BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 7, 2023

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Department of Homeland Security

Federal Emergency Management Agency

U.S. Fire Administration

Board of Visitors for the National Fire Academy

August 7, 2023

J-130

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

Past 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 August 7, 2023

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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

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. Fire Administrator, USFA

Mr. Lester Rich, Deputy Superintendent, NFA

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

Ms. Michelle Spielman, Secretary

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

Ms. Laurie Wivell, Program Analyst, Training, Administration, Planning and Analysis Branch, 

NFA

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

Mr. David Brummett, FEMA Office of Chief Counsel

Others in attendance/public attendees:

None

Convene Board of Visitors Meeting/Welcome

Chief John S. Butler, Chairperson, Board of Visitors

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, National Fire Academy

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

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. 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 (SGE). 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, who did a great job coordinating this group and 

making this meeting possible, was in the back of the room. She would make sure the meeting 

stayed on schedule. She also made sure everyone was able to get to the campus for the meeting. 

Ms. Michelle Spielman is Ms. Gartrell-Kemp’s backup in case anyone needed additional help with 

administrative functions and assisted with travel.

Mr. Gabliks stated that the Board of Visitors agenda is 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. Mr. 

Gabliks stated that under the FACA requirements, anyone wanting to send something in to be 

reviewed had the ability to do so. There were no comments sent in from the public.
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 7, 2023

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Dextera/Leading Solutions support staff, Ms. Jennifer Vanover, would be taking notes and would

compile minutes. The minutes would be prepared and sent to the meeting chair within 90 calendar 

days. All comments and notes would be available for public review forever; they would be

archived. Mr. Gabliks advised everyone to be sure to state their name before speaking so the 

minutes could be recorded accurately. If anyone has notes, they should email them to Ms. GartrellKemp so she can forward them to Ms. Vanover. Mr. Gabliks stated that for the meeting order they 

would follow Robert’s Rules for motions. 

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

Mr. Gabliks introduced himself and everyone in the room introduced themselves. Once everyone 

had the chance to introduce themselves, Mr. Gabliks stated that the Board of Visitors would be 

getting updates on all the USFA programs that are on campus, and Mr. David Brummett would

give the annual ethics briefing. Mr. Gabliks also went over some of the agenda items and then 

turned the meeting over to Chief John Butler to start the meeting off. 

Chief Butler welcomed everyone to the meeting and called the meeting to order. Chief Butler 

turned the meeting back over to Mr. Gabliks, who then turned the meeting over to Chief Tonya 

Hoover.

Chief Hoover welcomed everyone back to the National Emergency Training Center and the USFA 

and thanked the Board of Visitors for everything they do to help with moving forward. She stated 

that Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell would be in attendance a little later to speak about all the work going 

on at USFA. Mr. Gabliks asked if there were any questions, and there were none.

Mr. Gabliks stated that the USFA is working on an updated strategic plan that has not been released 

yet and that Dr. Moore-Merrell would talk more about it. The Board of Visitors needs to select 

board officers for fiscal year (FY) 24. Chief Butler will be staying as a Board of Visitors member,

but Dr. Patricia McIntosh will be leaving because her term is up. Mr. Thomas Romaine and Chief 

Kevin Quinn are done with their time on the Board of Visitors. Chief Kristin Crowley is joining 

the Homeland Security Advisory Committee and cannot stay on the Board of Visitors. Dr. Michael 

Macey and Mr. Steven Dubay will remain on the Board of Visitors. The terms are staggered with 

the new members coming on board so they will always have enough members. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that the new members will be Mr. William (Nelson) Bauer, Ms. Megan Schuth, 

Mr. Scott Somers, Ms. Tiffanye Wesley and Mr. Edward Davis. Those members will join once the 

other members’ terms are up. Mr. Gabliks turned the meeting back over to Chief Butler to select a 

chairperson and vice chair. 

Chief Butler opened the floor up for nominations for chairperson and vice chair. Mr. Dubay 

motioned for Chief Butler to stay on as the chairperson. Mr. Romaine made the second motion. 

Chief Butler was asked if he wanted to stay as the chairperson; he replied that he would be honored. 

All were in favor, and no one opposed. 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 7, 2023

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Chief Crowley asked the remaining members if anyone was interested in being vice chair. Mr. 

Dubay replied that he would be interested. Chief Crowley motioned for Mr. Dubay to be vice chair. 

Chief Quinn made the second motion. All were in favor, and no one opposed. 

Mr. Gabliks turned the meeting over to Dr. Moore-Merrell.

