Here are recent Fire Chief's columns from
The Arizona Republic
City
of Phoenix Public Information Office - News Clippings - azcentral.com
- March 7, 2009
Chiefs keep D.C. officials current on city's needs
On the heels of a new President are a number of national issues that as you all know can affect us in a very local and down-home sort of way. Most citizens know we will literally go to our nation’s capitol and make a case for funding sources that reflect training, equipment, and communications needs.
The pitch is made by both police and fire first responders – sometimes together, sometimes individually or with Union leaders that are representing their members or public safety professionals. If this sounds somewhat confusing, that’s only because it can be.
A Washington insider described the trip to Washington this way. “For the past two years Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris and Fire Chief Robert Khan have traveled to Washington to meet with officials in the Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department and national public safety and fire fighting associations to discuss the City’s federal law enforcement, homeland security and fire protection priorities. During their visit, the Chiefs meet with the Arizona Congressional delegation to explain Phoenix federal program concerns and their department’s federal legislative priorities.
Since 2007, Chiefs Harris and Khan have used their Washington trip to ensure that federal officials responsible for managing the national Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) within the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) understand the most pressing homeland security challenges in the Valley to ensure that the Phoenix area receives the highest level of funding to protect the Valley’s infrastructure and ensure that the region has the most effective public safety communications system.
The Arizona Congressional delegation uses the police and fire briefings by the Chiefs to help them understand what federal legislation they should support to make sure their constituents receive the most effective and efficient federally sponsored public safety, fire and homeland security programs. The Washington trips by Chief Khan and Chief Harris have helped the City of Phoenix obtain critical funding to provide additional public safety, fire protection and homeland security benefits for the City and the valley. They have identified important federal communications, law enforcement and first responders money for Phoenix.”
In my last meeting with the United States Fire Administrator, the federal government was able to draw out a certain methodology for the distribution of funds. There are Community Oriented Policing Services (COP) grants, Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act grants, and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants that are available for local public safety agencies. Locally, the City of Phoenix has put together a team of administrators to review any potential sources that may bring monies into the state of Arizona, specifically Phoenix. We are looking at repairing broken down fire stations that literally are using portable toilets, cleaning fire stations with mold issues and repairing fire stations with severely broken infrastructure that date back over forty years. At the same time we are also putting in a request for an upgraded communication campus that would handle both police and fire 9-1-1 calls. This will enhance our ability to dispatch, deploy and mitigate emergencies for the over 2 million people that we serve. This is extremely important due to the communication system being near its capacity level.
Sure, this may seem like pie-in-the-sky wishing and in the end who knows what our chances are, but unless we do not give it our very best effort we will never know. It is always humbling to have hat in hand and to ask for assistance, but with this current environment and with public safety at stake, we are obligated to make our case. Wish us luck. Be safe!
Send comments to Bob Khan at firechief.pfd@phoenix.gov or call (602) 26-CHIEF.