[Senate Hearing 111-475]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
S. Hrg. 111-475
NOMINATION OF KELVIN J. COCHRAN
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
of the
COMMITTEE ON
HOMELAND SECURITY AND
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
NOMINATION OF KELVIN J. COCHRAN TO BE ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. FIRE
ADMINISTRATION, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
HOMELAND SECURITY
__________
AUGUST 5, 2009
__________
Available via http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html
Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
----------
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COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman
CARL LEVIN, Michigan SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine
DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii TOM COBURN, Oklahoma
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware JOHN McCAIN, Arizona
MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio
MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada
CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina
JON TESTER, Montana ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah
ROLAND W. BURRIS, Illinois
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado
Michael L. Alexander, Staff Director
Kristine V. Lam, Professional Staff Member
Jason T. Barnosky, Professional Staff Member
Brandon L. Milhorn, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Jennifer L. Tarr, Minority Counsel
Adam J. Killian, Minority Professional Staff Member
Trina Driessnack Tyrer, Chief Clerk
Patricia R. Hogan, Publications Clerk and GPO Detailee
Laura W. Kilbride, Hearing Clerk
C O N T E N T S
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Opening statements:
Page
Senator Lieberman............................................ 1
Senator Landrieu............................................. 1
Senator Collins.............................................. 3
Senator Carper............................................... 10
Prepared statements:
Senator Lieberman............................................ 17
Senator Collins.............................................. 18
WITNESS
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Kelvin J. Cochran, to be Administrator, U.S. Fire Administration,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security:
Testimony.................................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 20
Biographical and financial information....................... 24
Pre-hearing questionnaire.................................... 33
Letter from Office of Government Ethics...................... 54
Letters of support........................................... 55
Post-hearing questions for the Record........................ 59
NOMINATION OF KELVIN J. COCHRAN
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2009
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in
room SD-342, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Joseph I.
Lieberman, Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Lieberman, Carper, Landrieu, Collins, and
Bennett.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LIEBERMAN
Chairman Lieberman. Well, good morning and welcome to this
hearing on the nomination of Kelvin James Cochran to be
Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) within the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Senator Landrieu, we are
honored that you are here. You probably have a pressing
schedule. If you would like to give your introduction before
Senator Collins and I proceed with our opening statements, we
would be glad to have you do that.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LANDRIEU
Senator Landrieu. Well, thank you, Senator. That would be
lovely, and I really appreciate it, and I will be very brief. I
really am honored to introduce an extraordinary leader to you,
to assume the position, if approved by this Committee and
confirmed, as Administrator of U.S. Fire Administration.
Chairman Lieberman and Ranking Member Collins, Chief Kelvin
Cochran is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, which is why I am
extremely proud. But more than that, he has just shown himself,
after years of service, to be a firefighter's firefighter,
looking after the lives of his men and women and the
professionalism of the departments that he has led. He has, as
I said, 28 years of experience understanding fire safety,
prevention, and emergency response.
As you all know, the U.S. Fire Administrator is in charge
of overseeing, coordinating, and directing national efforts to
prevent fires and improve fire response. In 28 years, he has
gained experience in every area of fire service, from
firefighting to emergency medical services, hazardous
materials--we have a lot of that in Louisiana--recruiting,
public education, research development, employee counseling,
etc.
He served with distinction as chief of the Shreveport Fire
Department, assuming responsibility for 600 employees and a $47
million budget, and then as you know, he moved to Atlanta
recently to become chief of the Fire Rescue Department there,
with over 1,000 members and a $74 million budget. And at the
national level, he served as President of the Metropolitan Fire
Chiefs Association and First Vice President of the
International Association of Fire Chiefs.
So not only does he bring, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member
Collins, experience running a fairly major department--
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana--moving to
quite an international city of Atlanta, so his experience in
those cities, in large metropolitan areas, but also he brings
his national experience, connecting to fire professionals
around the country. He has served this community with
distinction in many volunteer capacities.
So I am proud to be with the chief this morning. He is
going to tell you a story about how he got into this business,
which I am going to save for him to tell because he tells it
better than I do. But I am very proud of him, Mr. Chairman, and
I think this Committee will find his credentials to be
outstanding and excellent, and he will have my vote in support
as we move him through the process.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks very much, Senator Landrieu.
That was impressive, and it means a lot to the Committee that
you took the time to come by. Thank you very much.
Senator Landrieu. Thank you.
Chairman Lieberman. As Senator Landrieu indicated, the Fire
Administration, I would say for the record, which was
established in 1974, has been the primary Federal agency
addressing the needs of the Nation's firefighters, with the
goal of reducing loss of life and economic loss due to fire and
related emergencies.
