<DOC>
[107 Senate Hearings]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access]
[DOCID: f:83688.wais]
S. Hrg. 107-957
FIRST RESPONDERS' PROGRAM IN
FISCAL YEAR 2003 BUDGET
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
THE BUDGET FOR THE PROGRAMS OF THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
TO PREPARE FIRST RESPONDERS TO NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS
__________
MARCH 12, 2002
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works
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COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS
one hundred seventh congress
second session
JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont, Chairman
MAX BAUCUS, Montana BOB SMITH, New Hampshire
HARRY REID, Nevada JOHN W. WARNER, Virginia
BOB GRAHAM, Florida JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri
BARBARA BOXER, California GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio
RON WYDEN, Oregon MICHAEL D. CRAPO, Idaho
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware LINCOLN CHAFEE, Rhode Island
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, New York ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania
JON S. CORZINE, New Jersey BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado
Ken Connolly, Democratic Staff Director
Dave Conover, Republican Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
MARCH 12, 2002
OPENING STATEMENTS
Bond, Hon. Christopher S., U.S. Senator from the State of
Missouri....................................................... 33
Clinton, Hon. Hillary Rodham, U.S. Senator from the State of New
York........................................................... 15
Corzine, Hon. Jon S. U.S. Senator from the State of New Jersey... 18
Jeffords, Hon. James, U.S. Senator from the State of Vermont..... 1
Smith, Hon. Bob, U.S. Senator from the State of New Hampshire.... 13
Voinovich, Hon. George V., U.S. Senator from the State of Ohio... 8
Warner, Hon. John W., U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of
Virginia....................................................... 16
Wyden, Hon. Ron, U.S. Senator from the State of Oregon........... 3
WITNESSES
Allabaugh, Hon. Joseph, Director, Federal Emergency Management
Agency......................................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 34
Responses to additional questions from:
Senator Clinton.......................................... 46
Senator Jeffords......................................... 39
Senator Smith............................................ 42
Senator Voinovich........................................ 43
Senator Warner........................................... 49
Fogg, Woodbury P., National Emergency Management Association..... 23
Prepared statement........................................... 49
Report, White Paper on Domestic Preparedness................. 53-55
Resolution, Terrorism Committee Resolution on States'
Principles for a National Domestic Preparedness Strategy... 56-57
O'Neil, Michael, chief, South Burlington Fire Department,
Burlington, VT................................................. 27
Prepared statement........................................... 60
Wison, Edward, chief, City of Portland Fire Department, Portland,
OR............................................................. 25
Prepared statement........................................... 58
Responses to additional questions from Senator Clinton....... 59
Zirkle, Kenneth, E., president, University of Findlay, Findlay,
OH............................................................. 29
Article, National Center of Excellence for Environmental
Management................................................. 63
Prepared statement........................................... 62
FIRST RESPONDERS' PROGRAM IN
FISCAL YEAR 2003 BUDGET
----------
TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:30 p.m. in room
406, Senate Dirksen Building, Hon. James Jeffords (chairman of
the committee) presiding.
Present: Senators Jeffords, Clinton, Corzine, Smith,
Voinovich, Warner, and Wyden.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES M. JEFFORDS, U.S. SENATOR FROM
THE STATE OF VERMONT
Senator Jeffords. The committee will come to order.
I consider this to be an important hearing, but also one
that brings back so many memories in different directions, both
terrible events we have been through and all. But I would like
to start off by just talking a little bit about my personal
experience.
I am from a very small town called Shrewsbury. When we
first got to the town and moved in, I wanted to volunteer for
everything, so I volunteered for the fire department. That
proved to be very advantageous because I lived on top of the
hill and the fire engine was at the bottom of the hill, and I
had a big barn. So they suggested, well, we have a 1936 pumper
here that is a little rusty, but it still works pretty well,
but the problem is, it is at the bottom of the hill. So by the
time it gets to the top of the hill, it is all done. So I said,
OK, I will be fire engine station No. 2.
So one evening, we got word that down at the bottom of the
hill a long ways a way a fire had started, so we were asked to
go down there. So I got in my old Ford, 1936 Ford with
mechanical brakes--that will give you part of the story away--
so we came roaring down. My neighbor was ahead of me in a
little Volkswagen, and fortunately he pulled off quickly
because I had lost the brakes by the time I got to the bottom.
So I went right by the fire, and finally got it stopped. Then
damned if I didn't run out of gas. So you had to get out, take
the seat off, pull the cork out, and then pour out from a 5-
gallon can into the tank. Well, while I was doing that--this is
where my danger came--a guy with a big cigar leaned over and
said, ``Can I help?'' I said, ``Yes, get the hell out of
here.''
[Laughter.]
Senator Jeffords. But we ended up being heroes because the
other engine ran out of water just as we got ours revved up
again, and we got it banked up and we were the ones that put
the fire out. So I consider that in the end, it was a great
victory. But it just gives you an idea when you live in small
towns--you all have had experiences--but there are some hairy
moments, and just driving a 1936 Ford down a steep hill was
enough of one.
But anyway, I want to welcome everyone. I would especially
like to welcome Director Allbaugh and all the other witnesses,
including Chief Mike O'Neil of the South Burlington Fire
Department.
We are here today to discuss the President's new First
Responder Initiative. Yesterday, this Nation commemorated an
unfortunate milestone--6 months since the tragic attacks on
September 11. Since that time, much has been said and written
about the terrible events of the day. I vividly remember my own
visits to the Pentagon and the World Trade Center just days
after the attacks, and I remember the sights, the sounds, the
smells and most of all the relentless and tireless efforts of
the first responders risking their lives in a heroic attempt to
save others. But these men and women were heroes long before
September 11. These men and women were heroes the day they
became firefighters and police officers. As a former volunteer
in my own small community, I feel a great sense of pride when I
listen to the stories of the brave men and women--the
firefighters and the police officers and other emergency
personnel who on a daily basis answer the call to serve.
Since September 11, I have thought every day about the
causes of the horrible tragedy and what we as a Nation can do
to better prepare ourselves against future terrorist attacks.
Time is a great healer, and the passage of time has allowed the
Nation to begin to feel normal again. For me, this healing
process has brought a renewed commitment to make sure the
Nation is prepared for and can respond effectively to any
future acts of terrorism.
However, we cannot allow the passage of time to dull our
recollection of what we saw and felt on that day of September
11. The Federal Government under the careful orchestration of
FEMA mobilized like never before to respond September 11. But
as Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, ``I find the great thing in
the world is not so much where we stand, as the direction we
are moving.'' I believe the First Responder Initiative is an
important step in the right direction, moving us toward a
strong national preparedness network--a network composed of
well-prepared, well-trained, and well-equipped first
responders.
As we move today away from September 11, we must not forget
the continuing need. Currently in the United States, there are
over 1 million firefighters and 600,000 law enforcement
officers and 155,000 trained EMTs within this community.
Because of their responsibilities and capabilities, they vary
widely, and many areas have little or no response capability.
This initiative aims at correcting these deficiencies by
helping States prepare for and respond to terrorist attacks.
But the Federal Government and the States must be partners in
this process. I hope, as all Americans hope, that we will never
again have to respond to another act of terrorism, but we live
in a world where we must be prepared. I call on FEMA and the
Office of Homeland Security to carefully craft this initiative.
State and Federal Government must work together to ensure that
our people on the front lines, our first responders, receive
all they need to answer the call.
I look forward to your testimony and am so pleased to have
you here as our first witness. Please proceed, Mr. Allbaugh.
[The prepared statement of Senator Jeffords follows:]
Statement of Hon. James M. Jeffords, U.S. Senator from the
State of Vermont
Good morning. I'd like to begin by thanking all of our witnesses
for participating in today's hearing. I am really looking forward to
listening to your testimonies.
Today's hearing stems from my long-term interest in helping our
cities and towns become economically vibrant and culturally cohesive
communities. One of the best ways to support these efforts is to
provide our communities with growth planning and redevelopment tools.
I have been involved in ``smart'' growth efforts since the 1960's
when I served as a Vermont State Senator and Attorney General of
Vermont.
I am proud to have had a major role in drafting Vermont's
development review plans that became Act 250, the first and most
comprehensive State level growth management policy in the United
States.
I have continued my activities with regard to ``smart'' growth
during my tenure in both the House and Senate. In January 1999, I
established the Senate Smart Growth Task Force, a bipartisan, multi-
regional caucus. Twenty-three Senators currently participate in the
Task Force. The overall goal of the Task Force is to determine how the
Federal Government can help States and localities address their own
growth management issues.
Growth decisions should be made, ultimately, at the local level.
However, the Federal Government needs to continue assessing Federal
policies that may interfere with local growth management.
For example, the National Interstate System has had a tremendous
impact on local development patterns. Over the last 10 years, we have
brought substantial attention to this issue through the transportation
planning process. We will address this issue in our upcoming hearing on
Transportation and Smart Growth.
The Federal Government also needs to provide communities with the
necessary tools and resources to achieve local growth objectives. I
believe that the two bills before us today help us make great strides
in this direction.
With the recent enactment of the Small Business Liability Relief
and Brownfields Revitalization Act, we have made great progress in
addressing local liability and financial concerns.
Through the Brownfield Site Redevelopment Assistance Act, we have
an opportunity to complement these efforts. S. 1079 will address that
next step after assessment and cleanup; the step in which communities
actually begin redeveloping the sites. The economic benefits are
incredible. The U.S. Conference of Mayors estimates that brownfields
redevelopment could generate more than 550,000 additional jobs and up
to $2.4 billion in new tax revenues for cities.
The other bill we will discuss today is the Community Character
Act. This bill presents another important opportunity to provide
communities that wish to plan proactively with the resources to do so.
This is especially important for my home State of Vermont. Rural
communities frequently grapple with a lack of planning resources and
expertise. I recently learned from our distinguished Vermont witness
that only 39 percent of rural governments do comprehensive planning
versus more than 70 percent of metropolitan governments. S. 975 provide
the necessary resources to even out that ratio.
Finally, I am in the process of working on another ``smart'' growth
legislative proposal. It will substantially improve decisionmaking
capacity for local planners. The legislation will provide communities
with the resources to access visualization, modeling, and other
planning tools.
I look forward to working with my EPW colleagues on this
legislation.
Senator Jeffords. Oh, yes. Sorry about that.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RON WYDEN, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF OREGON
Senator Wyden. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr.
Chairman, I want to commend you for holding this very important
hearing. Let me say I also share your views about Director
Allbaugh. He has been working with me on a number of issues and
been extremely responsive, and we are very pleased that he is
here. I also want to take this opportunity to welcome Mr. Ed
Wilson, who is chief of the city of Portland's Fire Department
and serves with great valor at home in my State.
I think it is obvious, Mr. Chairman, that there is a new
appreciation for the bravery of this country's first
responders. Our fire, police and emergency personnel came
through so tremendously on September 11 and I think for
millions of Americans there is no much more awareness about the
crucial role that the first responders play in saving lives.
But first responders cannot help us win this war against
terrorism with bravery alone. They also need resources, the
right tools and the right training. That is where the First
Responder Initiative comes in. I am very pleased to have the
opportunity to work with the Bush administration on a
bipartisan basis to ensure that the first responders have
actual resources, and not just promises and slogans.
It is obvious that in working on this effort, there are
going to be some difficult choices. It is not possible to have
all the resources to buy everything that you would want in an
ideal world. But I do believe that the Congress, working with
the Administration, can make sure that the dollars available
buy the biggest possible improvements in preparedness and
safety.
I also want to say, Mr. Chairman, I think it is critical
for the Congress in addition to making sure that there are
adequate resources for the first responders, fire, police and
emergency personnel who work for the Government, to have the
opportunity to have their work supplemented with the skills and
talents of thousands of patriotic Americans with extraordinary
scientific and technological ability. Toward that end, I will
shortly be introducing legislation that will give us a chance
to mobilize those leaders with science and technological
training. At a minimum, we ought to make it possible in every
community in this country to have a data base of expertise--
those who have expertise available in health and scientific
areas. It ought to be possible to have a data base where
communities can turn to get help from the private sector.
We have a Strategic Petroleum Reserve in this country. I
think we ought to have a Strategic Technology Reserve where it
would be possible for communities to call on private companies,
many of them have contacted me in this regard, to get help,
both with technology and with personnel.
Finally, I think we ought to have a test bed so that we can
analyze the thousands and thousands of products that are coming
now to government at all levels, that have great potential for
helping us win this war against terrorism, but for which there
really is not any systematic way to evaluate them.
So I think that the First Responder Initiative is an
important one. It allows the Government to get on the side of
the first responders, and it is not going to count in this
country unless you have additional resources for the first
responders. But I think we need to go further than that, and in
addition to these government efforts, I think there should be a
new effort to mobilize those in the private sector with science
and technological training. Mr. Allbaugh has been very
forthright in sharing his ideas and suggestions in this area,
and like you, Mr. Chairman, I welcome him today.
Senator Jeffords. Director Allbaugh, please proceed.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOSEPH ALLBAUGH, DIRECTOR, FEDERAL EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Mr. Allbaugh. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the
opportunity to be here today. Senator Wyden, good to see you
again.
It is an honor to come before this committee and talk about
President Bush's First Responder Initiative. I would like to
take a few minutes to describe the proposed program and its
value to America's national preparedness in the 21st century.
But I think that before I do that, it is important for the
committee to hear about some of the lessons learned from
September 11 that illustrate the need for firefighters, police,
and emergency medical personnel to have a single defined
coordinating authority and point of contact within the Federal
Government.
One of the lessons of September 11 was that lack of a
single incident command system for the entire country. On that
day, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia all activated
unrelated operations, hindering FEMA's efforts to gather and
disseminate important information. The same kind of incomplete
coordination is the root cause of several other lessons we
learned that day. For instance, onsite commanders at the World
Trade Center in New York City had no choice but to turn away
hundreds of self-deployed firefighters from around the country
because they had no way of knowing what training or experience
levels those individuals, those selfless volunteers had at the
time.
Many first responders deployed to New York from other
jurisdictions often found their equipment was incompatible with
that used by the city of New York Police and Fire Departments.
Items such as breathing apparatus and personal protective gear
are not standardized around the country or even city to city
within a State. So much of the equipment made available on the
scene that day could not be used.
This problem of limited interoperability is especially
frustrating in the area of communications. While at Ground Zero
for several days, I personally witnessed first responders
passing notes, handwritten notes, back and forth to one another
as the most reliable, effective means of communication. On
September 11 and in other emergency situations, seamless
communication interoperability would have saved lives.
Addressing this overall problem of compatibility is one of
the primary up-sides of mutual aid. More robust and meaningful
mutual aid agreements will bring the first responder community
closer together on a lot of these issues. I am concerned at
this time that only 6 of FEMA's 28 urban search and rescue
teams are trained to respond to a weapons of mass destruction
scenario. In hindsight, none of these lessons and concerns are
new or surprising, but the seismic change in the world we all
witnessed on that day has transformed these solutions to these
problems from marginal action items on some bureaucratic to-do
list, to the moral responsibilities of a challenged Nation.
The first step toward finally solving these problems head-
on is President Bush's First Responder Initiative we are here
to discuss today. The First Responder Initiative includes $3.5
billion in the 2003 budget request, most of which would be
distributed to States and local jurisdictions to give them
critically needed funds to, No. 1, purchase equipment; No. 2,
train and exercise personnel; and No. 3, plan to respond to a
terrorist incident in their community.
The grants will be administered by our Office of National
Preparedness. To address some of the lessons learned, the first
responder community will coordinate with the Office of National
Preparedness, which will establish national standards for
interoperability and compatibility in a number of areas,
including training, equipment, mutual aid and exercising.
The grants, coupled with the standards, will balance the
dual needs for both flexibility and accountability at the State
and local level. At FEMA, ONP will be working within the
Federal Government and with States to coordinate every
terrorism-related first responder program so that the entire
national response system will be singing off the same page.
The lessons we learned on September 11 accentuate the need
for this single point of contact approach. The current model of
Federal terrorism preparedness of scattered unrelated programs
without a single coordinating entity cultivates the
inadequacies that were clearly visible on September 11. With
its longstanding relationships within the first responder
community, and successful record of grant distributions, FEMA
is the perfect home for this initiative. I look forward to
working with you and other members of the committee to make
President Bush's vision of a seamless national response system
a reality.
I thank you for inviting me today. I have submitted written
testimony for the committee's acceptance, and I would be happy
to entertain any questions.
Senator Jeffords. Mr. Allbaugh, it is my understanding that
FEMA will distribute first responder funds to the States by
formula, and that population will be a major factor in this
formula. I represent, of course, a small, less-populous State.
Can you explain what factors other than population you will
consider in distributing funds? Also, can you discuss how the
States will assess local needs and what percentage of the funds
you expect to go to the local governments?
Mr. Allbaugh. One of the things that we did last fall right
before Thanksgiving was to conduct a capability readiness study
of all 50 States and the territories. It is extremely important
that what we learned in that 15-day period be a cornerstone of
this formula, not only based on their own current capability,
but also based on population.
Some States have heard the call years ago, and taken the
responsibility themselves. Other States have not. Even within
States, some communities have stepped up to the plate and
accepted that responsibility of preparing, training,
exercising, and funding properly their first responders.
So I think working with the States and local communities,
we will devise a system that will be fair to all. Given the
fact that I believe that this $3.5 billion is just the first
installment of many years, I believe it will take many years to
correct this problem, but we will be taking the first step in
the right direction.
Senator Jeffords. I was at the Pentagon site closely after
the beginning, and talked with the firefighters there. There
were responders from I think Nebraska and all over the place.
Mr. Allbaugh. Right.
Senator Jeffords. One of the problems they had were the
inability to communicate with each other. That is sort of a
massive-type problem in the sense of any kind of coordination
or what we do to make sure there is some common frequency. What
is being done in that regard?
Mr. Allbaugh. Well, we have an interagency committee that
is studying the communication problems. I happen to believe
that communication is the single most vital problem that we
face in this country when it comes to responding to incidents.
We are about the business of savings lives and protecting
property, and if we cannot communicate, we are putting those
lives further at risk. Ron Miller, our IT expert, is working
with many other Agencies inside the Government on this. There
are a lot of private firms outside the Federal Government that
believe they have the single answer. There needs to be a
clearinghouse for this new technology. I am anxious to get this
ball rolling.
Senator Jeffords. Yes, there is so much potential, but I
can understand also that with so many different communities and
all, it is going to be not an easy situation.
Mr. Allbaugh. Right. I think, Mr. Chairman, our biggest
challenge for us is to at FEMA set national standards. We do
not want to be in the business of telling a community or a
State, you need to by X equipment or Y equipment. But we need
to set the standards, design the specifications, and then allow
the States and the communities to live up to those standards.
Senator Jeffords. In your testimony, you briefly address
the Assistant Firefighter Grant Program. You said that the
program remains an important element in supporting the most
pressing needs of the at-risk community. I know this is
especially true in small States like Vermont. I understand the
President's budget proposes to administer this program through
the Office of National Preparedness. Will this new First
Responder Initiative phase-out funding for this most important
program?
Mr. Allbaugh. I believe very strongly that the two programs
need to be administered separately. They will be very
compatible. The Fire Grant Program that we started last year
with the blessing of Congress, funded at $100 million in fiscal
year 2001. We have current funding of $360 million. Whatever
Congress gives us, I assure you we can get out the door. That
is for basic firefighting needs. There were no set-asides in
that program--a truly competitive program that was administered
fairly.
The Terrorism Grants with the First Responder Program is a
much broader program, much bigger program, more robust in a lot
of areas. It does not address basic firefighting needs that the
33,000 departments have nationwide. However, I believe both
programs together complement one another greatly.
Senator Jeffords. Senator Voinovich.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, U.S. SENATOR
FROM THE STATE OF OHIO
Senator Voinovich. Mr. Chairman, I apologize for being
late. I had a bill-signing at the White House, as a matter of
fact, on a piece of legislation that was voted out of this
committee, the Appalachian Regional Commissions.
I would like to welcome Joe Allbaugh here.
Mr. Allbaugh. Thank you.
Senator Voinovich. I would like my statement that I was
going to deliver to be inserted in the record.
Senator Jeffords. It will be.
Senator Voinovich. Mr. Allbaugh, I sincerely believe that
your Agency is the right one to handle this initiative. I am
very concerned that when the money is allocated that it is
actually used for the things that you want it to, and I am glad
that you are going to be writing the specifications. But I have
been a mayor and a Governor, and so often a program comes along
and it is an opportunity maybe to get some stuff that you were
not able to get locally because you did not have the money for
it. I think we ought to make sure that the money that is spent
really goes for things that are going to make these responders
much more able to deal with a terrorist attack. So I think that
the specs are important. I did not have a chance to hear your
testimony. I would be interested in any comments you may make
on that.
The other thing that I wanted to bring to your attention
today, and I am 1pleased with the progress that we have made in
terms of responding to Ground Zero and what we have done at the
Pentagon and so on, but as you know, I am very concerned about
the units that participated--the first responder units. We had
an Ohio unit that participated at Ground Zero.
A couple of weeks ago, you and I had a telephone call about
the conversation about that, and I also talked to Governor
Ridge. It is very, very frustrating that today that the
information that these individuals need in terms of what they
were exposed to, and you have mentioned there were some
Agencies that have to be coordinated. The EPA and a couple of
other ones still do not have the information in regard to what
were they exposed to. Some of them have gotten asthma and
pneumonia. I think it is incumbent on your Agency to work with
the others and make sure that they get the information that
they need so that they can find out what they have been exposed
to, so that will give them some direction in terms of the kind
of medical help that they need.
Second of all, they need the forms, the paperwork that is
necessary to be filled out so that they can take advantage of
the Federal Compensation Program. What we have gotten back from
them is that they have complained is that right now in some of
the paperwork, they feel they are being nickeled and dimed in
terms of the Agency. We are sending paper back and forth, and
they are very concerned about--they have told my office that
they have approximately $1 million in expenses from the work at
the World Trade Center. They need help from FEMA to get
reimbursed and the process is not going well. FEMA is nickeling
and diming them on the paperwork and rejecting claims for what
seems to be like bureaucratic reasons.
I am concerned about that, because if we are going to have
local responding units participate, and hopefully we will not
have any more of these things, God forbid, but if we do, how we
treat those that participated is going to have a lot to do with
how willing they are to respond to other things that might
occur. I would like to know just where are we on this. I think
we owe it to them.
Mr. Allbaugh. Senator Voinovich, you have asked several
questions there. Let me try to take them in order.
I, too, am deeply concerned about what everyone was exposed
to in New York City. On February 1, I put together a task force
representing all the Agencies. We are working through those
issues. There was a followup meeting yesterday, that we will be
sharing information that we have gleaned1 from all the Agencies
as quickly as we possibly can.
On the funding side, I know that there are a multitude of
issues to be resolved. I would like to know specifically. I
could meet with your staff about that particular issue. But we
have made just about everyone whole on every submission that
they have given us thus far. There are numerous teams that have
not submitted any paperwork thus far. It is not my intention,
nor do I believe it is anyone's intention at FEMA, to nickel
and dime a USAR team to death when they have overhead that they
need to take care of.
So after this meeting, I would like to talk with staff and
figure out exactly what their concerns are. We have an ongoing
dialog with every USAR team member. We have a health team made
up of 18 individuals that are closely monitoring each one of
the teams. We deployed 21 teams to New York City. I am deeply
concerned as to what those individuals are exposed to. We are
monitoring that. I know that we spent $10 million thus far
reimbursing those teams.