Dr. Moore-Merrell welcomed everyone to the meeting. She apologized for not being able to be at 

the meeting in person. The next summit will be on campus on Oct. 10. It will be opened to the 

public this year, and there will be a limited number of people. There are a lot of high-ranking

officials who have begun to take interest in the issues. The roundtable will be in the morning, and 

it will be an update of the 6 issues. They will be adding Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to the 

table this year to bring forward emerging technology and energy transition. The groups will deliver 

a 3-minute testimony to the federal leaders at the table. Then there will be a question-and-answer

session on the subjects. There will be a factsheet on each strategy along with the testimony for 

each leader at the table. The strategies are:

• Wildland urban interface (WUI) fire: looking at personal protective equipment and training 

for the firefighters.

• Recruitment and retention.

• Firefighter cancer: looking at screening for firefighters along with the per- and 

polyfluoroalkyl substances issue.

• Behavioral health: looking at suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder and mental resilience.

• Elevation of the fire service within the federal government.

• Building codes and standards: looking to keep the codes from being watered down.

Dr. Moore-Merrell stated that once the roundtable is done, there will be a discussion and notes 

taken on what the audience reactions were to what they heard in the roundtable discussion. They 

will then do the State of Science in the afternoon. They have top experts from each of the subjects 

that will present for 5 minutes. These will include:

• Fire and emerging technology panel.

• Fire and health safety panel.

• Emergency medical services (EMS) panel.

• Climate change and wildfire panel.

• Community engagement panel.

Dr. Moore-Merrell stated that there needs to be community engagement to get the messages out. 

FEMA External Affairs will lead the community engagement panel. There will be a half a day 

afterwards to have a discussion of what happened at the summit and discuss what needs to be done 

to go forward. They can only register about 400 people. There will be a virtual broadcast of the 

entire day. 

Dr. Moore-Merrell stated that she would talk a little bit about the new data system, National 

Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). The contract has been awarded from Science 

and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to UL’s Fire Safety Research 

Institute (FSRI). UL will build the new system; it will be a cloud-based system. Developers are in 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 7, 2023

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place, and the first of the new data standards are being launched; that will be the computer-aided 

dispatch (CAD) standard. They are working to get CAD vendors to standardize themselves. The 

NERIS is in the research and development process right now. They are trying to capitalize what is 

being done by other groups and bring those pieces together so they do not have to reinvent anything 

that is already being done. They hope to have an operating component before year-end and start 

testing a few departments on that. They are hoping to be fully transitioned by next year. 

Departments should be transitioned over based on which CAD system they are on. Once the 

departments get on the new system, they will come off the old system. By January 2025, they plan 

to start decommissioning the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). Everything will 

be archived. The NERIS system will be external, and it will continue to be operated by FSRI. 

Dr. Moore-Merrell stated that as the data gets pushed from local fire departments through the state 

to the national level, a lot of data gets dropped from the state to the national level. Depending on 

the systems being used for the data, a lot of the systems have different codes for different things. 

The local departments will now go straight through the system. The data that will come from the 

new system will be real-time data. Dr. Moore-Merrell asked if there were any questions. 

Mr. Dubay asked how much EMS data NERIS will collect or whether EMS will be through a 

different system. Dr. Moore-Merrell replied that they will know if the call was an EMS call. They 

are working on capturing the type of call. They may be able to track the high-level medical calls. 

They will get data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS)

also. The codes will get changed when they go into the NEMSIS system. The challenge is going 

to be matching the codes. They need to know how the departments are putting information into 

the systems. 

Mr. Dubay asked how Dr. Moore-Merrell liked the tours she had done. Dr. Moore-Merrell replied 

that they were fantastic. They had a lot of time to bond and build relationships and that was an 

added bonus to what they were doing. There is a lot of excitement in the fire service going forward. 

She said she is open to ideas about what will be next. 

Chief Butler asked if the system could distinguish advanced life support from basic life support. 

Dr. Moore-Merrell replied that that might be an option. They will have that conversation with the 

panels. Invitations are going out for panels. There will be a senior leader panel which will be Dr. 

Moore-Merrell’s panel for the USFA. They will be regularly briefed and talk about strategy that 

is better for the fire service. There will be a technical panel for UL consisting of scientists, software 

engineers, developers, etc. The panels will be made up of people hand-selected based on their 

expertise. When this system is rolled out, it will be very baseline and not perfect. 

Mr. Gabliks asked if Dr. Moore-Merrell could go over the USFA strategic plan. Dr. Moore-Merrell 

stated that she hoped it would be out by now. They have 4 main goals in the strategic plan:

• Reestablish the USFA as the leader of the fire service. It is the leader of the nation’s fire 

service. The metro chiefs have been leading it in the past. They are working together, but 

USFA should be the leader.
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• Make sure that the USFA is preparing the nation’s fire and EMS. They need to prioritize 

what they are training the fire and EMS to prepare for in today’s world.

• The USFA will be the lead and inspire fire service research and technology. They need to 

be relevant with the front-line issues in research and technology. They are working on 

bringing a very strong research lead that will run the research branch.

