NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY BOARD OF VISITORS MEETING JANUARY 15, 2003 NATIONAL EMERGENCY TRAINING CENTER J BUILDING, ROOM J236 (TELECONFERENCE) The meeting of the National Fire Academy (NFA) Board of Visitors (BOV) was called to order at 1:10 p.m. on January 15, 2003. Dr. Onieal reviewed the agenda. The following NFA BOV members were present for the meeting: Dr. Robert S. Fleming (Chairperson) Professor Rowan University 1406 Heather Lane West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380 Donald R. Oliver, Fire Chief (Vice Chairperson) Wilson Fire/Rescue Services 307 West Hines Street Wilson, North Carolina 27893 Mr. Donald Bliss Acting Director New Hampshire Office of Emergency Management State Office Park South Concord, New Hampshire 03301-3809 Art Cota, Division Chief State Fire Training P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, California 94244-2460Chief Ms. Helen Johnson Executive Director State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas 807 Stark Street Austin, Texas 78756 Warren McDaniels, Superintendent New Orleans Fire Department 317 Decatur Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 Mr. Robert J. Sledgeski Secretary/Treasurer Baltimore Fire Fighters Local 734 1202 Ridgely Street Baltimore, Maryland 21230 Mr. Gary Tokle National Fire Protection Association 1 Batterymarch Park Quincy, Massachusetts 02269 U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) staff in attendance: Mr. R. David Paulison, U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Denis Onieal, National Fire Academy Superintendent Dr. Kirby Kiefer, National Fire Academy Deputy Superintendent Dr. Cortez Lawrence, U.S. Fire Administration, Director, National Fire Programs Division Mr. Hugh Wood, U.S. Fire Administration, Chief, Response Branch, National Fire Programs Mr. Gerry Bassett, U.S. Fire Administration, Mitigation Branch, National Fire Programs Mr. Rob Neale, U.S. Fire Administration, Mitigation Branch, National Fire Programs Mr. Ron Face, Director, U.S. Fire Administration Support Services Division Ms. Cindy Wivell, Office of the Superintendent, National Fire Academy APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 2002 MINUTES Dr. Robert Fleming asked for a motion to approve the October 2002 meeting minutes. Chief Don Oliver so moved and Chief Warren McDaniels seconded the motion. The minutes were approved with the following exceptions: 1. Mr. Art Cota will be providing an additional statement to the minutes regarding Training Resources and Data Exchange's (TRADE) feedback being used as a tool during the National Fire Programs priorities review process. 2. Mr. Cota also will be providing a statement regarding the course scoring system and its effect on State programs. (Dr. Fleming asked Cindy Wivell to provide a copy of the annual report to everyone via e-mail. Dr. Fleming indicated that the agenda for the next 2-day meeting needed to be formulated during this meeting.) OPENING REMARKS - U.S. FIRE ADMINISTRATOR R. DAVID PAULISON Mr. Paulison indicated that they are in the process of getting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) up and running. He indicated that the U.S. Fire Administration is going to be fine, and is not going to lose anything. He stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) title would now be Emergency Preparedness and Response. He indicated that they would be shutting down all Mt. Weather USFA training and holding this training at the National Emergency Training Center. Money for 300 new dorm rooms is still in the budget. The question was asked if, when the dust settles from the transition, USFA still would be able to meet its goals. Mr. Paulison said we would be able to meet the goals and probably be in better shape than before the transition. Chief McDaniels asked what effect the reorganization would have on local jurisdictions. Mr. Paulison said they are trying to place a better emphasis on developing that relationship. Mr. Cota said there is concern about the rumors regarding terrorism training, reimbursement, and security issues. Mr. Paulison said they are trying to put all the training in one box, but Office of Domestic Preparedness would not be included in that same box. Ms. Helen Johnson brought to the group's attention that the meeting held in New Orleans for Region VI went well. She commended Mr. Jeff Dyar of USFA's National Fire Programs Division for a job well done in coordinating that effort. Ms. Johnson indicated that Mr. Les Bunty was named Chief at Texas A& M Fire School. Mr. Paulison said they are putting together workgroups at FEMA to help the transition go smoothly. He stated the whole process is in good shape. SUPERINTENDENT'S OVERVIEW / NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY Dr. Denis Onieal announced that Mr. Michael Brown had been nominated as Undersecretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Department of Homeland Security. Director Allbaugh's term of office ends on March 1. He also stated the Acting Interim Chief Operating Officer of FEMA is Mr. Paulison. Dr. Onieal reviewed the following items on the agenda: Personnel Changes: Mr. Bob Bennett replaced Ms. Becky Ryan in the TRADE position. He has been active in TRADE since 1984. Mr. Bennett will also be responsible for the Regional Delivery Program. Mr. Joe Gerbrick replaced Ms. Carol Bouma. One of his projects will be the review of NFA courses by the American Council on Education for credit recommendations. Mr. Gerbrick will also be involved with the Endorsement Program and will serve as Secretariat for the Curriculum Management System. It was suggested that new staff be present at the next BOV meeting. 2002 Student Data: Over 96,000 students were trained last year. What is the difference between the resident programs and State weekends? States get nine courses paid for, and some States choose to deliver those courses in Emmitsburg. What about data for the Independent Study courses? Those courses consist mainly of CD-ROMs and simulations. How does the Academy look at curriculum priorities? There are two considerations when reviewing curriculum: 1) Educational leadership--What should we be doing in fire protection? 