BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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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 31, 2021

Zoom Teleconference

Attendees:

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

for the teleconference.

John S. Butler (Chairperson)

Fire Chief 

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department

12099 Government Center Parkway

Fairfax, VA 22033

Dr. Patricia McIntosh (Vice Chair)

Emergency Management Coordinator

College of the Mainland

1200 N. Amburn Road

Texas City, TX 77591

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

Division Director

Simtable

40A Calle Josephina

Santa Fe, NM 87506

Steven Dubay

Deputy Chief

Colorado Springs Fire Department

375 Printers Parkway

Colorado Springs, CO 80910

Kristin Crowley

Deputy Chief

Los Angeles Fire Department

200 N. Main Street, Suite 1770

Los Angeles, CA 90012
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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

(FEMA/USFA/NFA) staff in attendance:

Chief Steve Dean, Deputy Superintendent, NFA

Mr. Ken Farmer, Branch Chief, Education, Training and Partnerships Branch, NFA

Mr. Al Fluman, Director, USFA/NETC Management, Operations and Support Services Division 

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, NFA

Ms. Deb Gartrell-Kemp, Program Support Specialist

Ms. Ellen Newlin, Program Specialist

Chief Richard Patrick, Director, National Fire Programs Division

Mr. Lester Rich, Branch Chief, Response Branch, NFA

Ms. Michelle Spielman, Secretary

Ms. Tiffany Warren, Branch Chief, Training, Administration, Planning and Analysis Branch, 

NFA

Mr. Mike Miron, Senior Director, Federal Advisory Committees (Acting)

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

Dr. Patricia McIntosh, Vice Chairperson, Board of Visitors

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Chief Steve Dean, Deputy Superintendent, National Fire Academy

Chief Steve Dean welcomed the Board with opening remarks:

Good morning, and welcome to this meeting of the USFA/NFA Board of Visitors. This meeting 

is being conducted under regulations outlined in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

I want to thank you for volunteering your time, diligent work and for completing the necessary 

security and ethical processes to serve as Special Government Employees (SGEs).

My name is Steve Dean. I am the Deputy Superintendent of the NFA and will be serving as 

Alternate Designated Federal Officer (ADFO) for this meeting. My role is to serve as liaison 

between the Board of Visitors and the USFA. I am also responsible for ensuring that all the 

provisions of the FACA are met regarding the operation of the Board of Visitors. You know Ms. 

Deb Gartrell-Kemp, whose work with FACA officials at FEMA and the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) have made this meeting possible and made my work immeasurably easier and 

more productive. Ms. Michelle Spielman and Ms. Ellen Newlin are Deb’s backups, and I want to 

thank them officially for everything they do to make this meeting successful.

We have an agenda as published in the Federal Register. The times listed are approximate, and we 

may need to adjust the agenda to accommodate schedules. We must ensure that time for 

deliberations is adequate and that the public has ample time to make comments. No comments 

were sent in from the public.
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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Dextera/ZAI support staff, Ms. Jennifer Vanover, will be taking notes and will compile minutes. 

Minutes will include matters discussed and conclusions reached by the board. As ADFO, I am 

responsible for preparing the minutes and ensuring that they are certified by the meeting chair 

within 90 calendar days. All comments and notes will be available for public review forever. Please 

be sure to state your name before speaking so the minutes can be recorded accurately. If you have 

notes, please email them to Deb today so she can forward them to Jennifer.

Chief Dean convened this meeting of the USFA/NFA Board of Visitors. Chief Dean deferred over 

to Mr. Mike Miron as he had a 10:30 meeting.

Mr. Miron stated that it was a pleasure to speak with the Board of Visitors of the NFA. He thanked

everyone for letting him be here. He has been with DHS since May 2003. He formerly worked at 

the Department of Commerce where he was an international trade specialist. On 9/11, a gentleman 

he worked with was killed in the attack on the Pentagon. Mr. Miron then decided to do volunteer 

work at the White House with Mr. Tom Ridge. Mr. Ridge became secretary of Homeland Security 

and Mr. Miron followed him to that department, where he has been a designated federal advisor 

for the secretary of Homeland Security Advisory Council since 2003. He provides support for the 

26 federal committee advisories at the department. He is a proud father of a law enforcement 

officer who is also a certified wildland firefighter. Some examples of his successes: The 

department hired Ms. Alexa Cogapher to provide foundational recommendations for state and local 

fusion centers. Secretary Janet Napolitano got away from the color code system. Now there is a

national terrorism advisory system. Mr. Miron stated that the recommendations that are provided

matter not only to the department but also to others. The work that is done and the reports that are

put together are used by the department as well as a wide variety of other individuals. He provided

slides that were filled with processed and administrative information. Meeting attendance is 

important. He was glad to see that attendance for this meeting was very good. He stated that when 

one serves on these committees, one brings their expertise to the table, and those insights and 

recommendations are very important. He knows that there are different subcommittees that can 

meet anytime they want as long as they focus on the task at hand. They can meet with interior and 

exterior people to help accomplish the mission. He wanted to let everyone know that their service 

matters for knowledge for the department as well as outside the department. He asked if anyone 

had questions and any follow-up on the slide presentation that he sent out. There were no questions 

at that time.

Chief Dean turned the meeting over to Chief John Butler.

Chief Butler had some opening remarks. 

He welcomed everyone to another convening of this meeting. He stated that, reluctantly, virtual is

still going on because of precautionary reasons. The U.S. fire service is as busy as always. Up and 

down the West Coast and Canada they have their hands full. The Gulf Coast is getting hit now 

with Hurricane Ida and also continuing to deal with the pandemic. The U.S. fire service continues 

to be just as busy as ever. Chief Butler stated that they would not want it any other way and that 

they would rather be here at the table than not. These are challenging times. He stated that without 

further ado he was convening the Board of Visitors and welcome. He then turned the meeting over 

to Mr. Eriks Gabliks.
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Mr. Gabliks replied thank you and welcomed everyone. He stated that it was good to see everyone 

virtually and he hoped everyone was safe and healthy. He advised that there is a lot going on in 

the country right now and fire and emergency medical services (EMS) are doing everything in 

their power to help. Mr. Gabliks stated that Chief Tonya Hoover could not be present today. He 

gave an update on her behalf and shared the balance of his report on the NFA. He stated that Chief 

Hoover is still serving as the acting United States Fire Administrator. Mr. Gabliks advised that 

there is still discussion on naming the next fire administrator and that as soon as it is official that 

information will be released. Mr. Gabliks stated that under Chief Hoover’s leadership, business is 

moving forward. The NFA has an amazing staff and continues to support the fire and EMS 

providers, both career and volunteer across the country. There has been discussion on the tragic 

weather situations that have been going on in the Southeast. A number of USFA staff have been 

deployed or are being deployed to that area to help with the FEMA efforts. Other items of interest 

are that the new FEMA administrator has been named: Ms. Deanne Criswell. She has a rich 

background of fire service starting in Colorado as a member of the National Guard where she 

achieved the rank of deputy chief. She is no stranger to the USFA; she is an NFA alumna. She is 

very interested in fire and EMS issues. Mr. Gabliks discussed some things on the larger 

organizational front: One is that the USFA is involved in 2 major efforts with DHS and FEMA. 

