FEMA cancels National Fire Academy classes, leaving some Maryland firefighters without training

Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun on Mar 10, 2025

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BALTIMORE — Some Maryland firefighters are missing out on training after a national firefighter facility in Emmitsburg canceled classes, effective immediately due to orders issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday, according to an agency email reviewed by The Baltimore Sun.

Firehouse.com reported FEMA sent notices canceling all in-person classes, with instructors later receiving additional orders to cancel virtual classes, as well. In fiscal year 2021, the National Fire Academy trained over 98,000 people in courses dealing with, for example, how to respond to hazardous materials incidents, structural collapses or fire investigations, according to its website.

FEMA said it was reviewing “agency programs and spending to ensure alignment with Administration priorities,” according to an email the federal agency sent to instructors. FEMA did not immediately respond to The Baltimore Sun’s questions regarding the cancellations.

Funding for the U.S. Fire Administration, which is controlled by FEMA and is the agency responsible for the National Fire Academy, was secured through fiscal 2028 by the Fire Grants and Safety Act, which was signed by former President Joe Biden in July.

President Donald Trump has made cuts to federal government a priority since he took office in January. The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has slashed programs and spending across multiple federal agencies. DOGE did not immediately respond to inquiries about its involvement with FEMA’s spending review.

“At a time when wildfires, urban fires, and other emergencies are increasing in frequency and intensity, we should be investing more — not less — in the education and readiness of our firefighting forces,” said Joshua L. Fannon, president of the Baltimore fire officers’ union, in a statement.

“Just this week, several of the members of IAFF Local 964 were directly affected by this decision, with plenty more to join those ranks as long as this continues on,” Fannon said.

At least three union members were supposed to attend courses there this week, he told The Sun. And the classes they were supposed to take can’t be found elsewhere, he said.

Two fire safety inspectors from the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal were also scheduled to attend on-campus classes at the National Fire Academy, Oliver Alkire, a spokesman for that office, said. The courses were in hazardous materials code enforcement, he said.

“Even though the National Fire Academy is temporarily shut down, Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray remains dedicated to the professional development of its team,” Alkire said.

“Although these two classes, which our fire safety inspectors were going to attend, were very specific in their scope of training, they will not prevent our agency from applying the proper fire codes regarding hazardous materials.”

Spokesmen for the Aberdeen Volunteer Fire Department and Susquehanna Hose Company, which serves Havre de Grace, both said they did not have any personnel scheduled to take classes there in the near future. The Howard County Volunteer Fire Association and Baltimore County IAFF Local 1311 said they were not immediately prepared to comment on those specifics.

Beyond the front-line implications for firefighters, the cancellations have drawn criticism from local politicians.

“The National Fire Academy is a jewel of Maryland’s Sixth District, where tens of thousands of firefighters join top experts gather to train and share best practices, develop innovative methods, and enhance public safety in all 50 states and around the globe,” wrote Democratic congresswoman April McClain Delaney, who represents Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District.

“The Trump administration’s order to pause lifesaving training in Emmitsburg not only flies in the face of a judge’s most recent demand to resume all federal spending, but also weakens the level of preparedness for our first responders across the nation. I call on FEMA to reverse this decision,” she said in a statement.

Maryland U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who voted to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act in 2024, also demanded an about-face from the Trump administration.

“I’m all for serious efforts to make our government work more efficiently, but threatening programs that prepare firefighters and first responders to better serve our communities is the furthest thing from that,” Van Hollen said.

“This move is just plain wrong, and will ultimately threaten the safety of our communities — Trump and Musk to need reverse course and allow these trainings to resume.”

Sen. Andy Harris was not immediately available for comment.

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