U.S. Fire Administration Landscape

The United States continues to have the highest per capita death rate and property loss of all major industrialized nations. It is a congressional obligation for the USFA to track and report deaths and injuries from fire. It is likewise an obligation to try to prevent them. To meet the required legislative mandates and deliver on our mission, a reorganization of the USFA was planned, approved by consensus at the highest levels of leadership and implemented in January 2023. The organizational chart below reflects the current operational landscape.

Reorganization

Fire administrator/deputy fire administrator’s office

The mission of the fire administrator’s office is to lead the whole of the USFA. By doing so, the fire administrator’s office establishes and strengthens the organization to in turn lead the nation’s fire service. The role of the fire administrator is to envision, develop and implement programs that reduce the loss of life and economic impact from fire and related emergencies. This office provides leadership, advocacy, coordination and support to the USFA divisions, fire service organizations and first responders at large. 

National Fire Academy

The mission of the NFA is to promote the professional development of the fire and emergency response community and its allied professionals. The NFA supports state and local training organizations to fulfill their obligation to the career and volunteer fire and EMS. In addition, the NFA develops, delivers and manages educational and training programs that have a national focus outside state and local training missions or exceed state and local capabilities because of cost or audience. The programs are designed to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) goals to help state and local response agencies prevent, mitigate, prepare for and respond to local, regional and national emergencies. The NFA serves as the USFA’s national focal point for advancing the professional development of fire service and emergency response personnel and allied professionals engaged in fire prevention and control, risk reduction, and life safety activities.

National Fire and Emergency Medical Services Program Division

The mission of the National Fire and Emergency Medical Services Program (NFEMSP) Division is to lead the USFA’s EMS, prevention, special operations, public awareness, outreach and communication efforts. The NFEMSP serves as the nexus for fire prevention and community risk reduction, EMS system advancement, and industry-wide collaboration for fire safety public education and communication. The NFEMSP leverages relationships with state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) partners, as well as private sector stakeholders who focus on data-informed solutions to the American fire problem, providing particular attention to at-risk vulnerable populations.

National Fire Data and Research Center Division

The mission of the National Fire Data and Research Center (NFDRC) Division is to lead the nation in aggregation, assembly, mining and analysis of data from various sources to identify and track contributing factors to the fire problem in the U.S. by distinguishing major problem areas, assisting in setting priorities, determining solutions, and monitoring and reporting the progress of programs to reduce fire loss. The NFDRC leads the USFA research programs in fire life safety and firefighter and EMS responder health, safety and operational effectiveness. The NFDRC collaborates with the FEMA Grants Program Directorate, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and other federal partners, as well as national fire and EMS organizations, to design and fund research to address pending fire service issues.

National Emergency Training Center, Management, Operations and Support Services Division

The mission of the Management, Operations and Support Services (MOSS) Division is to manage, operate and provide administrative, functional and emergency support services to the National Emergency Training Center (NETC), which houses the USFA, NFA, National Disaster and Emergency Management University (NDEMU) and FEMA Office of the Chief Financial Officer staff. MOSS oversees and operates the NETC campus including campus maintenance, security, mailroom operations, duplicating services, real and personnel property management, warehousing, inventory, and all student services for both the NFA and NDEMU.