On Feb. 15, the U.S. Senate confirmed President George W. Bush's choice of Joe M. Allbaugh to serve as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Prior to the confirmation, Allbaugh had served as Bush's national campaign manager as well as the Texas governor's chief of staff, with responsibility for all emergency and disaster occurrences. During his 5H-year tenure as chief of staff, Allbaugh oversaw nine presidential disaster declarations.

A native Oklahoman, Allbaugh graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in political science. In addition to his government service, he has participated in political campaigns in 39 states, managed U.S. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns, and served on three successful presidential campaign staffs.

Fire Chief Editor Janet Wilmoth interviewed Allbaugh in August to discuss his first six months on the job, where FEMA is headed in the future, and what it all means for the fire and emergency services.

FC: How are you enjoying your job?

Allbaugh: Well, I'm very fortunate. It's a great opportunity to serve our country. I am honored by President Bush's appointment. No one in the world gets to do what I do, so I'm very, very fortunate. It is a humbling experience thus far, because it carries with it an awesome responsibility that Americans have come to rely upon and expect in time of need. I'm lucky to be here.

FC: Now that you've had a chance to settle in at FEMA, what are your impressions of the fire service?

Allbaugh: I admire what those folks do — men and women who put their lives on the line every day, and we never say thank you enough. I'm not sure I can do what they do. You don't know until you're put into that situation, but day in and day out they protect our infrastructure, telecommunications, banking — everything that is important to citizens of our country.

The fire department will always be there, the fire service will always be around to take care of this emergency or that emergency, and part of my goals is to make sure that we as a country do not take the fire service or law enforcement for granted at any time. That's one of the goals during my tenure, to raise the visibility of the fire administrator, the fire administration and the good that they do for all Americans.

I was at one of the downtown Chicago firehouses not too long ago. I make a point, if I can, to stop by a local firehouse and break bread with folks on the line.… I've done that in Philadelphia; Chicago; San Francisco; Olympia, Wash.; Denver; and maybe two or three others. I go without staff and without the proverbial photo-op routine or press availability. I go just to sit at the lunch table and hear what's on their minds, whether it's about their personal safety equipment or the age of their vehicles, or whether it's training. It is a great way to connect with the fire service; I have been doing that, and I will continue to do that in the future.

FC: I'm sure you've noticed that the fire service is changing.

Allbaugh: Well, the responsibilities of the men and women in the fire service have changed, as our society has changed. I visited San Francisco when Mario Treviño had just been on the job for about a week, and he was kind enough to come over and break bread with me as well as the folks at the station house.

There was a museum right next to the station I was at downtown, and it was fascinating to just walk through there a few minutes before the chief showed up and relive a little bit of the history and rich tradition that particular department has. It affected everyone's life in that community and still does to this day. I'm sure that is replicated all across America, but I could only imagine what it was like back in the '50s and even before, particularly in a major metropolitan area that was the hub of activity.

FC: Will FEMA behave differently under your leadership? What are your priorities?

Allbaugh: Well, I don't know that it will behave differently. I want to make sure that FEMA is prepared for any and all things that our country may be faced with. For example, we have been faced with a lot of flooding recently. We can't normally predict where tornadoes or hurricanes or even earthquakes will take place, but we can for the most part know exactly where it's going to flood. Educating the public as to the dangers of rising water is paramount as far as one of my goals.

Training our employees at FEMA so they are fully prepared to handle any task that is put before them, on an ongoing basis, is another high priority. My specific priority with the fire administration is to appoint an administrator who comes from the fire service. I made that commitment at the CFSI dinner, and I will honor that commitment, as will President Bush.… I am anxious in the next several weeks to bring that to closure. [Ed.: Since this interview, the White House has announced the nomination of Chief R. David Paulison, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, to the post of usfa Administrator. For more information, visit <www.firechief.com>.]

There are several challenges in front of the office of the administrator, [including] Emmitsburg, which is one of our nation's jewels. I think one of the better things our country did was to step in 20 years ago when that private college failed and pick up that campus. Just the other morning I was in a budget meeting to talk about its potential expansion. I don't want to make any promises, because money drives the train in this town.

I'm not sure that we do enough training nationwide for either emergency management or the fire service. We turn away thousands of potential students all across the nation, [but] training is paramount … for those first responders who are the ones who receive the 911 phone calls. Training is very costly, so I know that appropriators in the process have to be cognizant as to what kind of money they are spending in that arena, but it is a top priority for me.

FC: In other funding issues, what has FEMA learned about the FIRE Grant process after this first round of awards?

Allbaugh: I think that Ken Burris and his team, who have basically overseen the entire process, have done a fabulous job. As you know, this is not something that FEMA does as a regular routine. There are a number of lessons we have learned. Our goal is to get the entire $100 million, or the first $100 million, out the door by Sept. 30. We have already issued grants totaling in excess of $7 million thus far, and we will achieve that goal of having it all out by Sept. 30.