Senator Voinovich. The question I have is what--at this
stage of the game, it has been a long time. Senator Clinton is
here with us, in New York, and many of her people were also
exposed to it. What information have you made available to
those individuals that were in New York and to the other first
responder units as of today about what they were exposed to.
That is No. 1. No. 2, has there been some kind of formal
process that you put in place so that these people could take
advantage of filling out the papers to be compensated for what
they went through?
Mr. Allbaugh. There is a formal process for each individual
and for each team. We have asked them to have medical checkups.
We have asked them to have blood tests for heavy metals, to
have a chest X-ray. We are waiting for that information. We
will pay for everything that they incur in this process as a
part of the disaster. No one is going to be out a dime insofar
as taking care of their medical concerns. This has been
translated not only to each task force, but to each individual
in a letter that I signed to those task force members. There
were 1,400 and some-odd that were in New York City and we have
communicated with every one of them directly.
Senator Voinovich. I have found from my experience that how
well we treat them now will have a lot to do with the kind of
response that we are going to get from them in the future. I
think that the response that came out from the country to the
Pentagon, to Ground Zero was just spectacular. I hope that you
can move on that as quickly as possible and get that worked
out.
Mr. Allbaugh. It is a primary concern of mine, Senators, I
assure you. How we treat this folks today, as you alluded to,
is how we will be able to respond in the future.
[The prepared statement of Senator Voinovich follows:]
Statement of Hon. George Voinovich, U.S. Senator from the State of Ohio
Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing today on the
President's proposed First Responder Initiative. This is an important
issue to Ohioans and other First Responders that were deployed to
Ground Zero last September. I hope that as a result of these hearings,
we can ascertain how we can help support our first responders in their
home communities, God forbid to respond to other terrorist attacks that
we may have.
As I said on September 11th and several times since, I believe that
our first responsibility is to support the victims and their families.
Mr. Chairman, I also believe that we have a responsibility to ensure
the health and safety of those who have worked on the front lines to
respond to these terrorist threats. We have a responsibility not only
to the New York police and firefighters but also the First Responders
from Ohio and across the country and the people from the Federal
agencies that responded.
I got to see first hand the hard work of these State and local
first responders when I toured the Pentagon with Senator Jeffords just
a few days after 9-11 and then again when I visited Ground Zero a few
days later. In both tragedies it was local emergency response
personnel, not Federal personnel, who were the first on the scene and
who provided the bulk of relief services.
The stronger the relationship between FEMA and State and local
first responders the better our Nation's overall preparation will be in
the event of a terrorist attack. I am pleased that the President has
evaluated the level of cooperation and responded with this proposal for
the First Responders Initiative run through FEMA. To that end, I hope
this program stays focused on terrorism response and that we make sure
that funds authorized don't just end up augmenting the Firefighters
Grant Program or paying for basic firefighting equipment, but instead
are allocated based on the risk of a terrorist threat.
I believe that given the mission of this agency, FEMA is perhaps
the best choice of any Federal agency to oversee this initiative. After
all, the basic responsibility of this agency is to lead the Nation in
preparing for, responding to and recovering from major disasters by
coordinating the efforts of up to 26 Federal agencies.
Just last month I had the opportunity speak with some of the
representatives from Ohio's Task Force One who worked at Ground Zero.
These men and women expressed concerns about the lack of receiving
consistent information about what they were exposed to so that they can
be properly treated by their doctors. They still haven't received
enough information to successfully process claims through the Federal
claims system.
Officials from Ohio Task Force One have told my office that members
of the team have approximately $1 million in expenses, including health
care expenses, from their work at the World Trade Center. They need
help from FEMA to get reimbursed and the process is not going well.
They have told my office that FEMA is nickeling and diming them on the
paperwork and rejecting claims for what seems like bureaucratic
reasons. These are not wealthy individuals by any means and these units
operate on tight budgets. These are hardworking men and women who
risked their lives to respond to a serious disaster.
After that conversation, I had a chance to speak personally with
you, Director Allbaugh and tell you exactly what the people in Ohio
were worried about. I think we had a good conversation, however, I am
disappointed that I have not had a response from your office. Can you
tell me what FEMA is doing to expedite the reimbursements for these
teams and their members? Also, what is being done to help these
individuals know in advance what is expected of them from a paperwork
standpoint so they can get their reimbursements as quickly as possible?
Many of these expenses are health-related. Members of Ohio Task Force
One have developed respiratory illnesses including pneumonia and
asthma. What is FEMA doing to help the task force with its Federal
workers compensation issues?
I shared my concerns with Tom Ridge who said he would look into it.
We still don't have any information. As I said to you, if we want State
and local teams to be in a position to assist FEMA with disaster
response, we must make sure that FEMA itself responds after the
disaster when these teams have needs. I hope that before the week is
out, we can get the information they requested, not just for Ohio, but
for all of the teams of First Responders that came from all over this
country to lend a helping hand in New York City.
On the issue of how to strengthen relationships between FEMA and
State and local first responders, I'm confident that today's witnesses
will help to lead us in the right direction and give us some insight on
how we should proceed. I would particularly like to welcome from
Findlay, Ohio, the President of the University of Findlay, Mr. Kenneth
Zirkle. Mr. Zirkle, welcome to today's hearing. I am sorry that I
cannot be here for your testimony this afternoon. I have a Governmental
Affairs Committee hearing taking place at the same time and as the
Ranking Member on that Committee, I need to be in attendance. However,
I appreciate you coming here today and, I would like to commend the
University of Findlay on their Environmental Health and Safety
preparedness program. I look forward to reading your testimony in the
record.
Mr. Chairman, it is my hope that this Committee will work hard to
ensure the President's vision of a successful First Responders
Initiative becomes a reality. I look forward to working with each
member of this committee to make sure that we reach that goal and
working with FEMA to get the information necessary to help our First
Responders in Ohio and everywhere else in this Nation.
Senator Jeffords. Senator Wyden.
Senator Wyden. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Director Allbaugh, we agree that the single most important
thing to improve emergency response and to save lives is to
enable these first responders to talk to each other. I think
the country was just horrified that in New York City, arguably
the most sophisticated communications place on the planet, you
had these firemen hand-walking in the messages that you talked
about before my subcommittee in December, and mentioned again
today. Of course, this is because systems break down in these
tragedies and many are incompatible.
Would it be possible under the First Responder Initiative
to use some of those dollars to work on projects to promote
communications interoperability? I am going to in my
legislation that I have talked about on a number of occasions--
we are going to make some funds available under my legislation
for some pilot projects to promote communications
interoperability. But I know that some of the local government
folks that are here and have been visiting are wondering
whether some of the money under the First Responder Initiative
could be used for these kinds of projects as well. I am sure
this is early on in terms of the Administration's work, but
what are your thoughts on that?
Mr. Allbaugh. I am sure we could use some of that money for
that, but once you start dipping into what the purpose of the
money is for, then you dilute and you are ultimately going to
cut out the amount of money that we are able to distribute. We
are planning to distribute $3.5 billion in four broad
categories, No. 1, having the ability to do proper planning;
No. 2, proper training; No. 3, exercises; and No. 4, equipment
purchases. Now, we are setting aside just a ballpark figure--$2
billion--for equipment purchases. I am sure there might be a
few dollars we could use out of that for further study. But I
am reluctant to dip into that.
What I am interested in is getting the most amount of money
we possibly can to those State and local entities, and that is
why we decided to cap, quite frankly, the States' portion or
participation at 25 percent of this money so we can force the
bulk of the money--75-80 percent of the money--on down to the
local communities where they actually need the money the most
to make the difference in saving lives and protecting property.
Senator Wyden. Now, you have also said that in the wake of
the terrorist attacks, you all were flooded with proposals for
technology to help you do you your job, and mentioned that
because the Agency is an operational organization, it really is
not set up to evaluate and test new technologies. I have
gathered from comments you have made earlier that something
with testing facilities capable of evaluating whether some of
these technologies work and are particularly useful compared to
the alternatives would be helpful to you. Do you think that
something like that would be a step forward for FEMA right now?
Mr. Allbaugh. I do think a clearinghouse to test some of
these alleged proven technologies would be very beneficial. We
are not set up in that fashion. We are a response mechanism, a
preparation mechanism, a teaching mechanism, a preparedness
entity. We do not have the testing facilities. I know there are
many other Agencies, for example NIST over at Commerce, could
be a perfect entity to take on this responsibility for all of
the Federal Government.
Senator Wyden. I would like to explore further with you the
role of NIST, because I think that that is an Agency that
perhaps has been underutilized and I share your views in that
area.
Now, we also would like to have, as I mentioned in my
opening statement, a data base of technology and scientific
expertise in communities around this country, so that your
people, State and local emergency officials and others can turn
to it quickly. You have also indicated that right now, there is
some confusion with respect to where you turn to get
technological and scientific expertise. Do you think the kind
of data base that I am describing here could be helpful to your
people?
Mr. Allbaugh. It probably could be helpful. The basis of
our knowledge stems from our long-term existing contracts with
major players across the Nation. Those are the individuals--not
individuals, but companies that we turn to when we have a
specific need. I am interested in pushing the envelope and
testing that brain matter even further. Not all ideas reside in
one particular location. So if there is a data base for a
particular expertise, I would like to take advantage of it.
Senator Wyden. Let me ask you about just one other aspect
of what I have been looking at, to make sure that we tap all
the potential in the private sector. That is the Strategic
Technology Reserve. I really do compare it to the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is there if
we get into a crunch with respect to oil and energy. What I
have been told is all across the country we could really bank,
either literally or in terms of a virtual kind of assurance,
tremendous resources from the private sector. Do you think
something like that would be worth exploring as well?
Mr. Allbaugh. I think it is worth exploring. I am afraid I
do not know enough to really comment.
Senator Wyden. Well, we are going to be soliciting the
views of the Administration, but I think in particular the
First Responder Initiative and the focus that you have placed
on making sure the dollars get to the local level and make
sense, I want you to know that I am going to be working closely
with you and the Administration to try to have the private
sector supplement it. We are going to include some dollars for
some pilot projects in terms of communications
interoperability, to keep those data bases in place in terms of
private resources, for test beds so that you and others will be
able to evaluate products. We want to talk to you some more
about the Technology Reserve.
I want to thank you as well for your responsiveness.
Mr. Allbaugh. Well, I thank you for that. I think if there
is one issue we should try to solve nationwide it is the
communications problem. It does more and will do more to save
lives and protect property than just about anything else that
we will probably talk about here this afternoon.
Senator Wyden. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Jeffords. My good friend and neighbor, Senator
Smith.
Senator Smith. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Director, welcome. It is good to see you here. Welcome
also to my friend Woody Fogg who will be testifying on the next
panel, from New Hampshire.
I did have a prepared statement, Mr. Chairman, which I will
introduce as part of the record.
Senator Jeffords. Without objection.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BOB SMITH, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
Senator Smith. I just want to ask a couple of questions of
you, Mr. Director. I in many ways have sympathy for you knowing
the turf battles you are going to have to fight here as you try
to put all of this into one effective emergency responding
Agency or entity or whatever the correct term is.
To me, it makes sense for FEMA to be the Agency to lead
this effort. They have a great track record, and I know this
decision by the President has not come without some internal
strife. But you are a tough guy. You look tough, too. I mean,
that is the thing.
Mr. Allbaugh. I take that as a compliment.
[Laughter.]
Senator Smith. But I think it is common sense. We all fight
these inside the beltway turf battles. Hang in there. We will
get to the heart of it. The most important thing is to do what
is right for the Nation, and that means that if something we
support is not right, then we will come around to that view, I
think, in the end, to do what is best-suited.
I am going to just throw four issues out there that give
you a chance to respond briefly, on the points that they make
about why it should not be FEMA, and just who is the lead
Agency, and you can respond to it in any way that you see fit.
The first point, first criticism, which is not my
criticism, but the general criticisms, is that FEMA is not a
grant Agency, therefore would not be effective in being the
lead Agency in this effort.
Mr. Allbaugh. Senator, the best way to respond to that is
rely upon our track record. In 2001, we issued grants over $3.5
billion alone in a multitude of programs. Unfortunately, as a
result of the incident in particular in New York City, as
Senator Clinton knows, we will alone this fiscal year approach
$8 billion and probably even go higher than that. These are
dollars that make a difference in individual's lives. We have
excellent relationships with the States. We move the money very
quickly. I am very proud of our NPS's, which are
teleregistration facilities. We have four of them. Normally,
when an individual calls and registers with us over our 800
line, within 2 or 3 days or maybe 4, they are receiving a check
from us to help them get back on their feet. So we know how to
move money. We move it very quickly and to say we are not a
grant Agency, that is probably about 50 percent of what we do
is move money.
Senator Smith. How about the issue that ODP programs are
primarily law enforcement, and you are not a law enforcement
Agency?
Mr. Allbaugh. We are not a law enforcement Agency. I do not
want to become a law enforcement Agency. But I do believe that
communities should not be confused where they go for their
first responder training. Whether it is at FEMA, Justice,
Defense Department, EPA--it does not matter to me. I think we
ought to provide a unified, simplified, one-stop shop for all
types of training. Most of the ODP training that I am aware of
revolves around basic firefighting, which we do through our
Fire Administration, HAZMAT, and rescue operations.
So I think it is important to the American public that we
make it as simple as we possibly can insofar as going to a
repository for all their training.
Senator Smith. The other issue which is often raised, which
I had a chance to witness first-hand, and I know Senator
Clinton and others did, was the issue that it may not be the
best option as a coordinating Agency. I was in New York I think
5 days or 6 days after the attack, and saw the building that
FEMA had set up there with just--I was commandeered, I guess,
on the docks there. I forget what the building was.
Mr. Allbaugh. Pier 90.
Senator Smith. Pier 90.
Mr. Allbaugh. Yes, sir.
Senator Smith. Thank you.
It was amazing--all the hustle and bustle, and the booths
and the people. Basically what could have been total confusion
was not. It was very organized and compartmentalized. If there
is anybody that could do it any better than that, I do not know
who it is.
Mr. Allbaugh. Well, we are charged specifically by the
President and through the Federal Response Plan to be the
Agency of coordination and facilitation. We do not have a lot
of Federal assets that we own personally. What we do have is
the knowledge to commandeer those assets that other Agencies
have, and mobilize them in a timely fashion to save lives and
protect property. That is one of the things that we do best.
Senator Smith. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Jeffords. Senator Clinton.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, U.S. SENATOR
FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Senator Clinton. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
It is a pleasure once again to have the Director here. I
cannot express eloquently enough, I am afraid, my personal
gratitude and the gratitude of New Yorkers for the
extraordinary job that he and his team have done. I appreciate
your bringing this First Responder Initiative to this committee
for our consideration. I am hoping that we can work through
some of the questions that have been raised because clearly
what we have learned since September 11 should inform
everything we do from this point forward. That is what I know
the Director and his staff are attempting to do.
I have introduced a Homeland Security Block Grant last
November or so because what I started hearing were the concerns
that this initiative attempts to address, from all over New
York, where far away from New York City, in places like
Buffalo, for the first time they were just getting calls for
hazardous materials responses and found themselves going deeper
and deeper into red ink trying to figure out how to get out
there and help, especially after the anthrax attack.
Among the questions that I would like to ask the Director,
it really comes down to how do we make sure that we not only
get the money out there to the local community, but that the
local community is able to use it both for the planning and the
exercise and the training and the initiatives that you have got
in your description here, but what is happening now is that
they are spending so much money on overtime. They are just
going deeper and deeper into debt. I have been meeting with the
Conference of Mayors, and I am wondering, Mr. Director, how we
are going to help them out of their new increased obligations?
How do we take care of these overtime expenses, for example?
Because elsewhere in the President's budget, I know that we are
seeing cutbacks in the COPS program and the local law
enforcement block program. So at the same time that we are
trying to upgrade our capacity to respond to disasters, we are
cutting some of the resources we would otherwise give to local
law enforcement.
You know, there seems to be a kind of mismatch. This does
not fall under your bailiwick, because you are trying to get
everybody up to speed for disasters, but the front line of
those disaster responses are our local police and fire. So how
are we going to take care of issues like overtime expenses
attributable to responding?
Mr. Allbaugh. I am not sure how to answer that, except that
I do not believe the Federal Government should bear the brunt
of all those expenses. I think we are in partnership with State
and local communities as we proceed down this road together
addressing these personnel issues. I really do not want to be
in the personnel business either. I think that is a local issue
more than anything else.
What we can do is provide them standards and the technical
expertise; draw a roadmap, if you will; help them to try and
get there along the way by giving them also a certain amount of
flexibility to achieve some local concerns. It will take time
and it will take money. But I know communities all across the
country are fighting the battle of overtime on personnel. I was
in Syracuse last night and this morning; sat with the Fire
Department there and it is their No. 1 concern. Plus, they have
many members of the Department that are coming up for
retirement, and it is difficult on the recruitment side; it is
difficult on the retention side. This is not a problem that
resides just in one community. It is all across the United
States. I am all ears, as they say. I am searching for that
answer as well.
Senator Clinton. I think that that is a matter of great
importance to this committee, because the first line of our
homeland defense are those local responders, so we have to
figure out how we are going to help local communities be able
to confront that.
I want to followup, too, on what Senator Voinovich said.
The efforts we have made to try to provide information, and
this committee was nice enough to authorize a subcommittee
hearing that Senator Lieberman chaired that I asked for in
Lower Manhattan, to try to get to the bottom of what was going
on with the air quality issues. What we hear, what Senator
Voinovich hears from his first responders in Ohio, we have not
completed a medical screening of our firefighters--25 percent
have some kind of respiratory, bronchitis, asthmatic reaction.
One thing that I believe we should try to do across the board,
and I appreciated what you said to Senator Voinovich, was to
pick up some of the costs for those medical exams, because the
Federal Government needs to know what we are learning from
them. This is something that needs to be factored into the work
that FEMA does. So I think we really should look and try to
figure out how better we can both screen our first responders
and then do followup medical treatment.
Mr. Allbaugh. I will tell you one thing, and members as
well, Senator Clinton, that as a result of one of the lessons
we learned in deploying our urban search and rescue teams for
September 11th, these men and women were deployed without any
type of medical exam prior to deployment. What we have
instituted since that date is that everyone will receive a
medical exam prior to deployment so we have a baseline when
they return to compare to. I think it is a positive step. I
think members of those task forces appreciate that step. As we
learn more, we will continue to change. We have to be cognizant
of being able to have the flexibility to add new procedures
when called for. This was a perfect example.
Senator Clinton. I have some additional questions which I
will give to the Director in writing.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Jeffords. Senator Warner.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN W. WARNER, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Senator Warner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman, for having this important hearing.
So nice to see you again, Director Allbaugh.
Mr. Allbaugh. Good to be seen, Sir.
Senator Warner. I remember vividly our first meeting when
we described FEMA. It appeared to be a relatively
straightforward assignment. Now, you have, I think, the most
important assignment, next to the President, and that is
homeland defense. Our President had the wisdom way back before
he was elected, in his speech at The Citadel, to express his
concern for preparing to defend America here at home. The rest
is history. Now that responsibility in many respects falls on
your shoulders, and I am glad that this committee is going to
give you the support that you need.
Mr. Allbaugh. Thank you, sir.
Senator Warner. We were talking about Senator Wyden, a very
important subject on the interoperability. I went to the
Pentagon about 5 hours after that plane hit, and worked with
the Secretary of Defense. I went out and saw the responders and
experienced then some of the difficulties of the inability to
have a common communications system. I am pleased to say that
we, Virginia and the area here, the greater metropolitan area
of Washington, got $20 million to get this interoperability
into our system. So I hope it can be achieved elsewhere.
I turn now to the urban search and rescue teams. I would
like to mention here that it was Senators Nunn, Lugar, Domenici
and I joined them in 1997, that had the vision; and it was
President Clinton who, on his watch as President, enacted these
measures into law. So I am going to read a rather lengthy
question, and I will see that it is handed to you, and ask you
for your views on this question.
The search and rescue teams have proven to be a vital
component to our emergency response efforts even before
September 11. In Virginia, the Fairfax team has responded to
earthquake recovery efforts worldwide. Also, the Virginia Beach
team responded at the Pentagon attack. As you well know, these
urban search and rescue teams bring uniquely trained
professionals and equipment to disaster scenes. State and local
rescue efforts do not have these capabilities.
The following situation came to my attention shortly after
September 11, and I credit the distinguished Mayor, Meyera
Oberndorf, for bringing this to my attention--the Mayor of
Virginia Beach. The task force at Virginia Beach consists of
180 trained individuals. On September 11, 62 members of the
task force responded to the attack on the Department of
Defense. Only one-third of the 180-man team could be outfitted
to respond. The rest of the team members remained in Virginia
Beach. If there had been another incident, they would not have
been able to respond because of a lack of equipment.
Also, it is my understanding that last year FEMA designated
Virginia Beach as one of six FEMA task forces nationwide to
respond to domestic attacks involving weapons of mass
destruction. It is clear that these premier urban search and
rescue teams are not fully equipped to perform their missions.
Can you tell me and the committee what are the funding
needs to fully equip and train the existing 28 FEMA urban
search and rescue teams across America?
Mr. Allbaugh. Sixty-four million dollars to get them up to
speed immediately. We have submitted not only for the 2003
budget, but for the 2002 supplemental; $15 million for the 2003
budget. It was subsequently cut back; and in the supplemental,
$32 million. But it is a high priority for me to properly
equip, properly train, make sure that they were WMD trained, as
you said--6 of the 28 are trained to that capability right now,
and that is not satisfactory in my book.
Senator Warner. My understanding is, you said $64 million.
There is $6.5 million only in the President's budget.
Mr. Allbaugh. Yes, sir, I know.
Senator Warner. Consequently, Mr. Chairman and members of
the committee, I think it is incumbent upon us to address that
issue in the forthcoming deliberations on our budget.
My second is the First Responder Initiative. Again, the
three mayors in the Virginia Beach-Tidewater area--Meyera
Oberndorf, Joe Frank and Paul Frame have put this question to
me.
We applaud the President's initiative to provide critical
resources to the local police, fire and rescue. We saw first-
hand how critical local fire and police were in responding to
the attack on the Pentagon as Arlington County was the first
onsite, and ultimately became the on-scene coordinator for all
recovery efforts. Also, every major fire department in the
metropolitan Washington area provided critical resources at the
Pentagon. Many of us are very interested in the criteria that
FEMA will use to allocate the first responder grant funds.
I believe we all know that many local fire and police
departments are the only resources to protect critical Federal
installations. The Virginia example is very telling. We know
that Arlington County and other local departments are the only
responders for major Federal installations from the Pentagon to
the Central Intelligence Agency. Elsewhere in Virginia, local
fire and police are the first responders to major defense
installations in the Hampton Roads area.
Can you tell me to what degree will we be protecting
critical Federal facilities factor into FEMA's criteria for
this new First Responder Initiative?
Mr. Allbaugh. Well, we have not addressed that yet,
Senator. We are in the midst of internal discussions on that
subject. I would be happy to get back with you when we bring
that to closure. I can assure you we have and will have in the
future ongoing dialog with State and local entities to make
sure they have ample opportunity to have their say about this.
