§ 2201. Congressional findings

arson is a serious and costly problem, and is responsible for approximately 25 percent of all fires in the United States;

arson is a leading cause of fire deaths, accounting for approximately 700 deaths annually in the United States, and is the leading cause of property damage due to fire in the United States;

estimates of arson property losses are in the range of $2,000,000,000 annually, or approximately 1 of every 4 dollars lost to fire;

the incidence of arson in the United States is seriously underreported, in part because of the lack of adequate participation by local jurisdictions in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program;

there is a need for expanded training programs for arson investigators;

there is a need for improved programs designed to enable volunteer firefighters to detect arson crimes and to preserve evidence vital to the investigation and prosecution of arson cases;

according to the National Fire Protection Association, of all the suspicious and incendiary fires estimated to occur, only ⅓ are confirmed as arson; and

improved training of arson investigators will increase the ability of fire departments to identify suspicious and incendiary fires, and will result in increased and more effective prosecution of arson offenses.”

The number of lives lost each year because of fire has dropped significantly over the last 25 years in the United States. However, the United States still has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world. In 2006, the National Fire Protection Association reported 3,245 civilian fire deaths, 16,400 civilian fire injuries, and $11,307,000,000 in direct losses due to fire.

Every year, more than 100 firefighters die in the line of duty. The United States Fire Administration should continue its leadership to help local fire agencies dramatically reduce these fatalities.

The Federal Government should continue to work with State and local governments and the fire service community to further the promotion of national voluntary consensus standards that increase firefighter safety.

The United States Fire Administration provides crucial support to the 30,300 fire departments of the United States through training, emergency incident data collection, fire awareness and education, and support of research and development activities for fire prevention, control, and suppression technologies.

The collection of data on fire and other emergency incidents is a vital tool both for policy makers and emergency responders to identify and develop responses to emerging hazards. Improving the data collection capabilities of the United States Fire Administration is essential for accurately tracking and responding to the magnitude and nature of the fire problems of the United States.

The research and development performed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the United States Fire Administration, other government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations on fire technologies, techniques, and tools advance the capabilities of the fire service of the United States to suppress and prevent fires.

Because of the essential role of the United States Fire Administration and the fire service community in preparing for and responding to national [probably should be “natural”] and man-made disasters, the United States Fire Administration should have a prominent place within the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.”