National Fire Academy On Its Way Out?
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The Editor’s Opinion Page
Not many people in Washington seem to realize it, but a big benefit that could be derived from the National Fire Academy lies in the training of the volunteer fire fighter—there are about a million of them in this country.
The volunteer makes a considerable sacrifice to attain any training. Usually he has to give up at least a part of every weekend, and some weekday evenings, to acquire and maintain his firemanic skills. And (unlike his paid brothers who get paid while training) he sometimes has to do without income for a few days to attend a regional conference or school, with expenses paid out of his own pocket. As a consequence he never gets all the instruction and training he would like.
So, it was with considerable dismay that we learned that there are no funds (see January Fire Engineering) allotted in the coming federal budget for the renovation and activation of the National Fire Academy—a group of buildings and land that has already been purchased. This National Academy, according to law, would have to provide expenses—travel, meals, housing—for brothers from every part of the country to attend the various courses. The idea behind this was to bring in from all over the country key personnel, chiefs, training officers, fire inspectors and others, for training and instruction.
The Administration, aside from withholding funds for the Academy, also wants to study the need for an Academy. Repeat, need for! This after 11 years of study and a commission report that had its roots in the 1967 Fire Research and Safety Act. The National Fire Prevention and Control Administration budget, however, was not reduced in the areas of data collection, fire research and public education. In the proposed budget for fiscal 1978-79 they will have about $2 ½ million that could be better used to get the National Fire Academy in operation.
Our involvement with the “federal focus on the fire problem” goes back 11 years when we went down to Washington for the Senate and House hearings on the then proposed Fire Research and Safety Bill. At that time there were people who vigorously opposed passage of the bill as something that was not necessary.
We are very suspicious, therefore, of the actions of the Office of Management and Budget that knocked out money to complete the Academy and recommended further study of the “need” for such an Academy. We feel that it was brought about by someone or some group who would like to sabotage the Academy—permanently. We can’t prove this now, but again we have strong suspicions.
In the meantime, if the Academy goes, the NFPCA is going to go too. Politicians are just not going to put money into a wagging tail that lacks a dog.
