Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; National Fire Department Registry, 22235-22236 [2021-08702]

Agencies

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22235-22236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08702]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0014; OMB No. 1660-0070]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; National Fire Department Registry

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: 60-Day notice of revision and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites 
the general public to take this opportunity to comment on a revision of 
a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning 
the use of a form to collect data for the development and continuation 
of the National Fire Department Registry.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 28, 2021.

ADDRESSES: To avoid duplicate submissions to the docket, please use 
only one of the following means to submit comments at 
www.regulations.gov under Docket ID FEMA_FEMA-2021-0014.Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket 
ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov, and will include any 
personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting this 
information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy and 
Security Notice that is available via a link on the homepage.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayle Kelch, Statistician, FEMA, 
United States Fire Administration, National Fire Data Center at (301) 
447-1154 or email [email protected]. You may contact the 
Information Management Division for copies of the proposed collection 
of information at email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 
of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-498), as enacted in 15 U.S.C. Chap 49, provides for 
the gathering and analyzing of data as deemed useful and applicable for 
fire departments. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) receives many 
requests from fire service organizations and the general public for 
information related to fire departments, including total number of 
departments, number of stations per department, population protected, 
and number of firefighters.

[[Page 22236]]

The USFA also has a need for this information to guide programmatic 
decisions and produce mailing lists for USFA publications. 
Recommendations for the creation of the fire department census database 
came out of a Blue Ribbon Panel's review of the USFA. The report 
included a review of the structure, mission, and funding of the USFA, 
future policies, programmatic needs, course development and delivery, 
and the role of the USFA to reflect changes in the fire service. As a 
result of those recommendations, the USFA is working to identify all 
fire departments in the United States to develop a database that will 
include information related to demographics, capabilities, and 
activities of fire departments Nationwide. In the fall of 2016, the 
USFA renamed the census to the National Fire Department Registry. In 
the fall of 2001, information was collected from 16,000 fire 
departments. Since the first year of the collection, an additional 
11,225 departments have registered for a total of 27,225 fire 
departments. This leaves an estimated 2,775 departments still to 
respond. Additionally, about 5,445 current registered departments are 
contacted by USFA each year and are asked to provide updates to any 
previously submitted information.

Collection of Information

    Title: National Fire Department Registry.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    OMB Number: 1660-0070.
    FEMA Forms: FEMA Form 070-0-0-1.
    Abstract: This collection seeks to identify fire departments in the 
United States to compile a database related to their demographics, 
capabilities, and activities. The database is used to guide 
programmatic decisions and provide information to the public and the 
fire service.
    Affected Public: State, local or tribal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,370.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 6,370.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,293.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $9,840.
    Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $0.
    Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $55,815.

Comments

    Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data 
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Millicent L. Brown,
Senior Manager, Records Management Branch, Office of the Chief 
Administrative Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2021-08702 Filed 4-26-21; 8:45 am]
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