The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency will meet Tuesday with Gen. Gene Renuart, commander of the nation’s homeland defense command.

Craig Fugate will visit North American Aerospace Defense Command and Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base east of Colorado Springs to discuss how FEMA and NorthCom can improve collaboration and support, observations about the new administration’s disaster preparation and consequence management requirements, and the overall direction of emergency rograms. Fugate also will meet operational leaders who would play a part during NorthCom’s support of federal efforts during disaster pre-planning, response and recovery with an emphasis on hurricane, wild fires and floods.

Fugate and Renuart plan a news conference Tuesday afternoon at the headquarters.

Fugate was in Denver today to help kick off President Barack Obama’s campaign to promote public service. He met with firefighters and other emergency workers at a Denver fire station, where he told them he’s a former volunteer firefighter who always tried to do more to help his community.

He says the emergency responders he spoke with are inspiring because “you forget a lot of them are coaching Little League” and helping in other ways.

He says Obama’s campaign, called United We Serve, goes back to the president’s early days of community service, when he took action and didn’t assume someone else would.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Members of the Colorado Springs Fire Dept. investigate the scene of a house fire in the 2300 block of W. Pikes Peak Ave. Firefighters responded to the call at about 11:30 on Monday morning, June 22, 2009. There were no injuries attributed to the fire. Photo by (The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett)