David Mulhausen, Ph.D. recently published this report criticizing the effectiveness of fire grants administered by FEMA for the conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation:
Ineffective Fire Grants
Fire grants, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), encompass a number of grant programs. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program subsidizes the routine activities of local fire departments and emergency management organizations. The Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) grants fund projects to improve the safety of firefighters and the public from fire and related hazards. Created in late 2003, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants are intended to increase staffing levels by funding the salaries of career firefighters and paying for recruitment activities for volunteer fire departments.
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By STEVE SCHWARTZ
Message from LION CEO
Th
is Sunday marks ten years since 9/11.
It’s a time for remembrance. Nearly 3,000 people were murdered. Each loss creates an unfillable void for family, friends, our fire service and first responder community, and the nation.
It’s a time for reflection. Right after 9/11, as a country, we stood as one. That sense of oneness has looked and felt increasingly fragile over the past two years of economic and political turmoil in our country.
It’s a time for renewed solidarity: to recommit ourselves to a belief in that oneness that we felt so strongly 10 years ago. The challenges we face in each of our communities and in the nation can only be solved through believing in oneness not divisiveness. Divisiveness is what our enemies hope for.
We must also recommit ourselves to the defense of our country – and to its core values. On 9/11, we were attacked by radical Islamist forces not for a specific policy, but for who we are. Remember: in 1993, under a different president from a different party, there was another deadly terror attack on the Twin Towers. It’s America – and what we stand for – that’s the target.
I thank each of our first responders for putting your lives on the line daily to keep our families and communities safe. I hope our nation never experiences anything like 9/11 again, but if we do, know that we as a company are doing everything we can to keep you safe and ready to respond to whatever challenge you face.
Stay Safe.
From PoliceOne.com
Police in the United States and Canada have been sending out SWAT teams in response to prank phone calls about fake hostage situations, officials say.
The practice, called “swatting,” has been increasing in both countries in recent months, ABC News reports.
A swatter or group of swatters is often behind multiple incidents, and copycatting is common, said Kevin Kolbye, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas office, which headed the first federal swatting case in 2007.
“Same as you find when a highly publicized serial killer is around, you find a lot of copycatting,” Kolbye said. “So when crimes receive national attention, you find people who are intrigued with this type of crime and they emulate it.”
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Situational awareness. Evolving threats. Mission specific. Readiness. These are all terms with which first responders are all very familiar.
Whether it be recent events such as potential backlash from the death of Osama bin Laden, a high-profile sporting event, dignitary visit or an unknown chemical threat, it is critical that today’s first responders are ready to respond when duty calls.
Key criteria in being ready? Being properly trained and having the right equipment to do what the mission is asking of you.
Check out this short video clip from KSTP Channel 5 Eyewitness News out of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area talking to the WMD team from Hennepin County, Minn., who has recently upgraded its CBRN protective ensembles from 1980s charcoal technology to the LION MT94 CBRN ensemble to ensure its responders are ready for action.
The New York Times reported that the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that fleeing from the police in a car is a violent felony that can subject criminals to mandatory 15-year prison terms, in a 6-to-3 decision.
According to the article, the decision was the court’s fourth encounter since 2007 with a phrase in a federal law, the Armed Career Criminal Act. Under the law, convicted felons found with guns face a maximum sentence of 10 years, but those with three convictions for violent felonies are subject to a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence.
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By Kevin Davis
for Officer.com
Carry All the Time
My eldest daughter, her husband and my lovely granddaughter live only a minute’s drive from my wife and me but when I leave my house to head over there, I carry a pistol. My daughter asked, “Why are you carrying your gun here?” I responded that frequently her mother wants me to go to the store or other errands and by carrying a pistol I’m ready for such sojourns. After all, I had a pistol on my ankle when I walked her down the aisle…
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Organizations understand the need for being prepared and ready for disasters, but often consider the process for getting better prepared as cumbersome and complicated. Since its inception in 2008, the Ready Rating program has been recognized by preparedness experts as the much needed, easy to understand and not intimidating solution for helping an organization take the steps to become prepared to respond to and successfully withstand a disaster and other emergencies.
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You might laugh, but the CDC has set up a page of widgets and resources for your website to promote being ready for the coming zombie apocalypse. With the tagline “If you’re ready for a zombie apocalypse, then you’re ready for any emergency,” the social media promotion hopes that if people prepare for the comically worst, they’ll actually have a plan in place in the event of a real disaster.
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One of 18 new bullet-resistant vest for Hemet firefighters. Photo courtesy of The Press Enterprise.
John Asbury
For The Press-Enterprise
Hemet firefighters will now wear body armor when responding to threatening calls or deadly situations.
The department purchased 18 bullet-resistant vests last year in the wake of nine attacks on Hemet police, Fire Chief Bill Whealan said. Fire officials said although the attacks were targeting the Police Department, booby traps were set to kill first responders.
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May 1-7 marks this year’s Arson Awareness Week. The theme “Working Together to Extinguish Serial Arson” focuses the public attention on the value of a collaborative effort with law enforcement, fire and emergency service departments, and the community to battle serial arsonists.
The goal for this year’s Arson Awareness Week (AAW) is to focus attention on serial arsonists and provide law enforcement, the fire service, and communities with tools and tactics to battle arson in their cities and towns. The USFA is partnering with the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); USAonWatch; National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM); National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC); and the Insurance Committee for Arson Control (ICAC).
Click here to find out more information including training material, how to establish a community arson watch program and more!
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