I am most concerned about setting standards. I am most
concerned about accountability. I am most concerned about
giving these departments the flexibility to meet what they see
as their priorities, as well as facilitating the continuing
buildup of our infrastructure nationwide.
Senator Warner. They are the ones that have to respond.
They need the financial support, and it has to be in the $3.5
billion that you are now funding.
Mr. Allbaugh. Yes, sir.
Senator Warner. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Jeffords. Senator Corzine.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JON S. CORZINE, U.S. SENATOR FROM THE
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Senator Corzine. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I welcome Director Allbaugh. It is terrific to see you. I
want to commend you and all of the people at FEMA for the
tremendous response that we have seen given to the September 11
attacks. I want to specifically say that you have been very
responsive, and your people have been to New Jersey's dialog
about recovery needs. They are ones that I will give more
emphasis to in my questions. But I do hope that you will get a
sense that we are very much strongly supportive of the
initiatives being put into FEMA on this first responder
preparedness.
Mr. Allbaugh. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Corzine. I will go parochial for a second. There
are a number of issues that fall out of the post-September 11
situation that impact New Jersey. We have had conversations
with a number of your folks, including Deputy Director Brown,
about transportation infrastructure, particularly as it relates
to the changed patterns of transportation that have occurred
because of the PATH closure.
There is significant dialog about whether funding on that
actually will be recognized or taken into consideration. We are
under the impression, and the Governor's office and the
Attorney General's office are that FEMA is authorized to cover
New Jersey's interim transportation needs. I wonder if that is
your understanding?
Mr. Allbaugh. That is my impression as well. I am not sure
as to the specific incident or issue that you are referring to.
Senator Corzine. It has to do with actually paying for
additional ferry, rail and bus service that is really taking
the overflow or the redistribution of transportation.
Mr. Allbaugh. I do not know specifically about that,
Senator, but I would like to take the opportunity to check that
out and then respond back to you on that.
Senator Corzine. We will put in writing the specifics of
it. But it is a very heavy burden on the State, and I think it
is actually very important for the revitalization of Southern
Manhattan.
Mr. Allbaugh. My recollection, and I am receiving
confirmation that it is eligible, so I am not sure why there is
a roadblock, no pun intended, as to why this is not going
forward.
Senator Corzine. We would very much love to hear a response
about where it stands in the process.
Mr. Allbaugh. We will do that.
Senator Corzine. I know you have many priorities. This is
one that our people are concerned about.
The second issue is about straight time reimbursement for
some of the aid provided to the New York response, which is a
continual issue.
Mr. Allbaugh. Right. Right.
Senator Corzine. Aid to New York that was provided in New
York, whether it is State police closing down tunnels and
bridges, or hospital services provided. There continue to be
open questions about whether that meets the criterion. We have
a number of communities that are pressed just as I am sure many
local communities are across the country, but they took on
additional burdens that are really quite substantial. The two
Senators from New Jersey were encouraging the folks to do what
they needed to do, not that they would not have done that
anyway, but there was a sense of good faith that they would be
treated in a mutual aid resource agreement for the efforts they
made.
Mr. Allbaugh. I was in New York yesterday and Sunday, and
had a meeting specifically on this issue. It is my
understanding that we are moving along on getting a lot of
those issues resolved. If there is something specific that we
are not addressing, I think I need to know that as well.
Senator Corzine. We will go through that. There are a
number of communities up and down the----
Mr. Allbaugh. Could you add that to your letter?
Senator Corzine. Yes. We will do that.
Mr. Allbaugh. We would appreciate that.
Senator Corzine. I will make sure that we have it.
Mr. Allbaugh. If there are communities that are missing in
the dialog, I want to get them in the mix, of course.
Senator Corzine. A lot of this is just the mechanics and
logistics of getting it done, and I know you have a lot of--
your people have been quite engaged and open to process it
along.
Thank you.
Senator Jeffords. Senator Voinovich.
Senator Voinovich. Mr. Allbaugh, when you came to my office
and we talked prior to your confirmation hearing, we talked
about the human capital crisis that is confronting the United
States of America.
Mr. Allbaugh. Yes, sir.
Senator Voinovich. For the benefit of the committee
members, by 2004, we could lose about 55 percent of our people
through early retirement or regular retirement, and our Senior
Executive Service up to about 70 percent by the year 2005. You
indicated you thought that you were in fairly good shape.
Mr. Allbaugh. We are not in good shape.
Senator Voinovich. I am really worried about that because
one of the things, and I hate to be bringing back news from the
locals in Dayton, but the fact of the matter is they have said
that they think that you really need a lot more people in the
urban section of FEMA. I remember being up at Ground Zero, and
of course that as an extraordinarily unusual situation, but we
had people from the Department of Energy. You just went out and
scouted up the best people you could to give you assistance
there.
I would like for you to share with the committee what plans
you have under way to deal with the human capital needs that
you have currently, and what additional capital needs are you
going to have to respond to in terms of taking on this new
responsibility. Last but not least, do you have the budget and
the tools to attract that people that you are going to need to
get the job done?
Mr. Allbaugh. I have been in this position about a year,
and it was clear to me right up front that we have not been
spending enough time internally on our employees--properly
training them, helping them with a career path. Retention was a
problem. Recruitment--there was essentially no recruitment. I
brought in about a month and a half ago a new Human Resources
Director from OPM, Doug Fair. We are working together in
crafting a plan to address all of our needs.
I think over the next 18 months, somewhere between 45 and
50 percent of our Agency is eligible for retirement. That is
just a lot of gray matter to be walking out the door. Since
September 11, the retirements have accelerated. People have
come to my office with a different perspective on life, which I
cannot fault them for--wanting to spend time with their kids,
their grandkids, their spouses.
But it is a severe need that we have at FEMA, particularly
given the stresses and strains of responding to disasters
natural and man-made. I do not have an answer crafted yet. I
would be happy to get back to you, sir. I know Doug is working
as hard-out to try and accommodate me on a variety of issues in
this arena. Whether we have the necessary budget or not, I
would have to say probably not right now. FEMA suffers from its
own successes in that if you want a job done you give it to
FEMA and oftentimes we are given the task to perform, but not
necessarily the resources to complete the task.
So as a result, many of our people in not only the
Washington headquarters, but in our 10 regional offices, wear
two, three, and four or five hats at the same time. It puts an
inordinate amount of stress on those individuals, on their
families who I think make the ultimate sacrifices because those
individuals are kept away from home more than necessary.
I would like to respond back to you in writing and tell you
exactly how we are doing.
Senator Voinovich. I would like to have you do that in
terms of what your current needs are, what additional needs you
are going to have when you take on these new responsibilities.
Mr. Allbaugh. We have identified with the First Responder
Program. We do know what we need.
Senator Voinovich. Also the issue of tools, because in
another committee that I am supposed to be at right now, Mr.
Chairman, we are dealing with this issue of human capital and
the President's management agenda, and after 3 years, my
agenda, and trying to give Agencies the flexibility that they
need to retain the people that they have on-board and to
attract in people at the entry level and actually at the mid-
management level. One of the things that I must say that too
often here we talk about the money to buy things, but we
neglect the fact that Agencies in the Federal Government need
the tools and the people to get the job done. We are all
talking about Enron. Well, if you go and check at the
Securities and Exchange Commission, you will find that they
have lost a third of their people because of the fact that
their pay scale is--I think, Senator Corzine, you know that--
not competitive.
We can just go straight through the Federal Government and
find that we have some really severe problems because we had a
period of downsizing without any attention to reshaping those
Agencies to get the job done. If he does not have the people
that he needs to get the job done, I do not care what we do in
terms of some of these other things that we are talking about
today, he will not be able to perform properly.
So I am really interested in your providing that to me. I
want to stay on top of it. I know I have been a little bit
tough on you today.
Mr. Allbaugh. Have you?
Senator Voinovich. Yes, I have.
Mr. Allbaugh. We have a few answers, but I do not think you
have been that tough.
Senator Voinovich. But I just want to say to you----
Mr. Allbaugh. There are questions that need to be answered,
and if I do not know about them, we need to get the answers to
you. So I think that is fair.
Senator Voinovich [continuing]. I would like to say to you
that I thank you very much for the sacrifice that you have made
for your country, and the hours that you have put in. I thank
your lovely wife for the sacrifice that she and your family
have put up so that you could continue to do this job. I think
so often we take for granted the people like you that come into
government. We do not appreciate what you go through. I just
want to say thank you very much.
Mr. Allbaugh. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Jeffords. We all join in that thank you.
Senator Wyden, last question.
Senator Voinovich. Mr. Chairman, could I do one other
thing? Pardon me--I just want to introduce Ken Zirkle from
Ohio. I failed to do that. Ken is at the University of Findlay.
Senator Jeffords. Stand up, Ken.
Senator Voinovich. He has trained all of our EMS people in
Ohio. Ken, I have to run out of here because I have to go to
the other committee that is dealing with this human capital
thing, but thank you for being here today.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Jeffords. Senator Wyden.
Senator Wyden. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do not want to
turn this into a bouquet-tossing contest, Director Allbaugh.
Mr. Allbaugh. Please don't.
Senator Wyden. I think it is clear you have a lot of
support here, and particularly on the proposition that your key
programs are going to need more resources. I want to ask you
about the urban search and rescue area in particular. As you
know, I think this is a very attractive kind of program.
Senator Warner touched on it as well. It is one that works.
I really see it as a model for an area that I am interested
in getting into, and that is to mobilize people in the science
and technology area. I tentatively called it NETGuard--the
National Emergency Technology Guard where we would rely on
people from private enterprise to help with people and
equipment. What is your sense? Do you think that properly
developed--and we are going to be asking the Council of the
executive branch on it--that these kinds of teams, these kind
of NETGuard teams could play a useful role in assisting the
efforts of local emergency response authorities?
Mr. Allbaugh. I think if they are focused and they
understand who is in charge when it comes to the decisionmaking
process, that obviously smart people who have the right talent
could be nothing but an asset to responding to disasters man-
made or natural.
Senator Wyden. That was what I was hoping to see evolve.
The last thing you want to do is to get talented people, say,
from Intel or Microsoft or these leading technology companies,
to basically come on into a very difficult situation and sort
of stand around and get in the way. We want to work with you to
make sure that we mobilize these resources so that they do not
usurp the authority of the local first responders and really do
complement what you and your people are doing on the ground. We
will be asking for your counsel, and I thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Allbaugh. Thank you, Senator.
Senator Jeffords. Thank you sincerely for very, very
excellent answers, and we enjoy working with you and look
forward to working with you again.
Mr. Allbaugh. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the
support this committee has given FEMA. It is an important
Agency, as you all recognize. We look forward to working
closely with you in the future. Thanks for your support. Thanks
for having me here today.
Senator Jeffords. Thank you.
Our next panel and last panel--four wonderful individuals--
Mr. Woodbury P. Fogg, P.E., on behalf of the National Emergency
Management Association, Washington, DC.; Mr. Ed Wilson, chief,
City of Portland Fire Department, Portland, OR; Mr. Mike
O'Neil, chief, South Burlington Fire Department, Burlington,
VT; and Mr. Kenneth E. Zirkle, president, University of
Findlay, Findlay, OH.
Please proceed. Yes, start with Mr. Fogg.
STATEMENT OF WOODBURY P. FOGG, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATION
Mr. Fogg. Thank you.
Chairman Jeffords, Ranking Member Smith and members of the
committee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
today to offer comments on the First Responder Program. The
National Emergency Management Association, NEMA, supports
Federal efforts to increase the emergency management capacity-
building at the State, territorial and local level for
personnel, planning, training, equipment, coordination and
exercising. A significant Federal commitment must be made to
give State, territorial and local governments the tools to
ensure adequate preparedness.
While States have significantly increased their commitment
to emergency management over the last decade, those States are
struggling with budgetary issues and the increased investments
necessary to meet these new demands.
In my testimony today, I am going to make five key points
about the proposed First Responder Program. No. 1, all efforts
need to be coordinated through the States to ensure
harmonization with the State emergency operations plan and the
Federal response plan, to ensure equitable distribution of
resources, and to coordinate those resources for intra-State
and inter-State mutual aid.
The Stafford Act successfully uses States and Governors as
the managers of Federal disaster relief funds for local
governments which are overtaxed and need assistance. There is
no question that most of that $3.5 billion proposed First
Responder Grants Funds needs to go to police, firefighters,
emergency medical and public health workers, and other front-
line local responders. We can effectively ensure this by
working through the States to build on the statewide plans that
FEMA, the Department of Justice and other Agencies have already
required. State emergency management has a proven track record
of passing most of the funds they get through to the local
level. That is something they have done for years and done
well.
No. 2, State emergency managers need to have a commitment
for sustained Federal resources and the flexibility to ensure
the hiring and training of sufficient professional personnel to
manage the expanding antiterrorism programs. We are concerned
that an influx of new and separate funding programs from the
Federal Government could actually detract from our all-hazards
approach. Building a statewide emergency management capability
is key to ensuring preparedness across the board. I like to say
this is not just about terrorism. This is about preparedness--
preparedness in general for all hazards.
Emergency management performance grant--otherwise known as
EMPG--is the only flexible, consistent source of Federal
funding for State and local capacity building. As the existing
funding stream, EMPG could be used quite quickly to hire State
and local staff to manage critical programs and build the
incremental emergency management capacity and prepare for the
first responder grants and the coordination that will be
required to execute these programs. EMPG is already in place
and it is effective. It could move money very quickly to the
ones most in need, and it allows tailoring on a State-by-State
basis and a locality basis, and allows the taking of a
statewide approach.
Emergency management is overstressed and working to
capacity to address this new environment, and we need relief
now. In that vein, we are requesting an additional $200 million
in funding for EMPG in the April supplemental appropriations
package to serve as a down payment or an initial, a kick-start,
for addressing emergency management needs. In 2000, well before
September 11, a NEMA survey of the States revealed a $123
million shortfall in Federal funding of State and local
emergency management programs, and Congress needs to address
this shortfall.
No. 3, standards must be developed to ensure
interoperability of equipment, communications and training
across State, regional and local jurisdictions. NEMA was a
leader in the creation of the Emergency Management
Accreditation Program, or EMAP. This voluntary standards and
accreditation program for State and local emergency management
is based on the National Fire Protection Association's
standards and on FEMA's capability assessment of readiness, or
CAR. NEMA suggests that these standards, which are already
being implemented through EMAP, be incorporated in the
development of any minimum standards for training, exercise and
equipment. This is something we have already in place. It is
beginning to work. I hope we can begin to use this program for
domestic preparedness.
No. 4, mutual aid, both intra-State and inter-State, is a
key component to capacity building, and a proven system we need
to take advantage of for all domestic preparedness planning is
the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, or EMAC. EMAC is
an inter-State mutual aid agreement that allows States to
assist one another in responding to all kinds of natural and
man-made disasters. There are 46 States and 2 territories that
are already members of EMAC, and the other States and
territories are considering joining. As an example, in response
to September 11, several States provided support to New York
through EMAC. It is a system that works. We use it for nearly
all major disasters now.
No. 5, State and local government must be fully, directly
and continuously involved and consulted in development of the
national domestic preparedness strategy. NEMA espouses a
national strategy, not just a Federal one. We look forward to
working with the Office of Homeland Security toward the
development and implementation of that strategy.
In conclusion, close coordination of programs and Agencies
in building this capacity to deal with truly catastrophic
events is the key to success in assuring our Nation's
preparedness against terrorism. One of the best demonstrations
of the value of better Federal, State, private and local
coordination was the TOPOFF exercise in 2000. We hope that the
First Responder Program will aid in national coordination and
preparedness. I have submitted written testimony, with copies
of NEMA's 10 principles on a domestic national preparedness
strategy, and a white paper that was done earlier this year. I
request that that be entered into the record.
Senator Jeffords. It will be.
Mr. Fogg. Thank you.
Thank you for your commitment to ensuring our Nation is as
ready as we can be. Are there any questions that I can answer?
Senator Jeffords. Thank you. We will have questions later.
Our next witness is Mr. Ed Wilson, chief of the city of
Portland Fire Department, from Portland, OR. Please proceed.
STATEMENT OF EDWARD WILSON, CHIEF, CITY OF PORTLAND FIRE
DEPARTMENT, PORTLAND, OR
Chief Wilson. Mr. Chairman, Senator Wyden, members of the
committee, I am Ed Wilson, fire chief of the city of Portland,
OR. I want to thank you for the opportunity to address the
committee today.
Two weeks after the September 11 attacks on our Nation,
City of Portland Mayor, Vera Katz directed me to join with our
partners in public safety in our region to determine our state
of preparedness for a terrorist attack and to conduct a needs
assessment.
On behalf of all the emergency responders in major cities
across the United States who undoubtedly undertook similar
processes, I am here to testify about our findings and briefly
outline what we would do with additional funding to increase
our readiness.
Like many large cities, we are on the right track with
regard to planning for a mass casualty incident and have been
for many years. Most large cities have functional plans in
place and well-trained responders on all levels. Since
September 11, however, we have focused on a few key areas to
improve our plans in case the unthinkable happens--that being a
terrorist attack in our home town. As large cities in the
United States, we have numerous factors that put our citizens
at risk. Our most obvious issue, as we learned from the World
Trade Center attacks, and earlier from the bombing of the
Federal building in Oklahoma City, is that sheer number of
people who populate large cities. Higher concentrations of
people mean more potential loss of life.
Metropolitan areas are also more vulnerable to hazardous
material incidents because of the industrial activity that is
an important part of our economy. In addition, we have larger
and more complex infrastructures. Of course, many of America's
most visible landmarks, such as the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, are located in big cities. All of these increase the
vulnerability of metropolitan areas. That is why metropolitan
areas such as Portland are in need of increased resources to
keep our homeland safe.
Our needs assessment showed four primary areas where we
need to improve--first, equipment and training. We recommend
increasing the supply of protective equipment and training for
all emergency responders. Decontamination at the hospitals
would add yet another layer of protection as well. In addition,
incident command system training at the executive level will
enhance any major city's ability to provide leadership during a
terrorist or any disaster.
Second, communications. We found room to improve the
redundancy and interoperability of our communications systems.
While local agencies have mechanisms in place to communicate
with each other, these plans may quickly splinter when State
and Federal Agencies arrive on the scene. This lack of
interoperability was starkly evident during the response to
terrorist attack at the Pentagon on September 11.
Third, building security. Portland, like many other cities
in our country, is free, very open. To protect our citizens, we
are considering enhancing our building security.
Forth, for recovery. To improve continuity of government
after a terrorist incident, we will develop a comprehensive
recovery plan. First steps include a business risk assessment
and a mainframe recovery study.
Some ask, will the First Responder Initiative help major
cities across this country address these types of issues? The
answer is absolutely. But there is another strength in the
proposed initiative. It would support programs that develop or
buildupon existing mutual aid agreements. For example, in the
Portland metropolitan area, a regional group of emergency
managers involving five counties and two States has worked
since 1993 to coordinate regional response to natural hazards.
We are now developing a regional request for antiterrorism
dollars.
Finally, I would note that according to the U.S. Conference
of Mayors, initial estimates show that local communities have
spent more than $525 million since September 11, for added
security, and they anticipate that these cities will spend
about $2.2 billion in 2002 to manage a burden unforeseen before
September 11. The need for Federal assistance is clear to these
major cities.
Noting that a simple and quick method for dispersing
Federal assistance is a stated objective of the First Responder
Initiative, I would like to recommend systems similar to the
Community Block Grant Program. This would serve as an excellent
model for dispersing these funds. It would allow Federal
funding to go directly to cities with populations greater than
50,000, and the rest would go to the States for distributions
to jurisdictions with a population less than 50,000, and
actually for the First Responder Initiative, an increased
population above 50,000 for those direct grants may be
appropriate.
This model already exists and has been used successfully
and extensively. It would be easy to duplicate and would avoid
delays in getting funding to the local communities who need it
now. It would also be important that Federal funding to local
communities allow as much flexibility as possible. As you know,
different communities will identify different needs, levels of
vulnerability and solutions to these difficult problems. We are
glad to see funding flexibility included as one of the stated
objectives in the President's initiative.
So Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, thank you
again for the opportunity to provide this information about how
major cities in the United States would benefit from
implementation of the First Responder Initiative. This benefit
would be immediate and long term, making us safer from
terrorist attacks and also enhancing our everyday response
capabilities.
At this time, I would be happy to answer any questions you
may have.
Senator Jeffords. Thank you for an excellent statement, and
we will be back with questions.
Our third witness is Mr. Mike O'Neil, chief of the South
Burlington Fire Department in Burlington, VT.
STATEMENT OF MICHAEL O'NEIL, CHIEF, SOUTH BURLINGTON FIRE
DEPARTMENT, BURLINGTON, VT
Chief O'Neil. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, fellow Senators.
Let me begin by extending greetings from the Vermont Fire
Service. We appreciate the important discussions and
deliberations that you are involved in. I would like to address
the committee on a few issues that have been the subject of
much debate in our small State, that we like to think reflects
the ongoing national discussion.
The focus is that the ability of our Nation's fire service
to be properly equipped to respond to the myriad of events that
only a few short years ago would have been as viewed as
scenarios from a movie script. There never has been a doubt
that the American Fire Service would be called upon to respond
to any situation. We do it every day. We do not choose what
types of incidents that we respond to and which ones we won't.
I believe as a fire chief, I owe it to the firefighters who
respond to these calls for help from our citizens to be as
prepared and protected as is possible.
As I sit here before you today, I know that I cannot do
that because our communities cannot afford to provide that
protection. The need is real. We cannot continue to send our
firefighters out without the proper protection. We would not
send our servicemen and--women to foreign soil ill-prepared to
perform. Why should our front-line home security forces be any
different?
When the White House proposed--through the Office of
Homeland Defense giving $3.5 billion in Federal aid to State
and local responders, America's front-line soldiers,
firefighters, police officers and emergency medical
technicians--to prepare for terrorist actions, the fire service
believed that it was going to be able to solve a longstanding
barrier to effectiveness, the lack of adequate funding. We view
the First Responder Initiative as extremely important in
getting money directly to departments large and small for basic
needs such as equipment and training, and supplying specialized
equipment and training to larger urban departments with the
greater possibility of terror acts exists.
In his remarks to the National Emergency Managers
Association, Governor Ridge voiced his strong support for first
responders in the President's proposed budget. He feels very
strongly that the equipment, training and exercise resources
are needed by the Nation's first line of defense. Governor
Ridge reiterated the Administration's position that funding
should go directly to the States, and not to the local
government. We would question that. Past history, at least in
our small State, has shown that very little of those resources
have found their way to the local level once the State has
finished utilizing the grants to better equip the State
responses.
We have been told for the last 3 years that any State
resources will not be available to us for up to several hours
after an incident, and that we as first responders will be on
our own for that timeframe. We did not have to have that fact
pointed out to us. We already knew it from past experience. My
point is, now that when State resources arrive several hours
later, they have better, more up-to-date equipment than we as
the first responders have, and we still are holding the line
initially.
The cities of Burlington and South Burlington have met with
State officials with a number of projects including much-needed
communications systems upgrades that focused on
interoperability and regional responses. The projects have not
been acted on because vital funding has gone to other State
agencies. What funding has been left over is so small that it
has not been sufficient to be effective. We resort to makeshift
solutions in the field, while important funding is utilized in
other areas.
