text: 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.
target: 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.
feat_title: To authorize appropriations for activities under the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 for fiscal years 2004 through 2006, and for other purposes.