• Establish a prepared, resilient and engaged USFA workforce. There have been a lot of 

challenges within USFA and the workforce. They are focusing on enabling people to be 

bold. Dr. Moore-Merrell stated that they have established a leader’s intent at the USFA.

Dr. Moore-Merrell stated that the USFA needs to work on the first responders’ behalf because they 

are on the front lines. They need to reduce the risks of the people responding to incidents. Mr. 

Gabliks asked if there were any more questions; there were none.

National Fire and Emergency Medical Services Division

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

Division, USFA

Mr. Gabliks introduced Chief Richard Patrick as the director of the National Fire and Emergency 

Medical Services Division (NFEMSD) and turned the meeting over to Chief Patrick for updates 

on NFEMSD. 

Chief Patrick stated that he is also the acting director for the National Fire Data and Research 

Center. He showed a slide of where the NFEMSD is located on the USFA organizational chart. 

Chief Patrick stated that they are in the end phases of the reorganization. There have been delays 

in getting vacancies filled. Chief Patrick stated that he would talk more about NERIS later. 

Chief Patrick stated that under NFEMSD there is fire prevention, community risk reduction, WUI

and mitigation practices. Fire prevention and special operations are under 1 branch. The Fire Is 

Everyone’s Fight® campaign is housed in this division. The Fire Marshal Interchange is on the 

prevention side. There is a secure site on the DHS information network that anyone with a 

government email address can participate in, and there is a special site where fire marshals can 

collaborate, coordinate and share information. There are other programs that operate there as well. 

Pictographs were created to send a fire and life safety message without words to any language. 

Chief Patrick showed some slides with charts showing fire death rates and estimates. They show 

that the deaths keep rising each year. The fire rates are inclining but not drastically, but the death 

rates are skyrocketing. Mr. Romaine asked if the trend was proportional to the population or if it 

was higher? Chief Patrick replied that the chart is showing how drastically the fire deaths go up 

when they correlate the chart with the population. 

Chief Patrick stated that they developed a dashboard with home fire fatalities and social 

vulnerabilities that is now live on the FEMA Geographic Information System portal. It shows 

where the highest risk areas are in the country. They do have to populate it on a regular basis. It 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 7, 2023

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will give a county and city risk assessment on social vulnerability. Chief Patrick stated that there 

are staff that comb through social media systems daily for all the information. 

Chief Patrick stated that 67% of NFIRS data is EMS responses across the nation with about 24,000 

fire departments reporting. There are roughly 6,000 fire departments that do not report to NFIRS. 

The chart shows that, at a minimum, 67% of all fire departments in the United States respond to 

EMS-related incidents. 

Chief Butler asked if issues like behavioral health, mental health, etc., are also captured in the 

information. Chief Patrick replied that most fire departments are not using the NFIRS model, and 

that is the problem. From the NFIRS data, that question cannot be answered. From the NEMSIS 

data, that can be answered, and Chief Patrick stated that he could get that information. With the 

new NERIS system, they will be able to have real-time data for that information once that system 

has been active for a while. 

Chief Patrick stated that in NFIRS, there are more than 30 million incidents a year, and about 67% 

are EMS incidents. There is a need for more unity with fire and EMS. They are in the process of 

hiring more people, and they had a new EMS specialist start recently. There are other positions in 

the works. Chief Patrick stated that he does meet regularly with Dr. Moore-Merrell. 

Chief Patrick stated that Ms. Deanne Criswell issues an annual planning guidance each year, and 

EMS was included in this round. The USFA is actively working on preparedness, response, 

mitigation and recovery efforts. Dr. Moore-Merrell and others have opened up doors for more 

education and sharing of information that they did not have in the past. They are working hard to 

get people to understand that EMS is a big part of emergency response. Ambulances were not 

getting reimbursed for services provided because they were listed as transportation only.

Chief Patrick stated that there is a contract of EMS needs assessment with the International 

Association of Fire Chiefs that will be coming to an end. It was a preliminary report of the gaps 

that exist in the U.S. government roles of EMS. Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency 

Medical Services (FICEMS) is an entity that brings everyone in prehospital emergency together. 

FICEMS started in the USFA back in the 1990s. In the federal government, EMS is talked about 

through every conceivable lens. They are trying to find out what research has not been done or 

what needs more research involving the prehospital arena for EMS. They can also collaborate with 

other partners and stakeholders to get that information. 

Chief Crowley asked if Chief Patrick could explain a little bit more about the ambulances and the 

transportation part. Chief Patrick talked about the lead agency of EMS, which is the Department 

of Transportation’s Office of EMS within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

The real voice of EMS in the federal government is FICEMS, and he talked about how it is not 

funded. Chief Patrick explained a little bit about the process of recommendations going to the 

Department of Transportation and then they send recommendations to FICEMS. 