Among its many activities, the agency trains mid- and
senior-level fire and emergency medical services officers at
the National Fire Academy, also online; collects, analyzes, and
disseminates data and information on fire and other emergency
incidents; researches and develops fire prevention and fire
safety technology; and helps the FEMA Administrator carry out
the duties under the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant
Program, the so-called SAFER program, which mean a lot to this
Committee and to Members of Congress of all political parties.
Ever since September 11, 2001, and the catastrophe that was
Hurricane Katrina, the USFA has also served as a national focal
point for the expanded role of firefighters in response to both
terrorist disasters and large natural disasters, including
those of catastrophic dimensions like Hurricane Katrina.
The Fire Administration has become a lifeline for
firefighters, who, like other first responders, run directly
into the face of danger while everyone else is running away
from it. So we have always felt, on this Committee, that
firefighters deserve all the support and training we can give
them.
Last year, Congress reauthorized the U.S. Fire
Administration, and during that process, we had a chance to
study the agency closely. What we found was a solid
organization that serves a unique and important role within
FEMA, DHS, and the Federal Government, and which merits
continued support.
I will not go over your background but just include that in
the record because Senator Landrieu did a good job, and maybe
she was suggesting what your record says to me, which is that
yours is a classic Horatio Alger or American Dream success
story, and they are always inspiring for us to see come before
the Committee.
Chief, I think you have an understanding of the needs of
firefighters, spanning the local and national levels. You have
given back to your community not just in your professional
service but also as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts, the
Salvation Army, and Volunteers of America.
Your nomination has been endorsed by the International
Association of Fire Fighters, whose president, our dear friend,
Harold Schaitberger is here; the International Association of
Fire Chiefs; and the National Fire Protection Association. I
would say that you have come before the Committee with the all-
star team of endorsements, and that means a lot to us. So we
wish you the best of luck.
Senator Collins.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR COLLINS
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
As the Chairman has indicated, the agency that Chief
Cochran has been nominated to lead--the U.S. Fire
Administration--plays a critical role in securing our Nation.
Every day across our Nation, firefighters risk their lives and
their personal well-being in order to protect others. Their job
as first responders is to be skilled, selfless, and urgent. In
recent years, we have all become more aware of their acts of
bravery and sacrifice.
On September 11, 2001, America's firefighters fearlessly
responded to aid and rescue victims. On that day alone, 343
firefighters in New York City lost their lives. In the
aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, America's
firefighters tirelessly answered the call.
And in local communities right now, even as we hold this
hearing, firefighters are responding to all manner of
emergencies--some of them life-threatening events that severely
test the men and women who serve.
Whether they are career or volunteer, America's nearly 1.2
million firefighters exemplify professionalism, dedication, and
heroism.
Since 1974, the USFA has been the primary Federal agency
for firefighters. Its mission is to serve as an advocate and to
help reduce loss of life and diminish the economic impact of
fires and related emergencies. This Committee has worked hard
to support the Fire Administration's issues and the needs of
our Nation's fire services.
In 2006, as part of the landmark FEMA reform law, we
elevated the Fire Administrator to the position of Assistant
Secretary in recognition of the Fire Administration's vital
role in our Nation's preparedness and emergency response
system.
In 2008, we reauthorized the Fire Administration to help
the fire services better meet their wide-ranging mission. We
updated the curriculum of the National Fire Academy, expanded
the range of firefighter training programs, promoted the
adoption of national voluntary consensus standards for
firefighter health and safety, and established a fire service
position at DHS's National Operations Center.
Still, challenges remain, and among the most pressing is
the ongoing difficulty that first responders have in
communicating with one another in real time, on demand, during
a crisis.
Senator Lieberman and I have worked hard, and we have made
some progress in the area of interoperable emergency
communications, but this is an issue that I will be exploring
with the chief this morning.
I am also interested in the chief's perspective on the
Department's first responder grant programs. The Chairman and I
have consistently fought for more resources for our Nation's
fire departments. That includes the FIRE Act grant program,
which is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year and must
be reauthorized. This program has enabled thousands of
departments to respond more effectively to emergencies and
disasters of all sizes and causes.
As an original cosponsor of the FIRE Act, I support its
clear, unwavering mission to support smaller fire departments
with additional funding. Without that assistance, these
departments simply could not afford the new life-saving
equipment, vehicles, or training. I have seen the impact in the
State of Maine where smaller rural departments, often staffed
by volunteers, are so dependent on the fire grants in order to
upgrade their equipment and training.
I am impressed with Chief Cochran's career. It spans
several decades from a rank-and-file post in Shreveport,
Louisiana, to chief in Atlanta. Like the Chairman, I also am
impressed with the endorsements that he has gathered from the
International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Metropolitan Fire
Chiefs Association, and, of course, a group that the Chairman
and I work very closely with, the International Association of
Fire Fighters.