Recent events have demonstrated once and for all the role
of America's fire service responding to and mitigating
disasters, terrorist or otherwise. We are truly America's first
line of defense against all risk hazards, including hazardous
materials, terrorist events, emergency search and rescue, fire
suppression and emergency medical services. We need your help.
Last year, Congress provided $100 million in funding for
the Assistance to Firefighters Program for fiscal year 2001.
After announcing the grant program, FEMA received nearly 30,000
applications for assistance, totaling about $2.9 billion.
Because of the added responsibilities of the fire service, its
role in response to disasters and the potential for that role
to be expanded, funding at much higher levels is required.
Local jurisdictions simply do not have the resources to
independently fund the improvements to respond to the new
challenges.
In his State of the Union address, President Bush made a
commitment to a sustained strategy for increased homeland
security. The President has made clear that he considers a
critical component of that strategy to be increased Federal
funding for America's fire and emergency service. In order to
ensure the full benefit of this increased funding are realized
by the American people, we urge you and Congress to enact the
First Responders Initiative providing funding to the fire and
emergency services. By using these programs, Congress can
ensure that appropriate funds quickly reach America's fire
service, the only people in the United States who are locally
trained, equipped and sworn to respond within minutes to all
incidents, natural or man-made, which threaten America's
homeland.
Mr. Chairman, the American Fire Service has been strongly
supportive of FEMA. The reason for this is simple. They have
earned the support of the fire and emergency service based on a
proven track record of providing invaluable training, equipment
and resources to America's local first responder community,
both on-scene at disaster sites and during ongoing planning and
training that all responder organizations must constantly
pursue. They clearly recognize that America's local fire
departments are the first line of disaster response in this
country. For this reason, we encourage Congress to utilize this
Agency as you look toward significantly enhancing and improving
America's readiness capabilities.
Thank you on behalf of the American Fire Service.
Senator Jeffords. Thank you, again, for an excellent
statement. I am obviously familiar with much of what you talked
about.
Mr. Zirkle, please proceed.
STATEMENT OF KENNETH E. ZIRKLE, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF
FINDLAY, FINDLAY, OH
Mr. Zirkle. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my
name is Ken Zirkle and I am president of the University of
Findlay in Findlay, OH. Thank you for inviting me here today. I
have testimony which I would like to submit for the record if I
may do so.
Senator Jeffords. That will be admitted.
Mr. Zirkle. I am prepared to read a short statement.
Our university currently serves 4,000 students at the
graduate and undergraduate levels. We offer more than 60
academic majors. The city of Findlay, home of several major
industries, is located in northwestern Ohio, 45 miles south of
Toledo. One of Findlay's major industries is a national leader
in hazardous materials clean-up. Because of its presence, we
became aware of the increased need for environmental clean-up
professionals and developed one of the first programs in the
Nation for disaster response training.
In 1986, we established our National Center of Excellence
for Environmental Management. In so doing, we made the decision
to offer practical education and training on environmental and
disaster preparedness in two specific program areas. One
program grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in
environmental safety and health training. To date, we have more
than 1,000 graduates. Our current enrollment includes on-line
students in 19 States. Most of our students are employed even
before they graduate, by corporations such as Honda, Marathon,
Owens-Illinois, General Electric, the Ohio EPA, and the IT
Group, which recently decontaminated the Senate Hart Building.
Our second focus is consulting services in response
training. We have hands-on training centers in Findlay that
offer scenarios including rail car, tank truck, and chemical
spills, plus confined space entry and rescue, as well as
additional practical training simulations. Furthermore, we
specialize in custom-designed response training programs.
Approximately 80 percent of the training we do is provided at
our customers' locations. People do not have to come to us.
Rather, we go to them.
In the past 16 years, we have trained more than 50,000
first responder and industry professionals from across the
United States, designing programs for such companies as Ford,
Roadway, and CSX Transportation. We have also conducted
training in Canada and Mexico and have translated materials
into Spanish.
More specific to the topic we are discussing here today, in
June 1999, we added a third focus, the University of Findlay
Center for Terrorism Preparedness. The Nunn-Lugar 120 cities
program was already under way.
We realized, however, there were underserved populations,
especially our smaller communities, which desperately needed
first responder training. Certainly, our foresight has served
us well. Working in concert with Dale Shipley, director of the
Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Ohio's Governor Taft and his
staff, the Medical College of Ohio, the Ohio Department of
Health, and the Fire Marshall's office, we have prepared
firefighters and police officers, emergency, medical, hospital,
and school personnel, city and county officials, as well as
public health workers.
We enable communities to develop fully integrated
preparation, response, and recovery programs. We have conducted
terrorism preparedness training for first responders
nationwide--on campus, onsite, and on-line. Further, for the
last 3 years under grants from the Public Utilities Commission
of Ohio, we have provided eight different first responder
programs to more than 2,000 volunteer firefighters in 70 Ohio
cities. We have trained them on weekends and evenings--the only
viable time to work with volunteers.
Well before September 11, the University of Findlay was
training first responders. How have we changed since September
11? Here are a few examples. No. 1, the Ohio Emergency Medical
Service Agency has asked us to spearhead a grant that will
offer EMS providers training in domestic preparedness issues
such as emergency response, terrorism preparedness, and
bioterrorist response. No. 2, the Ohio Emergency Management
Agency has asked us to develop and deliver a train-the-trainer
curriculum for Ohio's first responders to the threat of
terrorism. No. 3, our staff has developed a CD-ROM to prepare
school employees in the event of terrorist attacks and other
acts of violence. No. 4, in September, we were designated 1 of
only 14 CDC Centers for Bioterrorism Preparedness.
Points I would like to leave you with--Secretary Rumsfeld
has mentioned that our mindset today is completely different
from a year ago. Like it or not, terrorism is and will be a
part of all of our lives. Given that terrorism is a fact in our
lives, we must do everything possible to prevent it, yet
prepare for it.
In closing, as institutions of higher learning, we have a
moral and ethical obligation to play a role, in a broader
sense, of guaranteeing that we become a Nation of first
responders. From community colleges to professional schools, we
all know that terrorism response courses must be incorporated
to educate all students preparing for any profession. The
models exist. It is not necessary to start from square one.
Complete eradication of terrorism is not likely, but complete
response training is absolutely mandatory.
Thank you.
Senator Jeffords. Thank you.
Let me start with you, Mr. Zirkle. It is impressive what
you are doing and how effective you have been. How many similar
institutions are there in this country like yours? None, I
assume, but that is good.
Mr. Zirkle. You are right. Good answer.
[Laughter.]
Senator Jeffords. Is that basically the case?
Mr. Zirkle. That is basically the case, yes. We became
involved, like I said, several years ago in emergency response
training. That experience just sort of lent itself to the
problem that we are facing today. When we started this 3 years
ago, dealing with the terrorism, we had no idea that there was
going to be such an event as September 11. But since it has
happened, I guess it points out the need for this to an even
greater degree.
Senator Jeffords. Thank you. That is discouraging, at the
same time, very encouraging what you do, that we do not have
more available institutions--junior colleges or anything?
Mr. Zirkle. I suspect that what you will see is more people
moving into that direction. We think the model that we have
developed and perfected over the last number of years is one
that can be used in many other institutions, and we are
exploring that very fact right now. As a matter of fact, we are
working with a community college in Ohio to look at setting up
a cooperative situation with them. We see that as sort of a
pilot project. We think it is something that can be distributed
across the entire country.
Senator Jeffords. Of course, as you know, a lot of the
universities are using the Internet and expanding their
capacities in that regard. It is another thing that certainly
somebody ought to look at.
Mr. Zirkle. We are involved. We have students taking this
program right now in 19 different States using Internet at this
very moment. But one thing we have found out. We have the
hands-on training scenarios at the University. We have a site
off-campus. We have railroad cars and tank cars. We can really
focus on almost any type of situation there.
We have found that the people who go through that, with the
hands-on experience, are those who remember it for the longest.
It has the greatest impact. We think there are several steps
that can be taken until we can get to that point for everyone,
but I think ultimately you are going to have to have that type
of scenario approach as well.
Senator Jeffords. That is very helpful.
Mr. O'Neil, can you please discuss any mutual aid
agreements currently in place with the city of Burlington and
other localities in Vermont? Can you discuss Vermont's State
role in these operations?
Chief O'Neil. Yes, there are multiple mutual aid agreements
throughout the State, and specifically in the Chittenden County
area. Perhaps one of the best examples I can give you is the
city of Burlington received mutual aid from the communities
surrounding it, such as South Burlington, Shelburne, Winooski,
Mallets Bay, and Colchester-Center Fire Department. So that
system works out adequately, but there again the
interoperability question comes in where the radio systems are
not compatible to each other, and that is something that the
communities are working on and have worked on for the last
couple of years.
Senator Jeffords. What are they doing? Is the State helping
them or coordinating it or what?
Chief O'Neil. We have approached the State on a number of
occasions to deal with that issue, and apparently the funding
has not been available to move forward on that. We have
suggested a few different scenarios to them, but as I said, the
adequate funding is not in place at this point.
Senator Jeffords. Well, thank you. I was able to get a
little help to your department from the Federal grant. How
effective has that been? How helpful?
Chief O'Neil. That has been very effective throughout the
State. In fact, in talking with State Senator Illuzzi a few
weeks ago about that very issue, is that it is a great start
and it is very well appreciated and very much needed. I think
that if that continues to be ongoing along with this program
and the Fire Act program, I think that the State will be able
to bring its response level up to a need that is adequate.
Senator Jeffords. I heard from my benefactor in that, the
Appropriations Committee, however they said don't come back
next year. So I just wanted to warn you.
[Laughter.]
Chief O'Neil. We appreciate the effort, that is for sure.
Senator Jeffords. Yes. OK.
Mr. Wilson, we have heard discussion of mutual aid
agreements, and I know you are heavily involved with
firefighters across the State of Oregon, many of whom are of
course volunteers. Is your State currently utilizing mutual aid
agreements? If you can, sir, would you discuss your experiences
with them?
Chief Wilson. Yes, Mr. Chairman. In the Portland
metropolitan region and then across the State, we have very
mature mutual aid agreements. The city of Portland on its
borders has the city of Vancouver, which is in the State of
Washington; the city of Gresham; Clackamas County Rural Fire
Protection District; and Tualatin Valley Rural Fire Protection
Districts. Not only do we have mature mutual aid agreements
that have worked time and eternity, they are actually built
into the automatic dispatch so the closest unit is dispatched
no matter what community is paying their salary. This is all
done free of charge on a reciprocal basis.
Statewide, under the State Conflagration Act, certain types
of fires, primarily in the wild land and urban interface, the
State helps coordinate mutual aid assistance, and in fact, in
some cases, compensates those departments that are responding
from a great distance from their home to the fire.
Senator Jeffords. Mr. Fogg, I am interested in the role
that the State will play in preparing first responders. Given
your past experience as a State emergency manager, can you
please discuss what you see as the role of the States in
preparing first responders? Also, can you discuss how States
can ensure that local governments receive adequate funding
under this initiative?
Mr. Fogg. I guess I would start by answering the last one
first. I think there is a very consistent track record with the
States through the whole disaster preparedness and response
system that State emergency management has been fair about
distributing resources and seeing that resources get to the
local level, and not taking a lot off the top, so to speak.
In terms of how the role that emergency management plays in
making sure that local first responders have what they need not
only in equipment, but in training and in their mutual aid
relationships and everything else, I will go back to that. This
is not just about terrorism. It is about preparedness for all
hazards. Emergency management looks and has a history of
looking at the whole system--how do we put all the resources
together to best complement and supplement each other? Instead
of a community-by-community approach, they look at a region
within a State; look at a statewide approach; even look at an
inter-State approach toward getting those local first
responders, those incident commanders--and we all know that the
local incident commander is in charge--see that they get what
they need, when they need it, and that they get what they asked
for.
There is a track record there. We have been doing this I
think quite successfully for years. As an example, a lot of the
training that comes through the Fire Academy has been managed
or coordinated through the State Offices of Emergency
Management. That training has been developed jointly between
emergency management, fire and in some cases law enforcement
folks to make sure that the local first responders are getting
the training they need, and that they train together. That is a
key issue here. It is one of the things emergency management
brings to the table. It does not have a vested interest and it
tries to make sure that everybody gets what they need and that
they work together--work together, train together, and build a
plan and a response capability together.
Senator Jeffords. Thank you, and thank you all for that
very helpful testimony. We always reserve the right to bludgeon
you with questions for the mail. I would say do not stand by
your mailbox, but anyway, we may have some more questions for
you.
You are the front-line people and the Nation depends upon
you. I am confident as we finish your testimony today that
certainly we have got a good system, but it obviously can
improve and we all know that. Our job now is to get out there
and improve it.
Thank you very much for your testimony.
[Whereupon at 4:13 p.m., the committee was adjourned, to
reconvene at the call of the chair.]
[Additional statements submitted for the record follow:]
Statement of Hon. Christopher S. Bond, U.S. Senator from the
State of Missouri
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for calling this important hearing on
FEMA's First Responder Initiative.
This hearings is critical to developing the budget priorities for
FEMA, especially the new priorities that are central to the public
safety concerns of the Nation as we seek to minimize the risk of
terrorism and its consequences.
The cowardly terrorist attacks on September 11th on the Pentagon,
the World Trade Center and in Pennsylvania is one of the saddest days
in the history of our Nation. However, I can personally attest that the
spirit of the American people has never been stronger or more caring.
Last month, I visited Ground Zero, I talked with survivors as well
as many of the heroic men and women who continue to rebuild from our
losses in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy. I have never been
more touched or more proud of our Nation's ability to stand tall, and
to stand unbowed.
Nevertheless, we must do more to ensure that States and localities
have the needed resources, training and equipment to respond to threats
and acts of terrorism and the consequences of such acts.
In response, the President is proposing to fund FEMA at an
unprecedented $3.5 billion for fiscal year 2003 as a further down
payment to ensure that the Nation will not be caught unaware again by a
cowardly act of terrorism and is fully capable of responding to both
the threat and consequence of any act of terrorism.
These FEMA funds are targeted to States and localities and are
intended to create a safety net of First Responders with firefighters,
law enforcement officers and emergency medical personnel at its heart.
Despite the response to September 11th, the current capacity of our
communities and our First Responders vary widely across the United
States, with even the best prepared States and localities lacking
crucial resources and expertise. Many areas have little or no ability
to cope or respond to a terrorist attack, especially ones that use
weapons of mass destruction including biological or chemical toxin.
I have met with volunteer fire departments around Missouri in the
last few weeks and Missouri's USAR has great appreciation for interest.
Real dedication.
The recommended commitment of funding in the President's Budget is
only the first step. There needs to be a comprehensive approach that
identifies and meets State and local First Responder needs, both rural
and urban, pursuant to Federal leadership, benchmarks and guidelines.
As a result, the roles of the Office of Homeland Security and FEMA
need to be articulated clearly, especially if the Administration expect
the Congress to move the responsibility for law enforcement officers as
First Responders from the Department of Justice to FEMA.
We also need to address the fears of local fire departments,
especially rural departments, that some fire departments will be
shortchanged if FIRE Act Grant funds are merged into these First
Responder funds and block granted to States. The FIRE Act Grants
program works very well and I am not inclined support the removal of a
program that is a hallmark of success.
Finally, I will be introducing a bill that would establish clear
authority with a funding authorization of $150 million for fiscal year
2003 for a National Urban Search and Rescue Response System.
The Nation currently is served by 28 Urban Search and Rescue Task
Forces which proved to be a key resource in our Nation's ability to
quickly respond to the tragedy of September 11th. These task forces
currently are underfunded and underequipped, but, nonetheless, are
committed to be the front-line soldiers for our local governments in
responding to the worst consequences of terrorism at the local level.
I believe we have an obligation to realize fully the capacity of
these 28 search and rescue task forces to meet First Responder events.
I hope you will support this legislation.
While I understand that the Administration believes it currently
has adequate legislative authority to meet all First Responder support
requirements through FEMA, the truth is that the urban search and
rescue teams have been underfunded while continuing to perform at the
highest levels because they believe in what they do and understand the
importance of their mission. It is time to ensure their ability to meet
their mission as First Responders.
Thank you.
__________
Statement of Hon. Joseph M. Allbaugh, Director, Federal Emergency
Management Agency
introduction
Good afternoon Chairman Jeffords, Ranking Member Smith and members
of the Committee. I am Joe Allbaugh, Director of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA). Thank you for the opportunity to brief you
today on FEMA's First Responder Initiative. I am honored to appear
before a committee that has provided so much leadership in the areas of
mitigation and disaster response and recovery.
FEMA is the Federal Agency responsible for coordinating our
Nation's efforts to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and
recover from all hazards. Our success depends on our ability to
organize and lead a community of local, State, and Federal agencies,
volunteer organizations, private sector entities and the first
responder community. We know whom to bring to the table when a disaster
strikes in order to ensure the most effective management of the
response and recovery effort. We provide management expertise and
financial resources to help State and local governments when they are
overwhelmed by disasters.
The Federal Response Plan (FRP) forms the heart of our management
framework and lays out the process by which interagency groups work
together to respond as a cohesive team to all types of disasters. This
team is made up of 26 Federal departments and agencies, and the
American Red Cross, and is organized into 12 emergency support
functions based on the authorities and expertise of the members and the
needs of our counterparts at the State and local level.
Since 1992, in all manner of horrific natural disasters like the
Northridge Earthquake and Hurricane Floyd and also in response to the
Oklahoma City bombing and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,
the FRP has proven to be an effective and efficient framework for
managing all phases of disasters and emergencies. The FRP is successful
because it builds upon existing professional disciplines, expertise,
delivery systems, and relationships among the participating agencies.
FEMA has strong ties to emergency management organizations--fire
service, law enforcement and emergency medical communities--and we
routinely plan, train, exercise, and operate together to remain
prepared to respond and recover from all hazards.
We learn from every disaster experience and incorporate these
lessons wherever possible into our planning and processes to improve
the next disaster response. For example, an assessment of the Oklahoma
City bombing led to the creation of the FEMA Urban Search & Rescue
teams as well as the processes for monitoring the long-term health of
1st responders. The World Trade Center and Pentagon disaster responses
are no different. We have learned from both. We recognize that better
personal protective equipment is needed for our first responders. More
training and exercises, better communications and improved
interoperability of the equipment, and enhanced medical response
capabilities and mutual aid agreements are also needed. I am committed
to ensuring that those needs are met.
meeting the challenge ahead--office of national preparedness
Although the challenge of meeting these needs may represent an
expansion of our duties, in many respects, FEMA's role in responding to
terrorist attacks was identified well before September 11th. On May 8,
2001, the President tasked me with creating the Office of National
Preparedness (ONP) within FEMA to ``coordinate all Federal programs
dealing with weapons of mass destruction consequence management within
the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Justice, and
Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other Federal
agencies.'' Additionally, the ONP was directed to ``work closely with
State and local governments to ensure their planning, training, and
equipment needs are met.''
onp: mission and activities in support of the office of homeland
security
Following the September 11 attacks, the President appointed
Governor Ridge to head the newly established Office of Homeland
Security (OHS) with the charge to ``develop and coordinate the
implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the
United States from terrorist threats or attacks.'' In carrying out this
activity, the OHS was tasked to ``coordinate the executive branch's
efforts to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to,
and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States.'' Since
that time, FEMA has been working closely with Governor Ridge and the
OHS, and other agencies to identify and develop the most effective ways
to quickly build and enhance the overall domestic capability to respond
to terrorist attacks. In consultation with OHS, FEMA will provide
critical support for homeland security initiatives, particularly in the
area of local and State capability building. FEMA will also have a
significant role supporting the development of the national strategy,
participating in interagency forums and working groups, including the
Homeland Security Council and Policy Coordinating Committees, and
contributing to the interagency budget strategy and formulation
process.
The Office of National Preparedness' (ONP) mission is to provide
leadership in the coordination and facilitation of all Federal efforts
to assist State and local first responders (including fire, medical and
law enforcement) and emergency management organizations with planning,
training, equipment and exercises necessary to build and sustain
capability to respond to any emergency or disaster, including a
terrorist incident involving a weapon of mass destruction and other
natural or manmade hazards.
FEMA has made the following changes to support this expanded
mission to support the Office of Homeland Security:
<bullet> Realigned preparedness activities from the Readiness,
Response and Recovery Directorate to ONP;
<bullet> Realigned all training activities into the U.S. Fire
Administration to allow greater coordination between training for
emergency managers and training for firefighters;
<bullet> Moved the authority for credentialing, training and
deploying Urban Search and Rescue teams from the Readiness, Response
and Recovery Directorate to the U.S. Fire Administration.
onp organization
The ONP is organized in FEMA Headquarters under a Director
(reporting directly to the FEMA Director) and supported by a Management
Services Unit and four Divisions to carry out key its functions to
coordinate and implement Federal programs and activities aimed at
building and sustaining the national preparedness capability. The
divisions and their functional responsibilities include the following:
<bullet> Administration Division.--Provide financial and support
services, and management of the grant assistance activities for local
and State capability building efforts.
<bullet> Program Coordination Division.--Ensure development of a
coordinated national capability involving Federal, State, and local
governments, to include citizen participation in the overall efforts to
effectively deal with the consequences of terrorist acts and other
incidents within the United States.
<bullet> Technological Services Division.--Improve the capabilities
of communities to manage technological hazard emergencies--whether
accidental or intentional--and leverage this capability to enhance the
capability for dealing with terrorist attacks.
<bullet> Assessment and Exercise Division.--Provide guidance,
exercises, and assessments and evaluate progress in meeting National
goals for development of a domestic consequence management capability.
We continue to work with all 55 States and territories and
federally recognized Indian Tribes and Alaskan Native Villages to
implement our current and other grant programs to assist State, Tribal
and local government to enhance their capabilities to respond to all
types of hazards and emergencies including chemical incidents,
incidents involving radiological substances and natural disasters.
first responder initiative
In his FY 2003 Budget proposal, the President has requested that
FEMA receive $3.5 billion to administer a major component of the
Homeland Security efforts--the First Responder Initiative. Grants based
on this initiative will give the first responder community--
firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel--
critically needed funds to purchase equipment, train their personnel
and prepare for a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)/terrorist incident.
The Office of National Preparedness (ONP) within FEMA will be
responsible for administering these First Responder grants.
Some of the goals established by ONP for the First Responder
Initiative are as follows: Provide States and localities with the
proper balance of guidance and flexibility so that the funds are used
in the local areas where they are needed most;
<bullet> Establish a consolidated, simple, and quick method for
disbursing Federal assistance to States and localities;
<bullet> Foster mutual aid across the Nation so that the entire
local, State, Federal and volunteer network can operate together
seamlessly;
<bullet> Create an evaluation process to make sure that all
programs are producing results and to direct the allocation of future
resources, and;
<bullet> Involve all Americans in programs to make their homes,
communities, States and Nation safer and stronger.
In achieving these objectives, FEMA will implement a procedure
designed to speed the flow of resources to the States and localities.
Federal funds will then be used to support State and local governments
in four key areas:
<bullet> Planning.--Providing support to State and local
governments in developing comprehensive plans to prepare for and
respond to a terrorist incident.
<bullet> Equipment.--Allowing State and local agencies to purchase
a wide range of equipment needed to respond effectively to a terrorist
attack, including better, more interoperable communications equipment.
