coverage tuesday on the c-span networks. here on c-span 3 at 10:00 a.m. eastern, the resources committee on the role of the federal government in energy innovation. witnesses include former lockheed martin ceo norman augustine. they recently published a report concluding the government has an integral role to play in the process. also at 10:00, over on c-span, the senate banking committee is holding a hearing on the derivatives market and the ongoing implementation of the dodd/frank law, a provision known as the volcker rule would limit trading by banks for their own accounts. jpmorgan recently announced a more than $2 billion trading loss. congressman, there are people who look at what happened with jpmorgan and they say here is a company made a stupid decision, did something dumb, lost money, didn't collapse, fired people who were responsible. this is the market at work.

this is how it's supposed to happen. why does the government need to play a role? >> well, to some extent that's true but i take credit for it. if this had happened five years ago, if jpmorgan, what appears to be more than $2 billion, i think you would have seen much more panic in the economy. i think you would have seen much more concern. what we did in the legislature we passed and through other things was to require the financial institutions to be much better capitalized. so one of the things that's the result of the government telling them you had better have more capital than otherwise, that helps give people reassurance. this past weekend on newsmakers, barney frank spoke about the over $2 billion loss by jpmorgan chase as well as the state of the u.s. and world economies. the dodd/frank law and gay marriage. watch his comments online at the c-span video library. i think this is one of those markets that i think people vote

for the -- don't vote for the party. i think this is the city of witchchita votes for the candid. you've seen a lot more than that though this is level republican midwest which is dynamic and it's great, you're seeing more of that in the recent years here in the midwest. they are voting more for what the person stands for. june 2 and 3 book tv and american history tv explore the heritage and literary culture of wichita, kansas. >> the first place i want to show you is the monger house. and it is the only remaining original structure from the 1865 to 1870 time. it is a residence but also the headquarters of the wichita land compa company. >> watch for book tv and american history tv in wichita on june 2nd and 3rd on c-span 2 and 3.

from 1971 to 1973 president richard nixon secretly recorded his phone conversations and meetings. this weekend on c-span radio, hear more from the nicks on tapes. saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern with conversations between the president and cia director richard helm and j. edgar hoover. >> quite as active and i ought to make a statement about the freedom of the press and so forth. my inclination is not to say so. >> you're right. >> i kind of think i should stay out. what's your public relationship? >> you should remain absolutely silent about it. >> you would? >> i would. >> in washington, d.c., listen at 90.1 f.m. nationwide xm channel 119 and streaming c-spanradio.o are rg. a half subcommittee held an

oversight hearing last week on the priorities of the fire service community. members examined the current effe effectiveness of the u.s. fire administration as well as priorities for future research, development and training activities. authorization of the agency expires on september 30th. the subcommittee on technology and innovation will come to order. welcome to today's hearing entitled working for fire safe america. i recognize myself for five minutes. today's hearing is being held to review the priorities for the future of the united states fire administration.

the usfa. the usfa was established following the 1973 report on fire prevention and control which recommended the creation of a federal agency to provide support and their efforts to reduce fire deaths, injuries and property loss. it is a substantial public safety mission. although the country's fire death rate continues to decline, it is higher than more than half of the industrialized countries. it prepares first responders and health care leaders. it supports the efforts of state and local governments providing training for first responders, educational programs and targets outreach for communities and conducting the development of technologies for the fire service. the usfa also assists with data collection, analysis and dissemination of best practices for the nation's fire prevention and control in emergency medical services activities.

in recent years, there's been an escalation of severe wildfires resulting in home and property loss. this can be attributed to expanding development in wildfire areas which include burnable brush and trees. 2011 was an exceptional year for wildfires in the united states, and major blazes affected my home state of arizona. in late may of 2011, a wallow fire raced across arizona forcing the evacuation of thousands of residence and burning more than 469,000 acres. over 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the fire. currently, there are hundreds of firefighters work ing to contain at least four playsness central and eastern arizona. this represents a fraction of the thousands of first

responders and firefighters who risk their lives every day. the usfa supports these individuals. they don't take the responsibilities lightly and i as an authorizer of usfa, neither do i. the testimony of our witnesses this morning should help the members understand the priorities of usfa in order to reduce fire deaths, injuries and property loss. we thank our witnesses for being here today and we look forward to your testimony. i now recognize the gentle lady from arizona, miss edwards, for her opening statement. >> thank you, mr. chairman and thank you for calling this morning's hearing to examine the activities and priorities of the united states fire administration. very pleased to welcome chief mitchell and our other witnesses here today to hear more of that, his vision for the administration, particularly pleased to welcome my good friend kevin o'connor as well as our other witnesses. and i want to thank you for taking the time out of your

