A coalition of leading EMS organizations is lobbying for passage of a bill to allocate the 700 MHz D Block for public safety use. Following the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) failure in 2008 to auction the D Block to a private buyer to manage the spectrum for public safety organizations’ use, the agency decided to forego the special designation of that broadband spectrum (see April 2010 Best Practices).
The proposed bill, the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act, would deploy a nationwide public safety interoperable broadband network in the 700 MHz band in rural and urban areas and direct the FCC to allocate this spectrum for use by public safety entities, among other provisions. The American Ambulance Association, the Association of Air Medical Services, Advocates for EMS, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, the National EMS Management Association and the National Association of State EMS Officials, to name a few, signed a letter in support of the bill. That letter was sent to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chair Sen. John D. Rockefeller, who oversees this issue. Furthermore, the International Association of Fire Chiefs joined the “national day of action,” organized by the Public Safety Alliance, to encourage bill supporters to call their senators on Sept. 22, 2010.
The bill is in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. While there are similar bills under consideration, there is no matching bill currently in the House.
In related news, the FCC released a request for comment on whether allocating the 700 MHz spectrum for broadband services is compatible with existing and future public safety narrowband operations. The deadline for commenting is Jan. 7, 2011. For more information, visit fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2010/db0928/DA-10-1877A1.doc.
OIG Finds Progress in FEMA’s Catastrophic Planning
In a follow-up report to its 2008 analysis, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made progress in its catastrophic disaster planning.
The OIG found FEMA made substantial progress in one of 10 key overall areas examined; moderate progress in seven areas; and modest progress in two areas. The agency made only modest or limited progress on several goals within these areas. For instance, moderate progress was made in overall planning, but only modest progress was made in two components of this category: developing a strategy to guide the integration of prevention, response and recovery efforts; and enhancing community disaster preparedness.
Progress in emergency communications was found to be substantial, as was the agency’s clarification of the responsibilities and authorities of the principal federal official and federal coordinating officer. FEMA’s evacuation capability improved moderately; coordination and support also received a moderate rating, reflecting the agency’s modest success in implementing the National Response Framework and specific operations plans. Mission assignments, including management; guidance over regulations, policies and operating procedures; and improved staffing and training were found only modestly improved since 2008. Disaster workforce, a category including the adoption of a strategic human capital plan, managing the disaster workforce and integrating workforce management tracking systems, also was modestly improved.
The OIG concluded that FEMA would benefit from increased oversight of the key preparedness areas to ensure that implementation of initiatives is sustained. Common issues that impeded improvement in the critical component areas included the need for more effective coordination with local governments; the need for updated and integrated agency-wide information technology systems; the lack of sufficient experienced staff to manage the increasing workload; and inadequate funding to maintain initiatives, recruit, train and retain staff, and meet the costs of disasters.
The OIG reiterated its 2008 recommendations to FEMA: improve the overall awareness of its readiness for a catastrophic disaster; develop and sustain systems to track the progress of major programs and initiatives; and regularly share reports on the status of such activities with key stakeholders.
“FEMA’s Preparedness for the Next Catastrophic Disaster—An Update” can be downloaded from dhs.gov/xoig/
assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_10-123_Sep10.pdf.
9/11 Responders’ Health Bill Sees Action
Following a controversial defeat in the House before Congress broke for summer recess (see September 2010 Best Practices), the bill to provide health care to 9/11 World Trade Center emergency responders who have recovery work-related illnesses was approved by the House upon its return to business in September.
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act would establish the World Trade Center Health Program within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to provide initial health evaluations, medical monitoring and treatment, education and outreach programs, and mental health-related services to eligible emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers involved at the World Trade Center site. After successfully passing the House with a 108-vote margin, the bill was sent to the Senate for consideration.
Helping Veterans Become EMTs
A bill to provide grants to returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to certify as EMTs (see October 2010 Best Practices) was approved in committee and sent to the full House for action. The Emergency Medic Transition Act would reimburse veterans who agree to work in areas experiencing a shortage of emergency medical personnel and cover certification and licensing expenses. A similar bill, the Veterans to Paramedics Transition Act, has been awaiting action in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions since May 2010. Both houses of Congress must pass the same bill for the program to become law.
