BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

1

Department of Homeland Security

Federal Emergency Management Agency

U.S. Fire Administration

Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

March 8, 2023

Zoom Teleconference

Attendees:

The following members of the Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy were in attendance 

for the Meeting.

John S. Butler (Chairperson)

Fire Chief 

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

12099 Government Center Parkway

Fairfax, VA 22033

Dr. Patricia McIntosh (Vice Chair)

Lifetime Member (Inactive) 

League City Fire Department

555 West Walker Street

League City, TX 77573

Chief Kevin D. Quinn

First Vice Chair

National Volunteer Fire Council

7852 Walker Drive, Suite 375

Greenbelt, MD 20770

Thomas E. Romaine, Jr.

Smokechaser

Minnesota Department of Natural

Resources - Forestry

644 Pfaender Drive

New Ulm, MN 56073

Dr. Michael Macey

Director of Public Safety

St. John’s College

1160 Camino Cruz Blanca

Santa Fe, NM 87505

Steven Dubay

Deputy Chief

Colorado Springs Fire Department

375 Printers Parkway

Colorado Springs, CO 80910

Kristin Crowley

Fire Chief

Los Angeles Fire Department

200 N. Main Street, Suite 1770

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dr. Mark A. Rivero

Site Coordinator

Southern Illinois University

1044 Beaver Crest Court

Henderson, NV 89015
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

2

Federal Emergency Management Agency/U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Academy 

(FEMA/USFA/NFA) staff in attendance:

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, NFA

Ms. Deb Gartrell-Kemp, Program Support Specialist

Chief Tonya L. Hoover, Deputy Fire Administrator, USFA

Ms. Ellen Newlin, Program Specialist

Chief Richard Patrick, Director, National Fire and Emergency Medical Services Division, USFA

Mr. Lester Rich, Branch Chief, Response and Special Operations Branch, NFA

Ms. Christine Spangler, Branch Chief, Leadership and Partnership Branch, NFA

Ms. Michelle Spielman, Secretary

Mr. James (Vince) Hodge, Director, Management, Operations, and Support Services

Mr. Richard Sexton, Acting Branch Chief, Prevention Branch, NFA

Others in attendance/public attendees:

Ms. Sarahjane Call, Office of Partnership and Engagement/Committee Management Office, 

Management and Program Analyst

Convene Board of Visitors Meeting/Welcome

Chief John S. Butler, Chairperson, Board of Visitors

Dr. Patricia McIntosh, Vice Chairperson, Board of Visitors

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Chief Tonya Hoover, Deputy Fire Administrator, U.S. Fire Administration

Mr. Eriks Gabliks welcomed everyone to this meeting of the USFA/NFA Board of Visitors. The

meeting was being conducted under regulations outlined in the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA). Everyone is a Special Government Employee. Mr. Gabliks served as the Designated 

Federal Officer for the meeting to make sure everyone followed the federal requirements.

Mr. Gabliks stated that Ms. Deb Gartrell-Kemp is the USFA/NFA contact with FACA officials at 

FEMA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Ms. Michelle Spielman and Ms. 

Ellen Newlin are backups. Ms. Jennifer Vanover will be taking notes for the meeting. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that the Board of Visitors agenda was published in the Federal Register. The 

times listed are approximate, and they might need to adjust the schedule as needed. There should 

be enough time scheduled for all speakers, comments and questions, as well as for interaction.

There were no comments sent in from the public.

Dextera/Leading Solutions support staff, Ms. Vanover, will compile the minutes. The minutes will

be prepared and sent to the meeting chair within 90 calendar days. All comments and notes will

be available for public review forever. Mr. Gabliks advised everyone to be sure they state their

name before speaking so the minutes could be recorded accurately. If anyone has notes, email 

them to Ms. Gartrell-Kemp so she can forward them to Ms. Vanover. Mr. Gabliks stated that for 

the meeting order they would follow Robert’s Rules for motions.
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

3

Mr. Gabliks convened this meeting of the USFA/NFA Board of Visitors. 