<bullet> Training.--Provide training to first responders to respond
to terrorist incidents and operate in contaminated environments.
<bullet> Exercises.--Develop a coordinated, regular exercise
program to improve response capabilities, practice mutual aid, and
assess operational improvements and deficiencies.
The First Responder Initiative builds upon existing capabilities at
the Federal, State, and local level by providing needed resources to
improve our response capabilities and strengthen our preparedness as a
Nation.
the role of the u.s. fire administration
Our Nation's firefighters will continue to bear an increasing
portion of the burden for Homeland Defense, responding to a variety of
emergent issues including terrorism. The U.S. Fire Administration
(USFA) will provide the Office of National Preparedness with essential
support through its unique focus on training programs within the
Federal Government. These programs are included in the Agency's
mission-related preparedness and mitigation strategies.
In addition, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program remains
an important element in supporting the most pressing needs of at-risk
communities and fire service providers in reducing the loss of life and
property from fire, including loss of life and injury to firefighters.
As a result of the last year's appropriations, this Grant Program
received $150 million that must be obligated by September 30 of the
current fiscal year. An additional $210 million was received in the
Emergency Supplemental that is expendable until September 30, 2003. We
expect most of the supplemental appropriation will be obligated in
fiscal year 2002 with almost all of the remainder obligated in the
first quarter of fiscal year 2003. FEMA is happy to report that our on-
line application system is up and running as of this month.
I would like to again thank the Subcommittee for all of the support
they have given to the fire community over the last few years.
transfer of the office for domestic preparedness to fema
The President's budget request also seeks to consolidate our
Nation's preparedness efforts under one Federal Agency; the President
has requested that the Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) be
transferred from the Department of Justice to FEMA. With this proposal
the President has shown true leadership in his willingness to address a
long-standing problem--the need for central coordination among the
myriad of Federal programs dealing with terrorism preparedness.
Some 40 Federal Departments and Agencies have been involved in the
overall effort to build the national capability for preparedness and
response to the consequences of terrorist incidents. Many of these
activities have been primarily focused on the development or
enhancement of Federal capabilities to deal with terrorist incidents,
including plans, personnel and physical security upgrades, and
specialized resources such as protection and detection technology and
response teams. Other Federal programs and activities are focused on
building the local and State first responder and emergency management
capabilities, to include the provision of resources and funding to
support planning, training, exercises and equipment acquisition.
Various independent studies and commissions have recognized the
problems inherent in this uncoordinated approach. Several
recommendations by the Gilmore Commission, for example, stress the
importance of giving States and first responders a single point of
contact for Federal assistance for training, exercises and equipment.
In its second report issued in December 2000, the commission found that
the ``organization of the Federal Government's programs for combating
terrorism is fragmented, uncoordinated, and politically
unaccountable.''
The Commission's third report issued seven key recommendations
regarding State and local response capabilities. These seven
recommendations included:
<bullet> Consolidating Federal grant program information and
application procedures;
<bullet> Designing and scheduling Federal preparedness programs to
include first responder participation; and
<bullet> Establishing an information clearinghouse in OHS on
Federal programs, assets, and agencies.
These findings and recommendations have been echoed in numerous
other Commissions and reports, by the first responder community, and by
State and local governments. In recent testimony before the Congress,
Chief Ray Alfred spoke on behalf of the International Association of
Fire Chiefs. He stated: ``Some of my colleagues in the fires service
have . . . spoken of their concerns as to the lack of a coordinated
Federal effort, both in terms of the preparedness and support programs
. . . and the seemingly endless Federal response capabilities that
appear duplicative and continue to grow.''
In the post-9-11 environment, we can ill afford to wage turf
battles that in effect protect the inefficiencies of the status quo. We
must instead focus on the merits of a proposal that seeks to address
duplication, shore up gaps, eliminate confusion and reduce
complication. As the attacks of September 11th have drawn much
comparison to the attacks of December 7, 1941, there is a forward to a
book about Pearl Harbor that has been brought to my attention that
speaks of the worst-case scenario in a government's preparation and
response:
``Surprise, when it happens to a government, is likely to be
a complicated, diffuse, bureaucratic thing. It includes neglect
of responsibility but also responsibility so poorly defined or
so ambiguously delegated that action gets lost . . .
``. . . It includes the contingencies that occur to no one,
but also those that everyone assumes somebody else is taking
care of. It includes straightforward procrastination, but also
decisions protracted by internal disagreement. It includes, in
addition, the inability of individual human beings to rise to
the occasion until they are sure it is the occasion--which is
usually too late,'' (Thomas Schelling, forward to Roberta
Wohlstetter's Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision).
The Office of National Preparedness looks forward to building on
the grant-making experience accumulated by ODP. The centralization of
terrorism preparedness efforts will enable ONP to enhance the core ODP
activities such as exercise development, training, and equipment
acquisition to better address the needs of homeland defense.
citizen corps
In order to help Americans strengthen their communities, President
Bush tasked FEMA with overseeing Citizen Corps. This initiative is part
of the overall effort of Freedom Corps, whose mission is to assist
individuals and communities with implementing Homeland Security
Programs in their areas. Since September 11, 2001, Americans are more
aware than ever of the threat of terrorist acts on home soil. In the
days following the attacks we saw immediate and selfless volunteering,
generous monetary gifts, blood donations, and an outpouring of support
and patriotism across America. Sustaining that spirit of volunteerism
and unity is crucial to defending the homeland.
Citizen Corp's broad network of volunteer efforts will harness the
power of the American people by relying on their individual skills and
interests to prepare local communities to effectively prevent and
respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, or any kind of disaster.
Citizen Corps will buildupon existing crime prevention, natural
disaster preparedness, and public health response networks. Citizen
Corps will initially consist of participants in the following five
programs: the Volunteers in Police Service Program; an expanded
Neighborhood Watch Program; the Medical Reserve Corps; Community
Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and the Terrorism Information and
Prevention System (TIPS). FEMA has the responsibility for approving
additional programs to be affiliated with Citizen Corps in the future.
Finally, Citizen Corps will bring together local government, law
enforcement, educational institutions, the private sector, faith-based
groups and volunteers into a cohesive community resource. The Federal
role is to provide general information, to develop training standards
and materials, and to identify volunteer programs and initiatives that
support the goals of the Citizen Corps.
moving forward
In addition to the President's plan to provide greater assistance
to First Responders, FEMA and ONP are currently implementing a number
of other homeland security initiatives. We are working, for example, to
foster intergovernmental mutual aid arrangements so that the entire
local, State, Tribal, Federal and volunteer network can operate
seamlessly together. ONP is in the process of establishing a national
strategic exercise program that will ensure our first responders are as
well trained and prepared as possible. It is also preparing a Report to
Congress on Terrorism and Emergency Preparedness and Training that will
include a complete accounting of these and all other Federal emergency
and terrorism preparedness training programs and activities. In
addition, we are continuing to use the Capability Assessment for
Readiness (CAR) report as a means to locate gaps in preparedness, as
well as unmet training needs. All of these activities will strengthen
the nation's capability to respond to a terrorist incident.
conclusion
Operationally, FEMA is well prepared and equipped to respond to an
act of terrorism. Following a manmade or natural disaster FEMA will
ensure that the Federal Government and its partners provide needed
support to disaster victims, first responders, and local governments. I
look forward to working with each of you on this critical matter, as it
will require a commitment from all of us to ensure its continued
success.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would be happy to answer any questions
you have.
______
Responses by Hon. Joseph Allbaugh to Additional Questions from
Senator Jeffords
Question 1. In your testimony, you note that one mission of the
Office of National Preparedness is to assist State and local
communities with ``planning, training, equipment and exercises
necessary to build and sustain capability to respond to any emergency
or disaster, including a terrorist incident involving a weapon of mass
destruction and other natural or manmade hazard.'' Given the fact that
children will respond differently to such emergencies or disasters than
adults and therefore will require specialized health care, what is ONP
doing to ensure that various planning, training and exercise activities
are adequately preparing communities to care for children? Similarly,
what is ONP doing to ensure that all communities have the specialized
equipment needed to care for children following a disaster or other
emergency?
Response. Because State and local governments are in the best
position to determine the needs of their citizens, FEMA provides their
representatives with funds and technical assistance to meet those
needs, including the needs of their youngest citizens. Many of the
issues that children will face in a terrorism event are similar to
those they would experience in a natural disaster, i.e. fear of the
unknown, what to do, etc. As a result, FEMA is well prepared with
existing materials to assist children, and can easily adapt our
existing information to address specific terrorism threats. Immediately
following the September 11 attack FEMA put specific information on the
website to address children's concerns, fears and questions. FEMA
offers information on its website geared toward young people and their
parents so they can understand and participate in their family's and
community's preparedness for disasters and emergencies. FEMA has
developed two sets of curriculum materials and lesson plans on
emergency preparedness--one set geared toward grades K-8, the other for
grades 9-12. FEMA has the ``FEMA for Kids'' and the ``USFA Kids Page''
websites, which provide children an interactive opportunity to learn
about fire and disaster preparedness and safety. Also, FEMA provides a
range of disaster public education materials for family preparedness,
including the following brochures: Your Family Disaster Plan, Your
Family Disaster Supplies Kit, and Helping Children Cope with Disaster.
These publications and curriculum materials were developed jointly by
FEMA and the American Red Cross, as part of FEMA's Community and Family
Preparedness program. If Congress approves the proposed First Responder
Initiative, FEMA will administer a program of grants to States, to be
used by States and localities for identifying and addressing their
needs in emergency preparedness, which should and must include the
needs of children.
Additionally, some communities have reached out to their young
people through the Community Emergency Response Team concept. The
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program helps train people to
be better prepared to respond to emergency situations in their
communities. CERT members give critical support to first responders in
emergencies, provide immediate assistance to victims, organize
spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site, and collect disaster
intelligence to support first responder efforts.
Allowing someone under 18 to participate is a local decision.
Winter Springs High School in Florida, for example, offers the training
to high school students. CERT is a great way to address the community
service requirements for high school students and provides students
with useful skills. CERT also fits nicely with training given to Boy
and Girl Scouts and the Civil Air Patrol. Over 170 communities have
listed their program on the CERT website under the Directory of CERT
Programs by State.
Over the next 2 years, the CERT program aims to double the number
of participants, with over 400,000 individuals completing the 18-plus
hours of training. Communities in 28 States have initiated CERT
training and additional Train-the-Trainer sessions will be held over
the next year to expand the program throughout the United States.
Question 2. You indicate that FEMA's oversight of the Citizen Corps
will include efforts to develop training standards and materials for
the Citizen Corps network. Two key programs within this network that
will be called upon to provide medical care after an disaster or other
emergency are the Medical Reserve Corps and the Community Emergency
Response Teams (CERTs). Given the likelihood that children will require
care following a disaster or other emergency, what mechanisms are in
place to ensure that the training standards and materials the Medical
Reserve Corps and CERTs receive will adequately prepare them to treat
and care for children?
Response. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will
assist communities with coordinating and training for Medical Reserve
Corps volunteers. This oversight will help ensure that the training and
materials Medical Reserve Corps volunteers receive adequately prepares
them to treat and care for all members of the community, including
children. Medical Reserve Corps volunteers will provide additional
manpower to augment emergency medical response teams during an
emergency and will also play a productive role in meeting non-emergency
but pressing public health needs of the community throughout the year.
CERT members, generally people who do not have the medical
background required to be a part of the Medical Reserve Corps, are
trained in very basic medical response skills. These skills are to
treat immediate life-threatening injuries of both adults and children.
Team members learn how to stop bleeding, treat for shock, open airways,
triage victims, and provide on-going care until professional help
arrives. Some CERT members take additional training such as advanced
first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and automatic external
defibrillators, but this is not required.
CERT members are told the best source of help following an
emergency or disaster is professionally trained responders. Because
immediate professional help may be overwhelmed due to the number of
victims, or may be delayed due to communication or transportation
failures, the most immediate source of help will be people in the area.
People will try to help each other and CERT training prepares
neighborhood and workplace teams for this role.
Question 3. According to your testimony, one role FEMA will be
undertaking with respect to the Citizen Corps is the development of
general information to help local communities effectively prevent and
respond to threats of terrorism, crime or other disasters. Knowing that
effective response planning and preparedness efforts must specifically
consider children's needs in times of disaster, what safeguards are in
place to ensure that FEMA's information adequately addresses the unique
health needs of infants, children, adolescents and young adults?
Response. The safeguards that are in place to ensure that
information developed by FEMA in cooperation with our partners
addresses the unique health needs of infants, children, adolescents and
young adults are based on two basic principles, tested and proven over
time: (1) coordination among the range of authoritative sources of the
expertise required to prepare for all of the ways in which each kind of
disaster or crime can injure or kill children and youth, including
their special vulnerabilities because of age and inexperience; and (2)
the science, engineering and associated methods of analysis and
evaluation that can assure the validity of data, information and the
results that are made available to the relevant professions, families
and caregivers as well as to the general public.
The coordination is accomplished through administrative management
arrangements among responsible agencies--the heart of interagency
coordination. Second, quality control is drawn from the methods of
scientific inquiry and analysis and the accumulated knowledge and
expertise of those qualified to understand its application to the
health and medical needs of infants, children, adolescents and young
adults in emergencies and disasters--as well as the needs of mature
adults, the elderly, those challenged by a range of permanent injuries
and disabilities, and those whose social, geographic, economic, ethnic
and linguistic circumstances limit their ability to get the help they
need to prevent or deal with threats of death and injury.
FEMA and its Federal Response Plan partners have an impressive
array of emergency public information and disaster public education
materials, including a number that are relevant to the young. FEMA for
Kids, on the web at http://fema.gov/kids, is designed for children and
for those responsible for their care and education. Most publications
listed there are available both in print and on our websites in a form
to be downloaded.
Many of these are already identified and are being reviewed to
determine needed modification to meet the needs of the War on
Terrorism. They will also be upgraded in other ways, based on recent
experience, research and lessons learned. Among those in FEMA's library
of materials are the following that are pertinent to the young:
<bullet> Helping Children Cope with Disaster (English & Spanish)
<bullet> The Disaster Twins: The Adventures of Julia and Robbie
(English & Spanish)
<bullet> Jason and Robin's Awesome Hurricane Adventure (Comic book
and video)
<bullet> Adventures of the Disaster Dudes (video)
<bullet> Disaster Preparedness Coloring Book (English & Spanish)
<bullet> Your Family Disaster Plan (English & Spanish) (Includes
information for helping children as their families form disaster
plans.)
<bullet> Your Family Disaster Supplies Kit (English & Spanish)
<bullet> Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness
<bullet> Family Earthquake Safety Home Hazard Hunt and Drill
<bullet> Tremor Troop: Earth Quakes (K-3 Curriculum) and Seismic
Sleuths (4-6 Curriculum) (These are used with a train-the-trainer
course for teachers to take before introducing the curriculum package
in their school systems.)
<bullet> Multi-Hazard Program for Schools (Training course for
school emergency planning team, adapted for school violence and
includes possibility of terrorist event.)
Curricula in process:
<bullet> Risk Watch: Natural Hazards Curriculum K-8, National Fire
Protection Association.
<bullet> Natural Hazards. (Grades 8-12). Internet and interactive
CD ROM under development with FEMA sponsorship at Purdue University
Agricultural Center for 4-H and other youth programs.
The specific safeguards include U.S. Public Health Service primacy
and interagency clearance of information materials that are developed
for or adapted to the health and medical consequences of terrorism.
Participating Departments and Agencies follow the principles of
coordination among lead and support agencies for each Emergency Support
Function (ESF) under the Federal Response Plan (FRP) for disaster
response and recovery, including operational guidance as well as public
information for public health and medical care in preparedness and
response to terrorism by government agencies at all levels. The U.S.
Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS),
has primary responsibility to provide assistance for public health and
medical care needs (ESF 7), and is the lead Agency for approving health
and medical information materials that will be available through FEMA.
One area in particular, psychological counseling for disaster trauma
authorized as a service under disaster relief provisions of the
Stafford Act, already includes special expertise for counseling
children through the National Disaster Medical System, and has been
applied to incidents of school violence as well as Presidentially
declared major disasters.
The lead agencies and associated organizations that will be
actively involved in the development of emergency public information
and disaster public education materials are the Office of Emergency
Preparedness, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services; Food Safety and Inspection Service, and State
Cooperative Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture; National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce; U.S. Geological Survey,
U.S. Department of the Interior; the American Red Cross; the National
Fire Protection Association; the International Association for
Emergency Management; and the Institute for Business and Home Safety.
An informal, interagency National Disaster Education Coalition
(NDEC) at the staff level has served for several years to coordinate
updating of disaster public education materials, to coordinate
technical input from lead agencies and reach consensus on effective
messages for the public that are technically correct and consistent, so
they will not confuse the public by differences in language or
emphasis. These include some protective measures to prevent injury and
death.
Second, the U.S. Fire Administration, along with FEMA, chairs and
administers the Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical
Services (FICEMS), which serves as a forum to establish and facilitate
effective communications and coordination between and among Federal
departments and agencies involved in activities related to EMS. Other
participating Departments and Agencies include U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services/Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S.
Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation/National Highway Transportation Safety Administration,
U.S. Department of Interior/Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian
Affairs and National Park Service, U.S. Department of State/Agency for
International Development, U.S. Department of Justice/Office of Justice
Programs and Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Department of
Labor/Occupational Safety and Health Administration. FICEMS develops
recommendations that will:
<bullet> Strengthen the communication and coordination of Federal
policies and programs;
<bullet> Promote harmony and avoid duplication of efforts;
<bullet> Promote uniformity of standards and policies consistent
with existing Federal laws and regulations regarding EMS.
FICEMS also maintains a liaison with national EMS trade and
professional organizations to ensure effective two-way communications
concerning EMS issues, committee policies and programs, and Federal
activities related to EMS.
FEMA was last involved in a major effort to develop appropriate
standby public information concerning terrorism during Desert Shield
and Desert Storm. FEMA worked with other members of the Special Working
Group's Chemical, Biological and Radiological Research and Development
Subgroup (CBRRDS), drawing on published U.S. military and NATO guidance
for military personnel, and public information issued daily to the
public on television and in the Jerusalem Post during Scud missile
attacks and the Iraqi threat of chemical and biological agents. The
information assembled at that time addressed incendiary and explosive
events as well as chemical, biological and radiological weapons of mass
destruction. Current understanding of threats and hazards from
terrorism requires a more extensive analysis of the innovative ways in
which terrorists might utilize the range of weapons they have employed
or threatened to use, cyber- and agro-terrorism, as well as identifying
potential means of terrorism not yet identified, health effects, and
preventive and treatment information for the general public.
As the interagency groups address the current need, they will also
draw on sponsored research in Government scientific organizations and
laboratories, Government-sponsored research and engineering programs in
universities, the National Academy of Science/National Research
Council, which have conducted disaster research for decades and have an
illustrious history of bringing the cutting edge of science to national
security problems, and established authorities in industrial sabotage
and terrorism with potential for direct or intended indirect health and
medical consequences.
__________
Responses by Hon. Joseph Allbaugh to Additional Questions from
Senator Smith
Question 1. There has been some question as to whether FEMA is the
right Agency to lead the First Responder programs, specifically as it
relates to the relocation of the Office of Domestic Preparedness: There
are few points that have been raised that I would like you to address:
(1) FEMA is not a grant Agency
(2) ODP programs are primarily law enforcement
(3) They already have training facilities; and
(4) Is FEMA the best option to act as the coordinating Agency
Response. Consistent with its responsibility for consequence
management, over the last several years FEMA has provided training as
well as preparedness planning assistance, technical guidance, and
exercise support to State emergency management organizations and first
responders in the fire service, emergency medical, and law enforcement
communities. Since 2000, FEMA has administered approximately $6.9
billion in grants on a multitude of programs. In addition, FEMA
regularly reimburses law enforcement agencies through grants to the
States for their response in all-hazard disasters, particularly for
emergency protective measures.
FEMA's mission regarding the First Responder Initiative will be to
provide leadership in the coordination and facilitation of this
program. FEMA will serve as the ``single point of contact'' for State
and local governments. Consolidating and simplifying Federal grant
program information and application procedures was recommended by a
number of Commissions as well as State and local agencies.
FEMA has an established history of working with State and local
governments and the first responder community to prepare for, mitigate
against, and respond to natural disasters. Our core mission is to
provide leadership and support to reduce the loss of life and property
and to protect our Nation's institutions from all types of hazards
through a comprehensive, risk-based, all-hazards approach. As evidenced
in the Federal Response Plan, FEMA coordinates all facets of emergency
management without directly ``owning'' many of the specific programs
and activities. This permits FEMA to remain unbiased, allowing us to
coordinate programs in the most effective manner possible.
FEMA has experience in providing grants for both day-to-day
preparedness and disaster recovery efforts. FEMA has particular
experience in working with law enforcement organizations for emergency
management functions, and regularly reimburses law enforcement agencies
through grants to the States for their response in all-hazard
disasters, particularly for emergency protective measures.
Through the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, FEMA
offers a nationwide program of instruction for emergency management
officials through its regional offices. Most of this training is
conducted in partnership with State emergency management offices and
the Metro Chiefs organization. Courses include Introduction to
Emergency Management; Emergency Planning; Developing Volunteer
Resources; Exercise Design; Community Emergency Response Training;
Disaster Response and Recovery Operations; Emergency Operations Center
(EOC) Management and Operations; Strategic Considerations for Command
Officers, among others. In many respects, FEMA has already been helping
to coordinate the training conducted by ODP. ODP training is based on
National Fire Protection Association standards, and ODP staff has
established regular and recurring meetings with the National Fire
Academy to discuss and coordinate WMD training development. In essence,
staff currently at ODP will be performing these same functions simply
at FEMA where the coordination already exists.
FEMA is well qualified to coordinate First Responder assistance
programs by virtue of our mission, capabilities, and experience. FEMA's
statutory mission is to help States and localities prepare for
disasters--natural or man made--by carrying out exercises, providing
grants, and offering training and technical assistance. FEMA derives
this authority from its primary disaster relief and assistance statute,
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 5121 et. seq.).
Question 2. Could you provide us background on where things stand
at the Office of National Preparedness: what are the priorities,
resource needs and timeline for developing a long-term plan and
becoming fully operational? What is the process for the development of
the plan?
Response. The Office of National Preparedness' (ONP) mission is to
provide leadership in the coordination and facilitation of all Federal
efforts to assist State and local first responders (including fire,
medical and law enforcement) and emergency management organizations
with planning, training, equipment and exercises necessary to build and
sustain capability to respond to any emergency or disaster, including a
terrorist incident involving a weapon of mass destruction and other
natural or manmade hazards.
FEMA has made the following changes to support this expanded
mission:
<bullet> Realigned preparedness activities from the Readiness,
Response and Recovery Directorate to ONP;
<bullet> Realigned all training activities into the U.S. Fire
Administration to allow greater coordination between training for
emergency managers and training for firefighters;
<bullet> Moved the authority for credentialing, training and
deploying Urban Search and Rescue teams from the Readiness, Response
and Recovery Directorate to the U.S. Fire Administration.
The ONP is organized in FEMA Headquarters under a Director
(reporting directly to the FEMA Director) and supported by a Management
Services Unit and four Divisions to carry out its functions to
coordinate and implement Federal programs and activities aimed at
building and sustaining the national preparedness capability. The
divisions and their functional responsibilities include the following:
<bullet> Administration Division--Provide financial and support
services, and management of the grant assistance activities for local
and State capability building efforts.
