House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
Research and Technology Subcommittee
Reauthorizing the U.S. Fire Administration and Fire Grant Programs: Evaluating Effectiveness and Preparedness for Modern Challenges
The purpose of the hearing is to review the effectiveness and priorities of the United States Fire Administration and the Assistance to Firefighters (FIRE) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs. The hearing will help inform legislation to address current program authorizations that expire on September 30, 2023.
Opening Statements:- Subcommittee Chairman Mike Collins
- Chairman Frank Lucas
- Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. Fire Administrator, U.S. Fire Administration
- Chief Donna Black, President, International Association of Fire Chiefs
- Kevin B. O’Connor, Assistant to the General President, International Association of Fire Fighters
- David Bullard, Volunteer Firefighter and Past President, Georgia State Firefighters Association
- Kevin Reardon, State Fire Marshall, State of Ohio
- What are the priority needs for the fire safety of the nation?
- What emerging fire safety issues should Congress be aware of and is the Fire Administration taking steps to address them?
- What is the proper role of the federal government, working with state and local governments, in addressing fire safety?
- How effective and efficient are the merit-reviewed FIRE and SAFER grant programs?
- How can the USFA and the fire grants programs be improved?
- How can the USFA facilitate information and data sharing regarding best practices and fire incidents?
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) is an entity within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Its mission is to provide leadership, coordination, and support for the nation’s fire prevention and control, fire training and education, and emergency medical services activities, and to prepare first responders to react to all hazard and terrorism emergencies. USFA is located on the grounds of the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, MD.
The genesis of USFA and FEMA’s fire prevention and control activities (and the House Science Committee’s jurisdiction) was a 1973 report of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, entitled America Burning. The commission recommended the creation of a federal fire agency to provide support to state and local governments and private fire organizations in their efforts to reduce fire deaths, injuries, and property loss. In legislation developed by the Science Committee, Congress placed the agency in the Department of Commerce and with the passage of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-498), the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration (NFPCA) was established. In 1978, Congress changed the name of NFPCA to USFA (P.L. 95-422), and in 1979, President Carter’s Reorganization Plan placed the USFA within the newly created FEMA.