NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY BOARD OF VISITORS MEETING MINUTES October 5-7, 2000 Call to Order and Attendance: The meeting of the National Fire Academy NFA) Board of Visitors (BOV) was called to order by Ms. Cynthia A. Wilk, Chairperson, at 8:30 a.m. on October 5, 2000. The following NFA BOV members were present for the meeting: Cynthia A. Wilk Dr. Robert S. Fleming Assistant Director Professor New Jersey Department of Rowan University Community Affairs 1406 Heather Lane Division of Codes and Standards West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380 Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0802 Donald R. Oliver, Fire Chief Robert J. Sledgeski Wilson Fire Rescue Services Secretary/Treasurer 307 West Hines Street Baltimore Fire Fighters Local 734 Wilson, North Carolina 27893 1202 Ridgely Street Baltimore, Maryland 21230 Neil Svetanics Art Cota, Division Chief 5817 Holly Hills State Fire Training 1421 North Jefferson Avenue P.O. Box 944246 St. Louis, Missouri 63109 Sacramento, California 94244-2460 Warren McDaniels, Fire Chief Karl J. Berardi, Captain New Orleans Fire Department Manchester Fire Department 317 Decatur Street Manchester, New Hampshire New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 46 Quincy Drive Bedford, New Hampshire 03110 Gary Tokle (Alternate) Steve Ennis (Alternate) National Fire Protection Assoc National Volunteer Fire Council 1 Batterymarch Park 71 Beagle Road Quincy, Massachusetts 02269 Fredericksburg, Virginia 22406 Arrived October 6, 2000 Arrived October 6, 2000 The following FEMA personnel presented briefings during the meeting: Ken Burris, Ron Face, Denis Onieal, Charles Burkell, Carol Bouma, Charlie Dickinson, Steve Robinson, Alex Furr, Mark Whitney, Polly Birdsall, Becky Ryan, and Kirby Kiefer. Agenda Review: The Board reviewed the proposed meeting agenda and made no changes. Election of Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 Officers: Don Oliver made a motion that the officers for FY 2001 remain the same as they were in FY 2000 (Cynthia Wilk, Chairperson/Robert Fleming, Vice-Chairperson). Warren McDaniels seconded the motion. The Board voted unanimously in favor of the motion. Discuss Proposed Change to the BOV Charter: Ken Burris talked to the Board about the possibility of changing their Charter to reflect them as the USFA BOV instead of the NFA BOV. Ken had already spoken to Cynthia Wilk about the proposed change. Now that USFA has reorganized, a lot of what the Board has purview over is outside of the NFA, but within the USFA. The BOV has oversight of the training delivered, capital improvements, budget, etc., which are all things beyond just the NFA. The BOV represents the major fire service groups in this Country. We need to be able to include the BOV's input in our decision making process There was discussion regarding the recommendations the BOV made over the years. The BOV saw a lot of things coming and brought them up, but response to these recommendations was sporadic. USFA management addressed all 19 of the issues in the BOV's last letter. The Board felt that if the expertise of the Board was utilized for guidance the way it should be, the Board would be useful to the whole USFA. FY 2001 Plans for Staff Participation in Conferences, Training, and Professional Development Field Experiences - Ron Face provided the BOV a copy of the Events Database Report which lists all proposed USFA staff travel plans and is the document used by USFA Senior Staff to decide what travel will be accomplished. Travel requests are only approved if they comply with USFA's priorities. The travel money is no longer divided among the divisions of the USFA, but reviewed and used for USFA as a whole Facilities Update: Ron Face provided an update on the campus facilities. Repair of all roads on campus will begin within the next few weeks. Renovations to Buildings G and N will also begin shortly. Building S (the old warehouse) will be renovated and will house the Sim Lab which is now in Building G. An addition will be added to Building S and will house the EMI Sim Lab. The new parking lot behind Building E is in progress. A new road from Building C across the field to the main avenue will be built. This will require all traffic after normal duty hours to pass the Security Building. There is a space utilization group that has been in existence for several years. USFA senior staff has asked them to modify their final recommendations to reflect the USFA reorganization. Their presentation will be given to USFA senior staff in next few weeks. Long term plans within the 2003/2004 budgets are to expand Dorm Building A by 200 rooms and Building J by 10 to 15 classrooms. The Board also complemented the dorm management staff and asked Ron Face to relay their appreciation to the staff. Closed Meeting Session: BOV members met in a closed session on Thursday morning to discuss the FY 2001 Budget. USFA Action Plan and Overview Update: Charlie Dickinson provided an overview of the USFA Action Plan. Mr. Dickenson broke the Action Plan into four categories: 25 percent of the items are necessary, 25 percent would be nice and would make things better, 25 percent are perceptions of what the organization is, and 25 percent will never happen. Overall, the Action Plan is terrific because it gives good solid information on where the organization is headed. A BOV member asked if the Action Plan will be flexible enough to address emerging issues and yet stand up to resistance. Mr. Dickenson responded that the Plan was capable of withstanding pressure, while addressing the core needs of the organization. A BOV member requested clarification on how action items are decided upon. Mr. Dickenson provided background on the USFA teams--how they were established, how they work, and related issues. Many action items have been and/or are in