Mr. Romaine asked if the EMS Licensure Compact works with the wildland fire scenarios and 

emergency medical technicians and paramedics going all over the country. Chief Patrick explained

that the EMS Licensure Compact is fully engaged under the U.S. Constitution to allow for the 
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portability of licenses to go across state lines. Of course, this depends on the state’s rules and 

regulations. Chief Patrick talked about a system where drones could take off and drop off 

automated external defibrillators or stop-the-bleed kits to places that need those supplies and do 

not have resources that are close. 

Dr. McIntosh asked if anyone on the Board of Visitors is primarily EMS. Mr. Gabliks replied that 

there is not an EMS standalone provider on the Board of Visitors. 

National Fire Data and Research Center Division

Chief Richard Patrick, Acting Director, National Fire Data and Research Center 

Division, USFA

Chief Patrick stated that Mr. William Troup was the research lead for this division. He has retired,

and they are currently looking to hire a new branch chief. 

Chief Patrick stated that NFIRS is continuing to do what it was intended to do, but NERIS is in 

development. There are questions and answers about NERIS on the NFIRS website. The new 

system has its own subject matter experts to answer all the questions. The new system is going to 

be an analytical platform and not just a data capturing system. It is designed to give real-time data. 

Chief Patrick stated that they have about 25 projects that are currently being developed and worked 

on. There is an aggressive one on electrical vehicle fires and lithium-ion batteries. There is a 

roadway safety project that just got awarded. It will study first responder roadway safety issues for 

injuries and fatalities. 

Mr. Gabliks asked if there were any more questions; there were none.

National Fire Academy Updates on Developments, Deliveries, Staffing and 

Admissions

Ms. Laurie Wivell, Program Analyst, Training, Administration, Planning and 

Analysis Branch

Ms. Laurie Wivell stated that there are 14 staff position in this branch. There are currently 2 

vacancies. The program support specialist position should be getting a certificate of eligibility

soon. The fire program specialist position application period was extended to Aug. 9.

Ms. Wivell stated that they are currently waiting on trying to get new seating for the Building J 

auditorium. September 2022 is when courses started being offered on the learning management 

system (LMS). There were 9 resident courses and 1 instructor-led course. Before the end of this

calendar year, 8 more resident courses and 2 new instructor-led pilot courses will be available. Ms. 

Wivell stated that they are trying something new to address the rising costs of instructor bids. 

Ms. Wivell stated that the application period closed on July 10, 2023, for the State Fire Training 

Systems Grant. There were 32 states that applied for the grants. Last year only 25 states applied. 
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Each state receives $20,000, and that is for direct delivery of government-funded courses in their 

states. In 1 year, an average of 12 classes were completed, which trained an average of 162 

students. They are trying to close out some grants that are old. They have done 60 grant closeouts 

and continue to do those daily.

Ms. Wivell stated that each quarter they must report on the percentage of supervisors of students 

trained who believe their staff are better prepared as a result of NFA training. The target for that 

is 87%, and so far this year, Quarter 1 was 87.5%, Quarter 2 was 94% and Quarter 3 was 90.5%. 

In Quarter 3, the number of students trained was 3,000, and there were 177 resident and off-campus 

offerings. The Women’s Weekend was a great success. There were 7 courses delivered and over 

200 students that attended. Ms. Wivell stated that the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) redesign is 

now complete. There were 295 completions, and the program graduated 21 students in FY23. 

Some challenges are that they have a low response rate from supervisors responding to 

questionnaires. They have people explain that it is important to do the evaluations. It took 2 years 

to get the LMS running, but it is going well currently. 

Ms. Wivell stated that 17 courses were reviewed by the American Council on Education (ACE). 

There were 2 new courses and 15 were re-reviews. The 2 new courses were EFO courses, and they 

received a credit recommendation for 3 semester hours at the graduate level. All the courses that 

are in the EFO Program are at the graduate level. ACE is impressed with the way things continue 

to improve when they do the reviews. 

Chief Crowley asked if there was an overall matrix they are trying to meet for training with the 

grant money. Ms. Wivell stated that each state that applies gets $20,000, and they can use that to 

deliver whatever training they want. Some states are very active, and some states do not do any 

training. They also use that money to pay for contract instructors. Mr. Gabliks stated that the states 

that do not apply say it is not worth it because of the different variables. Some states still have 

money that they did not use because of the pandemic. They will get more information about where 

that money is going and what is being done with it. 

Dr. McIntosh asked if the money that is left can be used for the states that do apply. Mr. Gabliks 

replied yes and no. The money left is reallocated for additional 2- and 6-day classes to the state 

delivery system. Dr. McIntosh asked if they were all local deliveries. Mr. Gabliks replied that they 

were. 

