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Board Of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report

Meeting Schedule 

Dec. 6, 2021 

March 15, 2022 

Aug. 15, 2022 

Introduction

The Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy (NFA) plays an important role in 

supporting the academic stature of the NFA. The primary purpose of the Board of Visitors is to: 

• Review NFA programs to ensure they fulfill the basic mission of the U.S. Fire 

Administration (USFA).

• Ensure that NFA facilities are adequate for their assigned purposes. 

• Ensure appropriate funding levels for NFA programs. 

• Provide advice and recommendations to the USFA. 

The Board reviewed the NFA in the first 3 areas listed above. This report is offered in fulfillment 

of the fourth responsibility. After 2 years of virtual meetings, the NFA Board of Visitors was 

glad to gather in person to review NFA programs, facilities, and funding. After receiving 

briefings from USFA program representatives, the Board would like to emphasize the following: 

• NFA has multiple vacancies in key leadership and critical support positions. Addressing 

this requires adequate funding and streamlining of the hiring process. 

• Information technology (IT) continues to be an issue for the campus and programs of 

the NFA. The Board continues to recommend that the NFA and USFA install a full-time 

chief information officer and create a branch to oversee, update and manage all enterprise 

functions. 

• It is imperative that the USFA and NFA obtain the required funding to maintain their 

mission and the expected role they play within the Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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National Fire Academy programs

While disruptions from COVID-19 continue to impact operations, the NFA increased on-campus 

services with enhanced safety protocols and robust flexibility in the face of future disruptions to 

service. On an annual basis, the NFA provides training and education to over 96,000 career and 

volunteer fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel (96,840 average over 5 years). 

Classes are delivered in person on NFA’s Emmitsburg, Maryland, campus; through online 

synchronous and asynchronous courses; through partnerships with state and metropolitan fire 

training organizations; and with institutions of higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic 

continues to impact the NFA’s ability to deliver training. In August 2022, campus was operating 

at approximately 65% capacity, with return to full capacity expected by October 2022.

U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell has brought fresh vision and renewed vigor to 

the USFA. This emphasizes integrating EMS priorities and relevance to NFA’s offerings, 

enhancing the capture of data and the capacity to use that data to empower activities, and the 

ongoing enhancement of wildland urban interface (WUI) offerings with special attention to the 

impact of climate change. The NFA maintains the goal of a student-centric approach with current 

and relevant professional development opportunities for career and volunteer fire and EMS 

personnel. The USFA will undertake a strategic planning process to begin this fall. The Board of 

Visitors looks forward to supporting these efforts.

Education Training and Partnerships

NFA Online: During fiscal year (FY) 2022, the NFA began migrating to Blackboard as the 

platform for the learning management system (LMS). This migration is still underway. The 

absence of a functioning LMS has required innovative strategies and workarounds for course 

management. The Board considers the timely launch of Blackboard to be a priority. 

During FY 2022, NFA Online delivered 35,130 completions as of Aug. 10. Additionally, in the 

single week of Aug. 1-8, another 387 registrations took place. Many of these students participate 

in National Wildfire Coordinating Group courses hosted on the NFA Online platform. NFA 

seeks to expand its catalog of online courses.

The NFA state fire training grants program offers $20,000 to each state fire training 

system/academy. The NFA is currently updating reporting requirements and processes. The 

intent is to bolster delivery of NFA classes around the nation. The complications and costs of 

administrative overhead and burden of work results in a decision in some states to not accept or 

use these grant funds. During FY 2022, there were 42 state fire training grants recipients. There 

were hundreds of classes that trained thousands of students nationwide. 

The NFA’s Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) program connects the 

NFA with institutions of higher education engaged in fire and emergency services degree and 

certificate programs. More than 100 colleges and universities are currently active in the FESHE 

program. The FESHE program manager position has been vacant for over a year. The position 

has been redesigned to merge responsibilities for FESHE and state fire training grants. 
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Things are returning to normal with the NFA State Weekends program after being heavily 

impacted by COVID-19. All states will be returning in 2023. Additionally, several national 

weekends will allow individuals from throughout the country to attend 2-day classes and 

experience the NFA campus. Feedback from attendees has been very positive. The NFA intends 

to add focused weekends emphasizing such topics as leadership, command and control, and a 

women’s weekend at the NFA (Women in Fire).