One is an enterprise-wide discussion on climate change and how it affects FEMA as an 

organization, and obviously, the USFA’s discussion is on the wildland urban interface (WUI). Mr. 

Gabliks stated that those in Western states no longer have a wildfire season — it is happening yearround. He stated that discussion is happening on a national level, and from the USFA stance,

FEMA should discuss WUI fire situations just as much as hurricanes and floods. With climate 

change there are heat issues that affect many states, whether responding to people with heat related 

medical issues or those with no air conditioning, and things that need emergency response like 

drought and mudslides. Mr. Gabliks stated that from the USFA side the key element is making 

sure to not forget the impact that all these discussions have on state, local, tribal and territorial 

partners and that it is being heard.

Mr. Gabliks stated that another discussion that has a lot of interest both from FEMA and DHS is 

perfluorooctanesulfonic acid firefighting foam, or PFAS. There are 2 elements. One is the impact 

on the firefighters’ health and safety, both career and volunteer. Second is the impact to the 

environment. He stated that these are issues being looked at on Capitol Hill and they are having

active discussions in those areas.

Chief Kevin Quinn made a motion that they reconvene and that both Chief Butler and Dr. Patricia 

McIntosh stay as the chair and vice chair if they are accepting. Chief Butler accepted the 

chairperson position. Dr. McIntosh accepted the vice chair position. Thomas Romaine seconded 

the motion. Chief Butler asked if Chief Dean had anything to say or add. He did not have anything 

at this time. 

Chief Butler motioned for them to launch the polls for the meeting dates.

• The date for October’s annual report writing meeting poll that had the most votes was Oct.

20, 2021, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It was discussed and that date was accepted.

• The date for December’s meeting poll that had the most votes was Dec. 6, 2021, from 3 

p.m. to 5 p.m. That date was discussed and accepted.
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• The date for March’s meeting poll that had the most votes was March 15, 2022, from 

1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

• The date for August’s meeting poll that had the most votes was Aug. 15 and 16, 2022, time 

to be determined.

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Mr. David Brummett for the ethics briefing.

Mr. Brummett said good morning to everyone. He sent out his notes in a slide packet. Mr. 

Brummett stated that he always starts and ends with his phone number and strongly recommends 

that if anyone has a question to track him down. The slides he provided are information on conflicts 

of interest. He stated that major things to avoid are conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest can 

pop up anywhere; they can be right around the corner. Mr. Brummett stated that the main reason 

this ethics briefing is being discussed is because most everyone at the Board of Visitors meeting 

is an SGE. The SGEs are categorized as federal employees who perform duties on behalf of the 

government. Employees do have a specific maximum time that they need to stay under, which is 

130 days in a calendar year. He stated that if 1 hour is worked that day then that will be 1 of those 

130 days. Mr. Brummett stated that this was his fourth year of this, and no one has complained 

about working more than 130 days. If there is someone going over 130 days, that could trigger 

some issues. If under an hour’s worth of work is done, that is not a full day of business. Mr. 

Brummett stated that his favorite thing is the Confidential Financial Disclosure (OGE 450) Forms. 

Every year this form needs to be filled out. Ms. Gartrell-Kemp stated that they will be filled out

again in March. Mr. Brummett said he will check on that date because the signatures on the new 

forms need to be on the exact date. Mr. Brummett stated that they have spoken about lobbying 

before. If anyone talks to U.S. congressmen about getting more money for the NFA, that is a red 

flag. Mr. Brummett stated not to lobby congress.

Mr. Brummett stated that this next section is the meat of the ethics information; this is the scary 

stuff that no one here has had issues with. If anyone is offered something like Lakers tickets and 

it has something to do with being a Board of Visitors member, that could be considered a

conflicting financial interest. Mr. Brummett stated that no one can do anything for money that has 

to do with a covered relationship. A covered relationship includes a spouse, kids, lawyers, a general 

partner — someone close who would conflict loyalty to the Board of Visitors. The higher 

departments are not as lenient with ethics rules being broken. There are some exemptions from 

conflict of interest for particular matters, but one should definitely ask first. Mr. Brummett stated

that if anyone were to receive phone calls from foreign countries, they should let someone know. 

He stated that if a procurement is on the horizon that would serve for the mission or needs, 

hopefully no Board of Visitors members are connected to that. This would be a red flag. Criminal 

prohibitions after leaving SGE service are not likely to apply. If appearing before other federal 

agencies or government officials, that may need to be checked out first. He advised to check with 

someone about political issues with bumper stickers on cars or coffee cups on desks. He stated that 

this is thrown in because officials like to talk about this during an election year. Mr. Brummett 

instructed members not to accept or receive political contributions or political buttons and not to

use federal resources for political activities. This is the same as the foreign matter. He stated that 

it is probably not a good idea to be an expert witness for a case that affects or is against the 

government’s interests, or to take valuable gifts. The value is set at 20 dollars. He instructed not 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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to take anything expensive because of being a Board of Visitors member. Mr. Brummett stated 

that the people in this meeting have knowledge of nonpublic information whether it is future 

projects or new things moving forward and not to use that information in a context to get something

out of it. Full-time employees have a little more restriction. Mr. Brummett stated that SGEs are 

allowed to give talks or write on topics within their discipline. If someone is asked to teach, write 

or speak and it is not for the Board of Visitors, they should check to make sure it is okay to do.

Mr. Brummett offered additional resources:

• U.S. Office of Government Ethics www.oge.gov.

o Mr. Brummett advised that no one wants to hear from this agency; they set these 

rules.

• U.S. Office of Special Counsel www.osc.gov.

o Mr. Brummett again advised that definitely no one wants to hear from this agency 

because when breaking those rules there are attorneys involved. One should never 

ask if something is okay because it is probably not okay.

Mr. Brummett stated that if anyone has any questions to reach out to him. The main worry is 

conflict of interest or financial gain. He stated that the next time he is heard from it will be about 

the OGE 450 forms. 

Mr. Brummett concluded his presentation and asked if there were any questions.

Dr. McIntosh questioned Mr. Brummett on Robinhood stocks. Mr. Brummett replied that yes, that 

needs to be reported on the OGE 450 form.

Dr. Michael Macey asked what the restrictions would be for calling one another up and saying 

“Hey, here is an issue. Has anyone heard anything about it?” For example, if someone heard about 

an issue with a program and asked another member if they had heard about it. Mr. Brummett

replied that the restrictions he talked about were more on giving information to nonmembers, and 

that it is okay to discuss things with other Board of Visitors members.