Mr. Gabliks had everyone introduce themselves. Once everyone had the chance to introduce 

themselves, Mr. Gabliks turned the meeting over to Chief John Butler to start the meeting off. 

Chief Butler thanked everyone for being in the meeting. He then turned the meeting over to Chief 

Richard Patrick.

U.S. Fire Administration Data, Research, Prevention and Response

Chief Richard Patrick, Director, National Fire and Emergency Medical Services 

Division, U.S. Fire Administration

Mr. Patrick stated that he is the director of the National Fire and Emergency Medical Services 

Division (NFEMSD) and also the acting director of the National Fire Data and Research Center

Division (NFDRCD). He thanked everyone for the opportunity to share updates with the Board of 

Visitors. 

Mr. Patrick stated that the USFA is currently engaged in a reorganization. There have been some 

title changes and some structural changes. National Fire Programs was divided up and added to;

the new name is “National Fire and Emergency Medical Services Division,” and they are in the 

process of creating an emergency medical services (EMS) branch. They are in the process of 

creating a new division known as the “National Fire Data and Research Center Division.” They 

are reassigning a lot of positions in the structure of the reorganization. There are a number of 

positions that they are recruiting for.

Chief Patrick stated that in the 2021 census National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data,

there were just under 30 million responses. Out of those responses, 64% were EMS responses. 

That data should speak loudly for the need for EMS. Back in 2012, the reauthorization of the fire 

administration provided EMS authorities and responsibilities but unfortunately had been underresourced until recently. Additional staffing and funding are in the works for the EMS activities 

moving forward. The goal is to enhance the EMS representation of fire-based and nonfire-based 

EMS operations and systems development for managing the current diverse services that are 

offered in the EMS. There are 6 EMS publications on the website currently, and a few of those are 

being revised. Chief Patrick stated that EMS is only identified in the National Response 

Framework as a transportation entity. There is a lack of understanding when it comes to 

reimbursing the EMS profession and systems in general. 

Chief Patrick stated that the EMS branch has 4 full-time employees. They recently hired Mr. Ric 

Smith, who has extensive fire and EMS experience and specializes in wildland urban interface 

(WUI). They are currently interviewing a fifth person. 

Chief Patrick stated that there is now a Prevention and Special Operations Branch. This group 

focuses on prevention as a whole. Fire is Everyone’s Fight® is the umbrella of this group. Chief 

Patrick stated that the USFA continues development of a web application tool that will allow public 

stakeholders to assess or identify community fire risks based on home fire fatality incidence and 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

4

social vulnerability, known as the Home Fire Fatalities and Social Vulnerability Explorer. Chief 

Patrick stated that the Prevention and Special Operations Group will also focus on active shooter, 

hazardous materials, human trafficking and other needs. 

Chief Patrick stated that if anyone was interested, the prevention side will be hosting the State Fire 

Marshal Meeting on campus on the week of March 27. 

Chief Patrick stated that under the National Fire Data Branch, they currently have staff supporting 

the deliveries of the “National Fire Incident Reporting System: Program Manager” course. The

National Fire Department Registry Summary was recently posted on the USFA website. 

Chief Patrick stated that they moved the National Emergency Training Center library to the 

research branch. There are quite a few research projects and special studies that are ongoing. 

Expanding research and publications to benefit EMS includes the Medical Director’s Handbook, 

EMS Burn Intervention study and the EMS Needs Assessment. There are about 22 additional 

research projects that they are working on. 

Chief Patrick stated that the USFA is the lead agency for the Federal Fire Working Group. They 

have quarterly meetings, and the next meeting is March 9. Chief Patrick turned the meeting back 

over to Chief Butler. 

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Chief Tonya Hoover. 

Chief Hoover welcomed everyone to the meeting. She stated that everyone’s input and guidance 

is valuable to the NFA. She stated that Chief Patrick’s presentation was very informative with a 

lot of updates on the reorganization. 