2) Customer service--What do the States and locals need? Dr. Onieal indicated he would send another copy of the Student Data Report to everyone. Mr. Cota expressed concern about the process of keeping courses current and the funding available for on-campus training. Dr. Onieal explained the cost of each type of delivery (including stipends). He said if you take away the stipend costs, each course at Emmitsburg could cost about $3,000-$5,000. Dr. Fleming asked that this item be put on the agenda for the next meeting. Dr. Onieal will provide a breakdown of the costs, per Mr. Cota's request. Dr. Onieal talked about the Admissions System, which is still in development. This system will include an online application process, which would reduce data entry currently done on campus. Mr. Cota stated that the increased student data totals were based on the way the USFA does business, and he commended Dr. Onieal for his part. Dr. Fleming also commended the Executive Fire Officer Program. Terrorism Training Grants to States. FEMA received $5 million grant money per year beginning in 1997 to use for program activities and course development and delivery. USFA distributed $4 million of that to the State training systems. With the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, that grant money is not coming to FEMA. It may be going to the Office of National Preparedness, which is moving from Department of Justice to DHS. It is not known whether we will get the funding. All State Training Directors have been notified via email that they should not plan, schedule or budget for that $4 million. Recent TRADE Conference. A total of 185 participants attended the TRADE conference, November 2-5, 2003, with two from the London Fire Brigade. The conference included workshops, networking, and various guest speakers, including Chief Oliver; Mr. Ken Burris, FEMA Region IV Director; Mr. John Buckman; and Mr. George Gibby, New Hampshire Fire Service, who received the J. Faherty Casey Award for 2002. One of the highlights of the conference was the TRADEing Post where members exchange training programs, CDs, lesson plans, and ideas. Ms. Ryan was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her years of service to TRADE. Mr. Bennett was recognized for his years of service to TRADE Region VI. Endorsement Program. An additional 55 courses are being endorsed which will bring the total offerings to 108 courses. Curriculum Management System. This system is currently under review. Student Recruitment Efforts/NFA Alumni Association. Dr. Onieal will be sending out the updated NFA presentation for use with recruitment. Mr. Ron Kanterman of the Alumni Association suggested they make one or two presentations a year on the NFA. NATIONAL FIRE PROGRAMS Mr. Hugh Wood discussed the following topics related to the National Fire Programs. Course Development Projects. Mr. Wood stated he would email all attendees his preview. He said that the program has had a lot of activity. The Emergency Response to Terrorism curriculum is being looked at closely, through regional summits and a curriculum review panel. It is also undergoing internal reviews. The findings will be summarized. This will help in deciding if what USFA is doing is on target, or what is needed instead. One possible answer is shorter courses. There will be a report to Congress with feedback from the Stakeholders on whether the training is on target. Mr. Mike Doherty was hired for the Boise Wildland position, acting as liaison and conducting a needs analysis and crosswalk. Mr. Wood also explained the critical infrastructure project that consists of information sharing for the fire service and medical communities. He said it would provide dialogue on a daily basis to alert fire and medical service communities. The Critical Infrastructure Web link gives more information. The Advanced Safety and Operations Management course has been completed. The Leading Community Risk Reduction has finished the second pilot and is now on line. Mr. Rob Neale stated that Evaluating Performance-Based Designs is now on line. Feedback indicates that the students are being introduced to a lot of concepts they are not used to. Mr. Cota commended the class. Mr. Cota asked about the status of the red card, and Mr. Wood indicated that Mr. Doherty would be working on this. Being developed is a 6-day Command and General Staff course that will allow people in the community to have Incident Management teams in place for integration at Command Posts. USFA is partnering with U.S. Forest Service. The Chief Officer Training Curriculum course has been completed with an in- service scheduled February 15-17, 2003. Status of FIRE Act Grants (FY2002-FY2003). No appropriations have been made yet for FY2003, but Mr. Paulison is working diligently on obtaining these funds. For FY2002, $360,000 was awarded. There were 19,572 applications received with requests totaling $2.4 billion. Questions about Course Development Priorities. Mr. Cota expressed his concern about how the USFA is making sure the courses it is offering are current and on target. The student data indicate that 40 percent of the courses are direct delivery or handoff courses. How does this statistic relate back to priorities in making sure the curriculum is current? How do we determine what needs to be updated? Mr. Wood stated there are specialists on staff to analyze this situation to ensure we are doing a better job and help the organization to make more strategic decisions. Any course up for revision should receive primacy. Mr. Cota stated that pulling courses based on criteria could hamper the State training systems. Mr. Wood replied that they do not want to adversely impact anyone. USFA SUPPORT SERVICES Mr. Ron Face provided the status on the FY03 and FY04 budgets and the classroom and dorm expansion project. He also updated the BOV members on Security procedures in place and planned for the future. ADJOURNMENT The next meeting will be held at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland, April 28-29, 2003. Some members may be attending the Executive Fire Officer Program Graduate Symposium scheduled April 25-27. If any BOV member has agenda items for the April meeting, please send them to Dr. Fleming or Ms. Wivell. Ms. Johnson moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded. The meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m.