Latest news with #NationalFireAcademy
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Roanoke County mourns loss of former fire chief Tommy Fuqua
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – The Roanoke County Fire Department is saddened to announce the passing of its esteemed former Fire Chief, Tommy Fuqua, on May 24. The department said retired Fire Chief Tommy Fuqua passed away at his Roanoke County home on Saturday after a battle with cancer. He survives with his wife, Hazel, and two children. (Photo Credit: Roanoke County Fire and Rescue) Fuqua served the Roanoke Valley community as a firefighter for 26 years. His career began in 1961 when he became a volunteer firefighter with the Vinton Volunteer Fire Department at the age of 17. He then moved into career roles, first in 1971 with the Veterans Administration, and then in 1977 when he served with Roanoke County and as the Volunteer Chief of the Clearbrook Volunteer Fire Department. In 1981, Fuqua became the fire and rescue coordinator for Roanoke County before the official formation of the Roanoke County Fire and Rescue Department in 1986, when he was appointed as the Chief of the department. While Chief of Roanoke County Fire and Rescue, Fuqua was involved with several 'historic' events, including the Flood of 1985 and the fire at the Shenandoah Homes retirement community in 1989. The department highlights that fire is still used as a case study at the National Fire Academy to this day. In 1996, Fuqua stepped down as Chief of RCFRD but remained employed as Battalion Chief for Training and Operations before retiring in 2003. After retirement from Roanoke County, Fuqua became an instructor, teaching classes at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and for the Virginia Department of Fire Programs. Chief Fuqua served on many fire service boards and committees and was the interim Chief for a brief while in Botetourt County. Visitation is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, at Simpson Funeral Home at 5160 Peters Creek Road. Visitor parking will be located at Roanoke County's Green Ridge Recreation Center at 7415 Wood Haven Road, with shuttle buses running to Simpson Funeral Home. Chief Fuqua's funeral will be held with departmental honors at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, at Roanoke's First Baptist Church at 321 Marshall Avenue in downtown Roanoke, followed by interment at Mountain View Cemetery in Vinton. The department asks anyone who would like to donate pictures for use during his funeral to send them by noon on Tuesday, May 27, to simpsonfuneralphotos@ Fire departments wishing to send personnel and apparatus to the funeral should contact Battalion Chief Sizemore at dsizemore@ Any fire departments wishing to send honor guard personnel to the visitation and funeral should contact Chad Epperly at cepperly@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Classes resume at National Fire Academy in Maryland after federal funding freeze
Classes at the National Fire Academy in Maryland resumed after a pause due to federal funding freezes and staffing cuts, according to a group of state lawmakers. The training academy, which serves first responders across the nation, halted classes in early March after the Trump administration called for an evaluation of programs and spending. What is the National Fire Academy? The National Fire Academy opened in 1973 to address an increase in fatal fires across the nation. Firefighters and other first responders travel to the academy in Emmisburg, Maryland, to take advantage of free training programs funded by the federal government. The academy was about to welcome a new class of officers in March when instructors were directed to cancel travel. "It's not a 'nice to have.' It is the one avenue we have to bring people from all over the country to learn from and with each other," former Maryland fire chief March Bashoor said at the time. "If we want to continue to have one of the premier fire services in the world, we need to have the National Fire Academy." National Fire Academy trainings resume Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. April McClain Delaney announced on May 22 that training at the National Fire Academy would restart immediately. After the announcement of the pause in trainings, several Maryland lawmakers, including Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, penned a letter demanding answers about the pause in classes from the Trump administration. Though classes will restart, Rep. Delaney said the group did not receive a response to their letter. "The Trump Administration's decision to abruptly cancel these classes made no sense – and what's more, it risked significant harm to our communities and those who protect them," Sen. Van Hollen said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FEMA in-person classes will resume in Emmitsburg