National Fire Academy Updates on Prevention Branch

Mr. Richard Sexton, Branch Chief, Prevention Branch

Mr. Gabliks introduced Mr. Richard Sexton and turned the meeting over to him for the Prevention 

Branch updates.

Mr. Sexton stated that to prepare for this role he had to look at the curriculum. They had to assess 

the curriculum report and look at recommendations for implementation. They will look at the 

summit’s 6 initiatives and integrate them into the curriculum. With retention and recruitment, there 

is going to be a new generation entering the fire service. There are technically 5 generations in the 
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fire service currently. They need to integrate the technology and things people are seeing currently 

in the workforce and be able to model that on campus. They just purchased a sprinkler system 

demonstration item that will teach a student to put tactile learning in place and be able to touch it 

instead of just showing a slide. They need to make sure they have instructors that are current in 

the field and have historical knowledge. They have implemented a presentation for the training 

specialist to be able to look at what is available and use them. They need to look at how the courses 

fit and teach current things to provide to the fire service for them to be better. Recruiting is open 

for a wildland training specialist; it closes on Aug. 16. They are focusing on the technology needed 

for the curriculum area.

Mr. Gabliks stated that the prevention branch has a great team put together.

National Fire Academy Updates on Leadership and Partnership Branch

Mr. Lester Rich, Deputy Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Mr. Gabliks stated that Mr. Lester Rich was going to give the updates for the Leadership and 

Partnership Branch because Ms. Christine Spangler had some other obligations to attend to. Ms. 

Spangler did get another job offer so she will be leaving her current position.

Chief Quinn stated that Ms. Spangler did a phenomenal job with everything. 

Mr. Rich stated that currently the branch chief position is vacant. They are still struggling with 

staffing. They have a vacancy for an educational specialist who will be a representative working 

with Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE), the partnerships, colleges and 

universities, etc. There have been 2 new staff added: Mr. Derrick Sawyer is the training specialist 

for the Leadership and Executive Skills Series classes, and Mr. Daniel Newland is a training 

specialist with the prevention branch. There is a Program Decision Option (PDO), and that is a 

way USFA can push requests forward for additional funding, people and resources to FEMA and 

DHS for consideration in the budget 2 years from now. It would upsize the staffing for the EFO 

Program and the Managing Officer Program. 

Mr. Rich stated that the focus of this branch has not changed. They have received those materials 

for the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Fire Service” 2-day class. There were a lot of 

corrections and changes to the material, so that was passed back to the contractor. It has not piloted 

yet, and the next step should be the walkthrough.

Mr. Rich showed a slide with an update of the EFO Program and the number of students remaining 

in the different courses. The EFO website was updated as well as the graduate website. The EFO 

application process should open in January to February 2024. They are limiting it to 500 

applications. There is now a contract with Columbia Southern University (CSU) to manage and 

deliver the M5104, “Applications in the Exercise of Leadership: Capstone I” research course. Once 

students complete M5203, “Exercise of Executive Leadership: Community,” they can enroll for 

M5104 as a class with CSU, and that will be paid for by the USFA. Students will have 6 months

to finish the class under the guidance of the CSU faculty. The students will have access to 

everything they need for the research project. 
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Chief Crowley asked what the normal application limit was for the applicants. Mr. Rich replied 

that he was not sure what it used to be. They have limited it to 1 applicant per department, but that 

did not work. The limit now is based on what is projected to be their ability to evaluate the 

applications in a 2-month period. Chief Crowley asked if it would be first come, first served. Mr. 

Rich replied that it would. The application process going on now is brand new. 

Ms. Spielman asked how many of the 500 applications are accepted. Mr. Rich replied that he does 

not know yet. 

Dr. McIntosh asked how the process of CSU came about. Mr. Rich stated that there was an existing 

partnership there. It is a 1-year contract, and if it does well, it will go out for bids in the following 

years. 

Dr. Macey asked if there were any discussions of the CSU contract that would cause the EFO 

Program to drift away from the NFA. Mr. Rich replied that there were not any. Mr. Gabliks stated 

that they only had issues with supporting the research project course, and the other courses are 

fine.

Mr. Rich stated that the Managing Officer Program is getting paused. It will be getting a complete 

revision. There are 10 students left to complete Year 1 in September. Year 2 courses are scheduled;

there will be 115 students that will start in 2024 and wrap up their program. The Managing Officer 

revision will go through the normal process. They will be looking into 4 brand new courses. There 

will be 2 6-day resident courses and 2 mediated courses. The capstone will probably be part of the 

last course. Mr. Gabliks stated that the mediated option allows for people to not have to come to 

campus because some people cannot commit to 4 weeks in a 2-year period. 

Mr. Dubay asked how long they anticipate the rewrite of Managing Officer will take. Mr. Rich 

replied that it would take at least a year but maybe 2. 