<bullet> Program Coordination Division--Ensure development of a
coordinated national capability involving Federal, State, and local
governments, to include citizen participation in the overall efforts to
effectively deal with the consequences of terrorist acts and other
incidents within the United States.
<bullet> Technological Services Division--Improve the capabilities
of communities to manage technological hazard emergencies--whether
accidental or intentional--and leverage this capability to enhance the
capability for dealing with terrorist attacks.
<bullet> Assessment and Exercise--Provide guidance, exercise, and
assess and evaluate progress in meeting National goals for development
of a domestic consequence management capability.
We continue to work with all 50 States and territories to implement
our current and other grant programs to assist State, Tribal and local
government to enhance their capabilities to respond to all types of
hazards and emergencies.
______
Responses by Hon. Joseph Allbaugh to Additional Questions from
Senator Voinovich
Question 1. When will FEMA coordinate the collection of information
from Federal agencies like EPA and NIOSH and make a report to Congress
and First Responder teams detailing the types and levels of exposure to
toxins at the World Trade Center site?
Response. This information is already being collected and analyzed
by the New York City Department of Health and the New York State
Department of Health and associated academic institutions, as part of a
number of ongoing research and analysis activities being coordinated
with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Question 2. What medical surveillance systems does FEMA currently
have in place that will track the occurrence of adverse health
(specifically respiratory) reactions for First Responders at Ground
Zero?
Response. As we watched the images of fire and smoke on September
11 and the days that followed, FEMA immediately recognized problems
with air quality and the potential risk to rescue worker health. FEMA
moved quickly to assign a mission for air monitoring to the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through the Federal Response
Plan. EPA monitoring results were reported during twice-daily
interagency briefings. This information was conveyed to emergency teams
in the field.
FEMA coordinated efforts with local incident management officials
and supporting Federal agencies, including EPA, to determine and
specify levels of personal protective equipment needed for rescue
workers. Appropriate levels of personnel protective equipment are
largely based on the presence of harmful agents found during
monitoring. A P-100 cartridge respirator was determined to provide an
appropriate level of protection for those working at Ground Zero. FEMA
procured, delivered and supplied this equipment onsite.
On February 20, 2002, the Director requested the Urban Search and
Rescue Task Force leaders to identify Task Force personnel deployed to
the WTC, in an effort to identify those personnel who believed they may
have a medical condition related to the event. They were instructed to
contact FEMA's Workers' Compensation Center to record, file and if
necessary, process health-related claims for all National Urban Search
& Rescue workers who responded to Ground Zero and the Pentagon. When
medical treatment is required, the Compensation Center works with the
Department of Labor's Office of Workers Compensation Program to
establish a case number and ensure needed medical attention. FEMA has
surveyed all participating Task Forces to develop data on the members
who worked these disasters, and to determine the amount of time they
worked in the impacted areas. The Task Forces continue to submit
information to FEMA for compilation and tracking. FEMA has also
provided $9 million to the Public Health Service to conduct baseline
testing of first responders. Blood samples were taken from 11,000 fire
fighters and 4,000 New York State employees.
Records on file will ensure future medical treatment coverage
should that be needed. This system, as established, will allow the
Agency to monitor the nature and extent of illnesses associated with
US&R personnel involved in the September 11 response. FEMA is
monitoring the US&R responder health issues and processing all workers
compensation claims received from the Task Forces.
Question 3. How will FEMA ensure that the funds allocated to this
First Responder Initiative will not be used to augment the Firefighters
Grant Program?
Response. The two programs are fundamentally different in that the
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is designed to provide basic
assistance directly to local fire departments and the First Responder
Program is designed to provide assistance to the local governments
through the State for specialized WMD training and equipment. The
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is currently underway. FEMA
will be distributing the entire $360 million fiscal year 2002
appropriation by the end of this calendar year. The Assistance to
Firefighters Grant Program provides basic needs, including firefighting
gear and equipment, personal protective clothing, firefighting
vehicles, etc. The First Responder Program is far more specialized than
the basic fire grant program. It is designed to provide WMD equipment
and training. This is The First Responder Program will help to increase
the level of preparedness for our first responders above and beyond
their basic day-to-day responsibilities. While it is true that there is
some overlap on certain protective equipment and training due to recent
changes in the Fire Grant statute, this will be the exception rather
than the rule.
Question 4. What challenges exist that may prevent FEMA from
fulfilling the mission of this Initiative? What plans are underway to
adequately overcome these challenges?
Response. As numerous studies have reminded us all, the Federal
Government's efforts related to terrorism preparedness are vast and
complex. Our major challenge is to work constantly on our
relationships, without becoming too overwhelmed with day-to-day urgent
actions, so that there is a cooperative and willing exchange of
information. Without constant attention to these relationships, we will
have difficulty exercising leadership on program implementation.
We are working on cementing interagency coordination and
cooperation at the level of program implementation. We have held
monthly meetings with senior representatives of our partner agencies to
make them aware of what we are doing, invite their comments, and
solicit information from them on their own efforts. We have detailees
from several agencies to ensure close day-to-day coordination, and are
still seeking detailees from others. We are continually discovering
efforts that can be related and made to work together. The issue of
communications interoperability is an excellent example of this
coordination. FEMA along with the Department of the Treasury and are
the managing partners for the Wireless Public Safety Interoperable
Communications Program, or Project SAFECOM for short. Project SAFECOM
is an interagency initiative, and all Federal Government programs and
resources currently devoted to public safety wireless communications
interoperability are to be consolidated under this initiative. The
objective is to eliminate duplication, improve business processes, and
ensure the successful delivery of interoperable wireless communications
solutions to customers at the Federal, State and local levels.
Question 5. How will FEMA ensure that local emergency management
infrastructures become capable of handling the significant effort
proposed in the President's budget and have the capacity to respond to
disasters caused by terrorists as well as natural disasters?
Response. The Office of National Preparedness will be hosting a
series of meetings to solicit ideas from key stakeholders, including
law enforcement, fire service, the emergency medical community, and
State and local emergency management directors, and congressional
staff, and on how to develop the first responder grant process. We are
soliciting information on State and local grant management processes
and capabilities, as well as any potential State and local legislative,
regulatory, or budget hurdles to effective implementation of the
program. We also will meet with of some of our key interagency partners
to solicit their lessons learned from similar program efforts. We will
provide planning guidance and technical assistance to State and local
governments on the basis of what we learn in this process. FEMA also
has experience working with State and local governments on very large
post-disaster grants, and we will apply relevant lessons from that
process to the effort.
Precisely by readying the administrative side of the emergency
management and responder community to receive and expend the grants, we
will be setting the stage to increase local capacity to respond to
terrorism and other disasters. The President's First Responder
Initiative would provide $3.5 billion in funding to support planning,
exercises, training, and equipment--including interoperable
communications.
If communities are interested in receiving these funds, then the
Federal Government can create an incentive for all facets of the State
and local response community to converge over time into a nationwide
response system. For example, under the First Responder Initiative, it
is proposed that participating in a mutual aid agreement be a condition
of eligibility. The Federal Government would thereby create an
incentive for communities to work together Regionally to pool their
resources and plan together: all would benefit. To underpin this
requirement, we have to develop a common language for discussing
capabilities. Therefore, we are working with the National Emergency
Management Association on a resource typing initiative. Initially, this
is to support interstate mutual aid under the Emergency Management
Assistance Compact, of which almost every U.S. State and Territory is a
member, but its acceptance by States should lead over time to
widespread local acceptance. Resource typing amounts to providing
standard definitions of certain capabilities; for example, the
definition for a certain type of team would specify its staffing, the
training and certification of its various personnel, what equipment it
brings, and what its logistical or sustainment requirements are. This
provides a common language for requesting or planning for mutual aid,
and for surveying what capability exists in the country. It is a
necessary foundation for effective interstate and intrastate mutual aid
arrangements, and we are excited to be working in this area because it
will promote true interoperability over time. Either the standard
resource typing definitions will lead to development of specific
standards on training and equipment specifications, or de facto
standards will evolve naturally as more communities work together
across jurisdictional boundaries.
Question 6. What assistance and/or training has FEMA offered to
First Responder teams to help them understand and process Federal
medical claims forms and reimbursement paperwork?
Response. On February 20, 2002, the Director requested the Urban
Search and Rescue Task Force leaders to identify Task Force personnel
who deployed to the WTC, in an effort to identify those personnel who
believed they may have a medical condition related to the event. They
were instructed to contact FEMA's Workers' Compensation Center to
record, file and if necessary, process health-related claims for all
National Urban Search & Rescue workers who responded to Ground Zero and
the Pentagon. When medical treatment is required, the Compensation
Center works with the Department of Labor's Office of Workers
Compensation Program to establish a case number and ensure needed
medical attention. Records on file will ensure future medical treatment
coverage should that be needed. This system allows the Agency to
monitor the nature and extent of illnesses associated with US&R
personnel involved in the September 11 response. FEMA continues to
advise, instruct and inform Urban Search and Rescue workers regarding
this process through several communications sources including:
briefings, memos, and a US&R Newsletter. A brochure describing the FEMA
Workers Compensation Program was also produced and delivered to US&R
Task Forces.
FEMA will also provide $20 million in funding to establish a
comprehensive health registry to track the long-term health effects of
all people (including first responders) who were subject to exposure
from potential toxins in the post-collapse environment surrounding the
World Trade Center. It will be done through an interagency agreement
with the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This interagency
agreement is expected to be approved no later than the end of June.
______
Responses by Hon. Joseph Allbaugh to Additional Questions from
Senator Clinton
Question 1. First Responder Initiative.--Director Allbaugh, you
described the First Responder Initiative as having four areas:
planning, equipment, training, and exercises. As I'm sure you know, one
of the biggest expenses for local communities is for overtime for first
responders because of the incredible increased demands being placed on
them for the purposes of homeland security. (ONP)
Under the President's Initiative, would local communities be able
to use funds for overtime expenses attributable to homeland security?
If not, why not?
With respect to funding getting to local communities, how will the
Administration ensure that much-needed funds get to local communities
quickly?
Will all local communities: counties, cities, towns, etc. be
eligible to receive funding?
Who will determine what communities receive funding and in what
amounts?
How will the funding level for each State or locality be
determined? If risk is involved in determining the funding level, how
is risk defined and how would risk be measured for funding purposes?
Response. Local communities will not be able to use the First
Responder Initiative grants for overtime expenses attributable to
homeland security. Overtime pay is part of an employee's salary and
benefits package and therefore not eligible for grant funding. However,
the funding will have a matching requirement, and in-kind matches will
be allowable. This match can be part of the costs local governments
have incurred paying overtime to employees who are providing coverage
for other employees participating in exercises or training.
Because grants will be managed by the States, FEMA will ensure that
much-needed funds get to local communities quickly. Each State will
submit an application for Federal assistance. FEMA will make awards,
and the Governors will determine the allocation of funds among their
localities. It is the intent of the program that the assistance will
reach the local level within 30 days after the State receives its award
from FEMA. States will follow their own laws and procedures when
awarding and administering subgrants of financial assistance to
localities and Indian tribal governments. All local communities will be
eligible to receive funding.
In fiscal year 2002, grant funds will be distributed based on
population. In fiscal year 2003, each State will receive a base
allocation of $5 million. The remaining funds will be distributed to
each State based on population. States will be allowed to keep up to 25
percent of the funds (some Governors may chose to use this share to
address statewide interoperable communications issues and to retain and
strengthen some emergency management capabilities at the State level),
with at least 75 percent distributed to local jurisdictions.
Question 2. Health Monitoring.--Director Allbaugh, in your
testimony, you mentioned the creation of processes for monitoring the
long-term health of first responders in response to the Oklahoma City
bombing. As you know, this is an issue that many of my colleagues on
this Committee and I have a significant interest in. Can you please
tell us how these processes are being implemented in response to the
September 11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center?
Response. FEMA will provide $20 million in funding to establish a
comprehensive health registry to track the long-term health effects of
all people (including first responders) who were subject to exposure
from potential toxins in the post-collapse environment surrounding the
World Trade Center. It will be done through an interagency agreement
with the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This interagency
agreement is expected to be approved no later than the end of June.
In addition, on February 20, 2002, the Director requested the Urban
Search and Rescue Task Force leaders to identify Task Force personnel
who deployed to the WTC, in an effort to identify those personnel who
believed they may have a medical condition related to the event. They
were instructed to contact FEMA's Workers' Compensation Center to
record, file and if necessary, process health-related claims for all
National Urban Search & Rescue workers who responded to Ground Zero and
the Pentagon. When medical treatment is required, the Compensation
Center works with the Department of Labor's Office of Workers
Compensation Program to establish a case number and ensure needed
medical attention. Records on file will ensure future medical treatment
coverage should that be needed. This system allows the Agency to
monitor the nature and extent of illnesses associated with US&R
personnel involved in the September 11 response. FEMA continues to
advise, instruct and inform Urban Search and Rescue workers regarding
this process through several communications sources including:
briefings, memos, and a US&R Newsletter. A brochure describing the FEMA
Workers Compensation Program was also produced and delivered to US&R
Task Forces.
Question 3. Personal Protective Equipment.--Director Allbaugh, in
your testimony, you discussed four key areas in which Federal funds
will be used as part of this new First Responders Initiative to support
State and local governments. One of these areas is the purchase of a
wide range of equipment needed to respond effectively. As you know, in
the case of the World Trade Center, as Dr. Kerry Kelly, Chief Medical
Officer for the New York City Fire Department, testified at our field
hearing in New York City last month, respirators were not available for
all members working at the site, certainly not in the first few days.
Dr. Kelly also testified that many firefighters also found it more
difficult to operate while wearing respirators, which seems to indicate
that there is a need to develop new and improved equipment. Would funds
be made available through this new Initiative for the purchase of
personal protective equipment (respirators, etc.), as well as for the
development of new, more innovative equipment that meets the needs of
first responders working in a situation such as that experienced at the
World Trade Center?
Response. The First Responder Initiative provides funding to allow
State and local first responder agencies to purchase a wide range of
equipment needed to respond effectively to a terrorist attack,
including personal protective equipment, chemical and biological
detection systems, and interoperable communications gear. It is
important that States and local governments, as part of their emergency
preparedness planning, take into account the need for readily available
equipment. It is also important that FEMA, working with other Federal
agencies, identify where additional equipment can be obtained and
utilize FEMA's strong logistics program to quickly deliver the
requested resources to the areas affected. There is a wide variety of
respiratory protective gear currently available for first responders
and many new innovations are coming online. While the First Responder
Grant Program does not have specific funding for research and
development of new protective equipment, FEMA is working with the
National Institute for Standards and Technology, the CDC, as well as
several technology transfer think tanks, to look at technology that has
been developed by the military, NASA and academia that can be made
available to the first responder community to increase their level of
protection and comfort.
Question 4. Emergency Preparedness at Nuclear Power Plants.--
Director Allbaugh, in your testimony, you mention providing assistance
to State and local governments to enhance their capabilities to respond
to all types of hazards and emergencies including incidents involving
radiological substances. As you know, there is significant concern in
New York regarding the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester
County, New York where I happen to live. Can you please explain what
role FEMA is playing in ensuring emergency preparedness at Indian Point
and all nuclear power plants in the country in the wake of 9-11,
particularly in light of reports by President Bush and others in the
Administration that nuclear power plants are in fact a possible
terrorist target? How will the new initiative specifically help to
increase security at and around our Nation's commercial power plants?
Response. FEMA is the lead Federal Agency for planning and
preparedness for all types of peacetime radiological emergencies. This
includes planning and preparedness for accidents at commercial nuclear
power plants. In accordance with a Presidential Directive and Federal
mandates, FEMA issues policy and guidance to assist State and local
governments in developing and implementing their radiological emergency
response plans and procedures. Much of this guidance is developed with
the assistance of the Federal Radiological Preparedness Coordinating
Committee (FRPCC) and its member agencies.
FEMA-REP-14, ``Radiological Emergency Preparedness Exercise
Manual'' and FEMA-REP-15, ``Radiological Emergency Preparedness
Exercise Evaluation Methodology,'' have served as the principal
documents which FEMA uses in planning and preparing for, conducting,
and evaluating all REP exercises. These documents have been valuable
tools for assessing the adequacy and implementability of State and
local governments' radiological emergency preparedness plans and
procedures.
FEMA-REP-14 assists State and local offsite response organizations
in planning, preparing for, and evaluating REP exercises. Specifically,
FEMA-REP-14 provides basic guidance relative to the interpretation and
application of the planning standards and evaluation criteria. These
planning standards and evaluation criteria have been restated in FEMA-
REP-14 in the form of 33 REP objectives which are to be demonstrated by
the offsite response organizations at the REP biennial exercises. Each
objective addresses the offsite response organization's capability to
carry out specific radiological emergency functions such as
communications, mobilization of emergency response personnel, dose
assessment, protective action decisionmaking and implementation, public
alerting and notification, evacuee monitoring and decontamination, etc.
Similarly, FEMA-REP-15 assists FEMA and other Federal agencies in
the uniform and consistent documentation of the performance of the
offsite response organizations during REP exercises. REP exercises are
designed to test the capability of offsite response organizations to
protect the public health and safety through the implementation of
their emergency response plans and procedures under simulated accident
conditions. FEMA-REP-15 contains a set of 33 multi-page evaluation
forms, one for each of the 33 REP objectives, consisting of a series of
short questions or prompts (points of review) for each REP objective to
facilitate the exercise evaluator's systematic collection and
documentation of essential data and information required by FEMA and
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for making findings on the adequacy
of offsite radiological emergency planning and preparedness.
In the introduction of the First Responder Initiative, President
Bush proposed increased funding to strengthen, build, and sustain first
responder capabilities. With the support of Federal agencies as well as
the States, these first responders have the ability to determine the
success with which America handles attacks involving weapons of mass
destruction, including radiological attacks.
Question 5. Funds for New York City.--With congressional approval
of the resources announced last week by the President to be included in
the Supplemental appropriations request expected in the next week or
two, there will be nearly $9 billion flowing through FEMA for debris
removal, emergency construction contracts and rebuilding stemming from
the attacks of September 11th.
As I know you would agree from your several trips to Lower
Manhattan over the past 6 months, these resources are tremendously
important for New York's recovery. But as important as the availability
of the dollars is removing the barriers that may currently exist in the
Stafford Act to effectively using the dollars.
I think its fair to say that the Stafford Act never imagined the
type of act or magnitude of destruction that was thrust upon us on the
11th of September. And, as a result, New York has incurred costs
directly related to the attacks but that don't fall into any of the
boxes of reimbursable activities, such as:
Salary for city employees for the thousands of hours of straight
time for those pulled off their regular duties to respond to the
attacks. We now have tremendous backlogs for various administrative
activities, sanitation services, and correctional activities, to name a
few. For example, security guards from correctional facilities were
pulled off their normal duties to help with security at airports,
tunnels, and bridges. Not surprisingly, we now have backlogs.
Response. FEMA regulations provide that the straight time salaries
of an applicant's regular employees will not be reimbursed for their
disaster response duty because these salaries were budgeted already.
Overtime of these employees is reimbursable. The work that is now
required to deal with the administrative backlog is not eligible
disaster work. Salaries, including overtime, of employees used to
backfill positions while primary employees were deployed to emergency
activities are eligible for reimbursement. There are, however, some
activities for which neither the primary employee's salary nor the
backfill employee's salary is eligible. When the attacks occurred,
security at airports and many other facilities was increased. While
these expenses were caused by the event, they were not in direct
response to the event and are therefore ineligible.
While a great deal of additional funding may be provided to FEMA
for expenses in New York, there have been no changes to the Stafford
Act or specific exceptions directed by Congress at this time.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon FEMA to administer the disaster
assistance program in accordance with that law.
Question 6. Full compensation for the computers, dump trucks and
other purchases that was necessary in responding to the attacks. The
city had to make purchases not only to replace damaged and destroyed
equipment, but additional purchases to develop a communication
infrastructure, to keep records, and to haul trash, to name a few.
These are purchases that would never have been made were it not for the
attacks.
Response. Equipment and supplies that are purchased for the
performance of eligible emergency response activities are generally
eligible for reimbursement. Extensive purchases for such items have
been approved in the WTC disaster. However, durable equipment (i.e.,
cost over $5,000 per unit) must have its salvage value at the end of
the emergency period returned to FEMA. These recoveries are evaluated
individually and in many cases there may be no salvage value to be
returned.
Question 7. As you've heard in previous hearings, there is also the
issue of what constitutes a critical service (non-critical service
providers must first seek assistance through SBA).
Response. The current definition of critical services comes
directly from the amendments to the Stafford Act made by the Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-390) or from congressional guidance.
Absent any further guidance, FEMA is not planning any changes to the
list of facilities that are not required to apply for an SBA loan
before requesting assistance from FEMA.
______
Response by Hon. Joseph Allbaugh to Additional Question from
Senator Warner
Question. I applaud the President's initiative to provide critical
resources to local police, fire and rescue personnel. We saw first-hand
how critical local fire and police were in responding to the attack on
the Pentagon as Arlington County was the first onsite and ultimately
became the on-scene coordinator for all recovery efforts. Also, every
major fire department in the metropolitan Washington area provided
critical resources to the Pentagon facility. Many of us are very
interested in the criteria that FEMA will use to allocate the First
Responder grant funds. I believe we all know that many local fire and
police departments are the only resources to protect critical Federal
installations. The Virginia example is very telling. We know that
Arlington County, and other local departments, are the only responders
for major Federal installations from the Pentagon to the CIA. Elsewhere
in Virginia, local fire and police are the first responders to major
defense installations in the Hampton Roads area. Can you tell me to
what degree will protecting critical Federal facilities factor into
FEMA's criteria for this new First Responder Initiative?
Response. The First Responder Initiative will provide assistance to
State and local governments to enhance the homeland security response
capabilities of America's first responders and improve our ability to
prepare for and respond to an act of terrorism. This initiative will
give the first responder community critically needed funds to purchase
equipment, train and exercise their personnel, and plan; and provide
States and localities with the flexibility they require to ensure that
the funds are used in the local areas where they are needed most.
Critical facilities would be a key consideration in the development of
State and local plans, training and exercise programs as well as the
provision of equipment.
FEMA plans to deliver these funds through grants to States. These
funds will be allocated to States, with each State receiving a base
amount and additional funds supplied by means of a population-based
formula. This funding will provide for the needs of all 50 States, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the territories, and insular areas.
The program will be run through, and coordinated by States. As a
condition of receiving these grants, States will submit their own
plans, receive plans from local jurisdictions, and allocate funding
based on locally driven needs identified through plans and assessments.
We believe the States are in the best position to determine first
responder needs in relation to critical facilities that are located
within their jurisdictions.
__________
Statement of Woodbury P. Fogg, P.E. on Behalf of National Emergency
Management Association
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Smith and Members of the Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to offer
comments on the proposed first responder program. My name is Woody Fogg
and I am testifying on behalf of the National Emergency Management
Association (NEMA). Most recently, I served as the Director of the
Office of Emergency Management for the State of New Hampshire for the
past 4 years. As a member of NEMA, I have served as the Co-Chair for
NEMA's Terrorism Committee.