Chief Hoover stated that the summit has driven a lot of what the USFA has going on. They broke 

out into committees, and they continue to work in those committees and will present at the next 

summit that is scheduled to happen in October 2023. There will be a Congressional Fire Services 

Institute (CFSI) event in the next couple of weeks, and the work coming out of those summit 

committees will be discussed then.

Chief Hoover stated that Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell and other stakeholders are part of the “Whistle 

Stop Tour, which provided updates on current fire service concerns during a three-city trip that 

included New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.” That tour has been expanded to 

focus on wildfire and will be taking place in May. 

Chief Hoover stated how thankful she was to everyone for helping with the NFA and the USFA.

Chief Butler asked if there were any questions.

Mr. Steven Dubay thanked Chief Hoover and Chief Patrick for their updates. He asked if Chief 

Patrick would reiterate what the 4 branches will be after reorganization, and he asked where they 

are at in the time frame regarding the reorganization. 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

5

Chief Patrick stated that the 4 branches exist in 2 divisions. The NFEMSD has the Prevention and 

Special Operations Branch and the EMS Branch. In the NFDRCD, there is the National Fire Data 

Branch and the Research Branch. There was another branch dealing with Publication Education 

and Communication, but that was moved to headquarters under the Office of External Affairs. All 

of the branches are working right now. By the end of this month all the branches should be fully 

functional.

Chief Hoover added that the reorganization of the USFA was to better align the USFA with its 

driving legislative responsibilities. They want the divisions to align with the 4 stars of the USFA

Hotfoot logo and, within the divisions, have the appropriate branches to deep dive into that work. 

They took existing positions and put them in the appropriate branch. 

Mr. Gabliks shared his screen with the organizational chart that showed the new structure based 

on the reorganization. Mr. Gabliks stated that it also showed changes in the NFA. 

Dr. Michael Macey asked if there was discussion about the name of the National Fire Data and 

Research Center and making it more inclusive because of the 64% of the EMS calls. 

Chief Patrick replied that there had been discussion of that and that it is still going on. There has 

also been name change discussion with NFIRS. They are working closely with the Office of EMS 

at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; they run the National Emergency Medical 

Services Information System, which is equivalent to NFIRS. 

Chief Butler asked if Chief Patrick could explain more about the Medical Director’s Handbook. 

Chief Patrick stated that it was developed about 12 to 14 years ago. It is a guide for how to be a 

medical director. It is being revised to the modern times. There are medical directors from across 

the U.S. in addition to other experts that are working on that panel. 

Chief Butler asked if the Board of Visitors could get a list of who was on the panel.

Chief Patrick replied that they could. He also stated that there is an older document of the handbook 

on the website. 

There were no more questions at that time.

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Mr. James (Vince) Hodge.

Deferred Maintenance and Capital Improvements on the National Emergency 

Training Center Campus

Mr. James (Vince) Hodge, Director, Management, Operations, and Support Services

Mr. Hodge stated that he would be updating everyone on the things he talked about at the last 

Board of Visitors meeting. He did include some pictures on the notes he sent to Ms. GartrellKemp, and he shared those notes on his screen with everyone. 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

6

Mr. Hodge stated that the renovations are done on the third and fourth floors of Building N. 

Emergency Management Institute has fully occupied Building N on those floors, and they are fully 

operational.

Mr. Hodge stated that the tunnel project is under construction and on schedule. They are waiting 

to pour concrete because of the continuing cold weather. They are making progress on the inside 

of the tunnel by removing unnecessary piping.

Mr. Hodge stated that the materials and equipment have been ordered for the student patio pavilion 

upgrades. The project includes replacing sidewalks with heated sidewalks and modifications to the 

patio for the installation of a fixed grill.

Mr. Hodge stated that there are site-wide plumbing upgrades underway. The dormitory needs sinks 

replaced, there are 20 hot water heaters that need to be replaced, and there was a total of 22 post 

indicator valve (PIV) water shut-off valves that need to be replaced. There were 3 PIV water shutoff valves already repaired. He showed pictures of the valves that they have done.

