[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2887 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2887
To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a survey to
determine the level of compliance with national consensus standards and
any barriers to achieving compliance with such standards, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 17, 2008
Mr. Brown (for himself, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Lieberman) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a survey to
determine the level of compliance with national consensus standards and
any barriers to achieving compliance with such standards, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Firefighter Fatality Reduction Act
of 2008''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Each year in the United States, over 100 firefighters
die in the line of duty, while an additional tens of thousands
of firefighters are injured.
(2) The Federal Government has a vested interest in
protecting firefighter health and safety, as it relies on local
fire departments to efficiently and effectively implement the
National Response Framework in the response to major disasters.
(3) Adequate training, proper personal protective
equipment, safe staffing levels, safe operating procedures, and
physical and mental fitness of firefighters can reduce
avoidable firefighter fatalities.
(4) The fire services, in conjunction with Government
agencies and interested private-sector parties, has partnered
with standards-making bodies to develop national consensus
standards for safe fire department operations and fire fighting
capabilities.
(5) Such standards are widely respected and promoted by all
facets of the fire service to better ensure firefighter health
and safety.
(6) Through its Firefighter Fatality Investigation and
Prevention Program, the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health has identified the failure to follow specific
national consensus standards as a contributing factor in many
firefighter deaths.
(7) A comprehensive accounting of fire department
compliance with national consensus standards would help policy
makers seeking to enhance public safety and reduce avoidable
firefighter fatalities.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act--
(1) the term ``fire department'' includes a career,
volunteer, or combination fire department operated by the
Federal Government, a State, or a local government;
(2) the term ``fire service'' has the meaning given that
term in section 4 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control
Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203);
(3) the term ``national consensus standards'' means the
most recently issued national consensus standards for staffing,
training, safe operations, personal protective equipment, and
fitness relating to fire department operations and firefighting
practices, as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
(4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Homeland
Security; and
(5) the term ``Task Force'' means the Task Force to Enhance
Firefighter Safety established under section 5(a).
SEC. 4. SURVEY BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
(a) Survey Required.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall begin to conduct a survey of
each fire department located in the United States, under which the
Secretary shall determine whether each such fire department is in
compliance with national consensus standards.
(b) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the
findings of the survey required under subsection (a), including an
accounting of whether each fire department located in the United States
is in compliance with national consensus standards.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE TO ENHANCE FIREFIGHTER SAFETY.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 120 days after the date on which
the Secretary submits the report to Congress required under section
4(b), the Secretary shall establish a task force to be known as the
Task Force to Enhance Firefighter Safety.
(b) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The members of the Task Force shall be
appointed by the Secretary and shall include--
(A) representatives of national organizations
representing firefighters and fire chiefs;
(B) individuals representing standards-setting and
accrediting organizations relating to fire department
operations and firefighting practices, including
representatives from the voluntary consensus codes and
standards development community; and
(C) other individuals as the Secretary determines
to be appropriate.
(2) Representatives of other departments and agencies.--The
Secretary may invite representatives of other departments and
agencies of the Federal Government that have an interest in the
fire service to participate in the meetings and other
activities of the Task Force.
(3) Number; terms of service; pay and allowances.--The
Secretary shall determine the number, terms of service, and pay
and allowances of members of the Task Force appointed by the
Secretary, except that a term of service of any such member may
not exceed 2 years.
(c) Responsibilities.--The Task Force shall develop a plan to
enhance firefighter safety by increasing fire department compliance
with national consensus standards. In developing the plan under this
subsection, the Task Force shall consider ways in which the Federal
Government, States, and local governments can promote, encourage, or
require fire departments to comply with national consensus standards.
(d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the Secretary establishes the Task Force, the Task Force shall
submit to Congress and the Secretary a report containing the findings
and recommendations of the Task Force together with the plan described
in subsection (c).
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