Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management

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October/November 2007                                                                                            Volume 13 - Number 1/2

    

 

Presidential Candidates' Positions on Emergency Management...

     

 


Emergency Management and Presidential Candidate Joe Biden
By Tom Crane
    
    Senator Joe Biden is actively engaged in improving emergency response, controlling environmental hazards, and thwarting global warming. The senator has fought policy issues for the FIRE Act and SAFER Act in efforts to better equip firemen and allocate more money and resources to public safety. Biden’s Homeland Security Trust Fund Act includes $500 Million for FIRE Act grants every year for the next 5 years, which aids the training and equipment expenses for fire departments. Senator Biden is also concerned about fire safety on college campuses and declares Fire Campus Safety Month in September of each year to encourage campus awareness programs.  He is a leader in the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act and the Clean Power Act and he aims to reduce power plant and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as build more energy-efficient automobiles, and increase renewable energies. .

    Additionally, Joe Biden wants to make emergency response communications interoperable, so that each agency can work effectively with one another. He believes media personnel should switch to the analog spectrum so that responders may use it to improve communication capabilities.

    Senator Biden believes that we can mitigate emergency and security threats by screening 100% of cargo containers coming into our ports, hiring 1,000 more FBI agents, starting local counterterrorism units, hiring 50,000 more local cops, improving protection on chemical facilities, and making an interoperable emergency response communication system.

It is clear that Senator Biden has a great appreciation for public service. He has influenced policy to honor heroic firefighters by co-sponsoring legislation creating the Public Safety Office Medal of Honor. He is chairman of the Congressional Fire Caucus and is President Emeritus of the Delaware Volunteer Firemen’s Association. Moreover, he is constantly fighting for improvement in.  

Source: www.joebiden.com

Tom Crane