by
Carly Zoerb
| 02/27/2026
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Funding Lapsed; National Fire Academy Still Closed
President Trump and Senate Democrats continue to negotiate over the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Homeland Security appropriations (DHS). They have yet to reach an agreement on procedures for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. The Senate Majority Leader, Senator John Thune (R-SD), tried to bring up the FY 2026 DHS appropriations bill (H.R. 7147) on the Senate Floor this week, but it did not receive the 60 votes required to consider and pass the bill.
The National Fire Academy remains closed. The application periods for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG); Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) ; and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants are expected to be delayed.
NTSB Ballistic Safety Alert
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a new safety alert titled: On-Scene Hazards of Ballistic Parachute Recovery Systems.
Ballistic parachute recovery systems (BPRS) are rocket-powered parachutes installed on some airplanes as an optional safety device. If an in-flight emergency occurs, pilots can deploy the BPRS (by activating the rocket that extracts the parachute) to aid the airplane’s gradual descent, reducing the potential for serious injuries to occupants. While these systems can save lives when activated and deployed in flight, they pose a hazard to first responders at an accident site if the rocket did not activate before or during ground impact.
To learn more about this new hazard, or to learn more about related aviation incidents and what first responders can do to stay safe, please review the Safety Alert.
FFIPP Investigations
The federal Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program continues its work to examine the causes of line-of-duty deaths and help fire departments prevent future tragedies. The program recently released the following reports:
FFFIPP continues to accept requests for serious injury and line-of-duty death investigations through the NIOSH website. Firefighters and other interested parties can see what investigations FFFIPP is currently working on by visiting the ongoing reports web page.
U.S. Department of Interior Revises NEPA Procedures
This week, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a sweeping revision of its procedures for implementing the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that the department removed 80% of the DOI’s NEPA regulations. The revised procedures are supposed to reduce delays and costs for projects, including hazardous fuels removal projects to mitigate the risks of wildland fires, and shorten review timelines. IAFC members are urged to review the DOI’s webpage on this initiative and review the new NEPA procedures handbook.