US Fire Administration & National Fire Academy Funding

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) appreciates the opportunity to be here today to express our views and experiences regarding the United States Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy.

My name is Ken Newton. I am the NVFC Director from the state of New York as well as past President of the Fireman's Association of the State of New York. I have been a volunteer firefighter in the state of New York for 35 years.

The National Volunteer Fire Council represents the interests of the nation's 800,000 volunteer fire and emergency personnel who staff nearly 30,000 fire departments nationwide. Roughly 75% of the nation's firefighters are volunteers.

These volunteers generally work full time jobs and have families in addition to donating their time and expertise for the safety of their communities. They are your friends and neighbors. They are also the first responders in many communities to the scene of automobile accidents, house fires, medical emergencies, natural disasters and even terrorist attacks. Volunteers responded to the Oklahoma City bombing and the World Trade Center bombing. They also count the wildfire on Long Island in New York in 1994 among the many wildfires they respond to every year.

More and more Americans are moving away from major metropolitan centers into the suburban and rural areas that are generally protected by volunteer departments. This is creating an increased demand on the volunteer service. In spite of this trend, the ranks of the volunteer fire service membership are dwindling at a rate of 2-3% per year.

In order for America's shrinking volunteer fire service to provide adequate protection for an increasing population, it must be sufficiently trained and educated. The United States Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy play a critical role in providing this education and training to all fire and rescue personnel throughout the United States.

Each and every program that the USFA sponsors in the arena of fire prevention, education and training provides benefit to the volunteer fire services' main objective, which is reducing the loss of life and property in America.

The USFA also provides programs that are specifically geared towards the unique needs of the volunteer fire service and they include:

• Training of volunteer firefighters in the wildland/urban interface which is increasing throughout the United States.
• Providing information and workshops on issues such as fire cause determination and juvenile fire-setting.
• Providing information on new and emerging technologies which address the issues of recruitment and retention of volunteer personnel, EMS issues as they relate to the volunteer service.
• Firefighter health and safety issues.
• Utilization of the Internet and other computer technology as a training and education resource for the fire service.
• Providing data and statistical information which the volunteer fire service can utilize in preparing long range plans.
• Providing a vehicle by which volunteer concerns are not only heard, but addressed through specific and timely programs and projects.

The most visible and direct benefit that the USFA provides to the volunteer fire service is the hosting of the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) at the National Fire Academy. This program is as intensive six day educational opportunity designed specifically for the volunteer fire service officer. Topics of the course include:

• Fire Command Operations
• Community Fire Protection: Master Planning
• Fire Cause Determination for Company Officers
• Leadership and Administration.

The National Fire Academy compresses two weeks worth of course work into an intensive six day session. This is an essential benefit to many volunteers who can't take two weeks off to attend classes.

In addition to extensive training and education programs, USFA provides assistance to the National Volunteer Fire Council in the form of cooperative agreements that provide us with the resources necessary to support training and education programs for the volunteer fire service.

The most recent agreement has enabled the Council to greatly improve the flow of information within the volunteer fire service about retention and recruitment problems and solutions. A vast amount of information was compiled through a series of nine regional recruitment and retention workshops held across the country. Nine regional reports were created as a result of these workshops. Today, many departments are using these reports in an effort to reverse the trend of declining membership.

This project has also enabled the NVFC to create a homepage on the World Wide Web that is designed to be a one stop information source for the volunteer emergency services. This frequently updated resource provides volunteers with instantly accessible information about regulations and standards, news, retention and recruitment, training and legislation. Through the NVFC homepage, volunteers can connect to other valuable Internet resources as well, including FEMA, USFA, and the NFA's homepages which provide current information for the first responder.

As partners in the President's National Arson Prevention Initiative, the USFA and the NVFC conducted a workshop in Forsyth, Georgia designed to give those charged with the responsibility for managing the problem of arson in their communities the skills they need to accomplish that task. The workshop also provided first responders with essential knowledge to enable them to recognize the potential for an intentionally set fire, preserve evidence which could be valuable in convicting an arsonist, and properly report the information to the appropriate officials.

The efforts of the NVFC, USFA and the other partners in the President's National Arson Prevention Initiative have been successful in reducing the numbers of church arsons that have recently victimized many of our nation's communities.

A 1991 study, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, estimated that it would cost $36.8 billion annually to pay volunteer firefighters for their services. The programs of the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy provide a critical resource in preparing volunteer personnel to provide this service. Unfortunately, these programs can only reach a small percentage of the fire and emergency services with their limited resources. The budgets of the USFA and the NFA must reflect the need to expand their programs to provide training and education to a greater percentage of the emergency services.

Additionally, the United States is increasingly vulnerable to the threat of terrorist attacks from both foreign and domestic enemies, hazardous materials incidents, wildland/urban interface fires and EMS calls. We must insure that our nation's first responders are prepared to meet all of the challenges that may face them in their duties as protectors of America's lives and property. The USFA and the National Fire Academy are the fire services most valuable resource for such training and education. It is therefore critical for the safety of our citizens that these agencies be sufficiently funded.

Thank you again for the opportunity to speak to you today. I will now answer any questions from the Committee.

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