National Fire Academy
[needs update] Senator Hugh Scott, a Republican from Pennsylvania, first proposed the creation of a National Fire Academy in March of 1973.
Chaired by Richard E. Bland, an associate professor at Pennsylvania State University, the group became known as the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control (NCFPC).
In response to those deficiencies, the NCFPC made four specific recommendations: The intent of the NCFPC was to create a federal training academy that offered programs and curriculum not otherwise available to state fire training agencies and local fire departments, and was to be modeled after the FBI Academy in nearby Quantico, Virginia.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by consolidating several government organizations.
That same year the United States Congress appropriated funds to transfer the Civil Defense Staff College (CDSC), the USFA, and the NFA into FEMA.
The NFA not only conducts classes on the Emmitsburg campus, but also serves as a hub of a highly structured educational and training network and education system for the entire country “to advance professional development of fire service personnel as a focal point for the professional training of fire officers.”[8] There are no tuition fees for NFA courses.
The original intent of the NCFPC recommendation was to provide course offerings that would appeal to a broad spectrum of firefighters and fire officers across the country.
After a review and assessment of the three examination areas, the BOV provides advice and makes recommendations to the Assistant Administrator of the USFA.
Understand the need to transform fire and emergency services organizations from being reactive to proactive; an emphasis on leadership development, prevention, and risk-reduction; transforming fire and emergency services organizations to reflect the diversity of America's communities; the value of research and its application to the profession; and the value of lifelong learning.
Enhance executive-level knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to lead these transformations, conduct research, and engage in lifelong learning.
To graduate from the EFOP, participants must write and submit a graduate-level Applied Research Project (ARP) that relates to their organization after each course.
[12] The NETC Library catalog is a unique guide to periodical literature with citations on fire, EMS, emergency management, natural disasters, and homeland security topics going back to the early 1970s.
Librarians on staff index nearly 5,000 newly published articles each year, from scores of professional journals, magazines and newsletters across the country and internationally.
[14] In June 1809, Elizabeth Ann Seton (later canonized as the first American Saint) had arrived in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and established the first parochial school for girls in the United States.
Students and faculty were merged with Mount Saint Mary’s University,[15] formerly a liberal arts men’s college located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Emmitsburg on highway U.S. 15.
Even after the school closed, The Sisters of Charity have continued Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s legacy of helping to educate children around the world.
Citing a limited size and lack of growth potential, Congress rejected the Webster College site recommendation.