the process of being implemented. He described the process to the BOV members. The Board discussed how many items had been completed, institutionalizing the process and asked for clarification on the terminology being used. Mr. Dickenson commented on how well the employees work in teams. They have come up with new ideas and have demonstrated extensive organizational knowledge, all of which has greatly helped the process. Employees also value being an active part of the process even though participating in a team does add workload to the employees. Ken Burris suggested the BOV members visit the Team Operations Center (TOC), the teams' work area, in Building H, Room 300. Ken Burris added that this all comes back to communications. They are trying to keep everything open and up front, which has been a significant culture change for the staff. With empowerment comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes accountability. Discussion centered on the entire process. Mr. Burris stated that he believes that the Action Plan will need to be reviewed periodically. Wildland Fire Problems Briefing: Steve Robinson briefed the Board on the wildland fire problems. Mr. Robinson spent most of August and September at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, as a FEMA representative. Steve provided an overview of Federal response, including financial assistance, to wildfires. This has been the worst wildfire season in 30 to 100 years, with over 7 million acres lost. They were running out of resources (i.e., airplanes, trained personnel, etc.) to fight these fires. Many of these fires had a huge impact on small communities. Mr. Robinson also spoke to the political side of the issue. Congress is currently in the process of passing a $1.8 billion package to address the wildland urban interface issue, with a large amount appropriated for firefighter training. This includes $10 million to the Department of the Interior (DOI) to develop a program to train wildland firefighters. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is also receiving a budget increase of $35 million for similar programs. Specific use of the monies has not been defined at this point. Discussion centered on resources and other related issues. A BOV member asked what assistance the USFA had provided to the wildland issue. Mr. Robinson shared his role to represent FEMA and to coordinate efforts and talked about some of the wildland training issues facing the fire service. Ken Burris discussed how this ties into the endorsement/enfranchisement process, including conducting a crosswalk with National Wildland Coordinating Group (NWCG). USFA is trying to broaden its role by partnering with other agencies. For example, USFA is trying to establish a connection between FEMA and the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). The group continued to discuss the funding and its uses and restrictions. None of the monies are slotted for FEMA. Even so, USFA is trying to make sure that efforts are not duplicated and that monies go to the right place. Firefighter Fatalities Briefing--Alex Furr and Mark Whitney: Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mark Whitney addressed the group regarding firefighter fatalities and the USFA's plans to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities. There were 112 on duty fatalities in 1999. He shared the breakdown between career and volunteer deaths, as well as breakdowns by month and other data sets. Special topics for this report included vehicle collisions involving firefighters and personal protective clothing and equipment. They have identified the issues and developed potential suggestions and recommendations. Mr. Whitney also provided information on fatalities for 2000. The numbers already are into the 70's, about the same as this time last year. More information is available on the USFA Web site and is updated regularly, including names of firefighters honored at the memorial and recent fatalities. They have established a list to provide notification of firefighter fatalities. Mr. Whitney provided an overview of the notification process. A BOV member asked how the NFA curriculum addresses the problems causing firefighter fatalities. There was also a suggestion to post a reminder notice to fire departments, reminding them of the upcoming fire season and to make sure their SOP's are up-to-date. Neil Svetanics expressed the need to elaborate in more detail the types of calls firefighters are responding to (i.e., nonemergency response, inclement weather, and high rates of speed). We also need to focus more in depth on the heart attack issue. This is preventable. Alex Furr spoke to the difference between the data USFA collects and that of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB), and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). A BOV member expressed concern at the large number of cancer deaths among firefighters. The group discussed the data being collected and potential uses. Long Term Evaluation Update: Polly Birdsall used a PowerPoint presentation to update the group on NFA's long-term evaluation data and results. They now have 2,000 students and 2,000 supervisors to gather information from. She provided information on response rates as well. Data collected includes course name, student's gender, department size, job duties, and education level. She presented recent data collected through September 2000. They conduct special studies as requested and prepare a variety of reports. BOV members requested clarification on some of the data and how it has been used. Curriculum Update: Carol Bouma handed out information on the NFA curriculum. She also spoke about the priority review process and status. The priority review process did not take place this summer as usual because of the pending reorganization. Under the new reorganization, teams