National Fire Academy Updates on Response and Special Operations Branch

Mr. Lester Rich, Deputy Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Mr. Rich will be giving an update for the Response and Special Operations Branch. He stated that 

the Response and Special Operations Branch includes fire investigation, EMS, hazardous materials 

and behavioral health and safety. The behavioral health and safety position is still vacant after 2 

years. They will soon be doing interviews for that. The wildland training specialist is on the job 

listing section of the USFA website. The branch chief position will be put back out on the website 

also. 

Mr. Rich stated that the “Hazardous Materials Incident Management” course was revised and 

piloted in June. They are making a few changes, but it was well-received. The “Special Operations 

Program Management and Leadership” course was piloted in July and is now back with contractors

getting some revisions. The “Chemical Hazard Analysis for Risk-Based Response” course will be 

piloted this month. That was formerly known as the “Chemistry for Emergency Response” (CER) 

course. There is a 2-day hazardous materials terrorism course being developed. Mr. Rich stated 
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that there is a brand new 2-day EMS class that has been piloted and was very well-received. It was 

piloted during the Women’s Weekend. There is also a brand new 2-day course called “Fire 

Investigation: Fire as a Weapon.”

Mr. Rich stated that the USFA now has a partnership with CAL FIRE and the U.S. Forest Service 

(USFS) in California. USFA is hosting and paying for the FI-210, Wildland Origin and Cause 

Determination class that the USFS and CAL FIRE are going to teach for students in Redding, 

California. That will be piloted the last week in September at the Northern California Training 

Center in Redding. 

Mr. Dubay asked how many students will be going to the class. Mr. Rich replied that they are 

setting it at 32 students. They are not sure how many applied, but they did get a lot of calls of 

interest. Mr. Dubay asked about the housing situation. Mr. Rich replied that the USFA will pay 

for the students’ airfare and lodging. The students will get their own meals and rental cars. Mr. 

Gabliks stated that they were going to try to get a class on campus but there was too much involved

logistically, and they have everything already in California. They are hoping to do a spring and 

fall opportunity with this class every year.

National Fire Academy, Superintendent’s Updates

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Mr. Gabliks stated that their largest issue is the length of time to get positions filled. With the 

hiring process, it takes 6 months to a year to get a position filled. Ms. Spangler accepted a new 

position in the FEMA training section. Mr. Rich’s position as branch chief will be filled by Ms. 

Tammy Pimentel-Matthews. She starts next week, and she comes from the Department of State. 

People keep being moved around to fill in the gaps. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that they are working well with their national organizations and the state and 

regional partners. They have had good success with the affinity group outreach. They had a 

Women’s Weekend last month on campus. They had more than 200 women attend from 32 states 

plus the District of Columbia. More than 80% of those attendees had never been to an NFA class. 

The feedback was very good, and they are setting a date for FY24. 

Mr. Dubay asked if the USFA paid for the travel for the women to come to campus for the 

Women’s Weekend. Mr. Gabliks replied that they had paid for their own travel. Mr. Gabliks 

affirmed that they will do affinity weekends for any groups that want to do them. There were a 

few men that came to the Women’s Weekend, and they enjoyed it. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that they are working diligently with their wildland partners and collaborating 

with them. The USFA has participated in every regional compact meeting to share their work and 

create cross-pollination. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that Pennsylvania was the last state weekend for FY23. They did fill the house

and there were no beds available. All the FY24 state weekends are scheduled. They are going to 

add a few national weekends also. 
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Mr. Gabliks stated that this coming year, they are going to be moving to a quarterly application

process instead of 2 times a year. This may be more beneficial for people’s schedules. 

Mr. Dubay asked what the time frame was for applications. Mr. Rich replied that the process will 

go from January 15 to February 15, for classes in June. This will match up with instructor contracts. 

Dr. McIntosh asked if anyone was going to do a deep data capture for the diversity, equity and 

inclusion of the affinity weekends. Mr. Gabliks stated that they did do a deep dive into the

admissions and participants for the first Women’s Weekend. They will keep tracking that. They 

did share with the women about all the classes available at the NFA both on and off campus. They 

also shared information about the classes at NFA at the National Volunteer Fire Council meeting. 

Chief Butler asked if they were going to be marketing CAL FIRE classes and the affinity groups. 

The Board of Visitors would like to know when CAL FIRE classes and the affinity groups are 

going to be scheduled. Mr. Gabliks stated that as they share information with their partnerships,

the information does spread out among different people. The women that attended the Women’s 

Weekend were sharing it with other women. 

