Contract Instructor Update

U.S. Fire Administration sent this bulletin at 03/13/2014 08:12 AM EDT

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NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR NEWSLETTER

 

MARCH 2014

 

 

Instructor Guide (updated versions): Please check your dashboard - the following IGs have been updated recently (February 2014):

 

R/N0332:  Effective Leadership Skills for Fire and EMS Organizations

R0306:  Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management

F/W0610:  Wildland Urban Interface Firefighting for Structural Company Officers

F/W0612:  Command and Control of Wildland Urban Interface Fire Operations for the Structural Chief Officer

R/N0151:  Advanced Leadership Issues in Emergency Medical Services

F/W0194:  Campus Fire & Life Safety 2: Public Education

R0312; R/N0831:  Command & Control of Incident Operations

 

If you have any questions regarding the course, or content contained in the IG, please contact the Training Specialist responsible for that curriculum area. 

 

Thumb/Flash/Jump Drives: Students have been bringing thumb/flash/jump drives to share information.  These devices must be scanned by FEMA IT before they can be used on any government computers. Students are asked to limit drive sizes to 8 GB to speed the scanning process.  At this time, FEMA IT will not scan any drive larger than 8GB.  We know this is an inconvenience, and are trying hard to find a work around for easier information sharing.  We are sympathetic to the challenges, and ask that you be patient as we work through the matter.

Java Issues with NFA Online:  There have been issues accessing NFA Online both inside our network and outside.  This is NOT due to an issue with the LMS but an issue with Sun and a vulnerability that they identified in the previous release of Java (current approved version for all FEMA machines).  We have been working with users and staff to fix this issue (which includes updating individual machines to the latest version of Java and whitelisting the LMS site) but software updates pushed by DHS/FEMA wipe the fix that we put in place on each individual computer.  Our help desk staff are assisting students as needed.  Any staff who are having issues reaching the NFA Online LMS should contact Juliann Frantz (Juliann.frantz@fema.dhs.gov) to receive the job aid which will walk you through the fix.

 

Open Bid Period: The bid period closes on April 1, 2014, for July – September course offerings.

Update on NETC Access Procedures/Suitability Determination:  The FEMA/National Emergency Training Center (NETC) Access Procedures were recently updated.  The new procedures only require a favorable fingerprint suitability determination which is good for two years.  However, with this new procedure, a National Crime Information Center (NCIC) check will be run on the one-year anniversary of the fingerprint approval to determine continued suitability for access to the NETC.  The good news is, Electronic Questionnaire Investigation Processing (e-QIP) is no longer required.  Existing/current NETC instructors who completed e-QIP, are not required to go through the fingerprint process for ten years.

USFA’s Focus of the Month: USFA’s fire safety message this month deals with “Residential Sprinklers.” Please visit USFA’s fire safety website at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus for more information.