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Senate Passes Homeland Security Spending Bill Read more here... President Obama Names Chief Kelvin Cochran to Head USFA Read more here... Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2010 Homeland Security Bill Read more here... House Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2010 Homeland Security Bill Read more here... For past alerts click here
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Night at the Nationals
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FRI 2009
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CFSI Webinar Series: America Burning The webinar from July 31, 2009 featuring Louis Amabili is now available for download. Please CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD CFSI Is Now On Facebook To view our facebook page logon to www.facebook.com and do a search for Congressional Fire Services Institute. We will be using the page to send out breaking news alerts, event updates and other valuable information. CFSI / DCFD Night Out at the Nationals On September 10, 2009 CFSI in partnership with DCFD will host the 2nd Annual Night at the Nationals at Nationals Ballpark. Come out and enjoy some food and baseball while showing your support for CFSI and the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department. A hospitality area will be provided prior to the game at 5:40. Complimentary food and beverages will be served and all guests will receive a free seat cushion for the game. All guests will be ushered to their seats following the first pitch at approximately 7:10 p.m. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets. Caucus Recruitment is Vital As you may know, last week marked the start of the 111th Congress. This will be an exciting year with a new administration and several new members in both the House and Senate. It will also be a year of opportunities as we will concentrate our efforts on introducing these newly elected officials to the important issues of the fire and emergency services. Encouraging members of Congress to join the Congressional Fire Services Caucus is among our top priorities. We look to you for support as we take on this initiative. If your elected representatives are not members of the Fire Caucus, encourage them to join. They are more inclined to join if they hear from local fire officials. The fact that the Fire Caucus is the largest caucus in Congress with approximately 300 members speaks to the nonpartisan nature of the organization. When former Congressman Curt Weldon established the Fire Caucus in 1987, Congress lacked a forum where fire and emergency services issues could be discussed on a nonpartisan level. Weldon recognized that many members did not have an accurate understanding of the mission of local fire departments and the deficiencies in terms of training and equipment in many departments across America. This is why the Caucus was formed, and this is why it continues to play such an important role on Capitol Hill in addressing first responders issues.
But again, members must hear from you to convince them that joining the Fire Caucus benefits them as well as their fire service constituents. And your discussion with them should be the start of an ongoing dialogue in which information is continually exchanged to help both parties understand your respective positions on important issues. To help CFSI launch its efforts to encourage members to join the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, please follow these steps: 1) Visit www.house.gov and www.senate.gov if you are uncertain of your member's name or mailing address. Otherwise, visit http://www.cfsi.org/govt_affairs/caucus_list.asp to see if your members are currently serving on the Fire Caucus. If not, write a letter encouraging them to join. A prepared form letter can be downloaded from our website by clicking here. Share the letter with other members of your department, as well as surrounding departments, and encourage them to send similar letters. If your members are on the caucus, send them a thank you letter encouraging them to be active on fire service issues during the 111th Congress. A draft letter is available by clicking here. To view both letters click here. 2) In your letter, ask for a meeting with the staff person assigned to homeland security issues. Maintain contact with the staff person and always be cordial in your conversations. Continued outreach and face-to-face meetings are important for advancing your agenda in Congress. 3) Hopefully you will have a successful meeting and your Member will be made aware of the issues that are most important to you. But remember, the process doesn't stop with one meeting. Stay in touch with your point of contact in the Congressional office. Send an email from time to time keeping them apprised on the issues you are concerned with and the events happening in your community. You become an important resource by keeping the lines of communication open. 4) Remind them of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, a nonpartisan policy institute designed to provide objective information to Congress about the critical issues being address on Capitol Hill that impact our nation's fire and emergency services. We track all the important fire service initiatives under consideration in Congress and work with the other major fire service organizations to build consensus on the issues that address the overall needs of our one million firefighters and rescue personnel. And as we face these daunting economic challenges that will make it difficult for local departments to purchase equipment and training, please consider supporting the mission of CFSI. We will continue to serve as the lead organization in convincing Congress and the new Administration to fund the FIRE Act, a program that has provided over $4 billion in direct grants to local fire departments throughout the country. Unlike other fire organizations, we do not receive any government funding; instead we rely on the support of organizations and individuals. We recognize that the FIRE Act is the primary source of funding for departments to replace aging apparatus and equipment. That is why we will be dedicating our efforts this year to preserving funding for this program. If you believe in the mission of CFSI, we kindly ask that you visit our website and become a member of the Associates Club. This a great way to stay involved with CFSI and give back to the one organization that is working with all fire and emergency services organizations on Capitol Hill. Donation amounts can range anywhere from $25 - $1,000. Thank you in advance for your support, and if you ever have any questions or concerns we urge you to contact us at (202) 371-1277 or email us at update@cfsi.org. Just as you continue to protect this country, we will continue to serve and protect you in our nation's Capitol. Stay safe,
Bill Webb, Executive Director
Do You Want to Help CFSI? The best way to help CFSI would be to support CFSI. CFSI is a non-profit, non-partisan policy institute located on Capitol Hill. Our mission is to educate members of Congress on issues facing fire and emergency services. To show your support for our organization there are a couple of things you can do. The first would be to sign up for the newly created Associates Club and the second would be stopping by our online store and purchasing CFSI branded merchandise.
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