IAFC NEWS ALERT
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: IAFC
Communications Department
International Association of Fire
Chiefs
703/273-0911
www.iafc.org
May 26, 2006
Former IAFC president, Chief R. David
Paulison’s presidential appointment to the post of Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Under Secretary for Federal Emergency Management was
confirmed by the U.S. Senate this afternoon.
Chief Paulison was
appointed acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) last September and was then nominated to the post in April.
“The IAFC is delighted with Chief Paulison’s confirmation. Based
on his federal and local government experience, we know Chief Paulison as
a leader that can operate in crisis conditions and get results,” said IAFC
President Chief Bill Killen. “He proved himself while at the U.S. Fire
Administration and we know he will be of tremendous benefit to this
country in his role as Under Secretary.” Chief Paulison was the president
of the IAFC from 1996 through 1997. He was the chief of the Miami-Dade
Fire Rescue Department in Florida, and served as the incident commander
during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in
1996.
Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Paulison was
chosen by President Bush to head the U.S. Fire Administration, which is
now part of FEMA. From 2003 to 2004, he also served as director of the
Preparedness Division of the Emergency Preparedness and Response
Directorate/FEMA within the Department of Homeland Security.
Paulison earned respect of fire chiefs across the country as the
leader of the U.S. Fire Administration. He administered a broad range of
programs to strengthen state and community emergency preparedness. He
managed first responder grant programs totaling more than $1 billion and
oversaw more than 350 employees. He was responsible for training federal,
state and local emergency managers and first responders from all parts of
the country. Paulison reinvigorated the agency and restored USFA's
National Fire Academy as one of the premier first-responder training
facilities in the country.