NEMA's members include the directors of emergency management for
all the States and territories, who are responsible to their Governors
for disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. This
includes responsibility for terrorism consequence management and
preparedness.
Long before September 11, 2001, NEMA had established itself as a
leader in providing input to Congress and Federal agencies on issues of
domestic preparedness. States have been in the forefront of preparing
for and responding to all types of disasters, both natural and man-
made. We take an all-hazards approach to disaster preparedness and have
integrated our domestic preparedness efforts into the proven systems we
already use for dealing with both man-made and natural disasters. We
also recognize clearly the value of prevention and mitigation in
minimizing the consequences of disasters and we incorporate those
considerations in all our efforts.
proposed first responder program
In my testimony today, I'm going to make five key points about the
proposed first responder program:
(1) All efforts need to be coordinated through the States;
(2) State and local governments need programs to be flexible enough
for personnel to manage;
(3) Standards must be developed to ensure interoperability of
equipment, communications, and training;
(4) Mutual aid--both intrastate and interstate--is a key component
to capacity building; and
(5) State and local government must be fully, directly and
continuously involved and consulted in the development of the National
Domestic Preparedness Strategy.
NEMA supports Federal efforts to increase emergency management
capacity building at the State, territory, and local level for
personnel, planning, training, equipment, coordination, and exercising.
A significant Federal commitment must be made to give State,
territorial, and local governments the tools to ensure adequate
preparedness. While States have significantly increased their
commitment to emergency management over the last decade, States are
struggling with budgetary issues and the increased investments
necessary to meet new demands.
state coordination
All efforts to increase emergency management capacity building must
be coordinated through the States to ensure harmonization with the
State emergency operations plan, ensure equitable distribution of
resources, and to synthesize resources for intra-state and inter-state
mutual aid. Also, the Stafford Act, which governs the way disaster
assistance is allocated, firmly and successfully uses States and
Governors as the managers of Federal disaster relief funds for local
governments which are over-taxed and need assistance when disasters
occur. States understand the need to get funding to the first
responders and have long coordinated statewide and regionally to ensure
adequate State assistance to local governments for emergency
preparedness and response. There is no question that most of the $3.5
billion proposed first responder grant funds need to get to police,
fire fighters, emergency medical workers, and other front-line local
responders--after all, disasters are local in nature. The health
community must not be forgotten and must be integrated into all
planning, training, and exercising under the State emergency operations
plan. We can effectively ensure this by working through the States to
build on the needs identified in the plans that FEMA, the Department of
Justice, and other agencies have required statewide. Further, because
this is a national emergency and States are in difficult fiscal
situations, we must we wary of programs that would require significant
matches. If a significant match is required, the application of this
initiative will only go to those agencies and governments that can
fiscally afford the match and not necessarily where the need is
greatest.
flexibility for personnel to manage the program
State emergency managers need to have a commitment for sustained
Federal resources and the flexibility to insure the hiring and training
of sufficient professional personnel to manage the expanding
antiterrorism programs. We are concerned that an influx of funding
programs from the Federal Government could detract from our ``all
hazards'' approach and we will have to turn our focus away from natural
disaster preparedness and response and thereby actually reduce overall
preparedness and efficiency. Building a statewide (local, State and
interstate) emergency management capability is key to ensuring
preparedness across the board. Flexibility to use some of the first
responder grants for personnel both at the State and local level to
manage the programs is critical to completing the preparedness mission.
NEMA has long advocated an increase in the only flexible source of
Federal emergency management funding, the Emergency Management
Performance Grant (EMPG). EMPG is the only line item in the FEMA budget
that has not received an increase in the last decade, yet it is the
only consistent source of Federal funding for State and local capacity
building. As an existing funding stream, EMPG could be used to hire
State and local staff to manage critical programs and build the
incremental emergency management capacity to prepare for the first
responder grants and the coordination that will be required execute the
program.
State and local government emergency management is over-stressed
and working to capacity to address the new environment. We need relief
now, and in that vein we are requesting an additional $200 million in
funding for EMPG in the April supplemental appropriations package. In
2000, a NEMA survey of the States revealed a $123 million shortfall in
Federal funding of State and local emergency management programs. These
funds will be a down payment for addressing the needs of emergency
management.
standards
Standards must be developed to ensure interoperability of
equipment, communications, and training across State, regional, and
local jurisdictions. In terms of establishing voluntary minimum
standards for the terrorism preparedness programs of State and local
governments, NEMA offers itself as a resource in this area. Our
organization, along with other stakeholder groups such as the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, the International Association of Emergency
Managers, National Governors' Association, National League of Cities,
International Association of Fire Chiefs, and others, has developed and
is implementing an Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP).
EMAP is a voluntary standards and accreditation program for State and
local emergency management that is based on NFPA (National Fire
Protection Association) 1600 Standard for Disaster/Emergency Management
and Business Continuity Operations (an ANSI or American National
Standards Institute approved standard) and FEMA's Capability Assessment
of Readiness (CAR). Consequence management preparedness, response and
recovery standards are being developed in conjunction with those for
the traditional emergency management functions. NEMA suggests that
these standards already being collaboratively developed through EMAP be
considered in the development of minimum standards for training,
exercises and equipment. Additionally, EMAP acceptance would provide
the natural mechanism for Federal and State agencies to meet the
requirements of the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA). EMAP has
already completed a pilot phase in North Carolina and North Dakota and
will begin receiving State program applications in April. Local pilots
will begin this spring.
mutual aid
Mutual aid is a key to capacity building. A proven system we need
to take advantage of for all domestic preparedness planning is the
Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). EMAC is an interstate
mutual aid agreement that allows States to assist one another in
responding to all kinds of natural and man-made disasters. EMAC offers
a quick and easy way for States to send personnel and equipment to help
disaster relief efforts in other States. There are times when State and
local resources are overwhelmed and Federal assistance is inadequate,
inappropriate, too far away or unavailable. Out-of-state aid through
EMAC helps fill such shortfalls. There are 46 States and two
territories that are members of EMAC and other States and territories
are considering joining. In response to 9-11, emergency managers from
several States provided technical assistance and personnel support to
New York through EMAC. A system like this enables experts and
specialized equipment to be used across jurisdictions and regions based
on the nature of a particular event. NEMA and FEMA are currently
working together to standardize resource typing. By having commonly
understood descriptions of resource packages, impacted jurisdictions
will know just what they are going to get when they request each
standard package.
national domestic preparedness strategy
NEMA has long requested for Congress to put in place an inclusive
national framework for developing a National Domestic Preparedness
Strategy and a single point of contact within the Federal Government
that is accountable to Congress to coordinate the Federal efforts in
implementation of that strategy. Please also note that we espouse a
collaboratively developed national strategy, not just a Federal one. We
now look forward to working with the Office of Homeland Security toward
the development and implementation of that strategy. In addition to
NEMA's ``Ten Principles for a National Domestic Preparedness Strategy''
adopted in 2000, we also developed a White Paper on Domestic
Preparedness in the aftermath of 9-11 that is also supported by the
Adjutants General Association of the United States, the Council of
State Governments, International Association of Emergency Managers, and
the National Guard Association of the United States. A copy of this
White Paper is attached, along with NEMA's ``Ten Principles''.
In any way possible, the Federal Government needs to coordinate
efforts for domestic preparedness and avoid duplication of efforts and
programs. We hope that State emergency managers and first responders
from the State and local level will be invited to participate in
development of the national preparedness strategy.
conclusion
Close coordination in the building of overall capacity to deal with
truly catastrophic events is the key to success in assuring our
Nation's preparedness against terrorism. One point that I would like to
make is that one of the best demonstrations of the need for better
Federal, State, private and local coordination on a regional basis was
the TOPOFF exercise in 2000. TOPOFF was a congressionally mandated
``no-notice'' national exercise that was designed to assess the
Nation's crisis and consequence management capabilities by exercising
the plans, policies, procedures, systems and facilities through
Federal, State and local responses to a challenging series of ``no-
notice'', integrated, geographically dispersed terrorist threats and
acts. Clearly, one of the biggest issues was the question of who was in
charge of the scene. This held true in all of the venues--Portsmouth,
Denver and Washington, DC. We need to ensure that those valuable
Federal, State, local, and private relationships and trust are built
and exercised before a disaster. TOPOFF was a valuable learning
experience and we look forward to TOPOFF II, as well as a continuing
series of regional and national exercises to continually refine and
improve the system. Plans are nothing without exercises to assess and
develop their effectiveness.
There is a tested and proven ``All Hazards'' emergency preparedness
and response system in place which integrates Federal. Federal, State,
local, and private organizations. We need to buildupon and enhance that
system, not create a new one. States must continue to serve as the
bridge between the Federal Government and the first responders at the
local level in order to most effectively coordinate the Nation's
catastrophic response capabilities. Domestic preparedness funding
programs must be structured to allow local and State emergency managers
the flexibility to hire personnel needed to effectively carry out these
programs. Equipment and training alone will not meet the goal.
NEMA asks Congress' help in ensuring State and local emergency
management is fully and effectively represented in the development of
the national domestic preparedness strategy. Thank you for your
commitment to ensuring our Nation is as ready as we can be.
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Statement of Edward Wilson, Fire Chief, City of Portland, OR
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I'm Ed Wilson, fire
chief for the city of Portland, OR. Thank you for the opportunity to
address the Committee.
Two weeks after the 9-11 attacks on our Nation, City of Portland
Mayor, Vera Katz directed me to join with our partners in public safety
in our region, to determine our state of preparedness for a terrorist
attack, and conduct a needs assessment. On behalf of all emergency
responders in major cities across the United States, who undoubtedly
undertook similar processes, I am here to testify about our findings
and briefly outline what we would do with additional funding to
increase our readiness.
Like many large cities, we are on the right track with regards to
planning for a mass casualty incident, and have been for many years.
Most large cities have functional plans in place, and well-trained
responders on all levels. I can say from personal experience that, in
Portland, we have also developed a phenomenal network of relationships
to facilitate a coordinated effort when we will need it most.
Many large cities take an all-hazard plan approach, which includes
hazardous materials incidents, natural disasters such as earthquakes
and hurricanes, and of course, terrorism and weapons of mass
destruction. It doesn't really matter what causes the emergency; the
response to help citizens is very much the same.
Since 9-11, however, we have focused on a few key areas to improve
our plans in case the unthinkable happens . . . a terrorist attack in
our hometown.
As large cities in the United States, we have numerous factors that
put our citizens at risk. A most obvious issue, as we learned from the
World Trade Center attacks, and earlier from the bombing of the Federal
Building in Oklahoma City, is the sheer number of people who populate
large cities. Higher concentrations of people means more potential loss
of life.
Metropolitan areas are also more vulnerable to hazardous materials
incidents because of the industrial activity that is an important part
of our economy.
In addition, we have larger and more complex infrastructures, such
as huge water systems, extensive communication networks, bridges, and
tall buildings. And of course many of America's most visible landmarks,
such as the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, are located in big
cities. All of these increase the vulnerability of metropolitan areas.
That's why metropolitan areas such as Portland are in need of
increased resources to keep our homeland safe. As I mentioned, Portland
Fire & Rescue worked with our regional partners in public safety to
determine where we stand in terrorism preparedness. I'm sure our
findings are very similar to what other major cities are experiencing.
We found four areas where we can improve:
1. Equipment and Training.--We recommend increasing the supply of
protective equipment for all emergency responders, including law
enforcement personnel. Decontamination equipment at the hospitals would
add another layer of protection as well. In addition, Incident Command
System Training at the executive level will enhance any major city's
ability to provide leadership during a terrorist or any disaster
incident.
2. Communication.--We found room to improve the redundancy and the
interoperability of our communication systems. While local agencies
have mechanisms in place to communicate with each other, these plans
may quickly splinter when State and Federal agencies arrive on the
scene. This lack of interoperability was starkly evident during the
response to the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on September 11th.
Information dissemination is another significant communication
issue that we need to address. Clear, timely, and accurate information
needs to flow from the Federal Government to the States, counties, and
local governments. Relevant information needs to be shared with first
responders such as Fire and Emergency Medical Service and with others
such as public works and emergency managers.
3. Building Security.--Portland, like many other cities in this
free country of ours, is very open. To protect our citizens, we are
considering enhancing security in our buildings, by adding systems that
can be accelerated as needed.
4. Recovery.--To improve continuity of government after a terrorist
incident, we will develop a comprehensive recovery plan. First steps
include a business risk assessment and a mainframe recovery study.
Will the First Responder Initiative help major cities across the
country address these types of issues? Absolutely. But there's another
strength in the proposed Initiative. It would support programs that
develop or buildupon existing mutual aid agreements. For example, in
the Portland metropolitan area, a regional group of emergency managers,
involving five counties and two States, has worked since 1993 to
coordinate regional response to natural hazards. We are now developing
a regional request for antiterrorism dollars.
We recently conducted a tabletop exercise to test our newly
developed Metropolitan Medical Response System. It was a successful
test drive of a federally funded plan, which will help emergency
responders coordinate with local hospitals and public health in the
event of a biological emergency. Ours is the first Metropolitan Medical
Response Plan in the Nation to have all of the 18 hospitals in the
region participate.
One of our significant findings is that hospitals, as an extremely
important resource in an actual mass casualty incident, would benefit
from additional decontamination equipment. Finally, I would note that
according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors, initial estimates show that
local communities have spent more than $525 million since 9-11 for
added security. Moreover, they anticipate that these cities will spend
about $2.2 billion in 2002 to manage a burden unforeseen before 9-11.
The need for Federal assistance is clear.
Noting that a ``simple and quick method for dispersing Federal
assistance'' is a stated objective of the First Responder Initiative, I
would like to recommend a system similar to the Community Development
Block Grant Program. This would serve as an excellent model for
dispersing these funds. It would allow Federal funding to go directly
to cities with a population greater than 50,000. The remaining funding
would go directly to the States for distribution to jurisdictions with
a population less than 50,000. This model already exists and has been
used successfully and extensively. It would be easy to duplicate, and
would avoid unnecessary delays in getting funding to local communities
who need it now.
It will also be important that Federal funding to local communities
allow as much flexibility as possible. As you know, different
communities will identify different needs, levels of vulnerability, and
solutions to these difficult problems. As a result, each community will
need as much latitude as possible to achieve those solutions. We are
glad to see funding flexibility included as one of the stated
objectives of the President's initiative.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you again for the
opportunity to provide this information about how major cities in the
United States would benefit from implementation of the First Responder
Initiative. Its benefits would be immediate and long-term, making us
safer from terrorist attacks and also enhancing our everyday response
capabilities. In these tough economic times, we're all working together
to maximize resources. At the same time, we have new issues to address
in our changed world. It's my hope we can succeed at both to keep our
country safe and livable. I will be happy to answer any questions that
you may have.
______
Responses of Edward A. Wilson to Additional Questions from
Senator Clinton
Question 1. Lack of Redundancy.--Many large metropolitan areas
around the country have ``consolidated'' their public safety (police,
fire and medical) and public service (public works--roads, water and
etc.) voice and data wireless systems on one ``single network'' to
lower construction and operating costs.
The city of Portland, Oregon designed and constructed a regional
800 MHz trunked radio and wireless data system to support city and
county communications. Normally, the infrastructure and employees that
maintain and support these complex systems are also co-located at 911
public safety answering points (PSAP). In the case of the city, all of
our local government wireless, telephone and data communications are
housed in one single ``target'' facility--all of our eggs are in one
basket. The original funding for these communications systems did not
support 100 percent redundancy and communications site diversification
normally found in a military grade system design.
Response. Fund and support redundant mission critical communication
systems that will allow the city of Portland, and the numerous agencies
that share the communications infrastructure, to continue to
communicate in the event the Portland Communications Center is
destroyed.
Question 2a. Lack of Interoperability.--One of the benefits of a
consolidated wireless network is the ability of the public safety and
public service agencies that share a system to communicate directly
with one another. Unfortunately due to the high cost of the Motorola
proprietary mobiles and portables, not all public safety and public
service agencies in the region have the necessary number of talkgroups
on their two-way mobile and portable radios to facilitate
interoperability communications.
Response. Replace and upgrade mobile and portable radios to allow
for expanded interoperability communications.
Question 2b. The Portland metropolitan area public safety and
public service responders use ``like'' Motorola 800 MHz voice and data
networks, however, a majority of the responders outside of Portland and
throughout the State of Oregon are still on VHF and UHF conventional
radio systems. In the event of a major disaster, communications with
the rest of the State, Southwest Washington and agencies from outside
the area will be a serious problem.
Response. Statewide military grade 143/700/800 MHz single
interoperability radio network to support all local and State public
safety/public service wireless communications. This network must have
wide-area cellular class coverage to support portable low power
communications devices required by public safety.
The lack of interoperability between systems used by local, State
and Federal police, firefighters and medical personnel makes it
difficult to coordinate resources at the scene of large scale
emergencies whether they be natural disasters or terrorist acts. A
national plan for public safety communications is needed. Public safety
should have networks that are robust (and include voice, data and
dispatch), secure, interoperable, interconnected, accessible,
affordable and spectrum efficient.
__________
Statement of Michael E. O'Neil, Chief Engineer, South Burlington
Fire Department
Mr. Chairman, Let me begin by extending greetings from the Vermont
fire service. We appreciate the important discussions and deliberations
that you are involved in. I would like to address this committee on a
few issues that have been the subject of much debate in our small State
that we like to think reflects the ongoing national discussion. The
focus is the ability of our Nations fire service to be properly
equipped to respond to the myriad of events that only a few short years
ago would be viewed as scenarios from a movie script. There never has
been a doubt that the American Fire Service would be called on to
respond to any situation. We do it every day. We do not choose what
types of incidents that we will respond to and which ones we won't. I
believe, as a Fire Chief, I owe it to the firefighters who respond to
calls for help from our citizens, to be as prepared and protected as is
possible. As I sit here before you today, I know that I cannot do that
because our communities cannot afford to provide that protection. The
need is real. We cannot continue to send our firefighters out without
the proper protection. We would not send our servicemen and women to
foreign soil ill prepared to perform, why should our front-line home
security forces be any different.
When the White House proposed through the Office of Homeland
Defense, giving $3.5 billion in Federal aid to State and local first-
responders, America's front-line soldiers--firefighters, police
officers, emergency medical technicians to prepare for terrorist
actions the fire service believed that it was going to be able to solve
a long standing barrier to effectiveness . . . . lack of adequate
funding.
We view the First Responder Initiative as extremely important in
getting money directly to departments large and small for basic needs
such as equipment and training, and supplying specialized equipment and
training to larger urban departments where the greater possibility of
terrorist acts exists.
In his remarks on Tuesday morning at the National Emergency
Managers Association Conference, Governor Ridge voiced his strong
support for first responders in the President's proposed budget. He
feels very strongly that equipment, training, exercises, and resources
are needed by the Nations first line of defense. However, Governor
Ridge reiterated the Administration's position that funding should go
to the States and not directly to local government. We respectfully
disagree. Past history, at least in Vermont has been that when the
State is finished utilizing grant funds to better equip State
resources, very little has found it's way to the local level. We have
been told for the last 3 years that any State resources won't be
available for up to several hours after an incident and that we as
first responders will be on our own for that timeframe. We did not have
to have this fact pointed out to us, we already knew that from past
experience. My point is that now when the State resources arrive
several hours later they have better, more up to date equipment and we
as the first responders have not received any equipment. The Cities of
Burlington and South Burlington have met with State officials with a
number of projects, including much needed communication system upgrades
that focused on inter-operability and regional responses. The projects
have not been acted on because vital funding has gone to other State
agencies. What funding has been left over is so small that it has not
been sufficient to be effective. We resort to makeshift solutions in
the field while important funding is utilized in other areas. I can
find no better illustration of this situation than this: The staff of
the State medical examiners office are better protected than are the
men and women who respond every day to protect Vermont citizens from
whatever crisis unfolds.
Recent events have demonstrated once and for all the role of
America's fire service in responding to and mitigating disasters,
terrorist or otherwise. We truly are America's first line of defense
against all risk hazards, including hazardous materials, terrorist
events, emergency search and rescue, fire suppression and emergency
medical services. And now, we need your help.
Last year, Congress provided $100 million in funding for the
Assistance to Firefighters program for fiscal year 2001. However, after
announcing the grant program, FEMA received nearly 30,000 applications
for assistance totaling about $2.9 billion. Because of the added
responsibilities of the fire service, its role in response to
disasters, and the potential for that role to be expanded, funding at
much higher levels is required. Local jurisdictions simply do not have
the resources to independently fund the improvements to respond to new
challenges.
The number of grant applications for the Assistance to Firefighters
program has demonstrated the need for fire service funding for
equipment, training, fire prevention, and apparatus. Enactment of the
First Responders Initiative, beginning in 2002, can help to ensure that
fire departments are prepared for a higher scale and scope of
incidents. First, the Initiative can provide funding for significantly
higher levels of training in mass casualty events, tactical command and
control, fire fighter safety, and managing chemical, biological and
other potential events. Second, fire fighters and fire department
leaders must be trained and equipped to provide comprehensive response
and support to Federal disaster response teams. Responses to incidents
will come first from the local and regional levels before Federal
support is available and those responders must accomplish evacuation,
containment, mitigation, and other immediate functions prior to the
arrival of outside assistance. More importantly, the local responders
must ensure that their actions are consistent with contemporary
professional standards so as not to exacerbate the problem.
Additional funding to support increased fire service staffing is
necessary to ensure that enough fire fighters are available to protect
U.S. citizen immediately after a significant incident occurs. Fire
departments require Federal support to fund additional fire fighters.
During terrorist events, the military and other Federal personnel are
committed to other activities thereby requiring local areas to be much
more dependent on local fire service. Relying more on local resources
when outside resources are scarce means that communities have few
options other than the local fire department. Unfortunately, many fire
department operating budgets have been reduced during the last decade
because fires have decreased. These reductions have been without regard
to requirements to respond to other missions. An increase in staffing
will allow the fire service to respond to an expanding list of
responsibilities more safely and more effectively, including homeland
security issues.
Limited staffing reduces a fire department's ability to respond to
a terrorist event where resources are needed quickly and in quantity.
Early intervention in a terrorist event can influence the number of
lives saved in the early moments after an attack. Response to attacks
and arrival by the fire service will occur within three to 5 minutes
after an incident takes place and remain until the incident is
resolved. No other consequence management resource can respond this
quickly.
In his State of the Union address, President Bush made a commitment
to a sustained strategy for increased homeland security. The President
has made clear that he considers a critical component of this strategy
to be increased Federal funding for America's fire and emergency
service. In order to ensure that the full benefits of this increased
funding are realized by the American people, we urge you and Congress
to enact the First Responders Initiative to provide funding for the
fire and emergency services. The mechanisms to get necessary resources
to local responders are in place. Let's use them. By using this
existing program, Congress can ensure that appropriated funds quickly
reach America's fire service, only people in the United States who are
situated locally and trained, equipped, and sworn to respond within
minutes to all incidents, natural or man-made, which threaten the
American homeland.
In 1997, the Departments of Defense and Justice began training and
equipping local firefighters and police to deal with incidents of
terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction. Similar programs have
since been authorized by Congress, bringing the Department of Health
and Human Services, FEMA, and other Federal agencies into the effort.
Without doubt we have made progress, but preparedness efforts need to
be more clearly focused.