Mr. Dubay asked where the tunnel originates and ends.

Mr. Hodge stated that it goes across to the Sisters of Charity property. He gave a short history of 

campus. The tunnel is used for data connections and phone lines. There was unnecessary steam 

piping that was no longer needed; it was removed.

Mr. Gabliks stated that the tunnel connects to a former steam plant that is next to Sisters of Charity.

It is not used anymore, and now the tunnels carry utilities for the campus.

Mr. Hodge stated that maintaining the historical campus is challenging. They are working closely 

with Maryland State Historical Preservation to make sure there is no altering of historical artifacts 

that are on campus. They are starting some upgrades on elevators, but they are waiting on some 

materials.

Mr. Hodge stated that the heating, ventilating and air conditioning modifications to Building V1

are delayed due to supply chain constraints. 

Mr. Hodge stated that the project has been awarded for installation of solar panels on Building V1. 

There are 6 buildings on campus with solar panels. In 2015, the campus used a total of 50% solar 

power. The goal is to get to 100% use of solar power across campus. He believes they are in the 

80% to 90% range currently. 

Mr. Hodge stated that the burn range improvements are on schedule. He showed some pictures of 

that area.

Mr. Hodge stated that the planning phase of renovations for Buildings G and R are on hold because 

of some funding issues.

Mr. Hodge stated that they have received 20 electric carts for the maintenance crew.
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

7

Mr. Hodge stated that the upgrade for the campus-wide information technology infrastructure was 

approved.

Mr. Hodge stated that the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) Memorial weekend is 

now scheduled for May 7. Dr. Moore-Merrell has sent invitations to the White House and others

for that event. There was a letter sent to the administrator of the General Services Administration

to lower all government facilities’ flags to half-mast that day.

Mr. Hodge stated that he had a list of planned projects for fiscal year 2023. They are on his notes 

that he sent to Ms. Gartrell-Kemp.

Mr. Hodge stated that the wellness center was not approved for funding, but they will keep pushing 

for that. That is tied to the land acquisition of 17 additional acres that the Sisters of Charity offered 

for purchase. 

Mr. Hodge stated that there are a lot of events going on this year. He stated that they have supported 

a lot of high-level visits from DHS. Mr. Hodge asked if there were any questions. There were 

none.

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Mr. Gabliks.

National Fire Academy Updates on Developments, Deliveries, Staffing and 

Admissions

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Mr. Gabliks stated that there were 6 elements identified at the summit. There are specific work 

groups identified for each of the 6 elements. Staff have been asked to facilitate the discussions in 

those areas. There are 2 links on the slide that go to the Executive Summary Document and the 

Summit Summary and Video. During the CFSI gathering in May, the task-specific work groups 

will give a report on their work to date. The groups will reconvene on the week of Oct. 9 at NETC 

and give complete reports and a plan of action. Mr. Gabliks asked if there were any questions. 

There were none.

Mr. Gabliks shared the organizational chart of the reorganization of the USFA. The most 

significant change the NFA had was in the Partnerships Branch. They connected the Partnership 

Branch with the Leadership Branch. In place of the Partnership Branch, a new Prevention Branch 

was created to align with the 4 stars of the USFA. There will be no difference in services received,

but they do believe there will be enhancements. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that the updates will include:

• Response and Special Operations.

• Training Administration, Planning and Analysis.

• Prevention.

• Leadership and Partnership.

• Overall.
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

8

Mr. Gabliks turned the meeting over to Mr. Lester Rich for updates on the Response and Special 

Operations Branch.

National Fire Academy Updates on Response and Special Operations Branch

Mr. Lester Rich, Branch Chief, Response and Special Operations Branch

Mr. Rich shared a chart showing positions that are currently staffed and ones not currently staffed.