will make recommendations to USFA senior management. Discussion focused on issues related to delivery of NFA courses by States and reciprocity. There was concern expressed regarding the NFA issuing certificates for the Chief Officer Program. In some cases, NFA courses may not meet the current standards in some States. There is concern that people will be misled with a curriculum entitled NFA's Chief Officer. They are going to take the class and think they are certified Ken Burris spoke to some related issues. We need to be more national in scope. He clarified questions specific to a certain course. Discussion continued on funding for programs and projects. A BOV member stated that we need to reach more people early in their careers. TRADE Program Overview-: Becky Ryan briefed the BOV members on the TRADE program. She gave a brief background on TRADE's establishment and purpose. She distributed information on TRADE, including its objectives and benefits. She shared examples on how TRADE has increased communications and training opportunities. There are regional meetings and a national TRADE meeting. She handed out an agenda for the upcoming National Conference, scheduled for November 4-8, 2000. A highlight of the National Conference is the TRADEing Post. Art Cota also spoke to the importance of TRADE, the National TRADE Conference, and the TRADEing Post. Ms. Ryan shared that they are having problems holding regional deliveries, with 14 being cancelled this year. They are looking into the whole issue related to regional deliveries. She shared information on a grant that TRADE received this year. They are also examining the structure of TRADE to determine what would be most effective, including how TRADE fits in the USFA Action Plan. She distributed the report from the last TRADE Co-Chair meeting. Art Cota said that a strength of TRADE is departments being able to find the training and resources they need. There are currently 199 members in TRADE, with several more nearing the requirements (i.e., serving a population of 200,000 or more, and/or 400+ uniformed personnel, and/or serving the largest city in the State). Briefing on the Management Science Curriculum Advisory Committee Meeting and Future Plans for the Management Science Program: On behalf of Burt Clark, Kirby Kiefer provided an overview of the Management Science Curriculum Advisory Committee Meeting and Future Plans for the Management Science Program. He distributed a summary sheet and other information. They want to expand the depth of the competencies and the methods of delivery. New fire officers need certain skills to function effectively. This program would be geared to newer officers, to assist them in getting the skills they need that they can't get anywhere else. Mr. Kiefer reviewed a graphic detailing the new program and explained the rationale behind the committee's recommendation. They are exploring various course delivery methods, including off campus. Equivalencies will also be allowed. Mr. Kiefer went on to explain the research practicum and its role in the program. The group discussed how this program relates to the EFOP. Chuck Burkell shared that this program would not be position specific, whereas the EFOP is. The group also reviewed the timeline for course development and the role this plays overall. A BOV member asked if this program has been connected with other initiatives, such as the degree program. It is entirely possible that someone can come into the program, demonstrate that they have met all the requirements, and be able to enter directly into the research component. Completion of the program could act as a prerequisite to the EFOP. A BOV member asked if there had been a needs analysis to determine if this is a good use of funding. Is this really needed? Will this help us meet our goal to reduce loss of life? Chuck Burkell addressed the group's concerns, sharing language from the Public Law as well as the role and purpose of the advisory committee. Another advantage with this program is how it lends itself to off campus delivery. One BOV member urged NFA to look at its current courses to make ]sure these critical competencies are being addressed. Neil Svetanics shared that he feels this program would address critical skills needed by new officers to better enable them to act in executive leadership positions. Continued Discussion on Proposal to Change Board: Discussion focused on changing the Board to better meet the needs of the NFA. There was discussion on changing the BOV's focus to USFA and not just NFA. A member asked what the new definition of the NFA is. Ron Face responded to this question, generating more discussion. NFA is the delivery mechanism for USFA training programs. Mr. Face shared that under the old structure, there was an arson program under USFA and an arson program under NFA. Both programs were not fully aware of what the other was doing. Under the new structure, there is one arson program. A BOV member pointed out that while the BOV wasn't notified about the reorganization, the changes that have taken place are folded in to the Action Plan. This entire thing shouldn't come as a surprise; they are implementing what came out of the Blue Ribbon Panel. A BOV member expressed concern that over the next 5 years, as things are going, the NFA will cease to exist as we know it. Another member agreed, but stated that the function would still be there. Mr. Face went on to address some of the other concerns brought forward by the BOV. He stated that the BOV was one of the key figures in getting this whole thing started. They were part of the Blue Ribbon Report and the catalyst that caused this whole reorganization, Action Plan, etc. USFA staff has acted on these recommendations. They have gone out and done what was asked of them. He likened it to a supervisor telling someone what needs