Chief Butler asked if there is a conflict of interest issue with him also being a member of the board 

at International Association of Fire Chiefs. Mr. Brummett offered to connect with Chief Butler 

directly in the coming weeks on his specific ethics question, while generally reminding the Board 

of Visitors of their ethics obligation to share non-public information learned in the Board of 

Visitors business with outside organizations or entities. 

Mr. Steven Dubay asked about the state fire chief conference in October. He asked about what to 

do if someone from another state asks him questions about the NFA. Mr. Brummett replied that it 

is okay to have a friendly conversation but not to give out important information that one knows 

should not be shared.

Mr. Gabliks stated that everyone asked good questions because being a part of the Board of 

Visitors is like wearing a number of hats. People in this meeting are fire chiefs, union members, 

college professors, etc. Being on the Board of Visitors is an honor, and he was glad to have 
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everyone here. The questions people ask are the same at all the conferences. Someone is always 

asking about what is going on at the NFA. Mr. Gabliks stated that about 90% of the issues are 

general information. Mr. Brummett agreed. There were no more questions.

Ms. Gartrell-Kemp sent Mr. Brummett’s slides to everyone, and she asked Dr. Mark Rivero to 

reach out to Mr. Brummett when he feels better.

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Mr. Gabliks for remarks on the strategic plan.

Mr. Gabliks stated that everyone had seen this strategic plan before. It is work that started under 

Chief Keith Bryant’s leadership as the USFA administrator. This is the 2019-2023 USFA strategic 

plan. This plan is focused on how the USFA supports state, local, tribal and territorial partners and 

both career and volunteer fire and EMS personnel. Mr. Gabliks stated that they want to make sure 

this plan is achievable and makes sense. There are 3 goals. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that the first goal is building a culture of preparedness in the fire and EMS 

branches. The NFA is a part of that, and other national fire programs are also a key element. They 

have the ability to identify, prevent, prepare for and mitigate community risks. Mr. Gabliks stated 

that it has been awhile since “America Burning” was updated, and that it is nearing completion. 

He stated that they have asked for specific information with “America Burning” on wildland fire 

issues. Mr. Gabliks replied that there will be an “America Burning” and an “America Burning”

with a WUI addition, each with information about fire issues, needs and topics in the U.S. Mr. 

Gabliks stated that it is currently in draft form and should be ready soon. The NFA helps fire and 

EMS increase their organizational resilience. They develop partnerships to strengthen fire and 

EMS. The partnerships are from border to border and state to state and each organization. People 

may not realize that the USFA has partnerships with the senior community, and there are booths 

at the America Aging conference each year where the USFA shares fire and life safety issues.

Mr. Gabliks stated that the second goal is that they ready the nation’s fire and EMS for all hazards. 

There is a lot of talk about all risk, all hazards. The NFA is front and center in the professional 

development piece, not only on campus but also virtually, and through partnerships with 

community colleges. They are strengthening the culture of health and wellness to improve 

responder safety, and survival is a little more challenging. The NFA has classes about health and 

wellness. It is important to know about vehicle reflective markings on apparatus. Not everyone is

familiar with them. Mr. Gabliks stated that the objective is to get all the information possible out 

to the public. There is also data-driven decision-making and information sharing. He stated that 

Chief Richard Patrick will talk about that during his update on the National Fire Incident Reporting 

System (NFIRS). They have done great things this year not only to bolster the program but to raise

awareness about how the NFIRS works and how simple it is to use. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that the third goal is ensuring that the USFA is an innovative, knowledgeable 

and responsive organization that encourages an environment that embraces the contributions, 

innovations and potential of staff and supports ongoing professional development opportunities. 

Several seasoned NFA employees retired since the last meeting, which is a loss because they take 

their knowledge with them. Most of them had been here for 20, 30 or 40 years. He stated that Mr. 

Smiley White will be recognizing his 55th anniversary next month as a federal employee. Mr. 

Gabliks advised that there are challenges in filling vacancies because of the federal system. The
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system is complex, so it takes some time to get people hired. It is not uncommon to take 3 to 6 

months to fill a vacancy. Mr. Gabliks stated that simplifying administrative and business 

operations is a given. They promote effective internal communications. Each of the sections have 

meetings and they have a larger town hall meeting. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

and USFA also meet on a monthly basis to talk about what can be done to help each other and 

what to work together on to make everything better. Some see the National Emergency Training 

Center (NETC) as 2 different campuses, but it is only 1 with 2 very specific missions. Mr. Gabliks 

stated that they operate and maintain a facility that provides a safe and secure environment for 

everyone. He stated that Mr. Al Fluman will talk about that when his turn comes around. There 

has been a lot of new infrastructure that is not the same since the last Board of Visitors meeting. 

The campus is not only safe and secure, but it is also environmentally friendly. The USFA is

increasing their profile on a national level. There have been national podcasts. They are getting 

out and meeting stakeholders at the conferences. Mr. Gabliks stated that they are still in the middle 

of the strategic plan. There will be a new U.S. fire administrator coming on board soon so the plan 

will be adjusted as it is reviewed. Mr. Gabliks asked if anyone had any questions. 

Dr. Macey asked what the metrics are to measure success. Mr. Gabliks replied that they have been 

meeting with stakeholders and reporting out on what has been going on. They benchmark students 

coming onto campus. Mr. Gabliks stated that they want to make sure students are taking 

information back to their departments and sharing it. They have students take surveys while they 

are here; they are given evaluations to complete. He stated that the return on investment is whether

they took what they learned on campus and applied it in their organizations. They have good

numbers and track everything on an ongoing basis. Mr. Gabliks asked if anyone had any other 

questions. There were no more questions at that time.

Deferred Maintenance and Capital Improvements on the National Emergency 

Training Center Campus

Mr. Al Fluman, Director, U.S. Fire Administration/National Emergency Training 

Center Management, Operations & Support Services Division

Mr. Fluman advised that he would briefly outline current campus projects.

• The main gate area is almost done. 

• They are finishing up 3 construction areas on campus. Those areas are: renovations in 

Building J basement — putting classrooms and staff down there; renovations to Building 

L, where they will be putting staff on the first floor; completely gutting and doing 

renovations on Building O — they will be putting staff in there. Mr. Fluman stated that for 

the most part these construction projects are done and just waiting on furniture. These 

renovations will increase housing capacity on campus.

• The sixth building with solar panels is Building J. That building will have the most solar 

panels. NETC is trying to eventually work toward net zero electricity.
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• This month they are about halfway done installing campus-wide fire alarm upgrades. Mr. 

Fluman stated that a contract will be in place this month to finish up the rest next year with 

the exception of Building N, which will probably have to be done in 2023. 

• Large projects for next year with next year’s budget include the heating, ventilating, and 

air conditioning (HVAC) system for Building N, which is NETC’s largest building. This 

project will start in October. 