Through the NFA off-campus delivery programs, each state receives 9 2-day classes, and each 

region receives 3 6-day classes. Classes not used may be reallocated to other states and regions. 

The reductions/cessation of on-campus courses during COVID-19 allowed for an increase in 2-

and 6-day classes for off-campus delivery. This program has helped establish strong partnerships 

with state fire training agencies. As an example, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), 

New York State Fire Training and the NFA are exploring ways to partner on delivery of NFA 

courses for FDNY personnel through the off-campus delivery program. See Table 3 regarding 

offerings and attendees.

Leadership and Community Risk Reduction

The Leadership and Community Risk Reduction (LCRR) Branch includes curricula for 

Executive Fire Officer (EFO), Managing Officer, Leadership and Executive Development, 

Community Risk Reduction, Planning and Information Management, Training Management, Fire 

Prevention, Public Education/Technical, and WUI. LCRR continues to oversee the major 

overhaul of the EFO Program. It is clear that a great deal of research, thought and expertise 

went into creating a student-centered EFO Program. 
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The Managing Officer Program was due for a refresh during FY 2022. Unfortunately, limited 

staff availability and the ongoing needs of the EFO Program redesign have caused the Managing 

Officer Program update to be further delayed. Table 1 outlines the application and admission 

data for the EFO and Managing Officer programs. 

Table 1: EFO Program and Managing Officer Program application

and admission data

EFO Program Managing Officer Program

Applied Admitted Admit % Applied Admitted Admit %

FY 2017 268 163 60.8 218 153 70.2

FY 2018 298 189 63.4 240 153 63.8

FY 2019 252 37 14.7 229 129 56.3

FY 2020 145 0 0.0 267 85 31.8

FY 2021 244 89 36.5 240 100 41.7

FY 2022 517 120 23.2 195 24 12.3

Total 1,724 598 34.7 1,389 644 46.4

Average 287.3 99.7 34.7 231.5 107.3 46.3

Note: The information provided in this chart came from the FY reports in the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) 

admissions system. The numbers may be different in other documents based on the way the data is included in each line 

or category. Values may also vary depending upon when data was retrieved.
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Response 

The NFA Response Branch includes curricula for Incident Management and Coordination, 

Emergency Medical Services, Fire and Investigative Sciences, Hazardous Materials and 

Response to Terrorism, Responder Health and Safety, Planning and Information Management, 

and Training Management Programs. The board was impressed with the new advanced 

simulation system to support ongoing delivery of Incident Management and Coordination 

courses, including newly developed courses related to All-Hazards Incident Management 

Team qualifications. 

Training, Administration, Planning and Analysis Branch

In the past, students and their supervisors were asked to opt in to survey participation regarding 

post-class outcomes. Now those same individuals are automatically entered into the survey 

program and may opt out. This has resulted in a significant increase in participation from the 

supervisors of participating students.

Changes are in progress regarding the way contract instructors are recruited and contract bids 

are structured. The hope is to separate the bid for course amounts from the travel cost; this 

change should improve geographic diversity (e.g., cadre from California will be paid equally as 

cadre from Pennsylvania). USFA and NFA leadership have been intentionally reaching out to 

affinity groups such as the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters, Women 

in Fire, the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, Native American Fire Chiefs 

Association, and the International EMS and Firefighters Pride Alliance to enhance diversity, 

equity and inclusion and ensure that all members of fire and EMS feel welcomed to attend and 

instruct at the NFA campus.

Targeted efforts to recruit, hire and onboard new instructors have been hampered due to the lack 

of available staff to evaluate candidates and perform interviews. Additionally, the hiring process

for contract instructors is complicated and time intensive, disincentivizing potential instructors 

from joining the teaching pool. NFA has assigned a staff member to serve as the point of contact 

to assist interested instructors with navigating the federal contracting system. NFA staff is 

working to implement a quarterly contract instructor hiring process that will alleviate the 

challenges identified in FY 2023.

This year, the American Council on Education (ACE) reviewed 18 courses (15 repeat and 3 

new). The ACE credentialling program provides third-party, unbiased assessment of course 

content and rigor. Many schools accept ACE-approved NFA courses for academic credit 

transfer. Table 3 offers an overview of course deliveries and attendees.