to be done, then stepping back and letting him/her do it. The BOV told USFA want it wanted done, and USFA did it. He stated that within the new reorganization, USFA finally has a purpose and a direction. It will continue to grow. He stated that every group in the fire service has a special interest(s). That is a fact. We as the fire service need to come together to accomplish one common goal--to reduce loss of life and property. So the USFA has taken a stance that it will step forward and lead. He added that where we are now is the first step in where we want to be. Warren McDaniels reminded the group that we are seeing leadership here. This is what we've wanted all along. USFA is trying to step up and do what is needed. He stated that in all of the cities and towns, you won't see a statue to a committee. Mr. Face stated that he takes full responsibility for the lack of communications, and that from now on, the BOV will be contacted and kept apprised. The group discussed the new chart and goals. USFA will continue EMS, but in partnership with DOT. It will continue counter-terrorism, but in partnership with DOJ. We will continue to be involved but not on our own initiative; it will be done in partnership. The goals are a derivative of the Public Law to reduce loss of life. It is tied to GPRA goals. Steve Ennis moved that the Board support the USFA reorganization as presented. Art Cota seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Neil Svetanics moved that the BOV support the Chief Operating Officers' recommendation that the scope of the BOV be changed from NFA to USFA. Don Oliver seconded the motion. This is a vote of confidence in what Ken Burris is trying to do. Ron Face stated that if the scope was changed to USFA, the BOV's role would be essentially the same. Except that now, it would be able to address issues from a more global perspective. He stated that the intent is to include the BOV. He also stated that if you read the current Charter and just replace NFA with USFA, it significantly expands the BOV's scope. This change would give BOV a more overall role to include all USFA functions, such as admissions and site management, etc. There was discussion on the role of the eight BOV members under the revised scope. The motion passed unanimously. Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP) Update: Chuck Burkell briefed the group on recent activities regarding the EFOP, including results of a recent curriculum advisory committee meeting in August. Recommendations from the Committee for USFA to meet are still evolving. Staff has met with the Superintendent and other managers and Mr. Burkell has prepared a list of the recommendations and input as to how USFA should respond to the recommendations. Denis Onieal will present it to Ken Burris. Expanding the EFOP should not take space away from other classes because the class will be scheduled in an open time slot. Mr. Burkell reviewed the overall process with the group, including how the committee was brought together. Using charts, he explained some of the key issues addressed by the committee. He then proceeded to go over the recommendations that the committee made. These recommendations include a change to the statement of purpose. Other key areas included diversity and research. There was some discussion on how the new management science program impacts the EFOP, especially regarding diversity. Mr. Burkell addressed this issue, including the target audience. He explained how these changes enable more people to qualify for EFOP. Mr. Burkell foresees a significant increase in the number of applications for roughly the same number of seats. We currently have 200 slots and plan to increase to 300 over the next few years. Discussion focused on diversity issues. One concern is that minorities are not applying to the program. A BOV member made mention of the success of the Executive Development program for the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters. Art Cota asked if the committee looked at community leadership roles in some of the wording. Mr. Burkell responded that this was looked at but not included for several reasons. The NFA received about 225-235 applications to EFO this year, they accepted around 208-210. The process is already challenging now to select the 200 slots per year. This will become even harder with more applications, and they anticipate an increase in applications based on the new selection criteria. He stated that they have always made an effort to accept all qualifying minorities and women. Another recommendation made by the advisory committee was to maintain the Associate's Degree as a criterion, with this being raised to a Bachelor's Degree in 5 years. BOV member expressed concern that if we expand the selection criteria to include more people, but don't expand the space, then we will still have the same problems we currently have. Mr. Brerardi suggested that we look at the numbers of people who have 4 year degrees or higher. Mr. Cota questioned why we are raising the level to the BS degree. Mr. Burkell responded that this is to address the professional requirements of the industry. There was discussion on chief officer positions requiring 4-year degrees. When research and quality of research becomes better, the higher the degree required. There was some concern regarding the amount of EFOP graduates not using what they gained through the EFO program. Some members felt the program needs to grow in the future. Mr. Burkell stated that he doesn't think that EFO will be all things to all people. Further Discussion with Ken Burris: There is a role relative to the organizational structure. The BOV is to look at the organization, perhaps not micromanaging it, but looking at finances and resources, etc. The Blue Ribbon Panel also talks about an enhanced role for the Board. Concern also was