Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)
Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and April McClain Delaney (MD-06) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), led 63 of their Congressional colleagues in a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton pressing for further explanation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) decision to cancel trainings for firefighters and first responders at the National Fire Academy (NFA) and Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The NFA and EMI gather leading experts and first responders to train with stress-tested technology, share best practices on fire and hazard safety, develop innovative emergency response methods, and enhance public safety. Programs at the NFA and EMI include emergency medical services, fire prevention, arson and explosion investigation, leadership development, wildfire response, and firefighter health and safety. At the time of the abrupt cancellation, instructors were poised to host trainings across the country and many first responders had already booked their travel and accommodation for the upcoming week.
“As the Representative for California’s Central Coast, where wildfires are a constant and growing threat, I am deeply concerned about the decision to cancel critical training for our firefighters and first responders,” said Rep. Carbajal. “These brave men and women risk their lives every day to protect our communities, and they should have access to the best training and resources available to ensure their safety and effectiveness in the face of increasing wildfire risks. I am urging the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to reconsider this decision and restore these vital training programs at the National Fire Academy and Emergency Management Institute. The lives of our first responders and the safety of our communities depend on it.”
In their letter, the lawmakers press for answers to the following:
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The rationale that FEMA used to justify the cancellation was to review programs to ensure that they aligned with “Administration priorities;”
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The duration of FEMA’s review process;
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Whether first responders will be reimbursed for booked travel to now canceled courses;
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Whether FEMA will follow Federal Judge John McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island’s preliminary injunction on March 6th that prohibits the freezing of federal funds.
The full text of the letter is available here and below.
The letter was also signed by: Senators Angela Alsobrooks, Tim Kaine, Mazie Hirono, and Angus King and Reps. Gabe Amo, Don Beyer, Sanford Bishop, Suzanne Bonamici, Julia Brownley, André Carson, Ed Case, Gerry Connolly, Lou Correa, Angie Craig, Sarah Elfreth, Brian Fitzpatrick, Laura Gillen, Marie Glusenkamp-Perez, Dan Goldman, Josh Gottheimer, Jahana Hayes, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Steny Hoyer, Val Hoyle, Jared Huffman, Glenn Ivey, Jonathan Jackson, Sara Jacobs, Hank Johnson, Tim Kennedy, Ro Khanna, John Larson, Ted Lieu, Zoe Lofgren, Stephen Lynch, Seth Magaziner, Jennifer McClellan, Kristen McDonald-Rivet, LaMonica McIver, Kweisi Mfume, Kelly Morrison, Seth Moulton, Frank Mrvan, Joe Neguse, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Johnny Olszewski, Scott Peters, Jamie Raskin, Raul Ruiz, Linda Sanchez, Mary Gay Scanlon, Brad Sherman, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar, Bennie Thomson, Mike Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Eugene Vindman, and George Whitesides.
March 14, 2025
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The Honorable Kristi Noem
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20528
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The Honorable Cameron Hamilton
Senior Official Performing the Duties of FEMA Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20024
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Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Administrator Hamilton:
We write to express our serious concern with the Administration’s immediate cancellation of all in-person first responder training courses at the U.S. Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Academy (NFA) and the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), collocated at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) March 7th announcement, classes were canceled to review NFA and EMI “programs and spending to ensure alignment with Administration priorities.” This action undermines first responder public safety and potentially poses an equal threat to public safety.
Described as “the American fire service war college,” the NFA provides critical training and education programs. Tens of thousands of career and volunteer firefighters from departments across the country benefit from these courses annually. The EMI provides training for thousands of federal, state, and local emergency response officials each year, implementing the National Response Framework and National Incident Management System. The Academy and Institute gather leading experts and first responders to train with stress-tested technology, share best practices, develop innovative emergency response methods, and enhance public safety. Programs at the NETC include disaster preparedness, emergency operations, fire prevention, arson and explosion investigation, wildfire response, firefighter health and safety, and leadership development.
Congress created the NFA through the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to “advance the professional development of fire service personnel.” In 2017, an overwhelming majority of Academy students reported that their coursework helped improve their individual skills and enhanced their local fire department’s readiness. In Fiscal Year 2023, more than 40,000 firefighters participated in NFA courses. After participating in these courses, 90 percent supervisors shared that their firefighters were better prepared to respond to emergencies as a result of their training at the Academy.
Without the services of the NFA and EMI, local departments will lose access to key tools and knowledge necessary to effectively respond to emergencies of all kinds and efficiently manage their agencies. Course offerings at the NFA and EMI are unique, supplementing, rather than duplicating, state-led certification and professional development programs. Local fire departments often lack the resources to provide specialized education for their first responders. Through the NFA and EMI, local agencies can send firefighters and other first responders to Emmitsburg for accessible, affordable courses. Additionally, courses are offered across the country at state fire training academies to reach first responders who cannot make the trip. By offering training that States cannot or do not offer to their firefighters, the NETC stands alone as the national hub of innovative, lifesaving emergency response methods.
At a time when wildfires have ravaged–and continue to threaten–communities from Hawaii to California and the Carolinas, the collaboration and education managed by the NFA has never been more important. Recently, the Academy held a course on wildfire investigation, led by experienced professionals alongside experts from the U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE. Canceling critical courses like this one, even if the suspension is temporary, will mean that our communities will be left with fewer defenses against devastating wildfires.
Given the importance of the programs at the NETC and the drastic impacts on local fire departments across the country, we request your immediate and comprehensive consideration in responding to the following questions:
1. What criteria was used to determine that the NFA’s and EMI’s classes would be canceled?
2. The rationale that FEMA used to justify the cancellation was to review programs to ensure that they aligned with “Administration priorities.” How long will FEMA’s review process take?
a. Further, what criteria will be used to conduct the review?
3. The cancellation notice was sent on the afternoon of Friday, March 7th, after travel arrangements and hotel reservations for future classes had been made. To make matters worse, students from Hawaii were on flights to Maryland when the announcement was made. Will local fire departments be reimbursed for lost expenses associated with impacted classes?
4. We have heard reports that firefighters who were enrolled in courses scheduled to continue into and beyond the week of March 10th were told to leave campus immediately upon the cancellation order. Will these students and their local fire departments be reimbursed for all expenses related to courses that were wrongfully and prematurely terminated?
5. On March 6th, Judge John McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued a preliminary injunction that prohibits the freezing of federal funds and related activities. What impact will this order have on the determination to cancel NFA and EMI courses?
Firefighters and other first responders lay their lives on the line every day for our communities. The abrupt cancellation of courses has affected dozens of firefighters, educators, and local departments that rely on the National Fire Academy’s and Emergency Management Institute’s resources, classes, and expertise to promote safe and effective fire prevention, enhance firefighter safety, and reduce the loss of life and property to fire, floods, and other natural disasters. We call on the Administration to reverse course and reinstate these critical classes for first responders.
We request your prompt and detailed response to the questions outlined above no later than March 26th, 2025.