Mr. Chairman, the American Fire Service has been strongly
supportive of FEMA. The reason for this is simple. They have earned the
support of the fire and emergency service based on a proven track
record of providing invaluable training, equipment, and resources to
America's local ``first responder'' community both on scene and
disaster sites and during the ongoing planning and training that all
responder organizations must constantly pursue. They clearly recognize
that America's local fire departments are the first line of disaster
response in this country.
It is for this reason that we encourage Congress to utilize this
Agency as you look to significantly enhance and improve America's
readiness capabilities President Bush has budgeted an unprecedented
amount of Federal support for America's ``first responders'' in the
name of homeland security. We strongly urge Congress to utilize
existing formats, specifically the Assistance to Firefighters grant
program administered by FEMA, to ensure that these funds are quickly
disbursed to the local responders who will use them efficiently and
effectively to provide for the security of the American homeland.
Thank you Senators on behalf of the American Fire Service.
__________
Statement of Kenneth Zirkle, President, University of Findlay, Findlay,
OH
Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Ken Zirkle
and I am President of the University of Findlay in Findlay, OH. Thank
you for inviting me here to present my testimony today. I have
testimony to submit for the record, if I may do so, and I am prepared
to read a short statement. The University currently serves more than
4,000 students both at the graduate and undergraduate levels in 60 plus
majors. The city of Findlay is located in northwestern Ohio on the 1-75
corridor, 45 miles south of Toledo. Shortly after the college was
established in 1882, the city experienced a gas, and then an oil boom,
thus entering the American industrial revolution with gusto. Industries
flocked to Findlay, but by the turn of the century, the wells began to
dry up, and some of those industries moved on to other boom towns,
leaving behind, in some cases, waste, hazardous materials, and chemical
spills to be dealt with by later generations. Findlay was
representative of many communities throughout the United States which
inherited, and yet continued to create, environmental, safety, and
health-threatening situations before regulations in late twentieth
century began to track accountability.
Aware of the need for response training and clean-up, the
University of Findlay developed one of the first programs in the Nation
to prepare environmental clean-up professionals. In 1986, we
established our National Center of Excellence for Environmental
Management. We made a strategic, conscientious decision to offer hands-
on, practical education, training, and information transfer services on
environmental, safety, health, and disaster preparedness issues to
public and private sector clients, both nationally and internally. We
concentrated on two specific program areas: Environmental Safety and
Health Academic Degrees and Environmental Safety and Health Training
and Consulting Services.
The first program grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in
Environmental Safety and Health Training. To date we have more than
1000 graduates. Our current enrollment includes on-line students in 19
States. Most of our students are employed before they graduate by
corporations such as Honda, Marathon, Owens Illinois, General Electric,
the Ohio EPA, and the IT Group, which recently decontaminated the
Senate Hart building.
Our second focus is Environmental Safety and Health Training and
Consulting Services. We have extensive hands-on training centers in
Findlay that offer scenarios including rail car, tank truck, ditch/
stream spills, confined space entry and rescue, and additional
practical based training scenarios. Furthermore, we specialize in
custom designed training programs, offering them at the first
responders' locations using their own available equipment for their
response training. Approximately 80 percent of the training we do is
conducted in this manner. People don't have to come to us--rather, we
go to them. In the past 16 years we have trained more than 50,000 first
responders and industry professionals from across the United States,
designing programs for Ford, Roadway, and CSX Transportation. We have
also conducted training in Canada and Mexico and have translated
materials in Spanish.
Recognizing and understanding that the ``real'' first responders
are those who happen to be alongside incapacitated victims immediately
at the site of the disaster before emergency personnel arrives, we know
that a major thrust of preparedness must be toward the work force.
Lives are saved in the first minutes by those onsite who have been
trained to respond appropriately.
It is, frankly, heinous, but fortunate, that almost 4 years ago,
anticipating the inevitable, our staff felt compelled to include
terrorism preparedness as our third major focus. In June 1999, we
established the University of Findlay's Center for Terrorism
Preparedness. At this time the ``Nunn-Lugar-Domenici 120 Cities''
program was underway, but we knew that there were many underserved
populations, particularly the smaller communities, that desperately
needed first responder training as well. Our objective, from the
outset, was to offer an all hazards, integrated approach to terrorism
response training and education programs.
Our foresight has served us well. Working in concert with Dale
Shipley, Director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Ohio's
Governor Taft and his staff, The Medical College of Ohio, the Ohio
Department of Health, and the Fire Marshall's Office, to name a few, we
have developed programs that prepare firefighters, police officers,
emergency, medical, hospital, and school personnel, city/county
officials, and public health workers to respond to terrorism incidents
as well as nuclear, chemical, biological, explosive, and even natural
disasters. We have trained first responders in communities across the
United States on campus, onsite, and on line to develop fully
integrated preparation, response, and recovery programs that can
effectively and efficiently combat the terrorism threat to our society.
Further, for the last 3 years, under grants from the Public
Utilities Commission of Ohio, we have provided 8 different first
responder courses to more than 2000 volunteer firefighters in 70 cities
on weekends and evenings, the only viable time to work with volunteers.
Well before September 11, the University of Findlay was preparing
for terrorism and preparing responders. How have we changed since
September 11? We knew we were on the right track; now we know that it's
also a fast track! Our services and our expertise are constantly being
sought out. Three examples:
(1) the State of Ohio Emergency Medical Services Agency has asked
us to spearhead a grant that will offer EMS providers, state-wide,
training in domestic preparedness issues such as emergency response,
terrorism preparedness, and bio-terrorist response;
(2) the Ohio Emergency Management Agency has asked us to ``develop
and deliver a Train-the-Trainer curriculum for Ohio's first responders
to the threat of terrorism;''
(3) our staff has developed an interactive CD-ROM to prepare school
employees in the event of terrorist attacks and other acts of violence.
In October we were designated a Center for Public Health
Preparedness for Bioterrorism and Emerging Health Threats by the
Centers for Disease Control.
Indeed, we are providing what we believe to be a vital cog in our
nation's machine of terrorism preparedness, or to use Governor Ridge's
term, ``consequence management.''
Points I'd like to leave you with:
First, as Secretary Rumsfeld has often mentioned, our mindset today
is completely different from a year ago. Like it or not, terrorism is a
part of all of our lives. And it will be a part of our grandchildren's
and great-grandchildren's lives at the very least. Whereas a year ago,
the word terrorism and the concept of terrorism peppered conversations
of a select few, today elementary school children across our Nation
hear the word in discussions on a regular basis.
Second, given that terrorism is a fact in our lives, we must do
everything possible to prevent it, but yet to prepare for it. Complete
eradication of terrorism is not likely, but complete response
preparation is absolutely mandatory.
Third, the Center for Terrorism Preparedness at the University of
Findlay stands ready to expand and develop its programs. We know that
quality response preparation goes beyond the manuals, the charts, the
computers. We have created terrorism response models that must have
significant impact on our Nation. It is not necessary to start from
square one. We as a Nation must build on what we know and what we have.
Ladies and gentlemen, based on what we have learned since September 11,
we are all on the fast track now.
Thank you.
______
National Center of Excellence for Environmental Management
The University of Findlay is a private, liberal arts educational
institution founded in 1882. Its campus has grown to over 170 acres
occupied by approximately 4,500 students annually. The University is a
national leader in the delivery of distance-learning programs,
primarily through Web-based course offerings.
The National Center of Excellence for Environmental Management
(NCEEM) is a multifaceted education, training, and information-transfer
program that focuses on environmental, safety and occupational health
(ES&H) issues. NCEEM was established as a separate department within
the University in 1986 with the initiation of the Bachelor in Hazardous
Materials Management degree.
NCEEM's mission is to develop and deliver effective and practical
ES&H educational, training, and consulting programs globally through a
combination of the following mechanisms:
<bullet> Practical ``hands-on'' experiences
<bullet> Internships and cooperatives
<bullet> Various traditional delivery techniques
<bullet> State-of-the-art, distance-learning techniques
The University of Findlay is virtually the only institution that
integrates ES&H management training with associate's, bachelor's, and
master's degree programs and a nationally recognized Center for
Terrorism Preparedness.
nceem's three primary programs
Academic Programs
The Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Bachelor of
Science Degree Program
<bullet> The ES&H bachelor of science degree program was
established at the University of Findlay in 1986.
<bullet> Over 100 students are currently enrolled in the ES&H
bachelor's degree program.
<bullet> The University of Findlay has graduated over 650 students
with a degree in the ES&H fields since 1990.
<bullet> Emphasis areas include science, industrial hygiene,
compliance, and preengineering.
<bullet> Internship and cooperative positions are available to
enable students to gain practical on-the-job experience.
<bullet> A bachelor's degree completion program that allows
students from 2-year associate degree programs to complete an ES&H
bachelor's degree is available at many locations throughout the United
States and online via the Internet.
The Environmental, Safety and Health Master of Science Degree
Program
<bullet> The ES&H master of science degree program was established
at the University of Findlay in 1994.
<bullet> Approximately 125 students are currently enrolled in the
ES&H master's degree program.
<bullet> The University of Findlay has graduated over 300 students
with a master's degree in ES&H management since 1995.
<bullet> The master's degree is offered at various locations
throughout Ohio as well as online via the Internet.
<bullet> The master's degree program is a blend of science,
engineering, and business principles.
Training and Consulting Services
Environmental Resource Training Center (ERTC)
<bullet> The ERTC was established in March 1989 and is now composed
of two training facilities including: three modern classrooms; on-
campus, indoor training facilities; and a 5-acre, outdoor, off-campus
training facility on the east side of Findlay.
<bullet> The primary focus of the ERTC is ``hands-on'' ES&H
training for private industry, State and Federal regulators,
firefighters, and university students.
<bullet> The ERTC staffs 15 full-time and over 30 field-experienced
contract trainers.
<bullet> The major strengths of the ERTC include: flexibility,
experience, depth of instructional staff, use of ``hands-on'' training
scenarios, and the ability to manage multifaceted training programs
conducted simultaneously at various locations across the United States.
<bullet> The ERTC has trained over 50,000 people at the two
training facilities in Findlay as well as at client locations coast to
coast. Over 80 percent of the training conducted by the ERTC has been
custom designed and conducted at client's facilities. The following are
several examples:
Major public-sector clients include: U.S. Department of Defense at
nine major military bases and U.S. Department of Energy at seven sites
in four States.
Private-industry clients include: Ford Motor Company--40 plants in
9 States and 18 plants in Mexico, Roadway Express--47 terminals in 30
States, LTV Steel Company--2,100 employees in 9 States and hundreds of
large and small firms across the Midwest.
Environmental, Safety and Health Consulting Services
<bullet> The ES&H Consulting Services group was established in 1997
and has provided consulting services to clients in Ohio, Indiana, and
Michigan.
<bullet> The ES&H Consulting Services has a special focus that
addresses safety- and emergency-plan assessments for hospitals and
universities.
<bullet> The ES&H Consulting Services also specializes in onsite
bioremediation and phytoremediation projects.
Center for Terrorism Preparedness
<bullet> The Center for Terrorism Preparedness for Nuclear,
Biological, and Chemical Acts and Domestic Terrorism (CTP) was
established in 1999 and focuses on providing training and consulting
services to the following four underserved populations:
Public health/medical community
Corporate safety and security personnel
City/county officials
Law enforcement personnel
On September 30, 2001, the CTP was named by the Center for Disease
Control as a Public Health Center for Bioterrorism and Infectious
Disease Preparedness.
The CTP features its own Web site at www.ufctp.org.
The CTP has over 20 full-time and contract trainers available.
The strength of the program lies in the CTP's ability to custom
design programs and offers them at clients' locations nationally and
internationally. Open enrollment courses are also available in Findlay,
Ohio.
public health/medical community
Will you, your employees, or your co-workers be able to function
effectively in the aftermath of a disaster? Are your loved ones
prepared to manage without you?
The specter of terrorism has now raised its face upon the American
horizon. During the decade of the 90's, we witnessed the physical and
psychological trauma from such events as the bombings of the World
Trade Center and the Alfred P. Murrah Building. Now, entering the
twenty-first century, we are confronted with Weapons of Mass
Destruction. To understand, prepare for, respond to, and recover from
this kind of catastrophe, there must be a basic understanding of all
types of disasters and their ramifications. Therefore, this Center is
committed to providing educational opportunities and services directed
toward the vulnerable State created by one's position, environment, or
other circumstances.
These courses have been designed for any person or agency personnel
that would serve as an integral link to the affected community's
infrastructure. We invite you to review the courses that have been
developed, keeping in mind that they are the first of many courses that
will be developed in the future. We welcome your suggestions, comments,
and concerns, regarding these offerings and future offerings. We can
better prepare you to respond to your community's needs, if we have
feedback on what those needs are. A survey will be sent to each
attendee before the course to enable the instructors to provide a more
customized approach.
corporate safety & security personnel
History clearly indicates that catastrophic terrorism can occur in
virtually any location, at any time. Never before have we faced the
dynamic problems that we are facing today. These include incidents such
as sarin releases in Matsumoto and Tokyo, Japan, the bombings at the
World Trade Center and the Federal building in Oklahoma City and the
American Embassy in Kenya and the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
All of these events strongly suggest that local terrorism preparedness
and response programs are needed.
The Center for Terrorism Preparedness is a leader in corporate
safety and security training and education. We have conducted both
domestic and international terrorism preparedness and emergency
management training for military, intelligence and industries
throughout the United States. Training is diverse and includes
traditional classroom training, drills for first responders, tabletop
exercises, and distance learning opportunities, including on-line
education and the use of emerging technologies.
The Center for Terrorism Preparedness is prepared to help you
develop and implement all aspects of response to the ``all-hazard''
incident, including terrorist incidents. In addition, we realize that
asset protection is a valuable part of preparedness and staff from the
Center for Terrorism Preparedness are recognized the world over for
their understanding of all aspects of asset protection.
The CTP also specializes in custom designing training programs, and
offering them at client locations coast to coast. Approximately 80
percent of the work conducted through the Center is performed at our
client's location.
Planning for terrorism must go beyond training courses and drills.
Terrorism readiness requires an in-depth, comprehensive approach to all
of the details of terrorism, in addition to a broad, overall
understanding of the issues. CTP staff members have experienced, first
hand, all pieces of the puzzle and can present the wide range of
knowledge needed for effective terrorism preparedness.
Our staff can help you develop planning assumptions, establishing a
baseline to begin your process. Further program development includes:
threat analysis, analysis of targets and their vulnerabilities,
analysis and development of your response capability and can help you
institute an initiative to train, equip, and enhance your capabilities.
city/county officials
Vast resources are available for response to a wide variety of
incidents. We learn daily of the public and private resources that are
brought to bear during terrorist events. However, in the first minutes
and hours of a terrorist incident, the first line of defense consists
of local officials and resources. For the most part, local resources
are well trained. But, lack of common training causes individuals from
different jurisdictions to have difficulty when responding together in
an incident.
The CTP staff members bring years of incident management
experience, from a broad range of disciplines. This allows us to focus
on the development, implementation, and delivery of programs to help
communities develop a consolidated incident action plan. Our staff
understands what it takes to bring together all the key players in a
community and help them work toward the goal of effective incident
management and the subsequent protection of the public.
The Center for Terrorism Preparedness is a leader in training and
education. We have conducted terrorism preparedness and emergency
management training for military, intelligence and civilian authorities
throughout the United States. Training is diverse and includes
traditional classroom training, drills for first responders, tabletop
exercises, and distance learning opportunities, including on-line
education and the use of emerging technologies.
In addition, The CTP has recently been named as a ``Public Health
Center for Bioterrorism Preparedness from the CDC. In its role the
CTP's additional responsibilities include research and the development
of technology to respond to the rapidly changing bioterrorism response
environment.
The CTP also specializes in custom designing training programs, and
offering them at client locations coast to coast. Approximately 80
percent of the work conducted through the Center is performed at our
client's location.
One of the primary training programs currently offered by the CTP
is a 16-hour countywide Terrorism Threat Assessment Workshop. All of
the key players within the county are gathered at a convenient location
for 2-days of intense, facilitated sessions, designed to get everyone
on common ground and introduce the group to consolidated planning. Part
of the cost of the training is picked up by grants to the Center for
Terrorism Preparedness.
We invite you to look at the schedule of available open enrollment
training classes described below. As mentioned earlier, the CTP is
fully capable of developing and implementing customized programs and
conducting the training at your facility.
law enforcement personnel
No words can truly describe the tragedy that occurred on September
11, 2001. The images of the destruction of the World Trade Center are
extremely powerful and will forever be etched in our memories. The
tremendous emotions stirred in every American as a result this tragic
incident cannot be denied as well.
We have learned much from the tragic events of September 11. For
example, we now know that we will not only see more acts of terrorism
in the future, but we will see these acts grow more destructive and
more difficult to combat as well. And we have also been reminded that
no area of the country is safe. Terrorism can strike anywhere.
The Center for Terrorism Preparedness (CTP) is addressing these
concerns and fears by providing training to the law enforcement
community that focuses on preventing acts of terrorism, as well as
defending against such acts should prevention fail. The training
offered is both practical and hands-on. In addition, the courses are
taught by current and former law enforcement officers with many years
of professional law enforcement experience in a variety of police
disciplines.
CTP's staff understands the problems facing today's law enforcement
professional and his attempt to combat terrorism. To accomplish this
task, the staff has developed a program that attempts to reduce our
country's vulnerability to devastating acts of terrorism by providing a
wide range of diverse training, which includes traditional classroom
instruction as well as practical exercises.
The CTP also specializes in custom designing training programs, and
offering them at client locations coast to coast. Approximately 80
percent of the work conducted through the Center is performed at our
client's location.
Through it's training, CTP can provide the responding officer the
skills necessary to identify and survive a terrorist incident as well
as to identify and investigate the terrorist himself. The CTP staff can
also provide the law enforcement community with the understanding to
identify and deal with the unique emotional characteristics experienced
by individuals involved in traumatic events and crisis.
first responders
``The rules have changed'', and your response must adapt to this
new type of warfare. Fire, police, EMS, and HazMat personnel have been
and will continue to be the front line of defense for terrorist-types
of incidents on our own soil. Continuing education is the most
effective way to assure a safe response.
The National Center for Excellence in Environmental Management
(NCEEM) has long been established as an excellent trainer for first
responders. Training in HazMat, incident command, and confined space
promotes better responses to other incidents including the ``unique''
type, i.e. terrorism, clandestine drug labs, environmental crimes, etc.
where cooperation between agencies is a must. Through grants from the
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, HazMat classes many times are
offered free to Ohio First Responders. Currently, we are determining if
the terrorism classes can be offered under this plan.
The Center for Terrorism Preparedness (CTP) offers courses to first
responders under the same general levels of training already
established for hazardous materials incidents. The Terrorism Overview
course is an excellent awareness level course for all first responders.
Operations level personnel should receive the Emergency Response to
Terrorism: Operations Level course and technicians will benefit from
the Emergency Response to Terrorism: Technician Level course.
Each course gives the participant an overview of current and past
terrorist type acts, recognition clues for the various types of
weaponry (biological, nuclear, chemical, incendiary, and explosive) and
suggested response guidelines. The technician class also explores the
use of military and civilian detection devices currently being offered
for use in a WMD event. These courses are constantly updated to reflect
the current but ever changing climate that we are facing each day.
Whether you are training 5 or 500, the CTPs use of qualified
instructors (either retired or still actively working as first
responders) will assure a fresh and relevant education.
In addition, The CTP has recently been named as a ``Public Health
Center for Bioterrorism Preparedness'' from the CDC. In its role the
CTP's additional responsibilities include research and the development
of technology to respond to the rapidly changing bioterrorism response
environment.
The CTP also specializes in custom designing training programs, and
offering them at client locations coast to coast. Approximately 80
percent of the work conducted through the Center is performed at our
client's location.
Terrorism in Schools: Be Prepared, Not Scared!
The threat of terrorism is real and affects all of us.
The University of Findlay's Center for Terrorism Preparedness has
developed a CD-ROM to prepare school employees for terrorist attacks
and other acts of violence. The purpose of this training CD is to
ensure proper planning, prevention, and response in the event of a bomb
threat or a chemical or biological incident. The goal is not to
frighten, but to educate school personnel on standard techniques that
will help to ensure the safety of staff and students.
The CD-ROM is broken down into 10 sections based upon job category,
such as teacher, custodian, administrator, and school nurse. Video
scenarios are given for each job category, showing one or more scenes
involving a suspicious incident or event. The result of an improper
response is then discussed, and a checklist is given of the proper
procedures and preparation for such incidents. This checklist can also
be printed for a reference, and a resource section presents relevant
links for additional material.
teacher
As a teacher, your primary role is the safety of your classroom and
students. In the event of a disaster, you are the first responder. By
recognizing the potential areas of concern illustrated in the following
scenario, remaining alert to them at all times, and understanding the
proper responses, you can ensure the safety of your students and
yourself.
oxley, dewine announce antiterrorism grant for the university of
findlay
Washington, December 20, 2001.--The University of Findlay will
receive a $1.6 million Federal grant for terrorism preparedness
training, U.S. Congressman Michael G. Oxley (R-Findlay) and U.S.
Senator Mike DeWine announced today.
``The University of Findlay is poised to play a leading role in
protecting the citizens of Ohio and the U.S. against terrorism,'' Oxley
said. ``The University foresaw this threat when if formed The Center
for Terrorism Preparedness. The tragic events of September 11th have
demonstrated how important it is for us to be able to respond to
catastrophes.''
``As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked to
ensure that the University of Findlay's antiterrorism program received
careful attention during the appropriations process,'' said Senator
DeWine. ``Clearly, Americans are now aware of the very real potential
for terrorist attacks.''
The $1.6 million grant was part of the Labor-HHS-Education
Appropriations conference report. The Senate approved the bill today,
following House passage on Wednesday. Oxley expressed appreciation to
Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ralph Regula (R-Navarre) for his
support.
The University of Findlay plans to use the money to further develop
its training programs and facilities. The Findlay program has the
distinction of being one of only 14 units in the U.S. officially
designated as bioterrorism response centers by the Centers for Disease
Control.
``The University of Findlay is working with the Centers for Disease
Control and partners in Ohio to fill a critical gap in education and
training. As a former FBI agent, I know that the U.S. faces very real
threats,'' Oxley stated.
``Ohio is fortunate to have a high-quality bioterrorism
preparedness training program at the University of Findlay,'' said
Senator DeWine. ``The University is in a prime position to help ensure
the first responders to a bioterrorism attack are prepared.'' Oxley and
DeWine have a long record of support for the University of Findlay's
terrorism response and hazardous materials program.
The grant will be administered by the Health Resources and Services
Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services.
uf/nwtc partnership established
Findlay, Ohio, Jan. 18, 2002.--The University of Findlay's Center
for Terrorism Preparedness and the National Wilderness Training Center,
Inc., (NWTC) have announced a partnership to provide high quality
special operations and tactical training to law enforcement, military
and select corporate security communities as it relates to terrorism.
The partnership will provide hands-on, practical-based education
and training to develop a fully integrated preparation, response and
recovery program to effectively combat the threat of terrorism.
Courses offered by the Center for Terrorism Preparedness at UF give
the officer an overview of current and past terrorist type acts,
recognition clues for the various types of weaponry most likely to be
encountered and suggested response guidelines. All courses are designed
with the law enforcement officer in mind and are tailored specifically
to enhance enforcement operations when preventing, responding to or
countering a critical incident.
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