The National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, has long been an educational hub for fire departments around the nation. But last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency canceled all classes.
In announcing the move, The Associated Press reported the agency said the stop in learning comes as programs are being evaluated to “ensure alignment with administration priorities.”
“I think what most people don’t realize is that cutting off the National Fire Academy doesn’t just cut off the Emmitsburg campus, it cuts off programs in all 50 states,” former Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said.
Bashoor, who is now a senior adviser for FIRE1, a news source for fire departments, said when an email went out on the cancellation of classes, some received the news while in classes at the academy. Others had booked trips for classes this past weekend and had to try and cancel those last minute.
“It just seems like there’s been very little method to the madness,” Bashoor said.
The former chief has both attended and taught classes at the academy and said it is known for the advanced trainings it provides firefighters from across the nation, including specialized hazmat training and leadership training for current and future fire department leaders.
“It’s akin to the War College for military folks,” Bashoor said. “Military folks go to the War College to continue furthering their career. And it’s the same exact thing with the Emmitsburg campus and the entire NFA program base.”
Bashoor said while firefighters received basic training on a local level, the academy provides courses that help create strong firefighting teams across the country. And while the impact of losing the classes might not be seen right away, he said he expects they’ll be seen in the months to come, if programs are not restarted.
“Sure, they’ll be able to pick up a hose and spray water, or they’ll be able to pick up a tool and use it, but will they be able to think through that next all-hazards thing that hits them, and they hit us daily,” Bashoor said.
He said Emmitsburg is also home to the National Firefighters Memorial, and the foundation behind it, the Fallen Firefighters Foundation, works with the academy to develop programs that make firefighting safer — including a program to prevent firefighter injuries during responses.
‘Critical that we have the proper training’
Former Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell told WTOP the abrupt closing “makes absolutely no sense.”
“It is professional development, it is Emergency Medical Incident Command, it’s Disaster Response Incident Command, it’s hazardous material response, arson investigation,” Moore-Merrell said. “These are critical services at our local community level. How could this possibly not be aligned with an administration’s priorities?”
According to Bashoor, programs also bring “the national framework together,” so agencies also know the best practices to use when fighting a fire or responding to another emergency situation.
“If there’s not one way to do that, then we end up with this bifurcation of 50 different ways through 50 different states that we’ve demonstrated over the years is not a good way of doing business,” Bashoor said.
His hope is the administration’s examination of the academy and what it does finishes soon, so classes can continue and “we can get back to business.”
“I would be real interested to see what fraud, waste or abuse is found in our fire training programs, and so far, I haven’t seen it,” he said.
Moore-Merrell agreed, saying the programs are also key in making sure departments can recruit firefighters and paramedics.
“It really is critical that we have the proper training, that we have the proper leadership training, which also takes place at the National Fire Academy for our offices and our leaders, so they know how to look at their community, how to reach out to the community, to recruit new firefighters and paramedics to the job,” she said.
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