Susan Collins: “in deciding how to vote on this issue, I would encourage our colleagues to consult the experts, the first responder…”

“in deciding how to vote on this issue, I would encourage our colleagues to consult the experts, the first responder organizations that overwhelmingly support the Collins- Lieberman-Lott-Carper approach and do not support the amendment that has been proposed by my colleagues from New York and Hawaii. For example, the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents 270,000 professional firefighters and emergency medical personnel, has endorsed the Collins-Lieberman-Lott-Carper amendment and says this about the alternative approach we have just heard described: We believe that proposals to return FEMA to its status as an independent agency would hinder efforts to reform our nation's emergency response system. Removing FEMA from DHS would create competing agencies, sowing confusion among emergency responders. Furthermore, such an approach would undermine an all-hazards approach, leading to the perception that DHS deals with terrorism while FEMA is in charge of natural disasters. That is what the International Association of Fire Fighters says. Other groups, such as the Major Cities Chiefs Association, say something very similar; the National Troopers Coalition, the National Association of Police Organizations, Advocates for EMS--the list goes on and on and on. The fact is, those who put their lives on the line, who are on the front lines of emergency response, say it would be a colossal mistake to take FEMA out of DHS, to sever that connection.…”