Hello again from the National Emergency Training Center

This week I’m back at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, MD. If you’ve read some of my past blogs, you’ll know that this is “home base” for National Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. Even though this isn’t my “first rodeo” at the NETC, I still find it an honor whenever I get the opportunity to teach here. There’s so much history in this region of the United States as well as on the campus that houses the NETC. Throughout the week, I hope to share a few of the stories and sites that make this such a special place to come to.

The campus

The NETC is home to both the National Fire Academy (NFA) and the Emergency Management Institute (EMI). The 107-acre campus was the original site of Saint Joseph’s Academy, a Catholic school for girls from 1809 until 1973. It was purchased by the U.S. Government in 1979 for use as the NETC.

The National Fire Academy (NFA) is one of two schools in the United States operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the NETC. Operated and governed by the United States Fire Administration (USFA) as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the NFA is the country’s pre-eminent federal fire training and education institution. The original purpose of the NFA as detailed in a 1973 report to Congress was to “function as the core of the Nation’s efforts in fire service education—feeding out model programs, curricula, and information.

The NFA shares its campus with the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) operated by the Directorate of Preparedness branch of FEMA.

To support the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA’s goals by improving the competencies of the U.S. officials in Emergency Management at all levels of government to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of all types of disasters and emergencies on the American people.

EMI is the emergency management community’s flagship training institution, and provides training to Federal, State, local, tribal, volunteer, public, and private sector officials to strengthen emergency management core competencies for professional, career-long training.

EMI trains more than 2 million students annually. Training delivery includes residential onsite training; offsite delivery in partnership with emergency management training organizations, colleges, universities; and technology-based mediums to conduct individual training courses for emergency management personnel across the Nation.

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial

The National Fallen Firefighter Memorial on the NETC campus

On campus, there are several memorials including the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The United States Congress created the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to lead a nationwide effort to remember America’s fallen firefighters. Since 1992, the tax-exempt, nonprofit Foundation has developed and expanded programs to honor our fallen fire heroes and assist their families and coworkers.

A grant from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance supports programs for survivors of fallen firefighters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency partners with the Foundation to sponsor many of the National Memorial Weekend activities.

Each October, the Foundation sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attend the weekend activities held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The weekend features special programs for survivors and coworkers along with moving public ceremonies.

…. so, come on back tomorrow and I’ll share additional stories about the CERT Train-the-Trainer class we are teaching as well as other interesting sites on and around the campus.