Mr. Romaine stated that he has gone to the regional fire department association in Minnesota for 

40 years and the state training director never talks about the NFA. When Mr. Romaine goes to the 

meetings, he does talk about the NFA, and a lot of people do not know about it. Mr. Gabliks stated 

that the way people communicate is changing rapidly and that it is a struggle to keep up with what 

is new. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that they are making available additional 6-day classes off campus with money 

that fell back into the budget. They do have a few new classes coming. There are 10 classes that 

are old and going to be retired. Chief Hoover gave permission last week to open up campus for 

international students again. They will be allowed 1 international student per class. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that until they get the FESHE position filled, they are just limping it along. 

They did approve a new addition, which is California State University, Los Angeles, and they are 

now a member of FESHE. There are 3 other groups that are working on their applications to get 

in. A rebuild cannot be done until they get the staff position filled. The last FESHE conference 

scheduled for on campus was not that successful as far as turnout. Mr. Gabliks stated that their 

vision for FESHE, once the position is filled, is to refresh the FESHE process and curriculum. 

They do have 4 agreements with colleges that are not FESHE members but want to be partners 

from the leadership perspective. FESHE wants to do more things that are not supported through 

NFA, which may cause FESHE to branch off and set up its own organization. Mr. Gabliks stated 

that once they bring the FESHE coordinator on board, they need to restructure how the NFA 

communicates with the FESHE group because of the FACA. Mr. Gabliks asked if there were any 

questions.

Dr. Macey asked how the NFA chooses which classes are delivered with the staffing issues being 

the way they are. Mr. Gabliks stated that they schedule classes for the next FY based on historic 

data of where the numbers are coming from and how many classes they need to offer. When there 

are not enough students that apply, the class gets cancelled. When a class gets cancelled, the staff 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 7, 2023

14

fill in the gaps by adding a class that will get enough students. Mr. Gabliks stated that “Fire 

Investigation: Essentials” is the most popular class on campus. Mr. Rich is working with 

admissions every week to see where additional needs are. Mr. Gabliks stated that he can send out 

a spreadsheet with that information on it. 

Mr. Dubay asked if there are any remaining 10-day courses. Mr. Gabliks stated that there are still 

a few 10-day courses. Some courses are required to be 10-day, but most are 6-day courses.

Ethics Training

Mr. David Brummett, FEMA Office of Chief Counsel

Mr. Brummett is the embedded attorney and the ethics counselor who advises the NFA and the 

Board of Visitors. Mr. Brummett stated that all of the current Board of Visitors members had had 

this briefing, and that there have been no ethics issues from any board member this past year.

Mr. Brummett proceeded with delivering the annual ethics briefing as required for SGEs. The 

briefing consisted of a PowerPoint presentation tailored for the board by the Office of Chief 

Counsel.

Mr. Brummett offered to take questions from the members, either in the room or directly by email 

or phone. Mr. Brummett thanked everyone for listening and concluded the briefing.

Deferred Maintenance and Capital Improvements on the National Emergency 

Training Center Campus

Mr. James Hodge, Director, Management, Operations, and Support Services

Mr. Gabliks introduced Mr. James Hodge and turned the meeting over to him.

Mr. Hodge stated that the most popular improvement project that is complete is the burn range. 

The building has a lab, shower and washing area to decontaminate. It also has restrooms. The 

visitor center and the security area’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning repair has been 

completed. That took a few months. They did elevator upgrades campuswide that have been 

completed. The fire alarm system was completed (going on since 2018). The tunnel repair work 

has been completed. They replaced about 175 meters of the superstructure that is the overhead part 

of the tunnel. Mr. Hodge showed some pictures so the Board of Visitors could see the work done. 

There was moisture leaking into the tunnel from above. They removed all the equipment and steam 

pipes that were used for the steam system years ago. They did a lot of reinforcement on the tunnel.

Chief Butler asked if the steam system contributed to the damage. Mr. Hodge replied that it could 

have. The water was leaking into the tunnel when it rained. All that work had to be submitted 

through the state historical preservation society.

Mr. Hodge stated that there was some work that was unplanned due to storms. A tree came down 

by the cabin and took down the bridge that crosses Tom’s Creek. The work to fix that was 
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15

completed in July. There were a lot of campuswide plumbing projects, and they were completed. 

They were unable to get the sewage lift stations installed but will probably do that the week of 

Labor Day. There was a campus wide Wi-Fi upgrade that has been completed. There were 200 

access points replaced and 20 switches. There is now a pavilion by Building B. This supports the 

student recreation center. There is a grill and sink. The Walk of Honor was funded by the National 

Fallen Firefighters Foundation. That project is 95% done. The heated sidewalk will keep snow off 

the walkway and keep the machinery away.

Mr. Dubay asked if they were using geothermal properties to heat the sidewalks. Mr. Hodge replied 

that he would find out, but he was not sure. Before the end of the day, Mr. Hodge was able to 

verify and report back to Mr. Dubay that the heated sidewalks are indeed tied into the geothermal 

system that supports the campus.