The rub is going to be in explaining to better than 19,000 departments, which they'll understand because they are all made of smart people, just how short $100 million is, how it doesn't cover all their needs. Our total request was approaching $3 billion over 19,000 and some applications that we took in. To me, that demonstrates the need across the nation, which the president recognizes. That's why he put the program back in the budget after it had been cut. It was not a tough choice for the president to make.

FC: Over the next few years, do you anticipate that the six authorized FIRE Grant categories will remain the same, or will they be changed?

Allbaugh: I'm not sure. If I remember correctly, there were 14 categories authorized under the original legislation, and … because we were short on time, … FEMA and the Fire Administration focused on six top priorities after having a dialogue with the fire service as to where we should try to put our efforts first.

I think there is going to be some additional give-and-take on what categories we highlight for next year. We have to have additional conversations with members of Congress. If we did six out of the 14, there were eight we weren't able to touch. We have had such a success in response to these six categories; should we stay with these six categories or just expand to the other eight the second time around? I think that is yet to be determined. We will do that as soon as we complete this current process.

All 14 categories are worthy categories. My preference would be to have sufficient funding to cover all the categories; unfortunately, we don't have enough.

FC: The FIRE Grant application process was embraced by volunteer departments in their search for equipment. What plans do you have to help the volunteer fire service as far as recruiting and retention?

Allbaugh: Well, one way we are doing it right now is through the FIRE Grant program, but again I'll fall back to what we offer at Emmitsburg. We can never do enough training, and I think offering and sharing unique ways in that, say, even career departments have been successful at retaining and attracting folks to the fire service. We just need to make sure that there is an open dialogue to share that knowledge.

I want to facilitate that through the fire administrator. I can't be in the position, and I think everyone understands that we are not going to be the source for all money. I think the fire Grant program is an excellent way to help volunteer fire departments in training, in personal safety equipment, in vehicles — you always hear that cry out there. I will do as much for volunteer fire departments as I possibly can, but at the same time you have the combination and career fire departments, and I have to treat virtually all three the same.

FC: In other countries the fire service is tied very closely to national defense. In America, the fire service is on the front lines when terrorist acts occur. Do you see closer ties between the fire service and the military, especially with equipment and training firefighters with Defense Department technology?

Allbaugh: I think the Defense Department has access to a lot of technology and current training that all facets of American life could benefit from. I do not see the military taking the place of anyone in the fire service, quite frankly. Individuals are very comfortable with their local fire departments and local responders, and that's the way it should be in our country.

But whatever gains that can be shared with the career and the combination and the volunteer fire departments, we ought to make sure that all those departments are benefiting from what the DOD has learned over the last several years. I think that is one of the principal responsibilities of the Fire Administration, to make sure that fire departments are made aware of what our country has done regarding new technologies and new ways of attacking a series of problems.

FC: This has been done to some extent with the International Association of Fire Chiefs opening the doors of Fire-Rescue International to the DOD.

Allbaugh: Well, the biggest thing we can do is make sure we have a dialogue. Oftentimes things fall through the cracks because the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing and vice versa. I want to make sure that in my role as director of FEMA I am facilitating a dialogue between all parts of the fire service and FEMA, and emergency managers and those that are on the cutting edge of new technology, like the DOD. That is a principal responsibility of mine and will be a top job of the new U.S. Fire Administrator, whenever that person gets on board.

FC: Under FEMA, what will the fire service's role be in the Office of National Preparedness?

Allbaugh: One of the things that I've learned just in the last six months is that we have had five years of focusing various agencies at the federal level on national preparedness and terrorism, and one thing that has been missing, in my opinion, has been having our local partners sitting at the tables when plans are crafted or when exercises take place. It doesn't make any sense to me that the folks who do respond to the 911 phone calls aren't in the room hearing what one person is saying, with the ability to comment, because they are implementers — they are the first responders.

I'm not getting the 911 phone call. It's going to be men and women who are the first responders, emergency managers, law enforcement. It's not going to be me. I'll hear about it third- or fourth-hand. So they have that responsibility. They have to be part of crafting that plan, thinking locally, acting locally, but having the flexibility to mobilize our assets nationally, and that is one of the toughest jobs we have ahead of us in the coming months as we wade into this area dealing with terrorism and WMD. I know that the president and the vice president do not want to be in the position of reinventing the wheel once again.

FC: How will that affect the U.S. Fire Administrator?

Allbaugh: He is going to be an equal partner there, right at my side. I can promise the fire service that you will be in the room at the table when everything is taken care of. You will have an active voice in whatever national plan that will be fully integrated and coordinated by FEMA. That's going to be an easy promise for me to keep. It's going to be important that the fire administrator does have a say representing the entire fire service as to how we should go about dealing with these tough issues.