response has expanded to include emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials response and mitigation, natural disaster response, specialized rescue and response to other community needs.

The ability of fire departments to design an acceptable level of resource deployment based on risks and service commitment and to provide tools for continual evaluation of emergency response systems is crucial in the enhancement of firefighter operational safety and occupational health. The adequate placement of firefighting resources also supports the reduction in civilian fire fatalities.

This study will examine critical issues related to adequate resource deployment tying them to the development of effective risk management programs. Geographic information systems (GIS) computer simulation will be used to develop staffing and deployment models that will be recommended for department of various sizes serving different populations in varying geographic regions.

The findings of this study could also be provided to the relevant fire service standards setting committees such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1250 Standards Committee, Recommended Practice in Emergency Service Organization Risk Management; NFPA 1500, Fire Department Occupational Health and Safety Program; and the NFPA 1710, Organizational Deployment of Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations provided by Career Fire Departments standards committees - as well as other NFPA Firefighter Health and Safety and fire service operations and management standards committees.

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.