• Mr. Fluman stated that another project is going to be some restroom renovations for next 

year and some Americans with Disabilities Act campus-wide upgrades. Another project is 

to improve the gutter systems on many buildings. 

• EMI has chosen to convert offices into hoteling for staff. Mr. Fluman stated that most if 

not all staff have been teleworking. He stated that the third and fourth floors of Building N 

will be set up for telework hoteling-type arrangements for staff. It will decrease the cost of 

the HVAC needed in Building N. 

• NETC is toying with the idea of converting the smallest building on campus, Building T,

behind the dining hall, into a laundry area for the campus. Then laundry could be done here 

on campus instead of sending it out. The contractors who are doing it now do not seem to 

be doing a great job, and the cost is about $200,000 a year. It will save about $100,000 a 

year to do it in house.

Mr. Fluman finished his updates and advised that he would be happy to answer any questions.

Dr. McIntosh asked for clarification on the term “hoteling.” Mr. Fluman replied that what hoteling 

is in essence is that the third and fourth floors of Building N are going to be used for staff. Staff 

will be grouped together in pods with appropriate social distancing and space allocated instead of 

having everyone in separate offices, the same concept that is happening in Buildings O and L. Mr. 

Gabliks added that with hoteling, the idea is that if the Board of Visitors worked at the station they 

would not all have a permanent workstation. If everyone showed up on the same day, someone 

would be left out. Mr. Gabliks stated that at FEMA headquarters, everyone’s filing cabinet is on 

wheels so they can move it to wherever their workstation is for that day. Dr. McIntosh replied that 

it must take a lot of maintainability for doing things this way. Mr. Fluman replied that at EMI they 

choose to do things this way. That is how they have been operating for over a year and a half. They 

have had few employees on campus since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Mr. Fluman stated that he

was not going to provide any COVID-19 pandemic updates since he does that daily. Dr. McIntosh

asked if there are any chances that EMI would affect the amount of space that the NFA can access 

and claim. Mr. Fluman replied that they have been toying with the idea that USFA directors may 

not need as much space for employees. They would like to add a couple more classrooms, but they 

must be careful when it comes to the historic preservation of the buildings. Mr. Fluman stated that 

by October or November they should have 30 to 40 additional dorm rooms. Even when they are 

booked to capacity, rarely do they use all the classroom space. Dr. McIntosh asked if it seems like 

there are enough classrooms and hotel space for students. Chief Dean replied that during some 

weeks there are extra classrooms in Building J because there are not enough beds to house enough 

students to fill all the classrooms. Chief Dean stated that there has been discussion to the point that 
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it is not just EMI classrooms or NFA classrooms. If NFA would need a classroom in Building K,

which has been the EMI side, they could use that classroom if it is available and vice versa. With 

the COVID-19 pandemic going on, everyone has been working together better than when he 

started coming here. Mr. Gabliks replied that with working from home and Zoom classes, it has 

not been too bad with the capacity on campus. Once things get back up to speed again, then they 

will have to figure out how to have enough places for students to sleep. Mr. Gabliks stated that 

virtual is good for the people who cannot get here. Chief Dean replied that when he first came 

here, they did not have people in all the offices in Buildings F and D. They were all dorm spaces 

in those buildings. The classrooms in Building J were all full. Mr. Fluman asked if there were any 

more questions. There were no more questions at that time.

Chief Dean replied that when situations arise like the 2 students the week before who tested 

positive, that the system Mr. Fluman has put together for the last 13 months works. It is organized,

the students understand it and it flows. There is a good system here and that is because of the time 

and effort Management, Operations and Support Services (MOSS) has put into it. Chief Dean 

stated that he just wanted the Board of Visitors to know that. Chief Butler replied that it is really 

appreciated. 

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

Chief Richard Patrick, Director, National Fire Programs Division, U.S. Fire 

Administration

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Chief Patrick.

Chief Patrick said hello to everyone. He stated that he was the director for National Fire Programs. 

Outside of the NFA and MOSS, most of the things the USFA does on a normal basis for the 

American fire and EMS stakeholders are going on within this division. They have some operational 

support for FEMA during disaster responses. Chief Patrick stated that there are 4 major disasters 

going on at this time: the hurricane that is coming through right now; the wildfires out West that 

FEMA is engaged in; the Afghan refugees; and the largest for the country is the pandemic, which 

is ongoing. Usually the highlights are intended to be toward NFIRS. Chief Patrick stated that they

operate the fire data center which is the home of the NFIRS. These are the data elements included 

in all software-manufactured applications to capture specific sets that are needed to identify the 

American fire problem. From the data produced, there are numerous statistical reports to identify 

what departments are responding to. Of the 30,000-plus fire departments in the U.S.,

approximately 24,000 actively participate in NFIRS. This leaves a gap of 6,000 that do not report. 

In the most recent annual statistics, they exceeded 29 million responses from those 24,000 

departments. They expect the 2020 data to exceed 30 million responses. 

Chief Patrick stated that we are in the middle of a pandemic. It is good to believe that the pandemic 

is over the hump, but the data states that the pandemic is still in the middle. The USFA is 

conducting a first-ever national study called the NFIRS COVID-19 special study. Fire departments 

use this as a category to identify the incident they respond to. The program reports out on that on 

a weekly basis through the USFA up through FEMA, as well as providing information to the 10 

FEMA region administrators. Chief Patrick stated that there are over 10 million responses that 
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have been reported. There have been only 10,600 fire departments that have reported since January 

2020. They executed NFIRS Modernization 10 back in October 2020. That is currently being 

engaged with state partners even 10 months later. They are showing success in improvements 

across the board. Chief Patrick stated that they provide states access to data warehouse reporting 

tools so that they can enhance the data sharing and authenticity of that data. The estimation 

methodology project is to develop methodology to compute national estimates using NFIRS and 

other publicly available data. A lot of data is from the Census as well. The approach allows for 

more overall consistency and transparency of the estimation process. National Fire Data Center 

(NFDC) staff are in the process of operationalizing the program code. The data reports how it is 

used and why it is used. The data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is 

combined with data from NFIRS. There are dozens of different topics. 

Chief Patrick stated that they are publishing a new fire data analyst handbook. It is currently in a

final review. They expect it to be published in late October of this year. They executed a contract 

that went out for bid conducting a comprehensive needs assessment of NFIRS. The study will

identify pitfalls across the board for NFIRS and a recommended path moving forward. It might 

give a pathway to a more modern system. NFIRS is not a software program in any way, shape or 

form. It is a data standard that was created decades ago, working closely with vendors to enhance 

the utility of that data standard software they produce. The data center also tracks line-of-duty 

death reports. Everything that comes in is voluntary reporting. Chief Patrick stated that they did 

receive a statutory charge to create a system that captures firefighter suicides in any way, not just 

on the job. This is currently an active process with USFA, FEMA, DHS and Congress on how that 

will work. They hope to collect data based on all of the identifiable information, issues and 

technology concerns with security imposed upon federal government by the middle of next year. 

