Fire Administrator Paulison Briefs Fire Service Leaders on the Status of the USFA Budget

Washington, DC - In a presentation at the American Fire Service Summit on Thursday, February 24, United States Fire Administrator R. Dave Paulison briefed leaders of the fire service about the status of the USFA and its budget. Rumors have been circulating since mid-January about the budget of the USFA and the National Fire Academy (NFA), prompting the meeting on Capitol Hill. After a brief overview of the organization, Paulison presented the USFA's funding history from 2002 to 2005, discussed budget trends and talked candidly with attendees about the budget concerns.

"Have there been reductions (to the USFA) budget? Yes, but the budget has remained manageable since September 11, 2001," said Paulison. Regarding the rumors that the NFA is closing its doors, Paulison responded, "We have cancelled no courses, and with the new NIMS, NRP, ICS and IMT efforts, the number of first responders receiving USFA training has been growing tremendously, exceeding our capacity at times, particularly during peak hours of the day."

Regarding curriculum, Paulison, said there are several initiatives in place directed toward better use of technology and keeping the Academy's offerings current, including identifying additional WMD and terrorism courses for first responders. He also cited a recent partnership with Firehouse.com for Mayday training and instructor certification for NFA's Management Strategies for Success course that utilized EENET capabilities and online testing.

The briefing was followed by a question and answer period.

Adobe Acrobat (PDF)/Other Help

Download

Acronyms Used in the Presentation

Links of Interest