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U.S. Fire Administration
Training Updates
The 2025 Executive Fire Officer and Leadership Symposium will be held April 25-26, 2025.
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The U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy, in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Executive Fire Officers (EFO) Section, is excited to announce the 2025 Executive Fire Officer (EFO) and Leadership Symposium. This event will take place on April 25-26, 2025 (Friday and Saturday), at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The symposium is free of charge, with lodging and transportation provided to and from BWI Airport. Participants staying on campus will need to purchase a meal ticket. The two-day symposium is designed to offer valuable insights and training for NFA EFO alumni, current EFO students, future fire and EMS leaders, and all fire and emergency service professionals interested in leadership development. Additionally, a special 2025 EFO Symposium "Staff Ride" event with limited seating will be held on Thursday, April 24th.
Presenter line-up announced for the U.S. Fire Administration's 2025 Executive Fire Officer (EFO) and Leadership Symposium at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland on April 25-26, 2025. 2025 EFO Leadership Symposium Lineup
The U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy (NFA) has moved away from the twice-a-year application period for students to apply for resident courses offered at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. This decision was made after receiving student and stakeholder feedback. We are now using a quarterly enrollment process and are accepting applications from career and volunteer fire and EMS personnel, along with allied professionals, to apply for resident classes scheduled from July to September 2024. Applications can be submitted through April 15, 2024. NFA resident classes are offered free of charge with lodging provided on campus to those selected to attend in addition to travel reimbursement and transportation to and from BWI Airport. The cost to attendees is their time and purchasing a meal ticket on campus. Hundreds of classes are scheduled in a variety of topic areas ranging from EMS to incident management to fire investigations and leadership. To apply, or for more details, National Emergency Training Center Admissions Office (fema.gov) Thank you, United States Fire Administration | National Fire Academy
Be Inspired by Dr. Onieal in March
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As the former senior career federal fire official, Dr. Denis Onieal was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the United States Fire Administration (USFA) — the annual training of over 140,000 first responders at and through the National Fire Academy; the National Fire Incident Reporting System, which documents and analyzes 28 million fire department emergency responses a year; the USFA’s fire prevention, public information and public education programs; and the 26 campus buildings and the grounds of the historic National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland.​
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Beginning on Sept. 12, 2001, he led the USFA’s team at the World Trade Center, working behind the scenes to help the New York City Fire Department re-establish their systems of command, control and on-site communications. In 2005, he was sent to Atlanta, Georgia, to lead the in-processing, training and dispatch of 4,000 firefighters to assist in the response to Hurricane Katrina. He served in leadership roles in almost every national disaster.
He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the International Association of Fire Chiefs; and serves on the Executive Board for the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Wellspan Health System.
He has served on the IFSTA Executive Board since 2020.