State Directors Clarify Relationship With National Academy at Conference
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Desirous of more assistance from the National Fire Academy but wary of how it might be dispensed, state directors of fire training from nearly all the states held a three-day meeting on the Emmitsburg Campus Feb. 15-17.
Position statements—proposed, refined and formulated by a succession of three workshops for each of the six major topics on Friday and Saturday—were marked by the state directors’ concern for the protection of their state turf. Then on the third day, Sunday, Superintendent B. J. Thompson of the NFA responded with a candid assessment of the position statements that left the state directors with the impression that everyone was actually on the same team and working for the same goal—a better fire service everywhere.
When a general session of all training directors late Saturday afternoon started reviewing the conclusions developed by the third round of workshops on each of the six topics, only one raised any substantial difficulty. This was the question of what the “immediate and long-range interface” between the National Fire Academy and state-level training programs should be. The session extended into Saturday night with debate on details concerning this relationship still failing to resolve issues, so Louis J. Amabili, director of the Delaware State Fire School and chairman of the three-day conference, continued further discussion to Sunday morning.
Situation resolved
Thompson, who had reviewed the workshop conclusions with his three deputy superintendents late Saturday night, came to the interface discussion Sunday morning, listened for a while and then suggested that his comments might help resolve the problem.
The NFA superintendent read sections of the workshop conclusions on interface which urged: (1) academy planning and assistance program (APAP) aid in systems for academy training programs, (2) United States Fire Administration and academy use of delivery systems identified in state organizational design or five-year training and education plans for the delivery of NFA outreach programs, and (3) formulation of a career development curriculum based on NFPA professional development standards through the cooperation of state and local entities and the National Fire Academy.
Then Thompson commented, “I agree,” and that broke the log jam.
Thompson also saw no reason why current and proposed USFA and NFA policies and directives could not be circulated among the state directors, but what took the directors by surprise was Thompson’s reaction to their proposal that the NFA sponsor periodic meetings—at least annually—with the state directors to exchange ideas and information. The academy superintendent responded that—without thinking of the dollar cost—his concept was that there should be three quarterly meetings in each of five regions with NFA regional directors and an annual meeting at the academy, all paid for with federal funds.
Regional directors proposed
Thompson disclosed a plan to appoint five regional directors who would report directly to the deputy superintendent in charge of NFA outreach programs. The regional directors, who would be based at the Emmitsburg campus, would be the “direct communication link” between the state training directors and the national academy.
The NFA superintendent said that he would look to the regions for recommendations for the appointment of these directors and hoped that this regional system could be put into effect in three or four months. Thompson explained that this means of linking state directors to the academy’s outreach program would better identify regional needs and would provide advice on resources—such as instructors and consultants—available in the various states. He declared that the outreach program, which makes NFA courses and materials available to the state training agencies, “centers on the state directors.” He added that the academy will help deliver instruction when it is requested by state directors.
Ever since the USFA became part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state directors have been looking critically at a proposal to install a “regional fire representative” in the FEMA offices in the 10 federal regions. Again, a workshop recommendation was that if there is a FEMA fire representative in each region, then his prime role should be fire academy oriented.
Sees communication link
In reply, Thompson noted that he had nothing to do with FEMA policy, but he declared that he saw no threat to the state directors from the regional fire representative concept. He views this representative as another communication link and—most importantly—a direct link between the state training agency and the office of the USFA administrator, Gordon Vickery.
The end result was that the state directors endorsed Thompson’s concept of NFA regional directors and FEMA regional fire representatives.
As for improving the relationship between the NFA and the state, metropolitan city, and local training agencies, the recommendations included making state fire training programs an integral part of the NFA delivery system and consideration of state and local abilities in technical areas before the NFA goes to consulting firms for curriculum development. Thompson responded that he agreed “enthusiastically” with the proposal to use state and local abilities and he also agreed that state programs could be used by the NFA provided they were quality programs.
Noting that the state directors urged the NFA to develop an educational resource center, Thompson declared, “We’re going to have a super one here.”
Responding to the advice that the NFA must recognize and understand the various state delivery systems, “including legislation, key actors and political impact,” Thompson commented, “We’ll learn that.”
In their consideration of emergency medical service training on the national, state and local levels, the state directors took the position that the NFA should provide courses in EMS systems management but the academy “should not train EMTs or paramedics.”