schedules to be with us. the fire administration was created in 1974 with the goal of reducing the number of fire related deaths by half from a staggering 12,000 per year. through the good work of the fire administration and our first responders, we met this goal in 1988. the number of fire related deaths continues to decline, but unfortunately, our country's fire related death rate is still one of the highest in the industrialized world and it's estimated that in 2009, fire cost the united states over $331 billion in economic and human losses. chairman quayle just spoke about the loss in his state. >> it is the responsibility for improving fire departments around the country to respond to fires safely and effectively through research and firefighter training and for increasing firefighting preparedness through education and awareness activities. certainly, fires are still a

major problem in our country and the fire administration's continued leadership is critical. however, we can't ignore the fact that our firefighters are not just fighting fires anymore. on any given day, our firefighters are rushing to the scene in response to 72,000 calls that range in scope from a house fire to a car crash to a hazardous materials spill to a medical emergency. the truth is that our firefighters are our first responders in all types of emergencies including terrorist attacks and natural disasters and range of training and education they need to be successful must expand to reflect this reality. as part of the reauthorization in 2008, we emphasized the need to advance training in emergency medical services and hazardous material response. i'll be interested in hearing about the status of those advances and learning from our witnesses whether the fire administration's training courses are meeting all needs of today's fire service.

i'm also interested in hearing about the current state of fire-related research. in emerging research areas or existing gaps and how the fire administration is contributing to these efforts. i'd also like to learn more about how the fire administration prioritizes its research and investments and how it coordinates its research activities with other 0 entities engaged in fire related research. and the science and technology directorate within the department of homeland security. more importantly, i'm interested if hearing recommendations or suggestions about what ought to be included in the next reauthorization bill. as you're aware, the current authorization expires in just over four months. i'm pleased that we're holding this hearing today and i think it's an important first step and i sincerely hope the decision to call this hearing is an indication there there are plans to draft and move a reauthorization bill through this committee in the coming weeks.

i hope the chairman will be able to provide insight into these plans this morning. as you may be aware, our colleagues in the senate passed a bill through the committee on home lapped security and governmental affairs just yesterday. i believe we have an obligation and an opportunity to ensure that the fire administration's authority continues uninterrented, and i look forward to working with the chairman towards that end. again, thank you for holding this important hearing. the fire administration plays an essential role in ensuring that our firefighters who are so critical to the safety of our nation have the tools they need to protect us and keep us out of harm's way. i'm looking forward to hearing from our witnesses about the tools congress can provide the fire administration that will allow them to effectively assist fire departments across the country. i yield the balance of my time. >> thank you. if there are members who wish to submit additional statements,

they will be added. our first witness is chief ernest mitchell jr., an assistant administrator in charge of the united states fire administration at the department of homeland security. next, from dr. john hall jr. dr. hall has been active in fire analysis and research for nearly 35 years. our third witness is chief jim critchley. chief critchley represents the tucson fire department in my home state of arizona and serves as the president of the western fire chiefs association. our final witness is mr. kevin o'connor. assistant to the general president for the internation association of firefighters. thank you again for to our witnesses for being here today. as our witness, no spoken testimony is limited to five minutes each. after witnesses have spoken. mb each to ask questions.

i now recognize our first witness, ernest mitch >> good morning, chairman l. quay quayle, ranking members. i am an assistant administrator at the federal emergency management agency and the administrator in charge of the united states fire administration at homeland security. it is indeed an honor to appear before you today to discuss the u.s. fire administration. the fire administration is committed to providing national leadership to fostering a solid foundation for our fire and emergency services, stakeholders in prevention, preparedness and response. in my testimony, i will share an overview of the core functions, major priorities, present activities and goals. despite making progress over time, fire losses in the united states have been hirer than in most of the industrialized world. this has held true in both fire deaths and dollar loss rates. thousands of americans die each year and thousands more are injured.