He stated that the training specialist for Incident Management and Control is Mr. Richard Sexton. 

They have a vacancy for a program support person. They have submitted requests for some 

program decision options (PDOs) for both Incident Management and Control and Fire 

Investigation. Both curricula are in high demand, and they are high maintenance for deliveries 

because of all the moving parts. Incident Management and Control now has a robust and upgraded 

simulation system. They should get results for the requested PDOs by the first of the year.

Mr. Rich stated that there were design meetings for updates on some hazardous materials courses. 

There is a new 2-day course coming out on terrorism. They have a new simulation mannequin that 

was purchased for the advanced chemistry course. EMS has a new 2-day class to try out for the 

Women in Fire weekend. The Fire Investigation international delivery is waiting on paperwork. 

The new burn range building is under construction. There will be restrooms and a washer and 

dryer. They have purchased some mannequins for the forensic evidence class. There is a new 2-

day class called “Fire Is a Weapon.” Mr. Rich asked if there were any questions. There were none. 

Mr. Rich turned the meeting back over to Mr. Gabliks for updates on the Training, Administration, 

Planning and Analysis Branch and the Prevention Branch.

National Fire Academy Updates on Training, Administration, Planning and Analysis

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Mr. Gabliks stated that the fourth quarter bid period is open for contract instructors. Blackboard is 

up and running, and the course content is being loaded. They are doing the courses that have a 

higher priority first. They are providing training for the instructors for Blackboard which is being 

offered quarterly. They are still having issues with SAM.gov. He stated that it is a long process,

and once instructors are in the system, they need to stay current. Recruitments are underway for 

the NFA scheduling position, which is an administrative role.

Mr. Gabliks shared a slide with some charts on it. The charts show results from the Government 

Performance and Results Act. That information is reported to FEMA on a quarterly basis, and Mr. 

Gabliks also wanted to show them to the Board of Visitors. It is feedback from supervisors of 

students who attend classes at the NFA. There are 4 quadrants:

• A snapshot of the data

• The priority actions, strategies and risk mitigations

• The successes

• The challenges
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

9

Mr. Gabliks stated that some challenges they have had are with the learning management system

being delayed, finding instructors, and not being able to move forward with WUI because they 

still need a training specialist for that area. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that they recently went through an American Council on Education (ACE)

review. He shared the slide that had a list of all the classes that went through the ACE review. 

They are excited that 3 Executive Fire Officer (EFO) classes had received graduate-level 

recommendations. There are more classes that will be going for ACE review in a few weeks. Mr. 

Gabliks asked if there were any questions. There were none.

National Fire Academy Updates on Prevention Branch

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Mr. Gabliks stated that Mr. Sexton has taken a professional development opportunity to be the 

acting branch chief for prevention. Recruitment just opened up for this position recently. They 

brought in subject matter experts from across the country to give a top-to-bottom review of the 

community risk reduction curriculum. That included looking at classes, gaps and opportunities that 

exist. They will keep the Board of Visitors posted on that. They offered a pilot of the new updated 

“Plan Review of Fire Alarm System Installations” course, and they got good feedback from that. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that they are fitting WUI into the prevention branch. Mr. Gabliks asked if there 

were any questions. There were none.

Mr. Gabliks stated that he wanted to share some work that is being done behind the scenes with 

the landing page of the website. The technical staff have updated the USFA and NFA webpages. 

It used to be hectic, but they have made it simpler. They are getting good feedback from the 

stakeholders that are using the landing page. Mr. Gabliks turned the meeting over to Ms. Christine 

Spangler for updates on the Leadership and Partnership Branch.

National Fire Academy Updates on Leadership and Partnership Branch

Ms. Christine Spangler, Branch Chief, Leadership and Partnership Branch

Ms. Spangler talked about a chart showing positions that are currently staffed and those that are 

not currently staffed. She stated that the higher education position will be in support of Fire and 

Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE). There have been memorandums of 

understanding established with universities, and that is expected to grow. They are looking for a 

training specialist for the leadership and executive skills series curriculum. The have submitted 

requests for PDOs to help with the EFO and Managing Officer programs. New education 

specialists would help with advising students in the areas of research and writing. 