The fire department registry has a voluntary system for fire departments to enter their demographic 

information.

Chief Patrick stated that in the research side of the house they have over 2 dozen active research 

programs with which the USFA is engaged. They range from studies on certain topics and best 

practices to partnering with scientific research. “America Burning” has been revisited 3 times over 

its history since 1973. The last time it was revisited was 2011. The current study is in its final 

phase; they hope to have final delivery this fall. The sister program is “America Burning WUI,”

which received final contractual drafting this week. It is all aspects of WUI, and it will be a highlevel document intended for use by all stakeholders right up to the congressional level. Chief 

Patrick stated that they continue to work on vehicle safety from roadways to operations and 

visibility. They have an active EMS responder safety study underway. The most popular is USFA 

Funding Alternatives for Emergency Medical and Fire Services, which is in the third or fourth 

revision. That is expected to come out later this calendar year. There is a COVID-19 issue and 

future pandemic planning study currently underway. They currently have 4 DHS-funded WUI 

technology applications underway with DHS Science and Technology. A fifth one has been 

developed contractually on augmented reality, which is a fire prevention tool for prevention 

officers, firefighters and other wildfire mitigation specialists to walk around with an iPhone app to 

identify properties.

Chief Patrick advised that on the prevention side of the house, the major campaign is Fire is 

Everyone’s FightTM. This is a campaign that is promoted for engagement from anybody who has 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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an interest as a stakeholder, not just for fire service members. They house the social media 

platform, and the website is maintained through that. Chief Patrick stated that the NETC Library 

is in the process of purchasing 100 new e-books. There are over 100 pictographs on the USFA 

website that can be adapted to use as a logo or message. Pictographs are wordless; they are 

designed for 2 factors: literacy, and to cover the 5 languages that are most commonly spoken in 

the U.S. The fire marshal interchange has a DHS information network solely for fire marshals. It 

contains for-official-use-only information, where fire marshals can post about common practices, 

best practices, ideas, etc. This encourages younger fire marshals to engage with more experienced 

fire marshals, and to ask questions of them.”

Chief Patrick stated that they are recruiting a branch chief for the NFDC. They are looking for a 

national expert in data to lead a team into the future of capturing it and statistics for the reports. 

Chief Patrick asked if anyone had any questions. 

Dr. Macey asked for clarification about what represents a COVID-19 incident and how they are

identified. Chief Patrick replied that it is most of the information that the 911 dispatch is providing 

to the fire department upon response. What is found on scene will also identify whether they will 

enter it into the COVID-19 piece within the dataset. Dr. Macey asked if in the future there will be

an idea of an open dataset. For example, New York City has open data, so anyone can go in and 

mine data and find information for themselves. Chief Patrick replied that this does exist now and 

anybody can access or get access to that data. They give out raw data by the thousands. Dr. Macey 

clarified that under systems such as “NYC OpenData” the public has access to datasets, which is 

different than the need to request datasets. Chief Patrick replied that he is not the data expert on 

how these systems work. He knows they can have the data based on what is sent out. He thinks 

they may have to request to get in to see it. Dr. Macey asked if that will change in the future so 

that people do not have to ask to access it. Chief Patrick replied that that may be the case and that

anything is possible. Chief Patrick stated that he hopes they come out with questions about that. 

Chief Patrick said that Chief Hoover was speaking in Wyoming about data, data, data. That was 

the title of her presentation. There is a myth that fire departments do not believe they have access 

to that data. They can query anything from their own data, although it will be filtered coming up 

through the system.

Chief Butler asked if there were any more questions. There were no more questions at that time.

National Fire Academy Updates on Developments, Deliveries, Staffing and 

Admissions

Mr. Ken Farmer, Branch Chief, Education, Training and Partnerships, National Fire 

Academy

Mr. Ken Farmer from the Education, Training and Partnership branch reported the following: 

• Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) is coming up. They have a 

planning meeting on campus on Sept. 27-29, 2021.

• They have held 2 state weekends and have 1 more planned with Connecticut before the end 

of the fiscal year.
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• State deliveries: During the first 3 quarters of the year, there were 490 deliveries and 7,474 

students with a solid increase per quarter.

• The Blackboard learning management system (LMS) is working on getting authority to 

operate. It should be any day now. Mr. Farmer advised that it was supposed to be the next 

day but could be 10 to 20 days.

• Continuing to work on the Managing Officer pilot class in West Palm Beach, Florida. It 

seems to be working very well.

• The support relationship with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has 

ended as they have now purchased their own software system and are self-reliant. Mr. 

Farmer stated that several wildland courses through the system will continue to be offered 

to the general fire service with their permission.

• There has been a good increase in LMS. The first quarter had 11,974 students, second 

quarter had 19,888, and third quarter was at 25,815 and it continues to grow. There are 3 

courses in development in the LMS.

Chief Butler asked if anyone had any questions. There were no questions at that time. Chief Butler 

turned the meeting over to Ms. Tiffany Warren.

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

Ms. Tiffany Warren, Branch Chief, Training, Administration, Planning and Analysis

Ms. Warren from the Training, Administration, Planning and Analysis Branch provided the 

following update:

• The American Council on Education (ACE) and the International Accreditors for 

Continuing Education and Training (IACET) had 769 continuing education and training 

events conducted at the NFA over the past 12 months. That was from April 2020 to April

2021. There were 6,226 participants who were served 5 continuous education and training 

events. There were 5,983 learners awarded IACET continuing education units (CEUs). The 

total number of IACET CEUs that were awarded in the past 12 months was 17,361. Ms. 

Warren stated that this was a by-the-numbers view of what the NFA is doing with IACET. 

• In November they are doing a review of 17 courses for ACE.

o R/N/O0233, “Chemistry for Emergency Response.”

o F/W/O0322, “Incident Command System for Structural Collapse Incidents.”

o 2 campus fire and life safety: F/W/O0193, “Campus Fire and Life Safety I: Risk 

Assessment” and F/W/O0194, “Campus Fire and Life Safety II: Public Education.”

o R/N0247, “Advanced Life Support Response to Hazardous Materials Incidents.”

o R/N0387, “Analytical Tools for Decision-Making.”

o F/W/O0635, “Best Practices in Community Risk Reduction.”

o F/W/O0636, “Building Organizational Support for Community Risk Reduction.”
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o 2 command and control classes: R0297, “Command and Control Decision-Making 

at Multiple Alarm Incidents” and R/N0312, “Command and Control of Incident 

Operations.”

o F/W/O0321, “Incident Command for Highrise Operations.”

o F/W0609, “Introduction to Unified Command for All-Hazard Incidents.”

o R/N/O0200, “Leadership Strategies for Community Risk Reduction.”

o R/N/O0491, “National Fire Incident Reporting System: Program Management.”

o R/N/O0645, “Leadership in Supervision.”

o 2 new courses: M0566, “Hot Topics Research in Fire and Life Safety” and M0576,

“Training Program Design.”

