The Trump administration is restoring in-person training at the National Fire Academy in tiny Emmitsburg, Md., after abruptly pausing it in March. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the academy, initially paused on-site classes, saying the government would no longer pay for travel for programs it did not deem "mission critical."
On Thursday, however, FEMA reversed course and said a comprehensive review found that "certain courses provide effective training."
"FEMA's principles for emergency management assert that disasters are best managed when they're federally supported, state managed and locally executed," the agency said in a statement.
The academy is often described as the national war college for firefighting. Each year, it brings in thousands of fire chiefs for training that ranges from leadership and management to how to conduct fire, arson and explosion investigations.
The decision also marks a reprieve for Emmitsburg, a Western Maryland town of about 3,000 people that voted overwhelmingly for Trump last year. The academy is part of Emmitsburg's identity — and the visiting firefighters help drive the local economy.
The administration also restored in-person training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala., and at the National Disaster and Emergency Management University, also in Emmitsburg.
Thursday's policy reversal followed heavy criticism by Mayrland's congressional delegation and some Trump-supporting firefighters who argued that pausing training for first-responders was nonsensical and dangerous.
John Beck, chief of the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department in Pennsylvania, said the administration's explanation for halting and then restarting classes was vague at best.
"We're getting back on track with the training that should have never been taken offline," said Beck, who had applied to study at the academy later this summer. "But this is good news because this is exactly what the public deserves."
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney, both Maryland democrats, welcomed the restoration of training.
"The Trump Administration's decision to abruptly cancel these classes made no sense — and what's more, it risked significant harm to our communities and those who protect them," Van Hollen said in a statement. "I'm glad to see the Administration has heeded our calls to lift this senseless ban."
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