I, too, want to welcome the representatives of these
organizations who are here to endorse the nominee today.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you very much, Senator Collins.
Chief Cochran has filed responses to a biographical and
financial questionnaire, answered prehearing questions
submitted by the Committee, and had his financial statements
reviewed by the Office of Government Ethics. Without objection,
this information will be part of the hearing record, with the
exception of the financial data, which are on file and
available for public inspection at the Committee offices.
Chief Cochran, I think you know that our Committee rules
require that all witnesses at nomination hearings give their
testimony under oath, so I would ask you to please stand now
and raise your right hand.
Sir, do you swear that the testimony you are about to give
the Committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth, so help you, God?
Mr. Cochran. I do.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you very much. Please be seated.
We would welcome your statement now and introduction of any
family or friends that you have with you today.
TESTIMONY OF KELVIN J. COCHRAN \1\ TO BE ADMINISTRATOR, U.S.
FIRE ADMINISTRATION, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Mr. Cochran. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Senator Collins,
and other Members of the Committee. I am Kelvin James Cochran,
nominee for Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration. I
want to begin my remarks by expressing my gratitude to Senator
Mary Landrieu for her generous introduction. Then I would like
to, Mr. Chairman, acknowledge and recognize my wife of 27 years
and my oldest of three children who are here with me. Carolyn
Cochran is my wife and Tiffane Cochran is my daughter.
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\1\ The prepared statement of Mr. Cochran appears in the Appendix
on page 20.
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You mentioned that I have endorsements from several
significant fire service organizations, and you have recognized
President Harold Schaitberger of the International Association
of Fire Fighters. I also want to recognize the International
Association of Fire Chiefs and our President, Larry Grorud, who
is also with us today, and our Executive Director, Mark Light.
We also have representatives from the National Fire Protection
Association with us today, with their support of my nomination.
It is a tremendous honor that I sit before you today. I
cannot help but reflect on an experience I had as a 5-year-old
kid growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, of a house fire across
the alley from where I lived, where I saw Shreveport
firefighters, up close and personal for the first time, who
made such an impression on me that this was the day that my
dream was born, that one day I wanted to be a firefighter when
I grew up. That dream has compelled me from that day to this
day, and every day for me is like waking up on a holiday
because I realize I am an American firefighter, and I have
another opportunity to serve our citizens and Nation in that
capacity.
Over my 28-year fire service career, I have had several
opportunities at the local, State, and national level to serve
fire service organizations. I have had the honor of leading and
serving as the chief of the Shreveport Fire Department in
Louisiana; the chief of the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department
in the State of Georgia; and at the national level, I have been
honored to serve as President of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs
Association and the First Vice President of the International
Association of Fire Chiefs. And for the past 2 years, I have
been privileged to serve as a board member for the U.S. Fire
Administration's Board of Visitors for the National Fire
Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Additionally, I have been
active in fire service professional associations, working
collaboratively on committees and task forces on issues that
positively impact the fire service industry. These experiences
have provided me with a broad knowledge base and familiarity
with local, State, and national-level fire service issues to
serve and benefit the fire service community.
If confirmed, I will have the distinct honor of serving the
American people and the American fire service as U.S. Fire
Administrator. I believe my background and experience will
bring administrative and operational experience and expertise
to the U.S. Fire Administration in the furtherance of its
mission and will enhance the fire service role in the National
Response Framework.
Since its inception, the U.S. Fire Administration has
played a significant role in ensuring domestic tranquility
through its fire prevention, fire protection, and fire safety
education programs in enhancing America's response capabilities
and efficiency. The post-September 11, 2001, and post-Hurricane
Katrina U.S. Fire Administration has a revised role and
responsibility in preparedness and response.
The principal mission of the U.S. Fire Administration is to
provide support to America's fire departments and fire service
organizations to prevent fires, to eliminate or minimize losses
of civilian and firefighter lives, to minimize injuries to
civilians and firefighters who are protecting our Nation, and,
additionally, to bolster fire service preparedness and response
for natural and manmade disasters. The mission of the U.S. Fire
Administration also includes providing for the professional
development of America's fire service leaders. If confirmed as
U.S. Fire Administrator, I will work to engage Federal
partners, fire service stakeholders, and other organizations
whose missions are complementary to the U.S. Fire
Administration. And I will work to improve all programs and
services that will enhance the fire service role to prepare
for, respond to, and mitigate incidents which have the
potential of causing harm to life, property, and the
environment in the United States of America.
And my final remark, Mr. Chairman, is that the U.S. Fire
Administration's most notable strength is its strong ties with
and support from local fire departments, fire service
associations, and State fire service training institutions.