property losses reach billions of dollars. average annual fire losses greatly exceed those from floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters combined in our country. the fire administration is a national leader in providing fire safety and prevention programs to help decrease tragic losses. we also lead the way in preparing communities to respond to fires and other hazards in the whole apreach to community management. we are supporting the effort of local communities to reduce the fires and fire deaths and champions federal fire prevention and control efforts and coordinates information about fire programs throughout the country. there are four traditional stars of the administration and one relatively new or budding star that we have initiated more recently. one is data collection. the national system for collecting, analyzing and disseminating data and information on fire and other emergency incidents to state and local governments and the fire

community. two is through education and awareness. through partnerships and special initiatives, the fire administration involves the fire service, the media and other groups and the delivery of fire safety programs. three is training. the national fire academy offers education opportunities for the advanced professional development of the mid level and senior fire and emergency medical services officers and allied professionals involved in fire prevention and safety activities. four is research and technology. through research and testing, and evaluation the fire administration works with public and private. research and special studies are conducted on fire detection, suppression and notification systems as well as issues related to health and safety. five, and the more recent,

technical assistance and response. it's a recent in developing a national firefighter did deployment strategy. the mission's purpose is to establish an overall multidisciplined response for fema by establishing a structured approach to the fire and emergency medical services skill sets, thereby expanding the capacity for responding with faster and coordinated efforts to contain and minimize losses of property and life during disasters. it is essential we work on multiple levels and with a wide variety of partners. we engage government and private stakeholders in evaluating programs that will address the emerging fire, medical and disaster response teams. one example is our collaboration with the fire protection on the home fire sprinkler coalition and the mission is to inform consumers about life saving benefit of installing home fire sprinkler systems.

the more recent or emerging star has been utilized already at this point to respond to disasters. as a result, to some success. we provided technical expertise and assistance during the development of all hazardous management teams. across the country. we have responded to and demonstrated effectiveness in the 2011 flooding in colorado, alabama, georgia and during this april's tornados in texas. graduates of our highly sought after programs have contributed to and participated in these events. given the dynamics of our times, we have identified five broad goals as a framework to provide national leader shship on fire safety issues. we will continue to pursue these goals while evaluating issues and instituting new initiatives relevant to our current and future climate.

thank you, mr. chairman, for giving me this opportunity to appear before you today. your continued support is greatly appreciated. i will be glad to answer any questions you might have. >> thank you very much. i recognize dr. hall to present his testimony. mr. chairman, members of congress, my name is john hall and i'm here to communicate our very strong support for the reauthorization of the u.s. fire administration. next year marks the 40th anniversary of america burning. of the 90 recommendations in that report, the first was to provide a national focus for the nation's fire problem, unquote. the report also identified tasks appropriate to the federal role in what would continue to be primarily a local responsibility. quote, technical and educational assistance to state and local governments, collecting and analyzing information and

providing financial assistance when adequate fire protection lies beyond the means, unquote. the usfa has maintained this focus throughout its existence. the report also set a goal saying, quote, a re deaths, injuries and property losses is quite possible within deduction in the next generation, unquote. how has america done on this goal? civilian deaths declined by about 60%. firefighter on duty injuries by about 40%. firefighter injuries by about a third and direct property damage adjusted for inflation by about one-quarter. even so, we have some of the highest fire loss rates in the developed world. we know how far we have come, but we know how much better we can do. and thanks to the national fire, used with the nafp survey, we have a greater ability to target

problems and to design and evaluate programs than any other program in the world. in the years since the usfa was founded, the fire service has transformed into a task force. reported fires have been more than half since 1980 and medical aid calls have more than tripled. imagine a gasoline tank truck rolling over on a highway in a small community. the truck was built and loaded in other states and crashed on an interstate maintained by the federal government. the fire department will be expected to contain the spill and clean up in accord anance w state and national environmental regulations using training and personal equipment in compliance with national consensus sta standards. it is far from easy to find a local responsibility in such an incident. now add in natural disasters, terrorist attacks and fire scenarios unheard of two decades ago such as a burning building

covered with solar power cells. we have asked our fire service to perform more varied tasks at more varied emergencies with more rules whenever something goes wrong. they have responded to every challenge and everything we have asked of them. but it takes a nation to save a village. they need our help. for nearly 40 years, the usfa has been there. recent surveys of fire service needs conducted by nfpa in cooperation with usfa have found the following. the fire service has extensive needs for every type of resource. fire departments serving the smallest communities are most likely to have needs. although the needs are great, there has been great progress. the america burning identified research as priority. the usfa has filled gaps when