Ms. Spangler stated that the Leadership and Partnership Branch is focused on EFO, Managing 

Officer, Leadership and Executive Development and field deliveries. They are starting to look at 

gathering data and tracking trends. They are focused on state weekends and FESHE. There is a 

hold on FESHE until they get that position filled. Higher education and partnerships are something 

new. It took a long time to get a drafted template through legal counsel for an articulation 

agreement. Ms. Spangler stated that her goal is to create a website for the students that will list the 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

10

partnerships that they have, a matrix of each school, and the credits that they accept for transfer 

credit. There is not a formal articulation agreement. In the template created, the schools would 

report the data back to the NFA. 

Ms. Spangler stated that they are finishing up the EFO Program and currently have the 2-day 

“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Fire Service” course. They had the design meeting and are 

moving forward.

Ms. Spangler stated that the big highlight of EFO is that they have a new mediated course starting 

next week. They have 66 students registered for that course. There are 11 instructors teaching that 

because it is labor intensive. The first pilot of the last class is scheduled the week of the EFO 

symposium. They have 21 students registered, and if they all pass their Capstone Research Paper 

(CRP), they will graduate during the symposium. Ms. Spangler asked if there were any questions

about the EFO Program. 

Chief Butler asked if they have surveys of the various courses that have been completed. Ms. 

Spangler stated that they do have evaluations. There are also SurveyMonkey evaluations for the 

pre-course work. She stated that she does not have all that readily available in 1 place. Chief Butler 

stated that he just wanted to know what the students were saying once they complete the courses. 

Ms. Spangler replied that she would be happy to pull something together to provide that 

information. They have had very positive feedback on the courses. The CRP is more difficult than 

people think. They do try to provide as much support as they can. They have had students withdraw 

from the mediated class because it was too difficult. There is an evaluation team that reviews 

papers and then comes together as a committee to review them before the grades are released. That 

will help with finding out any updates that need to be made. Ms. Spangler stated that they do need 

to go back through the first 3 courses and build more structure to prepare the students for the 

research process. They will do a deep dive into all the feedback.

Dr. Mark Rivero asked if the people that are reviewing the papers are up to date on the most current 

American Psychological Association (APA) style of writing. Ms. Spangler replied that the 

evaluators are qualified to review the papers. They have recently updated the CRP guidelines. The 

APA style is not going to ruin the grades; they are looking more at the content of the papers. 

Ms. Spangler stated that the handbook is on the website and will continue to evolve. The EFO 

graduate website has been up and running and in less than 3 months has had over 11,000 views. 

The EFO application is currently on hold. Hopefully new applications will be accepted in the 

spring of 2024. They want to get through the first full round and then come back and look at the 

courses as a whole to make sure they are setting the students up for success. They want the 

applicants to know what they are applying for. Ms. Spangler asked if there were any questions. 

There were none.

Mr. Gabliks added that some students are struggling with their writing ability. Some individuals 

have not been in a college-level program for quite a while. They have been identifying troubled 

writers and trying to help them out. 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

11

Ms. Spangler stated that all of the courses from the EFO Program have received graduate-level 

credit. The final courses should go for ACE review this summer. She is confident that the courses 

will get graduate-level accreditations. 

Ms. Spangler stated that they currently have 330 students in the Managing Officer Program. Year 

1 should finish by December and Year 2 should finish by the following December. The students 

have 6 months after the last course to turn in their Capstone and make sure they met all the 

requirements. 

Ms. Spangler stated that she looked back at the old Board of Visitors documents and there were 

questions about training requirements and alignment with the national standards. In 2014, they 

looked at the existing course to figure out what would best serve the program. In 2014, the 

approach was that the Board of Visitors formed subcommittees and answered the questions and 

made their recommendations. 