Additionally, the U.S. Fire Administration has a history of
collaboration with all fire service stakeholders in planning
and decisionmaking, which directly impacts fire service
programs and operations across our great Nation.
These strengths have positioned the U.S. Fire
Administration to maximize its resources to meet the needs of
all of its stakeholders and fire departments that it serves. If
confirmed as U.S. Fire Administrator, I will continue to build
upon these strengths to shape the future of the U.S. Fire
Administration and the fire service of the United States of
America.
I thank the Committee for considering my nomination as U.S.
Fire Administrator. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the
opportunity to appear before you today. And I look forward to
answering any questions that you might have.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you very much, Chief, for that
very thoughtful opening statement. I am going to start with the
standard three questions that we ask of all nominees before us.
First, is there anything you are aware of in your
background that might present a conflict of interest with the
duties of the office to which you have been nominated?
Mr. Cochran. No.
Chairman Lieberman. Second, do you know of anything,
personal or otherwise, that would in any way prevent you from
fully and honorably discharging the duties of the office to
which you have been nominated?
Mr. Cochran. No.
Chairman Lieberman. And, third, do you agree without
reservation that you will respond to any reasonable summons to
appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of
Congress if you are confirmed?
Mr. Cochran. I agree without reservation.
Chairman Lieberman. I thank you very much, and we will go
to a first round of questions of 7 minutes per Senator. Let me
focus in on a few things that we have talked about so far.
We expect to consider legislation reauthorizing the
Assistance to Firefighter Grants, which help fund firefighting
equipment, training, and vehicles, as you know. These grants
are very important to fire departments around the country,
which are working for levels of government that particularly
now are very hard pressed for revenue and, of course, have
significant personnel-related costs so the purchase of
necessary equipment is often put to the bottom.
What steps, if any, would you like us to consider to
improve the fire grant program as we reauthorize it?
Mr. Cochran. The Assistance to Firefighters Grants and the
SAFER grants have benefited the fire service of our Nation
tremendously. To have a meaningful approach to improvements,
Mr. Chairman, I would engage the Grant Programs Directorate
along with other fire service stakeholders and beneficiaries of
our Federal grants to fire departments to evaluate our Federal
grants as a whole to determine if improvements are necessary.
The grants that we primarily speak of, Assistance to
Firefighters and SAFER, have benefited our three different
types of fire departments that we commonly refer to as
volunteer, combination, and career departments, and there are
tremendous needs that still exist. We want to ensure that the
viability and credibility of these programs are actually doing
what they are designed to do and that we strengthen their
credibility by making sure that they have an impact on
America's fire service.
So a process of collaboration between fire service
stakeholders with the support of the Grant Programs Directorate
would allow us to identify areas of improvement, and if
confirmed as U.S. Fire Administrator, I will aggressively
pursue those recommendations to enhance these programs.
Chairman Lieberman. Good. Well, we will look forward to
your input as we go forward with the reauthorization, and I
appreciate the intention to do this as a collaborative process.
Let me go to the National Response Framework, which you
mentioned briefly in your opening statement. This framework
sets out the Nation's overall approach to responding to
disasters. It includes a firefighting annex, referred to as
Emergency Support Function 4 (ESF-4). It is intended to
coordinate Federal firefighting support in the event of a major
incident. Interestingly, because of the role the U.S. Forest
Service plays in addressing wildfires, it is the coordinating
agency for ESF-4. But, of course, the U.S. Fire Administration
is included also, in this case as a supporting agency for ESF-
4.
I wanted to ask you what you see as USFA's role in carrying
out the National Response Framework, both under this
firefighting section or annex, ESF-4, and also more generally.
Mr. Cochran. The U.S. Fire Administration should be an
extremely potent partner with the U.S. Forest Service in ESF-4.
Clearly, the frequency and volume of wildland fires and the
resources provided through the U.S. Forest Service place them
in a position where they are the primary Federal agency in ESF-
4.
But due to the target capabilities that rely on the fire
service discipline, in other areas outside of wildland fires,
the U.S. Fire Administration should be a recognized partner in
ESF-4 because it will rely on fire service resources outside of
wildland fires to manage certain types of disasters.
I would propose that if there is not a current relationship
between the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fire
Administration that allows them to work side by side, shoulder
to shoulder, to bring the greatest level of effectiveness to
ESF-4, it should be assertively pursued by the U.S. Fire
Administrator, and, if confirmed, I will lead that initiative.
Additionally, the U.S. Fire Administration should be the
most relied on Federal entity for the Department of Homeland
Security and FEMA to ensure that the American fire service will
be equipped and prepared to be a Federal asset in times that
Federally, nationally declared disasters occur.