In FY 2022, there were several resident courses where the number of qualified applicants 

exceeded the class capacity. Table 2 is a list of those classes where there was a backlog of more 

than 10.
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Table 2: FY 2022 course backlog

FY2022 course backlog

Emergency Medical Services: Quality Management (R0158) 27

Special Operations Program Management (R0254) 11

Commercial Fire Sprinkler Plans Review (R0263) 25

Command and Control Decision-Making at Multiple Alarm Incidents (R0297) 42

Command and Control of Incident Operations (R0312) 58

Fire Inspection Principles I (R0390) 11

Fire Inspection Principles 2: Inspection of Structures and Systems (R0391) 13

Plans Review for Fire and Life Safety (R0393) 34

Leadership in Supervision (R0645) 11

Fire Investigation: Essentials (R0772) 161

Fire Investigation: Electrical Systems (R0776) 22
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Table 3: Course delivery student completions

FY 2021 Final 2022 Preliminary Difference % Difference

Offerings Attendees Offerings Attendees Offerings Attendees Offerings Attendees

NFA sponsored

Resident

2-day 23 342 45 780 22 438 195.7 228.1

2/6-day 69 917 135 2,336 66 1,419 195.7 254.7

6-day (pilot) 7 120 5 74 -2 -46 71.4 -38.3

10-day 32 522 47 868 15 346 146.9 166.3

Subtotal resident 131 1,901 232 4,058 101 2,157 177.1 213.5

Nonresident

2-day 215 3,497 209 3,288 -6 -209 -2.8 -6.0

6/10-day 30 490 31 569 1 79 103.3 116.1

Mediated 18 367 1 32 -17 -335 -94.4 -91.3

Virtual 62 1,389 65 1,403 3 14 104.8 101.0

LMS 6,9674 40,090 0 -29,584 -42.1

Subtotal 

nonresident 325 75,417 306 45,382 -19 -30,035 -6.8 39.8

Total NFA 

sponsored 456 77,318 538 49,440 82 -27,878 118.0 -36.1

State sponsored

6-day 869 12,708 944 14,297 75 1,589 108.6 112.5

Approved 314 4,762 330 5,307 16 545 105.4 111.4

Total state 

sponsored 1,183 17,470 1,274 19,604 91 2,134 107.7 112.2

College 589 3,936 460 3,024 -129 -912 -21.9 -23.1

Total NFA 2,228 98,724 2,272 72,068 44 -26,656 102.0 27.0
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The NFA continued a systematic study of its resident courses with students and their supervisors 

to determine long-term training effectiveness. During FY 2022, 529 students and 523 supervisors 

responded to the long-term evaluation. As with previous years’ responses, students indicated that 

they were able to transfer the training skills and learning to their jobs, and supervisors reported 

improved performance. The data in Table 4 show: 

Table 4: Long-term evaluation results

Long-term evaluation reporting elements 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Students reporting they were able to apply NFA 

training at home 91.0% 94.3% 93.9% 88.1% 93.8%

Students reporting NFA training improved their 

job performance 97.1% 96.3% 96.4% 91.8% 97.4%

Students reporting they shared NFA training with 

their peers 97.9% 95.1% 97.2% 91.7% 96.2%

Students reporting they conducted formal courses 

with NFA material 24.8% 23.6% 24.2% 17.0% 22.9%

Students reporting they established new policies 

and procedures based on NFA training 77.1% 72.5% 70.8% 63.2% 59.7%

Supervisors reporting improved performance from 

NFA training 90.9% 89.4% 92.3% 92.5% 93.6%

Supervisors reporting improved departmental 

performance 91.1% 86.9% 91.4% 91.7% 93.6%

Supervisors who say they will recommend NFA 

training to others 97.4% 96.4% 96.9% 96.2% 97.6%

Supervisors reporting NFA benefits outweigh 

costs 94.7% 92.4% 95.2% 93.9% 95.2%

Note: Data reported was derived from NFA Long-Term Evaluation Forms sent to both students and their supervisors 4 to 6 

months after the NFA training class ended.

National Fire Programs

While the National Fire Programs (NFP) is not officially within the charge of the Board of 

Visitors, the close work between NFA and NFP requires consideration of NFP efforts to provide 

context to the NFA assessment. 

The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) has updated and delivered training for 

NFIRS program managers as well as end users. The NFIRS COVID-19 Special Study has 

reported 24,507,473 responses for 2020-2022 from 12,473 reporting fire agencies, as of Nov. 23, 

2022. The USFA reports that there were 105 COVID-19-related on-duty firefighter fatalities 

from March 2020 to November 2022. Subcommittee members Kevin Quinn and Mark Rivero 

met with NFP for an informational meeting on NFIRS on Nov. 2, 2021. 