Thompson agreed that the NFA should offer an EMS management course, but he said he wanted to keep his options open on EMT training. He explained that the academy “doesn’t want to teach pumping and hose laying, and I would say the same thing about first aid and EMT-1.” However, he cautioned that if there are areas where EMT-1 training is not available and “we get a lot of pressure to put on a course,” the academy might do it. “Our intention is not to offer EMT-1” training, he added.
The policy statement developed by the final EMS workshop declared, “The role of the NFA is to provide managerial training programs and technical assistance. State and local agencies should provide training. The Joint Council of National Fire Service Organizations should provide national standards. States should use these national standards for performance objectives and certification.”
The intent was for the Joint Council standards to cover first responders as well as EMTs and paramedics.
The directors also proposed that the USFA develop a model EMS system for use in fire departments.
Evaluation systems
The workshop considering evaluation systems that should be provided on a national basis suggested that fire service personnel should be evaluated by using the NFPA 1000 series professional qualifications standards as a minimum yardstick. The directors also called for evaluation of NFA, state and local course objectives and content as well as an appraisal of delivery systems, including instructors, facilities, equipment, software and extent to which needs are met.
While in-house state and local evaluation and state fire fighter certification agency evaluation were endorsed, the state directors asserted that evaluation by the national academy should be only by invitation.
Thompson commented that he would have to do some more thinking about the NFA getting into any evaluation of the programs of others and certainly didn’t favor doing it indiscriminately.
The directors also felt that nationwide recognition of student achievement in professional development could be accomplished by use of the national professional qualifications system and through the maintenance of records by state certification agencies.
The NFA superintendent suggested that the academy might provide a listing of career opportunities as one means of reward for students and that the provision of scholarships might also be helpful. He added that the academy will provide students records to their state agencies to the extent the law allows.
Delivery of programs
One of the ways the delivery of NFA training programs to the states could be improved, the state directors suggested, is by delivering such programs through them. Thompson cautioned that if no state training agency could be identified, then the NFA would have to deal directly with fire departments in distributing its outreach programs.
The outreach program workshop also urged the NFA to provide student workbooks free for NFA outreach courses conducted by the states. Thompson reminded the directors that the NFA does provide free workbooks for classes the NFA conducts in the states, but he said there was no money for workbooks for state-conducted NFA courses.
While the present intent is to give each state fire training agency two copies of handout packages for each NFA outreach program course, the directors recommended that the NFA provide additional copies of these training packages at cost when there is justification for the extra copies. The directors also proposed that the NFA notify state fire marshals and metropolitan fire departments that training packages are available through state training agencies.
Geographical balance
The enrollment in the first few courses at the national academy shows an imbalance in representation from different parts of the country, so the outreach workshop proposed that seats in all campus courses be allocated by state. Thompson said that the academy is aware of this problem and would like to get a better representation of students from all parts of the country. However, the major cost for conducting courses at Emmitsburg is the transportation of students, which the NFA pays. Thompson explained that limited funds and the need to maintain student quotas require some attention to travel distance in selecting applicants for courses at present.
Thompson agreed with the request that the NFA announce its courses six months in advance and said, “That is a goal and we will accomplish that goal.” However, it will take six more months to do it, the superintendent added.
A suggestion the NFA superintendent immediately favored was to develop an incentive system for new ideas and programs.
Civil defense
Turning to their relationship with civil defense, the state directors proposed that their agencies provide all fire-related training in civil defense programs. Furthermore, they urged that civil defense funds allocated for fire-related training “should be channeled to the state fire training and education system to provide instruction based on approved and established standards.”
—staff photos.
“As we go down the road, it will become more evident that emergency management is the responsibility of the fire chief,” Thompson commented.
He foresaw the development of courses, such as disaster management, in which the national academy staff will work with civil defense people in the Emergency Management Institute, which is expected to colocate on the Emmitsburg campus before long.
Thompson remarked that “colocation provides a great opportunity for the fire service.”
Early in the sessions, Thompson told the directors, “We’re dedicated to developing an integrated curriculum that addresses a broad set of problems” and he declared that the state directors “will have an opportunity to have an input” in that program.
Whatever else might have been accomplished, certainly the results of the three days of deliberations resulted in detailed input into the thinking of the National Fire Academy.