expressed that changes were being made to the EFOP and the BOV have not had any input. This raised the question as to whether or not the BOV has any weight in curriculum issues, etc. At the last meeting when EFOP was discussed the BOV was told that NFA was working on it, to be patient, and they would get back to us. Now we're hearing that things have already been done and set in motion. This is a process issue. Ken said that he isn't even involved in the depth of level regarding EFOP. All he knows are concerns were expressed by various groups. So they had a group come in. He feels that if we paid for a group of experts to come in and review it, and if their report and recommendations meet the need, then we'll do it. He shared that he doesn't know what's in every course. He doesn't need to know. All he needs to know is the process and whether it's working. He is struggling with what level the BOV wants to participate in. A BOV member recommended that its role be a broad conceptual role. Make sure it fits into the goals and objective, and that it's research based. In the past, USFA has not made decisions based on data. We are moving towards that. Gary Tokle stated that the Board is here as an advisory committee to give their opinion. The Board is not here to sign off on anything. The goal of the USFA is to decrease fire deaths of children under 14, people over 65, and firefighters by 50 percent. They are moving in a direction that will better enable them to do this. Discussion moved to the EFOP curriculum advisory committee meeting. Don Oliver was on that committee and shared his insight. Several BOV members shared their experiences regarding the importance of EFOP. Enfranchisement/Endorsement Course Initiative Update: Denis Onieal addressed the BOV's question regarding the status of self-study and hand-off courses, partnering with other agencies. Tim Dunkle, who was heading this initiative, has a new boss and his efforts have been directed elsewhere. They are still attempting to do a crosswalk between the NFPA standards and courses. Enfranchisement--On July 6, NFA sent out notices that the grants had been approved. The process moved very quickly. Forty-six out of 50 states have applied for the grants. They are in the process of working through that now. The States must submit a work plan for the grants. Endorsement--This group met yesterday in St. Louis. He does not have a report from that meeting yet. They estimate that there will be 15 courses reviewed. These are courses submitted by the States for review. Dr. Onieal reported on the status of the self-study courses. One of them (Self Study Supervision) has been piloted, tested, approved and is on the way. The other one (Community Education Leadership) will be up in 2 to 3 weeks. The other course has been delayed because the software being used fell vulnerable to the Melissa virus. He reported on hand-off courses. NFA has revised the two building construction courses, making them available on CD-ROM. He proceeded to tell the group about NFA partnerships. Through the enfranchisement and endorsement programs, USFA has a mechanism to partner for wildland urban interface training. Dr. Onieal briefed the groups on interaction with State systems. He also updated the group on initiatives to post precourse material online. We have met several deadlines. He explained the copyright issue. We're also dealing with issues between EMI and NFA to work on the electronic signature issue. Dr. Onieal answered questions regarding the admissions system. There are going to be some translation issues between the NFA system and State systems. However, this will create the availability to exchange data. The courses and the titles will be on the Web page. But the NFA certification must come through the State. NFA is serving as a catalyst for training in this country to raise the level of reciprocity. Civil Defense/Emergency Management Monument: A few years ago, a bill was approved by Congress for a Civil Defense/Emergency Management monument to be built on campus. The design and location of the monument has been decided. Since EMI classes are held in Building K, the monument will be built in the area close to their classroom facilities. A package has been put together to forward to the Historical Commission for approval. Construction will not begin until at least Summer 2001. Upcoming Meeting Dates: The BOV members discussed possible meeting dates. Before it can commit, USFA has to wait on its budget. If approved as is, there may be four meetings. If not, there may be a cut that would affect the BOV. There was some discussion on the budget and related issues. A BOV member suggested that they set some tentative dates. Ken Burris committed to four meetings, regardless of the budget. He will go get the money. The Board discussed and agreed upon dates for the next two meetings: January 25-27, travel on January 24; and, March 22-24, travel on March 21. The date for the fourth meeting can be decided at the January meeting. Preparation of FY 2000 Annual Report and Letter to Director Witt: The Board discussed the annual report and related issues. A BOV member felt that we should keep the report as straightforward as possible. There was discussion on the process, which has changed over the years. The key thing we need to include in our annual report is to clearly state that we support what has been done here. This report becomes the tri-fold that is distributed to every Member of Congress. Discussion on writing by committee. Suggestion that each member jot down a few points that they want to include and then submit them to Cindy. There are several issues that could be addressed. The Board spent Saturday morning preparing their FY 2000 Annual Report and a letter of their observations and recommendations to Director Witt. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2000.