USFA Publications has released noteworthy reports including “America Burning Revisited” and 

“EMS Safety Practices.” The USFA supported by DHS Science and Technology also released an 

Augmented Reality App supporting prevention officers in wildfire mitigation. 
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National Emergency Training Center/physical plant

The size, age and scope of the NETC campus facility continue to offer both challenges and 

advantages. The historic nature of many of the NFA buildings adds complexity to the ongoing 

maintenance and repairs. On behalf of students and other stakeholders, the Board appreciates the 

tremendous support FEMA has provided to address capital improvement and maintenance issues 

on campus. We applaud the continued outstanding work of the NETC Management, Operations 

and Support Services (MOSS) in managing the physical plant and numerous activities held on 

campus each year. MOSS Director Al Fluman retired in December 2021. The Board wishes to 

recognize Mr. Fluman for his tireless efforts to maintain and improve the campus during his 

tenure at the NETC.

The reduction in on-campus course delivery due to COVID-19 allowed progress on deferred 

maintenance and enhancement projects. The Board is especially pleased to see much-needed 

upgrades to the fire alarm system in multiple buildings and enhancements to campus security.

Supply chain issues curtailed the extent to which some projects could be completed. 

Nonetheless, crucial enhancements were made to heating, ventilating and air 

conditioning/filtration systems; solar energy array; Americans with Disabilities Act compliance; 

and connectivity. Ongoing projects include establishing multiple rooms (for canine service 

animals as well as canine accelerant dogs attending NFA courses with their handlers), 

improvements to the burn range including the addition of new restroom facilities, and efforts to 

map the Wi-Fi connectivity gaps throughout campus. Additionally, staff roles have been 

requested for security, nursing and IT support to enhance the health, safety and security of all 

who work and visit the NFA. Many projects including energy efficiency initiatives are still 

underway. The Board supports the acquisition of additional land to allow expansion of the solar 

array and further reduce the climate impact of operations.

The NETC campus continues to need a robust, safe and welcoming physical fitness, health and 

wellness center for use by students, instructors and staff. NFA should lead the fire service by 

example in the arena of fitness as it does in so many other areas.

IT continues to be an issue for the campus and programs of NFA. Students require more 

connectivity while on campus, distance courses do not currently have an adequate LMS, 

application and registration processes are antiquated, extensive data resources are underutilized, 

phone systems are outdated, and overall bandwidth is inadequate. With the growth and 

importance of IT, the Board continues to recommend that the NFA and USFA install a full-time 

chief information officer and create a branch to oversee and manage all enterprise functions. 
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Funding

The USFA and the NFA continue to demonstrate commendable stewardship with respect to 

fiscal responsibility. While the operational budget has remained relatively stable, inflation results 

in higher costs for operations. The USFA has had to leave several positions vacant as it does not 

have adequate funds to cover all the employees’ salaries and benefits costs. It is imperative that 

the USFA and NFA receive an increase in funding to maintain their mission and the expected 

role they play within DHS/FEMA, as well as recruit and retain valued staff. 

The NFA has established memorandums of agreement with other agencies to provide training on 

the NFA campus. This will allow for high-quality and cost-effective training delivery, expanding 

the reach of NFA without draining funds from the operational budget. However, the USFA bears 

the full cost of NETC maintenance. Appropriate cost sharing must be addressed by FEMA. 

The NFA is unique in the federal government because its specific mission is to train state, local, 

tribal and territorial first responders and their leaders, not primarily federal employees. A 

reduction in resident classes at the NFA would result in a degradation of incident management 

capabilities, community risk reduction, hazardous materials response, and arson detection and 

prosecution. 

While training has a cost, the lack of training is even more expensive in terms of life loss (both 

civilian and firefighter), property damage, litigation, economic impact and societal effects. 

According to USFA data, in calendar year 2020, there were 102 on-duty firefighter fatalities and 

141 on-duty firefighter fatalities in calendar year 2021 (https://apps.usfa.fema.gov/firefighterfatalities/). According to the NFPA, in calendar year 2021, there were an estimated 3,800 civilian 

fire fatalities (source: https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/USFire-Problem/Fire-loss-in-the-United-States). 

