FEMA Resumes In-Person Training at National Fire Academy, CDP, NDEMU

FEMA announced it will resume in-person training courses in early June 2025 at three national training centers: the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Alabama, and the National Fire Academy and National Disaster and Emergency Management University in Maryland, following a nearly three-month suspension. This pause began in March 2025 due to President Trump's Executive Order 14222, which mandated a government-wide review of discretionary spending to improve cost efficiency. After a joint review by FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration, it was determined that these training programs are critical for enhancing the preparedness of state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency responders and leaders. The decision to reopen followed considerable backlash from fire service leaders and bipartisan members of Congress who emphasized the essential nature of the training. FEMA reaffirmed that its emergency management principles rely on federal support combined with state and local execution, highlighting the importance of these courses for effective disaster response. The reopening signifies a reversal of the earlier classification of these training programs as nonessential under the Department of Government Efficiency initiative.