article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``United States Fire Administration Authorization Act of 2003''. SEC. 2. UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATOR. Notwithstanding section 1513 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 553), the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall continue to be appointed and compensated as provided under section 5(b) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2204(b)). SEC. 3. NATIONAL RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLER STRATEGY. Section 30 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2226) is amended-- (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The Director, acting''; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: ``(b) National Residential Fire Sprinkler Strategy.--The Administrator shall develop and implement a strategy for promoting the installation and use of residential fire sprinklers. The strategy shall include-- ``(1) advocacy and informational support to relevant stakeholders, including builders, insurers, and State and local decisionmakers; ``(2) promotion of residential sprinklers in residences supported by the Federal Government; ``(3) a particular focus on residences-- ``(A) at high risk to fire hazards; and ``(B) with occupants at high risk to fire hazards, such as senior citizens and persons with disabilities; and ``(4) a particular focus on localized fire suppression in high-risk areas of residences.''. SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR TRAINING TO FIGHT MARITIME FIRES. Subsection (b)(3)(B) of the first section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229(b)(3)(B)) is amended by inserting ``maritime firefighting,'' after ``arson prevention and detection,''. SEC. 5. FIREFIGHTER ASSISTANCE GRANTS PROGRAM. The first section 33 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2229) is amended-- (1) by striking ``Director'' each place it appears and inserting ``Administrator''; (2) by amending subsection (b)(2) to read as follows: ``(2) Administrative assistance.--The Administrator shall establish specific criteria for the selection of recipients of assistance under this section and shall provide grant-writing assistance to applicants.''; and (3) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ``operate the office established under subsection (b)(2) and''. SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. Section 17(g)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``to carry out the purposes'' and all that follows through the end of subparagraph (K) and inserting ``to the Administrator to carry out the purposes of this Act, other than the firefighter assistance program under section 33-- ``(A) $58,928,000 for fiscal year 2004; ``(B) $60,700,000 for fiscal year 2005; and ``(C) $62,520,000 for fiscal year 2006.''. SEC. 7. COURSES AND TRAINING ASSISTANCE. Section 7(l) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(l)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``The Superintendent shall offer, at the Academy and at other sites, courses and training assistance as necessary to accommodate all geographic regions and needs of career and volunteer firefighters.''. SEC. 8. NEW FIREFIGHTING TECHNOLOGY. (a) In General.--Section 8 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2207) is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following: ``(e) Development of New Technology.-- ``(1) In general.--In addition to, or as part of, the program conducted under subsection (a), the Administrator, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Inter-Agency Board for Equipment Standardization and Inter-Operability, national voluntary consensus standards development organizations, interested Federal, State, and local agencies, and other interested parties, shall-- ``(A) develop new, and utilize existing, measurement techniques and testing methodologies for evaluating new firefighting technologies, including-- ``(i) personal protection equipment; ``(ii) devices for advance warning of extreme hazard; ``(iii) equipment for enhanced vision; ``(iv) devices to locate victims, firefighters, and other rescue personnel in above-ground and below-ground structures; ``(v) equipment and methods to provide information for incident command, including the monitoring and reporting of individual personnel welfare; ``(vi) equipment and methods for training, especially for virtual reality training; and ``(vii) robotics and other remote- controlled devices; ``(B) evaluate the compatibility of new equipment and technology with existing firefighting technology; and ``(C) support the development of new voluntary consensus standards through national voluntary consensus standards organizations for new firefighting technologies based on techniques and methodologies described in subparagraph (A). ``(2) Standards for new equipment.--(A) The Administrator shall, by regulation, require that new equipment or systems purchased through the assistance program established by section 33 meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus standards for such equipment or systems for which applicable voluntary consensus standards have been established. The Administrator may waive the requirement under this subparagraph with respect to specific standards. ``(B) If an applicant for a grant under section 33 proposes to purchase, with assistance provided under the grant, new equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus standards, the applicant shall include in the application an explanation of why such equipment or systems will serve the needs of the applicant better than equipment or systems that do meet or exceed such standards. ``(C) In making a determination whether or not to waive the requirement under subparagraph (A) with respect to a specific standard, the Administrator shall, to the greatest extent practicable-- ``(i) consult with grant applicants and other members of the fire services regarding the impact on fire departments of the requirement to meet or exceed the specific standard; ``(ii) take into consideration the explanation provided by the applicant under subparagraph (B); and ``(iii) seek to minimize the impact of the requirement to meet or exceed the specific standard on the applicant, particularly if meeting the standard would impose additional costs. ``(D) Applicants that apply for a grant under the terms of subparagraph (B) may include a second grant request in the application to be considered by the Administrator in the event that the Administrator does not approve the primary grant request on the grounds of the equipment not meeting applicable voluntary consensus standards.''. (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 17 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2216) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(i) Development of New Technology.--In addition to sums otherwise authorized under this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out section 8(e)-- ``(1) $2,200,000 for fiscal year 2004; ``(2) $2,250,000 for fiscal year 2005; and ``(3) $2,300,000 for fiscal year 2006.''. SEC. 9. COORDINATION OF RESPONSE TO NATIONAL EMERGENCY. (a) In General.--Section 10 of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2209) is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following: ``(b) Mutual Aid Systems.-- ``(1) In general.--The Administrator, after consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall provide technical assistance and training to State and local fire service officials to establish nationwide and State mutual aid systems for dealing with national emergencies that-- ``(A) include threat assessment and equipment deployment strategies; ``(B) include means of collecting asset and resource information to provide accurate and timely data for regional deployment; and ``(C) are consistent with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Federal Response Plan. ``(2) Model mutual aid plans.