Mr. Hodge stated that some of the fence needs repaired, which was not planned. The fencing has 

been ordered. They had an arborist come to campus and analyze the trees and remove the dead 

ones. The parking lot by Building K has been paved and restriped. The sidewalk near Building K 

was redone. They are purchasing picnic tables with umbrellas, and they will have a solar-powered 

component on them. They will be able to charge phones, laptops, iPads, etc. They are getting 6 of 

those picnic tables, and they will go between the memorial and Building S.

Mr. Hodge stated that the FEMA bus had unplanned maintenance. They cannot figure out what is 

wrong with it. They do know it is an electronic issue. They are researching other options for 

transportation. They have been renting buses for NFA transportation. They have ordered another 

bus through FEMA, but they are not expecting it until 2025. They are trying to get that here sooner,

and it will be a hybrid.

Chief Butler asked how old the bus is. Mr. Hodge replied that it is 11 years old.

Mr. Hodge stated that the renovation project on Buildings G & R is in progress. The Publication 

Education and Communication Branch is located in Building R. They are going to relocate a 

bioretention pond. The trenching and directional drilling work is complete for the last building to 

put solar panels on. They are putting in laundry machines in Building C. They have a linen 

contractor, and when they cannot deliver enough linen, this will be a backup plan. They have 

submitted a PDO for the Wellness Center. That did not make the cut with the last round of PDOs. 

They are resubmitting that this year.

Mr. Hodge stated that they did get a PDO approved for $10 million for the information technology 

infrastructure upgrade. They will be doing a lot of trenching and running fiberoptic lines across 

campus. Some funds will cover the transferring of NFIRS to NERIS. The facilities maintenance 

recompete was finalized and will be awarded before the end of FY23. Building E needs a portico 

repair which was approved. The exterior painting and repair on Building K will be done in FY24. 

Mr. Hodge listed some projects that they want to do but they do not have to do. If they still have 

funds near year-end, they can put that money toward the projects they want to do.

Dr. McIntosh asked if they were going to get a chief information officer staffed since they are 

getting all this technology. Mr. Hodge stated that they have Ms. Debra Stottlemyer who has been 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 7, 2023

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here for 30 years as a contractor. Mr. Hodge stated that she does the work of the chief information 

officer. She was involved in the Wi-Fi upgrade. Mr. Hodge stated that he is comfortable with the 

way things are going right now with that position. They have not submitted any PDOs for an extra 

position. Mr. Gabliks stated that the position Mr. Hodge was talking about was a vacant position 

that was upgraded to have an IT background.

Mr. Dubay asked if the unplanned projects affected any of the FY23 projects that were approved. 

Mr. Hodge replied no. They were able to use funds from elsewhere.

Board of Visitors Subcommittee Activity Reports

National Fire Incident Reporting System

Chief Kevin Quinn, Chair

Chief Quinn stated that there is nothing to report on at this time.

Professional Development Initiative Update

Dr. Patricia McIntosh, Chair

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

Final Comments/Adjournment

Chief Crowley made the first motion to adjourn the meeting and Dr. McIntosh made the second. 

All were in favor, and no one opposed. The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m. There were some 

weather issues, so the Board of Visitors planned to discuss the walkthrough the following day.

Dr. McIntosh called the meeting back to order at 9:00 a.m. to discuss the walkthrough.

The Board of Visitors thanked Mr. Hodge and the staff for all the work that has been done. It was 

great that the unplanned fixes did not hurt the budget for the planned fixes. The burn range work 

was essential, and they appreciated the staff coming out with Mr. Hodge to show them around. 

The maintenance staff is well organized with prioritizing the facilities needs and keeping 

everything within the budget. Everyone liked the interaction with the students and seeing how they 

are doing in the classes. All the students seemed very appreciative of all the upgrades to the 

facilities. The students were saying that the instructors were very knowledgeable. The students had 

all positive things to say about the campus. There were professionals at a wide range of ranks

around campus. Some students mentioned having more course offerings for the courses that are 

more popular. Some students mentioned that there were long waiting periods for some classes. 

There was mention about the admissions process having a fast turnaround for letting students know 

that they were eligible to take the courses. There was also mention of increasing charging stations

for electric vehicles. The students had all positive comments and a few suggestions.
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Dr. McIntosh stated that in the past there was mention of switching from twin beds to double beds. 

Did that happen? Ms. Gartrell-Kemp replied that they did get new mattresses; some are double,

and some are twin. Dr. McIntosh asked if they have made any rooms accessible for service animals,

because that was mentioned in the past. Ms. Gartrell-Kemp replied that she would have to ask 

about that, but she did see someone in Building S with a service dog. Per Management, Operations, 

and Support Services (MOSS), there are 4 rooms in Dorm F that can support service animals. In 

addition, MOSS confirmed that Building C West was converted from twin to double beds.

The meeting was adjourned for the day.