On August 6, theNational Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)formally announced its support for the nomination of Atlanta (GA) Fire Chief Kelvin J. Cochran as the next Administrator of theUnited States Fire Administration (USFA). The endorsement came in a letter from NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg to Chairman Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. The NVFC also endorsed a proposal by Lieberman and Collins to complete the confirmation process before the Senate leaves for August recess.
Cochran joined the Shreveport (LA) Fire Department as a firefighter in 1981, rising through the ranks to become fire chief in 1999. Last year, he was hired as the Fire Chief of the Atlanta Fire Department.
8月5日,在他的听证会科克伦was asked by Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE) about his views on the volunteer fire service, since his experience has been in career fire departments. Cochran answered that as Chief of the Shreveport Fire Department he had established positive working relationships with many of the local volunteer fire departments. He went on to say that one of his first acts as U.S. Fire Administrator would be to reach out to national organizations representing volunteer firefighters, including the NVFC, to ensure that USFA continues to be responsive to the needs of the volunteer fire service.
During the hearing, Cochran was asked about a number of important issues affecting the nation’s fire service. In response to a question from Senator Lieberman regarding reauthorization of the Assistance to Firefighters’ Grant (AFG) Program, Cochran cited the existing criteria development process in which fire service stakeholders provide input to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Grants Program Directorate as a potential source of guidance for the reauthorization. When asked by Senator Collins what can be done to reduce losses of life and property due to fire, Cochran said that USFA should target resources towards high-risk areas that have been shown to experience higher incidences of fire loss. He also expressed support for fire sprinklers as a crucial component of solving the fire problem.
Towards the end of the hearing, Lieberman and Collins said that it was their goal to push the Senate to confirm Cochran before it leaves for August recess at the end of this week. Stittleburg supported this timeline in his letter endorsing Cochran’s nomination.
“USFA has been without an appointed Administrator for the past seven months and it is important that Chief Cochran be confirmed before the Senate goes into recess for the month of August so that he can assume his new responsibilities as soon as possible,” said Stittleburg.