--The Administrator, in consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall develop and make available to State and local fire service officials model mutual aid plans for both intrastate and interstate assistance.''. (b) Report on Strategic Needs.--Within 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Science on the need for a strategy concerning deployment of volunteers and emergency response personnel (as defined in section 6 of the Firefighters' Safety Study Act (15 U.S.C. 2223e), including a national credentialing system, in the event of a national emergency. (c) Update of Federal Response Plan.--Within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall-- (1) revise that Agency's Federal Response Plan to incorporate plans for responding to terrorist attacks, particularly in urban areas, including fire detection and suppression and related emergency services; and (2) transmit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Science describing the action taken to comply with paragraph (1). SEC. 10. TRAINING. (a) In General.--Section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) is amended-- (1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon in subparagraph (E); (2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as subparagraph (N); and (3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following: ``(F) strategies for building collapse rescue; ``(G) the use of technology in response to fires, including terrorist incidents and other national emergencies; ``(H) response, tactics, and strategies for dealing with terrorist-caused national catastrophes; ``(I) use of and familiarity with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Federal Response Plan; ``(J) leadership and strategic skills, including integrated management systems operations and integrated response; ``(K) applying new technology and developing strategies and tactics for fighting forest fires; ``(L) integrating terrorism response agencies into the national terrorism incident response system; ``(M) response tactics and strategies for fighting fires at United States ports, including fires on the water and aboard vessels; and''. (b) Consultation on Fire Academy Classes.--The Superintendent of the National Fire Academy may consult with other Federal, State, and local agency officials in developing curricula for classes offered by the Academy. (c) Coordination With Other Programs To Avoid Duplication.--The Administrator of the United States Fire Administration shall, where appropriate, coordinate training provided under section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2206(d)(1)) with the heads of other Federal agencies-- (1) to ensure that such training does not duplicate existing courses available to fire service personnel; and (2) to establish a mechanism for eliminating duplicative training programs.
summary: United States Fire Administration Authorization Act of 2003 - (Sec. 2) Re-establishes the position of United States Fire Administrator. (Sec. 3) Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to require the Administrator to develop and implement a national residential fire sprinkler strategy that meets specified requirements. (Sec. 4) Allows the use of fire prevention program grant assistance for training of firefighting personnel in maritime firefighting. (Sec. 5) Transfers the duties of the Director of the United States Fire Administration to the Administrator with respect to the firefighter assistance grants program. Requires the Administrator to: (1) establish specific criteria for the selection of assistance recipients; and (2) provide grant-writing assistance to applicants. (Sec. 6) Authorizes FY 2004 through 2006 appropriations for the Administrator to carry out this Act other than the firefighter assistance grants program. (Sec. 7) Requires the Superintendent of the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control to offer, at the Academy and other sites, courses and training assistance as necessary to accommodate all geographic regions and needs of career and volunteer firefighters. (Sec. 8) Directs the Administrator to: (1) develop new, and utilize existing, measurement techniques and testing methodologies for evaluating firefighting technologies; (2) evaluate the compatibility of new and existing equipment and technology; and (3) support the development of new standards through national voluntary consensus standards organizations for new firefighting technologies. Requires the Administrator, by regulation, to require that new equipment or systems purchased through the assistance program established by the Act meet or exceed established applicable voluntary consensus standards. Allows the Administrator to waive this requirement. Requires a grant applicant, who proposes to purchase with assistance provided under the grant new equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed applicable voluntary consensus standards, to include in the application an explanation of why such equipment or systems will serve the needs of the applicant better than equipment or systems that do meet or exceed such standards. Allows a grant applicant to include a second grant request in the application to be considered by the Administrator in the event the primary grant request is not approved on the grounds of the equipment not meeting such standards. Authorizes FY 2004 through 2006 appropriations for the Administrator to develop new firefighting technology. (Sec. 9) Directs the Administrator to: (1) provide technical assistance and training to State and local fire service officials to establish nationwide and State mutual aid systems for dealing with national emergencies; and (2) develop and make model mutual aid plans for both intrastate and interstate assistance available to State and local fire service officials. Requires the Administrator to report to specified congressional committees on the need for a strategy concerning deployment of volunteers and emergency response personnel, including a national credentialing system, in the event of a national emergency. Requires the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to: (1) revise the FEMA Federal Response Plan to incorporate plans for responding to terrorist attacks, particularly in urban areas, including fire detection and suppression and related emergency services; and (2) report to specified congressional committees on the action taken to comply with such revisions. (Sec. 10) Authorizes the Superintendent of the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control to train fire service personnel in: (1) strategies for building collapse rescue; (2) the use of technology in response to fires; (3) response, tactics, and strategies for dealing with terrorist-caused national catastrophes; (4) use of and familiarity with the FEMA's Federal Response Plan; (5) leadership and strategic skills, including integrated management systems operations and integrated response; (6) applying new technology and developing strategies and tactics for fighting forest fires; (7) integrating terrorism response agencies into the national terrorism incident response system; and (8) response tactics and strategies for fighting fires at U.S. ports, including fires on the water and aboard vessels. Authorizes the Superintendent to consult with other Federal, State, and local agency officials in developing curricula for classes offered by the Academy. Requires the Administrator, where appropriate, to coordinate training provided under the Act with the heads of other Federal agencies to: (1) ensure that such training does not duplicate existing courses available to fire service personnel; and (2) establish a mechanism for eliminating duplicative programs.