The U.S. Fire Administrator should be the spokesperson to
the American fire service for the Department of Homeland
Security on homeland security issues and on preparedness and
response issues. Likewise, the U.S. Fire Administration should
be a credible spokesperson for the American fire service on
meeting their needs where gaps exist that hinder us from being
a Federal resource in times of natural disasters.
Chairman Lieberman. Well, that was a good answer. I must
tell you, as I went over this material in preparation for this
hearing, it surprised me to recall that the Forest Service is
the coordinating agency for ESF-4. I have a great respect, as
we all do, for the Forest Service, but it seems to be a more
natural role for the Fire Administrator. I thought you handled
that very well. You are not only a great firefighter, you are a
great diplomat. But you got your point across, and I urge you,
as you get into this position, if you are confirmed, do not
hesitate to get into this. And if you think that really there
ought to be either a co-leadership or the U.S. Fire
Administrator ought to be No. 1 here, do not hesitate to make
that case to our Committee or, obviously, within the
Administration.
Mr. Cochran. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you. My time is up. Senator
Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Chief Cochran, I was alarmed to learn that America's fire
death rate is one of the highest in the world on a per capita
basis, and the statistics are truly startling. In 2007, more
than 3,400 civilians lost their lives as a result of fire.
Another 18,000 were injured. The same year saw the loss of more
than $14 billion in direct property losses as a result of
fires. And firefighters are paying a high price as well: 114
firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty last year; 60
have already died this year as well.
We have seen an improvement in fire losses during the last
20 years, but these numbers are still higher than they should
be and are really unacceptable. What role can the U.S. Fire
Administration play in reducing the number of firefighter
deaths and civilian casualties?
Mr. Cochran. I share your perspective that even though
there has been tremendous enhancements, the current numbers in
both civilian deaths and injuries, firefighter deaths and
injuries, and property loss are still unacceptable. The U.S.
Fire Administration has a track record, and a steady track
record, of reducing property loss and injuries and deaths to
civilians.
We have to take a more assertive role in outreach of our
programs in venues that really affect the greatest areas where
those losses are occurring. Through our National Fire Data
Center and other resources, we should specifically identify
those most common areas where the greatest fire losses are
occurring as it relates to property, identify those common
areas where the greatest losses of lives and injuries are
occurring, and develop or revise our fire prevention and fire
safety education programs to aggressively address those areas.
Many of those areas, Senator Collins, are in regions of the
Nation that do not have the resources to address those problems
with their own resources. The U.S. Fire Administration, along
with other Federal agencies and nongovernmental agencies,
should work collaboratively together to pool their resources to
address areas where most of those fire losses are occurring.
Where firefighters are concerned, we have no notable change
in the number of firefighters dying in the line of duty and the
number of injuries that are occurring to firefighters in the
line of duty. My proposal, if confirmed as U.S. Fire
Administrator, would be to engage all Federal agencies and
nongovernmental entities that have some resources or role in
safety and occupational health to develop a vulnerability
assessment model whereby local fire departments or communities
can determine at their own level where the most likely
vulnerabilities exist that could lead to firefighter line-of-
duty deaths and injuries and, having determined those areas of
vulnerability, develop strategic plans to minimize them.
Senator Collins. Thank you, and please know that this
Committee looks forward to working very closely with you to
improve those statistics because we are talking literally about
lives. And as you point out, the firefighters themselves are
paying such a high price. So we look forward to working with
you in that area.
I want to follow up on my comments about interoperable
emergency communications. After the attacks on our country in
2001, this Committee became more aware of the problem of first
responders not being able to communicate with one another and
the fact that it exacerbated the loss of life on September 11,
2001.
Therefore, it was particularly disappointing when Hurricane
Katrina struck 4 years later, in 2005, that we heard exactly
the same problem happened in New Orleans, in particular, but
throughout the affected region, and that once again
firefighters could not talk to police officers who could not
communicate with emergency medical personnel.
Since that time, we have continued to pour literally
billions of dollars into interoperable communications grants.
The Chairman and I have worked hard to push the Department to
make this a priority. But we are still not there.
So it seems to me that this is a problem that is not just
about money. That certainly is part of the problem because it
is expensive, but there is more going on.
What do you see as the biggest barriers, the biggest
challenges to achieving interoperable communications? And what
can we do to push that goal forward?
Mr. Cochran. There are three layers, I believe, that create
barriers. The top two layers I am not as familiar with as I
will be, if confirmed as U.S. Fire Administrator, and that is,
to what extent have Federal-level agencies and nongovernmental
agencies at the national level--stakeholders in public safety,
communications, and interoperability--unified their efforts
toward achieving the goal of interoperability for public
safety? And what efforts collectively have Federal-level and
national-level stakeholders engaged in pushing forward on
achieving broadband spectrum for public safety to address the
interoperability issue?
