The International Association of Fire Fighters joined ProtectingAmerica.org to call for state and federal laws to provide comprehensive catastrophe protection. The Homeowners Defense Act of 2007 would create a national catastrophe program.

"The collective voice of the IAFF will be a tremendous boost to the momentum that is building for the establishment of state and national catastrophe funds,” says James Lee Witt, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a co-chair of ProtectingAmerica.org.

“Comprehensive and integrated catastrophe programs at the state and national levels are essential if American families are going to be protected from the devastation of massive earthquakes or sweeping hurricanes,” says Harold A. Schaitberger, general president of the IAFF. “State legislators and the U.S. Congress need to move now to enact laws that improve mitigation and preparation, provide dedicated funding for first responder training and equipment, and provide a financial backstop so families can repair, rebuild and recover in the aftermath of a catastrophe.”

The U.S. Senate has called for the establishment of a commission to study the benefits of a national catastrophe fund. State legislation is currently being considered in states from New England to Texas and throughout the Midwest.