• They have contracted Dr. Jeffery Simmons from Mount St. Mary’s University, an expert 

in strategic planning. Ms. Warren stated that Dr. Simmons is going to help create an 

operating and strategic plan for the NFA. There will be more about this effort as it 

progresses. 

• They are looking to increase our data-driven decision capability with a deeper dive contract 

instructor and in other areas that the NFA has. Over the years data analytics has been 

lacking and it is in need of improvement.

That concluded Ms. Warren’s update. She asked if anyone had any questions.

Dr. Macey asked about the numbers from April 2020 to April 2021 saying those were probably

for the COVID-19 year. He asked if there was much of an increase or decrease. Ms. Warren stated 

that she did not know for sure but she can find out. Ms. Warren stated that she thinks it was higher 

because of everyone being online. She said she will get that report to Ms. Gartrell-Kemp and then 

she can distribute them to the Board of Visitors. Dr. Macey also asked if there is a financial dollar 

amount to the CEUs. Ms. Warren stated that they have not but that sounded like a good idea. She 

said that sounded like a great data analytics project because the data is there. There were no other 

questions at that time.

National Fire Academy, Superintendent’s Updates

Mr. Eriks Gabliks, National Fire Academy, Superintendent

Mr. Gabliks stated that he would be providing some updates to different branches within the NFA. 

He said the end of his update would wrap up information about the Executive Fire Officer (EFO) 

Program, which has a lot of interest and a lot of work going into it. 

• Mr. Gabliks started off with some campus operations. The NFA never closed throughout

this pandemic. Some campus training was suspended while the pandemic was in its prime. 

Deliveries of classes continued on a state-by-state basis through Zoom meetings, etc. Mr. 

Gabliks stated that they figured out how to do Zoom with federal licenses. There were a 

lot of obstacles, but they were able to offer 10 different courses. Zoom allowed them to 

reach audiences that never have been to the NFA. Some fire and EMS members just cannot 

make it to Emmitsburg or a 2-day state delivery class. Mr. Gabliks stated that virtual 
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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deliveries will continue. Some states were turning the classes back over because there were 

too many COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. Those classes were reallocated to states 

that could make them work. The start was 30 Zoom courses with multiple offerings and 

that has doubled in the last 6 months.

• Mr. Gabliks stated that they have always gone by the state, Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, and FEMA guidelines when it came to instructors and students. They never 

had any major problems with people abiding by the rules for the pandemic. NFA stayed 

firm on their rules. If people are not vaccinated, then they are required to get tested. Mr. 

Gabliks stated that Mr. Fluman tries to make sure everyone not only meets the guidelines 

but exceeds them. Students from the same classes will sleep in the same dorm areas. It is 

better to keep track in case 1 or a few test positive. There have been a total of 6 positive 

cases on campus. When testing was every 72 hours, 2 students came in with no symptoms 

and their first test was negative. Then a couple of days later their second test was positive. 

Those students were able to leave, and they were not showing any symptoms. Everyone in 

that class was tested for the next few days, and there were no issues. Another time 2

students came from the airport and tested positive, so they were quarantined. They both 

were able to go home safely. Campus does not test people who are vaccinated. A couple of

students who were vaccinated were fine for a while then started feeling badly and the nurse 

was sent to test them, and they were positive. One had no symptoms and went home; the

other stayed on campus for a while because they just felt really tired. Everyone has been

staying very active in the safety protocols. Campus is 85% vaccinated. Mr. Gabliks asked 

if there were any questions on the COVID-19 situation. Dr. McIntosh asked if these tests 

were rapid tests. Mr. Gabliks said yes, they are rapid tests and if the person is not 

vaccinated, they have to get tested once a week right now. If the rapid test is positive, there 

is another test that is done that does take a little longer for results. That one is done on 

campus, too. Mr. Gabliks said the campus did go back to mandatory face coverings for 

everyone a few weeks ago. 

• Active discussions are ongoing about when the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial 

Weekend will be held and what the protocol will be at that time. This year, 2 years of fallen 

firefighters will be honored, not just 1 year. The group that comes here will have to be 

smaller than in years past because of COVID-19. They will limit people but also make sure 

that the people who should be here are here. Mr. Gabliks stated that they are waiting for 

the final decision in a number of days. 

• They looked back over the last few years to see how the NFA was doing. In 2018 there 

were 24,255 students who took NFA delivery classes, 32,067 who took NFA state 

partnership classes, and 52,168 who took NFA online classes. 2019 was a normal year for 

classes. Then 2020 is when the pandemic started. Classes were suspended on campus and 

some state partnership classes were also suspended. The online classes did grow a little. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that the 2021 numbers are not available at this time. They are tracking 

them closely but believe it will look similar to last year. The online number may go down 

because of the NWCG splitting off as they set up their own capacity.
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• Mr. Gabliks stated that the Performance Metric is being tracked; it is a survey that is sent

to students who come to the NFA as well as their supervisors. He said 93.2% of responding 

supervisors have reported that the NFA training has improved students’ job performance,

66.7% have reported that their community’s fire-related risks have been reduced as a result 

of training, and 93.2% have responded that the information gained has improved their

departments’ performance. He also said 98.4% of responding students have reported that 

the NFA training has improved their job performance. These responses are being tracked

on an ongoing basis. Mr. Gabliks stated that they are trying to change it so that the students 

no longer have to opt-in to take the survey. They would rather it be harder to opt-out than 

to opt-in.

Mr. Gabliks provided information on courses that are being updated in the Fire Prevention 

curricula.

• The R0263, “Commercial Fire Sprinkler System Plans Review” course will be conducted 

on September 25, 2021.

• A plans review course of fire alarm systems is in development as a 5-day class.

• Digital drafting tables will be added to classrooms as an option for students. Students will 

be able to use blueprints or the drafting tables. Those are on order.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on courses for the Emergency Medical Services curriculum.

• They are offering some pilots of P0146, “Supervising Emergency Medical Services” — 2-

day off campus.

• R/P0150, “Management of Emergency Medical Services” — 10-day on campus.

• “Advanced Leadership Issues in EMS” (the title will change because the old version was 

archived in 2018) — 6-day on campus.

• “Hot Topics Research for EMS” — (conversion to) NFA online mediated; the old version 

was archived in 2017.

• R/P0168, “Management and Planning of Specialized Operations for EMS” — 6-day on/off 

campus.

• “EMS Hazard and Disaster Planning” — NFA online mediated that is being worked on 

now. It ties in well with the hurricane season.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on Fire and Investigation Sciences Program.

• The curriculum is undergoing a whole new development and a rewrite. The rewrite 

assistance from staff and students is amazing.
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• Four of the courses have been completed, and a fifth is funded for development this fall.