Of course, those are rhetorical questions, but as U.S. Fire
Administrator, if confirmed, I believe my role would be to
pursue the answers to those questions; and if there are not
credible, combined efforts, to lead the initiatives to bring
those parties together to do so.
Additionally, there are Federal funds that are specifically
directed toward the interoperability issue. I believe that it
is time for us as a Nation to determine if those Federal
dollars are actually used toward a specific strategic plan that
will ultimately reach that goal. And I am not sure at this
point whether or not we can say as a Nation, as elected Federal
officials, as the administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration
and our fire service partners, if we have a strategic plan
where the Federal dollars directed toward interoperable
communications are actually leading toward that end.
Then, finally, at the local level, there are policies and
procedures and operational issues that bring the
interoperability issue to the table, and as U.S. Fire
Administrator, I believe I would have a role, if confirmed, in
making sure that the fire service is doing its part to make
sure that happens and that we are partnering with emergency
managers and law enforcement agencies to make sure that happens
on the operations end.
Senator Collins. Thank you.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks very much, Senator Collins.
Senator Carper, good morning. Thanks for being here.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CARPER
Senator Carper. Good morning, Mr. Chairman. Senator
Collins, nice to have been with you last night.
Senator Collins. Yes.
Senator Carper. Looking out at the audience, I see two
young women sitting here behind you. Do you have two daughters?
[Laughter.]
Mr. Cochran. I have two, but only one is here. The other
one is my wife.
Senator Carper. I am sorry. My eyesight is pretty good, and
she is not that far away. Nice of you to share your husband
with us. And what is your daughter's name, the one who is here?
Mr. Cochran. My daughter is Tiffane Cochran.
Senator Carper. Tiffane, thanks for sharing the old man
with the people of this country.
I enjoyed meeting with you in my office a week or two ago.
Thank you for coming by and for bringing your family with you.
Sometimes when people have been nominated for positions like
this, I say to them at a hearing of this nature when their
family is not with them, ``Does your spouse know you are doing
this? Does she know you have been nominated for this
position?'' Obviously, she knows, and by her presence here
today, I guess she has given her approval. And I suspect that
we will, too.
There were a number of things that I liked about your
background. First of all, I was just impressed with your
demeanor and your ability to communicate. I like the depth of
your service, not only in Shreveport but in Atlanta, and I
think it prepares you well, and I like your participation in
international and national organizations, which I think has
given you a good base for undertaking this responsibility,
should you be confirmed.
Let me ask a couple of questions. First of all, why do you
want to do this, or why are you willing to do this? It is going
to disrupt your life. It is going to give you probably more
work than you maybe want to do. But it will be a lot of work,
and it will not be easy.
Mr. Cochran. Well, first of all, Senator, I think the short
answer is that I just believe I can make a difference. That
question is often asked in promotional opportunities throughout
my career, and my answer has been consistently the same. I
believe I can make a difference.
During all of my 28-year career, I have had this passion
for serving through the fire service citizens on a local,
State, and Federal level, and it led me to pursuing leadership
opportunities to become the chief of the Shreveport Fire
Department, later the chief of the City of Atlanta Fire Rescue
Department, pursuing board member elected positions in the
Metropolitan Fire Chiefs and the International Association of
Fire Chiefs, and participation on other committees and task
forces. It is just something that is extremely rewarding to
serve our Nation as a firefighter and as a fire chief.
I believe collectively over the years I have garnered
enough experience and training and education where, if
confirmed as U.S. Fire Administrator, I will continue a track
record of service to citizens and country and garner support
from Federal and nongovernmental stakeholders in the fire
service to improve what we do for our Nation.
Senator Carper. Sometimes we meet people in our lives who
have what I describe as the ``heart of a servant,'' and just a
need to serve, a desire to serve. I think you have that heart
of a servant, and where does that come from?
Mr. Cochran. Well, the major part of that comes from my
faith. I just believe that is why I was born, to serve, and one
of the strange consequences of a relentless desire to serve is
being promoted to higher levels to be able to serve at a
greater capacity and to be able to serve more people. I think
that the more lowly you are in servanthood, the greater the
opportunities that will come your way.
Senator Carper. I think you are absolutely right.
You mentioned, as you had opportunities for new
responsibilities, that you have been asked why do you want to
do this, and you said, ``I want to make a difference with my
life.'' How do you think you might, and what are some of the
ways you might make a difference in this role?
Mr. Cochran. I believe that the issues that Senator Collins
addressed with regard to reducing loss of property, reducing
the loss of civilians' and firefighters' lives and injuries to
civilians and firefighters is the greatest way that I could
really make a difference.
