From the March 22, 2008 FEMA EM Hi-Ed Report

House Committee on Homeland Security. Leveraging Mutual Aid for Effective Emergency Response. Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response, November 15, 2007. Prepared Statements and recorded feed accessible at: http://homeland.house.gov/Hearings/index.asp?ID=106   Witnesses:

 

Mr. Marko Bourne, Director of Policy and Program Analysis, FEMA/DHS
Mr. Kenneth Murphy, President, NEMA, Director Oregon Office of Emergency Management
Chief Steven P. Westermann. President, International Association of Fire Chiefs
Major Michael Ronczkowski, Homeland Security Bureau, Miami-Dade Police Department
Mr. Jim McPartlon, President, American Ambulance Association

 

From Marko Bourne statement on Credentialing First Responders:  

 

"…credentialing first responders is the right of the local community and that FEMA and the Department in no way wishes this effort to encroach upon that right, but instead assist them in their efforts both now and into the future to develop nationwide credentialing standards. FEMA will not be issuing credentials to state and local personnel; that will remain a state and local responsibility as it always has been." (p. 1)

 

"Lessons learned from past disasters have indicated that it is often difficult for local officials to know who is qualified to do what, and who may be an immediate asset to the situation among the multitude of volunteers or entities that arrive. Additionally, examples of people posing as firefighters, police officers, doctors or rescue specialists are well documented in every major disaster, and further underscore the need for further measures to provide the Incident Commander with greater assurance that those who respond, whether asked or not, can be verified, validated and utilized." (pp. 1-2)

 

 

 

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