• The addition of accelerant detection through canines in scenario training, to create 

awareness of dogs’ capabilities is going on now.

• There is a backlog of students wanting to attend these classes. A lot of fire investigators 

are retiring, and a lot of new fire investigators are waiting for this training.

• There are great partnerships at the NFA with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms 

and Explosives (ATF). The ATF has staff assigned here; they bring in instructors, scientists 

and chemists to help deliver the courses.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on the Fire and Life Safety Educator Fundamentals Program.

• A course has been completed and the NFA ran 3 back-to-back successful pilot offerings. 

The course performed well and is awaiting LMS for program delivery.

• Q0841, “Introduction to Strategic Community Risk Reduction” and Q0843, “Introduction 

to Community Risk Assessment” were piloted and are online with hundreds of successful 

completions. The courses are being integrated into pre-course assignments for the NFA 

Community Risk Reduction curriculum. They are also being utilized throughout the 

country as training modules within emergency services organizations.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention.

• A course is undergoing a significant revision to increase academic rigor and bring it even 

further in line with NFPA 1035, Standard on Fire and Life Safety Educator, Public 

Information Officer, Youth Firesetter Intervention Specialist and Youth Firesetter Program 

Manager Professional Qualifications job performance requirements. A very successful 

virtual interviewing component of at-risk youth compliments the experience. The revision 

also includes the 2 2-day F/W/O0633, “Youth Firesetter Intervention Specialist” and 

F/W/O0634,“Youth Firesetter Program Manager” courses.

• For the in-person R/N/P0629, “Youth Firesetting Prevention and Intervention” course 

revisions, work will begin on constructing an online instructor-led version of the much indemand 6-day course. The course will include virtual interviewing with at-risk youth. 

Students are still going to be able to interview, but it will just be done virtually.

• Virtual connections with local youth firesetter programs have been successful.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on Leadership and Executive Development.

• R/N0107, “Communication for Emergency Services Success”: This course was revised 

from a 10-day offering to a hybrid course consisting of a 6-week mediated course and a 6-

day course, R/P/M1000, “Effective Communications for Fire and EMS Success.” The 

second pilot offering will take place in January.
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Mr. Gabliks provided an update on Hazardous Materials.

• R/P/O0615, “Hazardous Materials Code Enforcement”: 6-day course has undergone 

revisions/updates. A resident pilot course is scheduled for October 2021.

• R/P0258, “Management and Safety in Response to Hazardous Materials/WMD Incidents”:

A virtual, live, 2-day course for leading department training programs in development.

• There was a video production that turned into a national competition and got a Telly Award. 

This program received 2 awards for quality of production and quality of work.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on Planning and Information Management.

• M0682, “Planning for Unusual and Catastrophic Events” is a new mediated course 

projected to start development in September.

• “Advanced Applications of Data” is a self-study course, and it is in development.

• “Introduction and Application of Data for Fire and Emergency Medical Services” is a selfstudy course.

• “Campus Life Safety Planning” is virtual/mediated.

• “Planning for Large Scale Incidents and Special Events” is virtual/mediated.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on Responder Health and Safety.

• “Safety Essentials” is a self-study course and is in development.

• “Occupational Exposures in the Fire and Emergency Medical Services” is a mediated 

course and is in development. 

• There has been much success in the virtual (Zoom) environment with more than 700 

students enrolled in classes.

• There is a need to update the F/W/O0349, “Fire Service Safety Culture: Who Protects 

Firefighters from Firefighters?” course.

Mr. Gabliks provided an update on the Managing Officer Program.

• The class delivery resumed on campus.

• There have been no additional Managing Officer student applications accepted in 2021 due 

to COVID-19.

• The Managing Officer Program is due for a 10-year review.
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Mr. Gabliks provided an update on the EFO Program.

• The EFO Program is running into few problems. Some in-person deliveries have resumed

but no additional students will be added. The hope is to have the program reviewed next 

year.

• Legacy fourth year suspended classes until virtual was an option. Then, once students were 

allowed back on campus, classes were completed either virtually or on campus. Mr. 

Gabliks stated that 1 class did graduate in-person, but most graduations were virtual.

• The virtual graduations still had guest speakers from all aspects just like the in-person 

graduations.

• Legacy third year explored virtual options, but they were not feasible.

• Approximately 30 students still need to complete Legacy 3.

• Legacy 3 students had dates provided to them for Legacy 4 and also were assigned advisors 

for papers and presentations.

• The goal is for them to all graduate by June 2022.

• There was a high dropout rate for semester 1 mediated.

• The feedback from the semester 1 residential and mediated courses indicated that there was 

far too much work that needed to be done. Mr. Gabliks stated that they need to recalibrate

40% of the curriculum. 

• Feedback from semester 2 mediated indicated that the program was just not working as 

they hoped it would. The LMS was needed. Semester 2 was put on hold until the LMS is 

completed.

• There have been no additional EFO student applications accepted in 2021 due to COVID19.

• The EFO 2022 application period has been delayed until the fall of 2022.

• The EFO curriculum team is in place and actively working to address all the issues.

Mr. Gabliks stated that Mr. Kevin Brame did retire. There were some applicants for his position 

but they were not the right fit. Mr. Lester Rich is helping to get the program going again. Mr. 

Gabliks turned the meeting over to Mr. Rich.
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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National Fire Academy Updates on Response Branch

Mr. Lester Rich, Branch Chief, Response Branch

Mr. Rich spoke on behalf of the EFO Program. The whole program is being revamped. There is a

new internal team in the works. The protocols are in place and Mr. Rich stated that they will have 

the entire package to the Board of Visitors soon.

• Mr. Rich stated that the EFO 2019 – Year One was:

o M5101, “Executive Leadership: Introduction to Executive Fire Officer and 

Research Design” is an online course. 

o R5201, “Exercise of Executive Leadership: Self” is a residential course.

o M5102, “Strategic Risk Management Analysis: Organization” is an online course.

o R5202, “Exercise of Executive Leadership: Organization” is a residential course. 

o M5105, “Executive Fire Officer Thesis” is an online course.

• Mr. Rich stated that the EFO 2019 – Year Two was:

o M5103, “Strategic Risk Management Analysis: Community” is an online course.

o R5203, “Exercise of Executive Leadership: Community” is a residential course.

o M5104, “Applications in the Exercise of Leadership” is an online course.

o R5204, “Integrating Executive Leadership for Self, Organization and Community”

is a residential course.

o M5105, “Executive Fire Officer Thesis” is an online course.