I also believe that there are new initiatives in fire
prevention and fire safety education that should be initiated
to minimize further loss of lives in multi-family complexes and
senior citizens' complexes and that fire home sprinklers are
one of the greatest public safety and fire safety initiatives--
fire prevention initiatives are the future--in which I would,
if confirmed, want to see the U.S. Fire Administration play a
greater role.
In just 5 to 10 years, I would hope to have made a
difference so that, as a Nation, we can see a marked decrease
in the number of line-of-duty deaths and injuries to
firefighters after having served as U.S. Fire Administrator.
Senator Carper. As you and I discussed, Delaware has not a
lot of paid firefighters. We have a number in Wilmington; they
are good, too. But we have a lot of volunteer firefighters, and
I suspect the same is true in Maine, and I believe in
Connecticut, but particularly true in Delaware.
We talked a bit about the challenge in recruiting and
retaining volunteer firefighters. It is tough to get people to
volunteer for a number of service opportunities these days.
Fortunately, many do.
But what is your experience and understanding of volunteer
firefighting issues? And how might you be working with that
community if you are confirmed?
And, second, can you describe some of the common challenges
between volunteer and career firefighters that you think can be
overcome?
Mr. Cochran. Yes, sir. In the city of Shreveport,
Louisiana, was the largest fire department in northwest
Louisiana. And even though we were the big boys, so to speak,
there were risks in our community that, if they were to occur,
we would not have enough resources to meet the needs for the
citizens of Shreveport, and it made it necessary for us to
build relationships with local volunteers.
Subsequently, there were issues that could occur in
volunteer communities that they did not have the resources to
meet on their own, and they would rely on the Shreveport Fire
Department to help them meet their needs.
So I have a tremendous respect for a joint partnership
where both volunteer and career departments are structured and
have relationships to support each other.
In addition to that, I have a tremendous respect for the
fact that in our Nation, if there is going to be fire
protection in a community, it has to be provided completely
through volunteers--men and women who have decided that they
are going to organize themselves in such a way that, should
fires occur, they will provide the support necessary to
extinguish fires or rescue entrapped victims. That is a
tremendous commitment from working people when there is no
funded fire protection available.
The U.S. Fire Administration should play an ongoing role,
as it has in the past, to make sure that we are a support to
any community that relies solely on volunteers to have its
resource needs met or available when fires do occur.
And, finally, in my role as board member for the
International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), we have a
section known as the Combination and Volunteers Section of the
International Association of Fire Chiefs. We also have a
relationship with the National Volunteer Fire Council. Since I
have a history of working with career departments, I will not
try to attempt to think that I am keenly aware and sensitive to
all volunteer issues, but will rely on the Volunteer and
Combination Section of the IAFC and the National Volunteer Fire
Council for the U.S. Fire Administration to be intimately
involved with them, to see to it that we are using our
resources to help them meet their needs long term.
Senator Carper. All right. Thanks for that response. My
time has expired.
Mr. Chairman, thanks very much for holding this hearing,
and it is nice to see you again, Chief, and to meet your
family.
Mr. Cochran. Nice to see you, sir.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks, Senator Carper.
Chief, I think we will give each of the Members of the
Committee a chance to ask one more question. Mine is on the
Fire Academy, which provides very valuable training to
firefighters and has done so over the years, both at its
residential facility in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and also by
distance learning in cooperation with fire service
organizations and, in fact, universities.
In 2008, the Fire Academy, as an example, provided more
than 4,000 courses and reached more than 121,000 students,
which is an impressive figure. I know you have benefited from
the academy's training and spoken of its importance to your
career development. I wonder, as you are coming in as Fire
Administrator, what do you see as the academy's major
challenges and its major opportunities?
Mr. Cochran. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe that the
challenge that we face with the National Fire Academy is to
continue our pattern of growth in meeting the training and
educational needs of the American fire service. To do that, we
have to have a sustained program of periodic review of courses
that are still making a difference to enhance their viability
in today's fire service and in the future; but also we have to
continue to scan the fire service environment for other
training needs that local- and State-level fire training
institutions are strapped to actually meet.
The National Fire Academy touches many fire service careers
on an annual basis. Last year, over 8,000 participants came to
the Emmitsburg campus, and through our other outreach programs
through Internet and other means, State training and local
institutions, well over 115,000 firefighters were touched--
volunteer, combination, and career departments alike. So we
have to continue to strive for excellence in that regard.
In the future, one of the greatest challenges is going to
be how do we assist the American fire service in overcoming the
tremendous level of attrition and loss of formal knowledge and
institutional knowledge. I think the National Fire Academy is
one of the greatest solutions to that future challenge, and
there is no substitute for the on-campus experience in training
fire officers and chief officers for the future. But our
current capacity is not suitable to meet the current demand, so
we have to look for future ways of expanding capacity on the
Emmitsburg campus to bring young fire officers and chief
officers to Emmitsburg so that the expectation of quality
leadership that Americans have come to expect in their local-
level fire departments can still be met through the programs at
the Emmitsburg campus.
