Fire Fighters Praise Confirmation of Ridge

Jan. 23, 2003
International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) President Harold Schaitberger applauded Senate confirmation of Tom Ridge as the first secretary of the newly-created Homeland Security Department but said Ridge has a big job ahead of him.

Schaitberger warned that the nation's fire departments and other first responders are not prepared to handle a terrorist attack.

"Tom Ridge is the right man for the job and the IAFF looks forward to continuing to work with him on the vital issues of Homeland Security," said Schaitberger. "The IAFF will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our nation's first responders are ready for any crisis and we hope that Secretary Ridge will help the IAFF secure adequate funding for our nation's domestic defenders."

Schaitberger noted two-thirds of U.S. fire departments under-staffed and many lack the appropriate training and equipment to deal with an incident involving weapons of mass destruction. "We need to act now to provide them the resources they need – before the next attack," he added.

One of Ridge's first hurdles will be to translate President George W. Bush's ambitious proposals into reality, Schaitberger said. "After September 11, the president pledged $3.5 billion for first responders. Fire fighters, city and county governments, and the American public is still waiting," he commented.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

Sponsored Recommendations

April 25, 2025
Environmental audits should be a core part of your EHS program regardless of whether you choose to pursue ISO 14001 certification.
April 25, 2025
Streamline EHS inspections. Conduct, track, and manage inspections effortlessly with customizable checklists, real-time reporting, and actionable insights.
April 25, 2025
A winning business case is based on the ROI of the project. The essential first step is determining your EHS costs today.
April 25, 2025
The use of QR codes can greatly simplify observation, near miss, and incident reporting and improve the quantity and quality of data. The more safety information that is collected...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!