Ms. Spangler stated that in 2023, they want to look at how national standards should be 

incorporated and aligned with course content. Are current course updates sufficient, or should new 

courses be developed? What delivery requirements are conducive for the target audience? They 

have done extensive surveys and evaluations on students and graduates from the program. They 

engaged the Company Officer section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and 

shared with them all the information gathered. Ms. Spangler stated that they would like to know 

what the Board of Visitors thinks of the proposal and if there should be more analysis done. 

Ms. Spangler stated that the Managing Officer Program would stay a 2-year structure. The biggest 

change would be a 6-day course and a mediated course for each year. There were suggestions on 

the Capstone, but until the course is developed, they cannot determine those details. 

Ms. Spangler shared some change highlights for the Managing Officer refresh. There will be 

resident and online courses. Ms. Spangler read the book “Leading from the Middle,” and she liked 

the leadership perspective from that. They need to expose the students to a broad understanding of 

data analysis and where they can get that. In the second year, the mediated course could give the 

student a project to work on deeper project management skills and tasks. The numbers of course 

completions would not change with the refresh, but the number of students on campus would 

change. 

Mr. Gabliks added that the Managing Officer Program’s proposed revisions open up an 

opportunity for volunteer fire leaders to take the course. 

Ms. Spangler stated that if the PDO requests get funded, that will provide better management for 

the infrastructure for programs. Ms. Spangler asked if there were any questions. There were no 

questions at that time. 

Ms. Spangler stated that they would like feedback from the Board of Visitors to move forward 

with the 4 courses for the Managing Officer Program. The Board of Visitors was given all the 

details. 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

12

Chief Butler suggested discussing things by email because a few members had left the meeting. 

Dr. Rivero agreed. 

Dr. Patricia McIntosh asked if they needed a motion for that. Mr. Gabliks replied that as long as 

the Board of Visitors says that they support the direction like they did for the EFO, that would be 

all they needed. Ms. Spangler stated that it would be good to get the information before the next 

meeting. Mr. Gabliks asked Ms. Gartrell-Kemp if a consensus memo would be fine. Ms. GartrellKemp stated that it should be fine, but she will double-check. Mr. Gabliks stated that they will let 

everyone know once they get more information.

Mr. Gabliks shared a list of campus activities that will be coming up with the Board of Visitors. 

The NFA is hosting a number of partner events that do impact the NFA. The Assistance to 

Firefighters Grant reviews will be on campus along with the EFO Symposium and the NFFF 

Memorial weekend. IAFC Hazmat Roundtable is looking to have their meeting on campus. They 

are working with Women in Fire to host the first women’s weekend at the NFA. 

Mr. Gabliks shared the slide with information about the strategic plan. Dr. Moore-Merrell is 

working with staff and stakeholders to update the plan. More information on that will come later. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that one thing they are looking at with student and employer feedback is that 

they say it is hard to fill out an application for classes that may not be happening for another 8 

months. They are working with admissions to try to run 4 quarters instead of 2 semesters. That 

could help with peoples’ planning and scheduling. That would be implemented in 2024. Mr. 

Gabliks asked if there were any questions. There were none.

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Dr. McIntosh for Professional Development Initiative 

updates.

Board of Visitors Subcommittee Activity Reports

Professional Development Initiative Update

Dr. Patricia McIntosh, Chair

Mr. Tom Romaine, Co-Chair

Dr. McIntosh stated that there was nothing to report at this time.

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Dr. Rivero for NFIRS updates.

National Fire Incident Reporting System

Chief Kevin Quinn, Chair

Dr. Mark Rivero, Co-Chair

Dr. Rivero stated that there was nothing to report at this time.
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY March 8, 2023

13

Final Comments/Adjournment

Chief Butler asked if there were any final comments or questions. There was nothing else to report. 

Dr. Rivero motioned to adjourn the meeting; Mr. Thomas Romaine made the second motion. All 

were in favor; no one opposed. The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.