Chairman Lieberman. Excellent. Thank you. Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Let me associate myself with the comments that the Chairman
just made about the importance of the Fire Academy. I have had
many professional firefighters from Maine go to take advantage
of the course work, but the demand is greater than can be
accommodated, and yet that training is so specialized that it
is not available in very many other places. So I look forward
to working with you on that.
I also want to associate myself with the comments made by
Senator Carper about the volunteer fire services. In Maine, we
are fortunate to have absolutely top-notch professional
firefighters, and we are also fortunate to have very hard-
working volunteers who staff more than 96 percent of Maine's
fire departments; 96 percent are comprised of either volunteer
or mostly volunteer firefighters. So paying attention to both
the professional departments and the volunteer and the
combination departments is critical, as Senator Carper
indicated.
I also want to encourage you to keep the Fire Grant program
with little bureaucracy. One of the reasons it is so popular
now is that it has a peer review system that works extremely
well to ensure that the money does not get siphoned off by
bureaucracy but really goes directly to fire departments. And I
think it is very successful.
My final question has to do with public awareness
campaigns. The data that I used in my first question to you are
startling in terms of how much we have to do to improve public
awareness and education and improve safety. And one of the Fire
Administration's primary responsibilities is public awareness
and education.
All of us are concerned when we learn of a household where
lives were lost in a fire because they did not have smoke
alarms, just something as basic as that. There is so much more
that could be done to educate families on how to evacuate their
home when there is a fire.
What can the Fire Administration do to improve its
education and awareness campaigns to decrease the loss of life
and property?
Mr. Cochran. That is a great question, Senator, but I have
to ask: Was that a fire alarm that we just heard? [Laughter.]
Senator Collins. It was, fortunately, not a fire alarm.
Those were bells telling us that we are in the midst of a
quorum call, so you can relax, and you do not have to evacuate
us.
Mr. Cochran. I can relax.
Senator Collins. But we would look to you if, in fact, we
had to evacuate.
Mr. Cochran. I am prepared to lead us if that is the case.
The role that the U.S. Fire Administration has in fire
safety education and fire prevention, as I mentioned earlier,
has had good results, but there is still work to be done in
outreach for prevention efforts. The greatest categories of
fire deaths are still children 5 years and younger and senior
citizens above 50. And it is pretty clear where demographically
those deaths occur. They are in low-to moderate-income
communities, minority communities, and certain types of
dwellings. Rather than continue a broad-brush approach to fire
safety education, we should have a more targeted, focused
approach on the areas where the risks are greatest.
I believe we have programs that actually focus in those
areas currently, but in my current assessment, I am not aware
of how assertive and how specifically targeted they are. If
confirmed as U.S. Fire Administrator, I believe it would be
prudent for me to bring together all of our partners in fire
prevention and fire safety education within the U.S. Fire
Administration and other Federal agencies to make sure that our
programs are targeted programs in the areas where the greatest
needs are.
Again, some communities and municipalities do not have the
personnel or other resources to effect fire safety education
programs to address those needs.
There should be, in my estimation, noncompetitive grants
and other programs available to address those needs in
communities that cannot afford to meet them.
Senator Collins. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Chief.
Chairman Lieberman. Thanks, Senator Collins.
Chief, I think your testimony and appearance today have
been very impressive. You obviously, from your biography, have
a lot of experience that is relevant to the position to which
you have been nominated, but I have been impressed by the way
you have handled the questions. You are very well informed. You
have some ideas based on your experience that you are taking in
some sense of priority. So I thank you very much for your
testimony. You have given me, certainly, confidence about your
capacity to handle this position.
We are going to close the hearing record at the close of
business today. In other words, any additional statements or
questions by yourself or questions from us, are due at the
close of day because, if possible, with Senator Collins'
agreement--I do not know whether it is going to be possible--I
would like to try to get you confirmed before we formally go on
recess for a month, which presumably will be on Friday. But
thanks for your career; thanks for your willingness to serve.
Senator Collins, would you like to add anything?
Senator Collins. I just concur in your assessment of the
nominee, and I also pledge to try to move Chief Cochran's
nomination through the full Senate prior to our adjourning for
the recess.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you.
Chief, would you like to quit while you are ahead or say
anything in your defense? [Laughter.]
Mr. Cochran. Absolutely. Thank you, Senator Lieberman;
thank you, Senator Collins.
Senator Collins. Thank you.
Chairman Lieberman. Thank you. The hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:01 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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