The National Fire Academy and National Disaster and Emergency Management University will resume in-person training in Emmitsburg. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the decision in a press release on Thursday. In-person training was paused in March — though some online classes continued — in response to President Donald Trump's Executive Order that implemented the 'Department of Government Efficiency.' The executive order called for a review of contracts, policies and practices at federal agencies, in an effort to 'ensure Government spending is transparent and Government employees are accountable to the American public.' The training facilities reopened after a comprehensive review by FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration determined that in-person courses provided effective training, according to the release. 'FEMA's principles for emergency management assert that disasters are best managed when they're federally supported, state managed and locally executed,' the press release said. Emmitsburg Mayor Frank Davis said Thursday that he was not surprised by that outcome given his relationships with staff including Superintendent Eriks Gabliks. 'I was positive that they were going to find everything in good shape,' Davis said. Spokespeople for the training facilities and FEMA could not be reached by phone for comment on Thursday. Despite in-person classes being cancelled, the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend was held at the National Emergency Training Center as planned earlier this month. Davis said that given what a hub of activity the academies provide the town, with visitors eating in local restaurants and shopping locally, the announcement will 'make a good weekend for' the business community as it looks forward to the resumption. Chris Wilson, daytime manager at the Ott House, said the news was great, not just for the bar and restaurant, but for the entire Emmitsburg community. 'Things have been kind of quiet,' Wilson said. She added that the bar and restaurant has been getting by just fine, saying the Ott House is 'here for everybody.' The walls and bar top at the Ott House are covered in patches, helmets and other items from fire departments and other emergency responders from across the country. Wilson said owners Bob Ott and Susie Glass have estimated that around 30% of the bar's business comes from the academy. 'We're glad to have them back,' Wilson said. 'We missed them.' Davis added that having the town's largest water customer back online helps the town with budgetary concerns. 'Also, we're going to be reaching out to them in the near future to help us with our disaster preparedness program — we need to have that updated and we're going to be looking for help from them with that,' he said. 'So it's really good news for us.'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two lowcountry communities designated 'fire safe'
PORT ROYAL, S.C. (WSAV) — Beaufort and Port Royal have been designated Fire Safe communities. To earn the distinction, fire departments must complete National Fire Academy risk reduction and assessment courses. The City of Beaufort and the Town of Port Royal Fire Department continually work to reduce fires and fire-related injuries. Last year, they hosted 191 public events and educated 4,784 adults and 5,956 children. Through their partnership, they installed over 50 smoke alarms and conducted 49 car seat safety inspections and installations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates worry National Fire Academy closing will have ‘foundational' impact
Fire hoses at the ready. (Photo courtesy the U.S. Fire Administration) Canceling classes at the National Fire Academy may not be the biggest of the many federal budget cuts made by the Trump administration in recent weeks, but David Durstine says that doesn't mean it won't have impact. 'The cancellation of these classes really has a detrimental effect on the entire fire service,' said Durstine, the vice president of fire and government sales at IDEX Fire & Safety Experience. His comments come just a week after the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued an indefinite cancellation of all classes at the academy that require a federally funded instructor, leaving just a few 'click-and-play' online classes. Durstine said the closing the academy in Emmitsburg, which trained firefighters from across the country, has 'taken away foundational education' from fire leaders of the future. 'This may be a quick little move for, maybe, what is the efficient use of dollars, potentially but… what does it do to the local communities in the remote areas of the country that rely heavily on the foundational education provided by the National Fire Academy,' Durstine said. The abrupt closure came without warning in a March 7 email and took effect immediately. There have been no announcements about the future of classes at the academy since, but the outlook seems grim. A senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, which FEMA falls under, said Tuesday that travel costs were a reason behind the cancellation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'The bottom line is we are no longer paying for non-employee travel,' the official said. 'We are only authorizing travel for mission critical programs, this isn't one.' It's not just experts who are concerned about the impact of cancellations at the academy — a letter signed by 64 member of the U.S. House and Senate members is demanding answers from FEMA. That letter was led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-6th), and signed by every Democrat in the Maryland delegation. 'Firefighters and other first responders lay their lives on the line every day for our communities,' the letter said. '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.' The lawmakers pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for answers to several specific questions including why the classes were canceled, how long the review process will take and whether there will be reimbursement for canceled classes that were already paid for. McClain Delaney said the influence of the classes can be seen in fire departments across the country. 'Tens of thousands of firefighters have actually gone through training there,' McClain Delaney said, adding that fire supervisors across America said that the training is 'incredibly valuable.' 'It's unbelievable that they would make these cuts and really undermine our preparedness as a country,' McClain Delaney said.
