On Friday the National Fire Academy (NFA) and the National Disaster and Emergency Management University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, were closed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The agency attributed the action to funding freezes and staff layoffs.
Montgomery County Fire Chief Corey Smedley urged fire chiefs across the nation to contact members of the U.S. Congress to urge them to reopen the NFA.
Many Montgomery County firefighters, emergency managers, emergency all-hazard responders and others throughout the mid-Atlantic region have taken courses and used the academy’s resources, he said.
“The National Fire Academy is the nation’s premier fire and emergency service educational institution, is home of the National Fallen Fighters Memorial and a center for advanced fire & emergency management executive officer development and learning,” Smedley said in a text message to MCM.
Chief Smedley noted Montana Fire Chief Josh Waldo, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs said, “Closing the NFA will risk the development of the nation’s next generation of fire and EMS leaders. This is akin to closing the Naval War College for the U.S. Navy or FBI Academy for law enforcement, and we need to reopen the NFA as soon as possible.”
U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney denounced the elimination of the Academy when she spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I rise today in defense of the National Fire Academy– located in Emmitsburg, MD–whose courses were eliminated by the Administration on Friday–effective immediately.”
She called on the FEMA to reverse this decision.
McClain Delaney cited the tens of thousands of firefighters and emergency personnel trained at NFA by experts in best practices in fire and hazard safety.
“With ever-worsening wildfires and other severe natural disasters threatening communities nationwide from California to the Carolinas, the education and training provided by the NFA have never been more important to strengthen our national preparedness,” she said.
“And while I agree that our government should run more efficiently, jeopardizing our firefighters’ personal safety and the safety and well-being of our communities is never the answer.”