• Mr. Rich advised that the new 2021 proposed EFO Program has the following:

o Self Section: made up of a resident 10-day class (R5201, “Exercise of Executive 

Leadership: Self”) in-person class.

o Organization Section — made up of a self-study online class (Q5102, “Analysis of 

the Organization”) and also a residential 6-day in-person class (R5202, “Exercise 

of Executive Leadership: Organization”).

o Community Section — made up of a self-study online class (Q5103, “Analysis of 

the Community”) and also a residential 6-day in-person class (R5203, “Exercise of 

Executive Leadership: Community”).
BOARD OF VISITORS FOR THE NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY August 31, 2021

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o Mr. Rich stated that the final is the Capstone Section — made up of a mediated 

online class (M5104, “Applications in the Exercise of Leadership: Capstone I”) and 

also a residential 10-day in-person class (R5204, “Applications in the Exercise of 

Leadership: Capstone II”).

• Mr. Rich stated the primary differences from the 2019 to the 2021 EFO Program:

o There were 3 mediated courses removed and self-paced online coursework was 

added.

o The first program experience is now in-person rather than online because the 

students need to get to know the instructors and their peers face to face first.

o They went from a culminating thesis paper and defense to a comprehensive 

capstone experience. 

• Mr. Rich advised that they will rewrite the EFO handbook and distribute it to the Board of 

Visitors for their feedback and questions. The feedback will be through a SurveyMonkey 

questionnaire. It will go out to the public for their feedback, too. Mr. Rich stated that they 

would like to see at least 2,000 people review and offer feedback. Mr. Rich asked if anyone 

had any questions.

Dr. Macey asked how long the draft would take. Mr. Rich replied that it would take about 10 days 

or until Sept. 10. The survey is not anonymous feedback. The recipients will have a cover letter to 

fill out. Mr. Rich stated that they would like feedback from people who have been through the 

EFO Program, people who have an interest in doing the program, and any highly motivated and 

engaged stakeholders as well. They anticipate that there will be between 250 and 275 people 

involved. 

Mr. Gabliks stated that the 2-year thesis in the old version was too long. People have a hard time 

balancing stress, life, work, hours, etc. Mr. Gabliks advised that the program needed to be 

recalibrated. It is not a definite finish in 2 years; they can finish in 3 years if life gets in the way.

Mr. Rich stated that the writings will be compiled from portfolios and artifacts and the students

will work with their reflective papers, basing the papers on adaptive leadership. The papers will 

be presented in groups so students’ peers can throw in thoughts and make them think about what 

they wrote. Mr. Rich stated that by their peers being involved, it will help students think more on 

their feet. The people currently in the program took a pause and will hopefully resume Nov. 7. 

EFO students should be able to finish next year. Mr. Rich stated that they are excited about 

everything and really want to hear all the feedback.

The meeting was then turned back over to Mr. Gabliks:

• Mr. Gabliks stated that a number of classes are coming up for ACE reviews. A lot of WUI 

classes are scheduled for updates next year. New training specialists are coming in and new 

courses are being presented. R0274, “Executive Analysis of Community Risk Reduction”

is no longer going to be offered. There are people who do not even know there is an NFA. 

Some classes do have empty seats.
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• They have increased the use of social media and podcasts.

• They do have USFA presentations at national fire and EMS conferences.

• Food services are provided on campus, and the meals have increased in price.

• Vacancies have to be filled from staff leaving and retiring.

• Mr. Gabliks advised that they will have to leave 2 positions vacant because of budget 

issues.

• LMS moves forward and continues through the DHS process. The duration of the process 

has impacted the NFA’s ability to deliver classes. Zoom meetings are just baby steps, not 

long-term fixes. Mr. Gabliks asked if anyone had any questions.

Dr. Macey asked if the numbers for the residential classes have been looked at to see what the 

financial background for meal planning is. Mr. Gabliks replied that he is just learning the back of 

the house. He did say that it takes about 100 students being here to just turn the lights on. Some 

classes cannot be done virtually; students have to be here for classes that have simulation labs. Mr. 

Gabliks stated that Florida was given curriculum to help with the Managing Officer Program. They 

were paying for those classes to be offered at those departments. Mr. Gabliks stated that California 

was able to deliver F/W/O/S0729, “Incident Safety Officer” classes but they would not be NFA

instructors nor would it go through ACE.

Dr. McIntosh asked if there have been many Hot Topic courses to help the work force. Mr. Gabliks

replied that no, the instructors’ process needs to have credibility. The branches have to be figured 

through a complex system. Mr. Gabliks stated that people need to have the background for the 

work because it makes for a better learning environment. 

Chief Dean advised that they are very close with having LMS ready. Sept. 22 should be the day. 

Chief Dean stated that the Command and Control courses depend on the simulation labs. The 

simulation lab system is about 20 years old. He stated that if somehow lightning would strike that 

system it would be down for good. Mr. Gabliks stated that they have had discussions on getting 

contracts to upgrade that system. Mr. Gabliks asked if anyone had any questions. There were no 

questions at that time.

Board of Visitors Subcommittee Activity Reports

National Fire Incident Reporting System

Chief Kevin Quinn, Chair

Chief Butler turned the meeting over to Chief Quinn.

Chief Quinn provided the following information:
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Chief Quinn stated that it was very rewarding to hear some of the day’s discussions. He stated that 

it was also good to hear that EMI and USFA are working more closely together. There has been a 

great divide between the 2. He stated that it really is a tribute to the personalities on both sides and 

all the hard work over the years. 

Chief Quinn stated that Chief Patrick gave the updates about NFIRS and where they are in terms 

of the new analysis. Chief Quinn stated that he has chatted with Mr. Rivero, but there has not been 

an actual meeting because they have been waiting to see where the analysis was going and where 

the future of NFIRS is. Chief Quinn stated that even though the modernization is out they still have 

information to be determined. Once that comes in, they will meet. But for now, he will defer to 

Chief Patrick’s comments.

Professional Development Initiative Update

Dr. Patricia McIntosh, Chair

Dr. McIntosh provided the following information:

The professional development initiative seems to be on pause. Dr. McIntosh stated that they have 

been keeping up with FESHE activity. There is a meeting coming up. She stated that this year’s

live meeting is going to heavily emphasize advisors, counselors and academic people who help 

drive people toward fire programs and help manage their programs. Dr. McIntosh stated that she 

has spoken to Mr. Romaine about leading the efforts on the Managing Officer Program review but 

that has been put on pause. That concluded Dr. McIntosh’s report. Dr McIntosh asked Ms. GartrellKemp if there was anything missing that needed to be discussed. Ms. Gartrell-Kemp replied no, 

but if anyone had any notes from the meeting to send them to her so she could distribute them to 

the members. Dr. McIntosh asked if there were any questions and there were none at that time.

Chief Butler asked if there was any old business to discuss before moving to adjourn. There were

none at that time.

Final Comments/Adjournment

Chief Butler asked if they were ready to adjourn the meeting. Dr. McIntosh motioned to adjourn

the meeting. All motioned to adjourn the meeting. Chief Butler stated that they will conclude the 

meeting of the Board of Visitors. The meeting is adjourned at this time. Chief Butler thanked 

everyone for being there.

Meeting adjourned at 3:04 p.m.