You'd probably have a hard time finding people who want the firefighters in their communities to have less training and knowledge.
So when the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Frederick County was suddenly shut down - it came as a surprise to many.
Here in Baltimore, the department sends its fire investigators to the NFA for advanced training they can't get locally.
Fire officials express their thoughts as classes resume at the National Fire Academy
"it's very important when it comes to Baltimore City. We have tons of fire, so you know, anything that we can use for the investigators to help solve the case helps," Matthew Coster, president of Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734, said.
Classes at the NFA, which is operated by FEMA, are free for firefighters all over the country, funded by the federal government.
"We get a lot of experience through on the job training. For other jurisdictions that don't have as much fire that we do, for them to be able to go out there and train and get advanced training, especially if they don't have the instructors like we do in our academy with the advanced training, then it's good for them to get," Coster said.
Back in March, all in-person classes were temporarily, but abruptly, paused as the DOGE team examined a slew of federally funded programs to determine whether they're a good use of taxpayer dollars.
"I was somewhat taken aback. It came without notice," Ken Willette, executive director for the North American Fire Training Directors, said.
He was thrilled when FEMA announced at the end of May that the government's review was complete, and the NFA would reopen its doors. Classes resumed Monday, June 2.
“Not only are they going forward - they already have a full calendar for the remainder of the year with a lot of classes - they're also addressing the backlog or the lost opportunity of those who were in the middle of the cancellation. So I think that's a very responsible way to approach this is to ensuring again that the individual firefighter doesn't suffer by missing the training opportunities while this administrative review was underway," Willette told WMAR-2 News.
The Trump administration also restored other firefighter health and safety programs that were facing cuts, including the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, and NIOSH - the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - which researches and approves firefighter protective equipment, and investigates line of duty death.
"That report, it's very intense when it comes to gathering the data for those kind of investigations," Coster said. "And then when that report comes out, fire departments look at that and they can see the recommendations that are made and we can make ourselves better so that it doesn't happen again."
With funding restored, Willette hopes those dollars are safe through any upcoming budget negotiations.
"Certainly I know the academy leadership is going to work with their leadership to tell the story about the increased need, the increased urgency on some of these topics, and what exactly is the value of it," Willette said. "We're hopeful that as it goes through the budget process, the administration sees the value and will fund it at the appropriate level."
WMAR-2 News asked FEMA if funding for the NFA was at further risk. A spokesperson pointed to the agency's most recent statement, when it announced the academy's reopening.