Through its courses and programs, the National Fire Academy works to enhance the ability of fire and emergency services and allied professionals to deal more effectively with fire and related emergencies. Fire Chief recently spoke with Denis Onieal, NFA superintendent since 1995, about the institution's latest offerings.

FC: What's new at the National Fire Academy?

Onieal: First of all we've opened up the Executive Fire Officer program to set aside 25 seats for those people who may not have the opportunity to have gotten high up in the department in terms of rank but do have the academic requirement and we require them to compete on the basis of their ability to demonstrate leadership.

One of the charges of the NFA is the professionalization of the fire service. If we look to other professions as models, we see that it's typically a combination of academic preparation and skill development to become a member of that profession. I usually like to simplify this by saying education is what you know, training is what you do. So we're working with colleges to get the knowing part and the education part and we're working with state training systems to create the doing part, so there's kind of an overlap there.

The colleges have developed a model curriculum. That doesn't mean that we have to follow it, but it's a model curriculum with similar course titles and course descriptions across the country — they've already agreed to that. We are going to be releasing 13 of our college courses into these 100 or so institutions that can take them — I'm not sure of the number right now — and in order for them to get those courses, they have to have an articulation agreement with the state training system. What we're looking to have happen at that level is that the college would accept some level of qualifications from state training systems toward college credit, Firefighter I, Firefighter II or whatever.

On the other side we're looking for state training systems to identify those components that they can accept toward verification from the college courses. Now the third piece of that is the International Association of Fire Chiefs professional development committee and they've come in and signed on to this as well. So for the first time, we've got institutions of fire education, institutions of training and personal development all in line.

We've worked very hard to deliver courses off-campus as well as the resident courses. In 1995 we trained 8,000 people in Emmitsburg, Md., on the resident program and 7,000 people off campus in the off-campus delivery program. Last year we trained 8,000 people on campus, which is as much capacity as we have, but we trained 84,000 people off campus so we've really worked hard to increase that. We've established an alumni association, which is being administered through the Fallen Firefighters Foundation.… And the next thing on the board is to keep our fingers crossed in the '04 budget, is to expand our campus by 300 dorm rooms and 300 classroom seats. So we'll be able to expand our resident program.

FC: How has the NFA worked to improve long-distance learning for its courses?

Onieal: There's several different ways that we do it. We have courses on our Web page that students can simply download and take an exam on the Web and then mail us in the results. … Another way is CD-ROM and we call those self studies as well. It's computer-based training and those are simulation exercises. We have seven available now, but we have about 32 in the pipeline in terms of various stages of development.… There are tests built into it and the students can take those and then mail the application and the test to us for a certificate. A third is that we have several programs that we deliver off campus.

FC: Are there any programs specifically for the volunteer fire service?

Onieal: There's another program that I didn't mention and that's our volunteer incentive program. We shut the school down for four weeks during the year just for the volunteer fire service. We have volunteer-related kinds of courses. The tuition is free, the transportation is covered and we're really focusing on that program. We worked very, very hard with the National Volunteer Fire Council and the Volunteer and Chief Officers Association at the IAFC, and those folks have been a tremendous help.

FC: How will the transition to the Department of Homeland Security affect the NFA?

Onieal: It's very hard to predict right now. I'm hopeful, the things that we're hearing are good and we just have to keep our eye on everything as things evolve. We're scheduled to transfer in on March 1, according to the president's plan.