Observations

As part of the annual Board of Visitors on-campus meeting, the Board members meet with 

students and instructors to gain insight into the lived experience of those who visit campus. 

Student feedback

An important element of the Board of Visitors meeting on campus is the opportunity to 

interact with students. Although there is a small sample size limited by the classes meeting 

on campus and the Board’s available time, the information is still instructive.

Praise/success 

Multiple students commented on the high quality of training offered by the NFA. Many 

participating students had visited campus more than once and expressed a deep appreciation for 

the opportunity to learn from experts in the field in a setting that removed them from the 

obligations and distractions of daily life. One student interviewed was revisiting campus after a 

25-year gap. They expressed appreciation for the major improvements throughout campus. 
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Concerns/complaints/requests

Students in several classes reported multiple attempts to attend campus for training that had 

been delayed, deferred or canceled. There seemed to be a general impression that this was 

largely due to the pandemic. While frustrating, this seemed understandable to those who 

mentioned it. Issues with the lack of an effective LMS had negatively impacted course delivery. 

Multiple students suggested that the NFA increase offerings related to responder mental 

health as part of the emphasis on responder health and wellness. The Board supports any efforts 

to expand awareness of fire and EMS provider mental health training and encourages the 

exploration of expanded partnerships with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, 

International Association of Fire Fighters or other partners to bring additional attention and 

resources to this important topic. This should extend to consideration of resources for on-campus 

students who face mental health or stress concerns while on campus.

Board celebrations and concerns

The Board recognizes several successes that deserve recognition:

USFA staff has exhibited competence, professionalism and dedication above and beyond 

expectation throughout the disruptions brought on by COVID-19. This includes taking on new 

projects, developing alternative methods of delivering old projects and providing support for 

understaffed programs. The Board is intensely grateful for everything these individuals do on 

behalf of the NFA campus and the nation’s fire and EMS service.

Time, facilities and funds have been used effectively to make enhancements to existing and 

future training programs. This has occurred under incredibly challenging circumstances. 

Efforts to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the curriculum as appropriate 

and within the staffing, contract instructors and admission process are recognized and 

appreciated. All facets of the fire service should feel welcome at the NFA.

The Board also wishes to call attention to these specific concerns:

Multiple vacancies in key leadership and critical support positions are impacting program 

delivery including processing applications of students, interviewing and onboarding new 

instructors, reviewing and refining existing courses and programs, and developing new offerings. 

Existing staff has undertaken added duties to compensate for the lack of staff. This could result 

in overworked, overstressed staff and ultimately in additional vacancies and a reduction in 

quality of service. The Board acknowledges that hiring is a challenge in almost all sectors, 

including throughout the emergency services. We urge the USFA and FEMA to provide any 

resources available to expedite the hiring process. 
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The full array of IT services at NETC is in desperate need of upgrades. As noted on page 9 of 

this report, it bears repeating that students require more connectivity while on campus, distance 

courses do not currently have an adequate LMS, application and registration processes are 

antiquated, extensive data resources are underutilized, phone systems are outdated, and overall 

bandwidth is inadequate. With the growth and importance of IT, the Board continues to 

recommend that the NFA and USFA install a full-time chief information officer and create a 

branch to oversee and manage all enterprise functions. 

In conclusion

The Board would like to thank the dedicated and passionate staff, faculty, students and 

administrators who all contribute to the success of the NFA and USFA. The Board applauds the 

USFA for 48 years of dedicated service in support of the nation’s fire, EMS and emergency 

services in the unwavering pursuit of a safer nation. 
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Fiscal Year 2022 Board of Visitors

John S. Butler (Chair)

Fire Chief

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

Fairfax, Virginia

Dr. Patricia A. McIntosh (Vice Chair)

Lifetime Member (Inactive)

League City Volunteer Fire Department 

League City, Texas

Kristin Crowley

Fire Chief

Los Angeles Fire Department

Los Angeles, California

Steven Dubay

Deputy Chief

Colorado Springs Fire Department

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Dr. Michael Macey

Director of Public Safety

St. John’s College

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Chief Kevin D. Quinn

First Vice Chair

National Volunteer Fire Council

Washington, D.C.

Dr. Mark A. Rivero

Site Coordinator

Southern Illinois University

Henderson, Nevada

Thomas E. Romaine, Jr.

Smokechaser

Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources — Forestry

New Ulm, Minnesota