FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 9, 2004
FURTHER INFORMATION:   Jeff Zack (202) 824-1506 (O),
                                              (202) 360-9778 (Cell);
                                              Jim McBride (202) 824-1566 (office)

Despite Threat Announcements
BUSH DOING LESS, NOT MORE TO PREPARE FOR TERROR RESPONSE

Bush Administration’s Failure to Fund Programs Has Left First Responders Lacking Needed Training, Equipment and Manpower

WASHINGTON, DC – The General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO/CLC, Harold Schaitberger, issued this statement today on the failure to adequately fund, staff, train and equip our nation’s first responders despite events of September 11, 2001 and despite the consistent drumbeat that a new attack is imminent:

"The Bush administration’s announcements of imminent terror attacks are a smoke screen to cover up the truth. Rather than providing tangible assistance in fighting the war on terror, these announcements do nothing but spread fear among the American People. The sad truth is that this fear is justified because we are no more prepared to respond to an attack today in most places in America than we were on September 11, 2001.

“The truth is that the Bush administration is doing less, not more to prepare for a response to a terror attack, and that is irresponsible.

"While our fire fighters and paramedics will respond bravely to any incident, as they do, every day, the truth is there won’t be enough of them, our responders won’t have the proper equipment or training, and people will die as a result.

“The United States Fire Administration and National Fire Protection Association, and the Council on Foreign Relations found in studies reported in 2003 that our emergency response capabilities are critically underfunded, and our first responders are understaffed, undertrained and ill-equipped.

“The Bush Administration’s response has been to zero-out the funding of key preparedness programs in its budget proposals for 2002 and 2003 and to cut the budgets of those programs in 2004. Then again in its 2005 budget, the administration proposes to cut homeland security and first responder programs by $700 million.

“We have reports that the Pentagon is selling faulty Haz-Mat suits to fire departments around the country. It’s being reported that urban search and rescue teams will not be able to maintain their equipment for a response because of too little funding. And the administration is adamant that no money be provided to hire fire fighters in communities that are seriously short-staffed right now.

“More than just announcing that an attack is coming, the American People deserve a government that is fully prepared to respond. This is simply not the case today because of President Bush’s failure to fund and equip our country’s first responders, who serve as our homeland’s first line of defense.”

About the International Association of Fire Fighters

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the 16th largest union among the 64 national unions that makeup the AFL-CIO. The IAFF represents more than 263,000 full-time professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel who protect 80 percent of the nation’s population. More than 2,900 affiliates and their members protect nearly 6,000 communities in every state in the Unites States and every province in Canada.

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