appropriate. some major current or recent project the usfa has supported include the following. the next generation of home fire alarms. next generation of firefighter personal protective clothing the, safety in the interface, and decision support tuls for dealing with unwanted alarms. nfpa salutes chief ernie mitchell and latest in a distinguished line of leaders. we look forward to working with him. to sum up, nfpa urges you to reauthorize the usfa. we urge you to provide requested funding for the usfa, its research program, the academy's training program, grants program and infers. the usfa does great work. they have made a great difference and they can and will do more, all in keeping with the original vision of an agency that will provide a national

focus on fire to a federal role. thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you with you on behalf of usfa. and i will be happy to answer your questions. >> i now recognize chief critchley for five minutes. >> good morning, chairman quayle. i am chief critchley of the tucson fire department and the president of the western fire chiefs association. i am also a member of the international association of fire chiefs. i thank the committee for being able to testify for the work the fire administration does for america's fire and emergency medical service. it is important to recognize the major accomplishments that have taken place since the usfa was created in the 1970s. in 1978, 172 firefighters died in the line of duty. in 2011, we had 83 firefighters. declined more than 50%.

in 1978, we have seen a number of civilian fire deaths also drop over 50% to a little over 3,000 in 2010. the united states fire administration has played a major role in these accomplishments through fire service training, public education and research. as a local chief i would like to emphasize the national fire training academy to train more than half a million responders in 2007. through 2011. i am proud to be one of the more than 6,000 arizonians to have completed the classes during this time period. the highlight is the executive fire officer program. this program is a gold standard for developing ready to deal with the nation's future challenges. as a local fire service instructor provides education

based on best practices to help train the next generation of fire service leaders. this training provides interoperability at the scene of many disasters. the nfa also provides excellent data to the national fire data center. the infers allows local fire departments to report incidents and identify national trends. for example, i use the nfa report to compare their statistical data in the incidents that i have in tucson. this capability allows me to prepare for the future threats to my citizens. the budget has been reduced 25% over the past decade. fiscal year 2013 homeland security budget would cut the budget by an additional 2.5%. this will reduce classes, eliminate many important programs. they will also cancel the final

stages of the infers modernization effort. my organization's urged congress to restore the funding to usfa fiscal year 2011 budget of only $45 million is not a large federal spending program, however, the agency playing a role in the governmental function of protecting the american public. we would like to express the support for the efforts to clarify the non fire incidents in the emergency support function number four, the firefighting annex. usfa and the forest service have a memorandum of understanding which allows the usfa to act as a support agency. local fire departments work well with the forest certificaservic coordinating for wild land fires. however, based on its relationship with the nation's fire and emergency services, we

think the m.o. should continue with the sfa playing a stronger role in structural events. in addition, we support the establishment of teams of firefighters that can quickly deploy in the event of a major all hazards disaster. as we witnessed in arizona last year, local fire departments are the first on scene and last to leave the incident. these support teams can provide a major benefit to the fire chiefs by helping the management recovery activities and working with state, tribal and local agencies. the current authorization expires on september 30th. in the senate, senators joe lieberman and susan collins have introduced mark up 2218. this bill would authorize funding through fiscal year 2017. on behalf of the leadership of the nation's fire and ems service, i ask the committee consider companion legislation this year. i would like to thank you for the continued support over the

years. we have made major progress in reducing the tragedy of fire loss in the past 30 years. however, we have much work to do. thank you for holding this hearing and i look forward to answering your questions. >> you that, now kevin o'connor. >> thank you, chairman quayle, ranking member edwards and bonamici. i'm kevin o'connor. i'm especially pleased before this subcommittee because i am a constituent of member john sarbanes and after the november elections will be a proud constituent of the ranking member as firefighters take on . additional responsibilities and extended capabilities, so, too, must the fire administration evolve to meet the needs of the 21st century fire service.

the days of firefighter primary function to put out fires is long gone. today's firefighters are well educated responders with broad responsibilities. most significantly your firefighters are always the first boots on the ground for any manmade or natural disaster. the prevalence of the fire based delivery systems requires the agency to integrate training and preparedness into its mags. although usfa is beginning to move in that direction, we want to ensure that ems be afforded its appropriate recognition and attention. while the fire administration continues to integrate into its programs, it must work the change the perception focused simply on fire. one way that perception problem may be solved is to simply change the agency's name to reflect its current