This bill mandates FEMA to reimburse fire departments for expenses incurred due to National Fire Academy course cancellations caused by a lapse in appropriations.
April McClain Delaney
Representative
MD-6
The National Fire Academy RESCUE Act ensures that fire departments are reimbursed for expenses incurred when National Fire Academy training courses are canceled due to a lapse in federal appropriations (a government shutdown). FEMA must reimburse departments for covered costs, such as travel and backfill staffing, within 90 days of receiving an itemized application following the shutdown's end. This reimbursement does not apply if the cancellation was due to reasons other than a lapse in appropriations, such as instructor illness or other emergencies.
New RESCUE Act Forces FEMA to Pay Back Fire Departments When Shutdowns Cancel Essential Training
If you’ve ever had to cancel a flight or a conference because of a government shutdown, you know it’s a headache—and often an expensive one. Now, imagine you’re a fire chief, and your crew’s critical training at the National Fire Academy (NFA) gets canceled because Congress couldn’t pass a budget. The National Fire Academy RESCUE Act (SEC. 1) is designed to make sure local fire departments aren’t stuck footing the bill when federal funding lapses.
The Shutdown Safety Net for First Responders
This bill sets up a clear, mandatory reimbursement process if the NFA—formally the National Academy for Fire Prevention and Control—has to cancel training due to a lapse in appropriations (a government shutdown). Essentially, if the federal government’s failure to operate causes a cancellation, the local fire department gets their money back (SEC. 2). This applies to courses, conferences, and symposiums, whether they were scheduled to be in-person, off-campus, or virtual.
What exactly does FEMA have to cover? The bill specifically targets “covered expenses,” which include travel costs for the personnel who were supposed to attend. Crucially, it also covers “backfill expenses.” If you’ve got a crew member away for training, you often have to pay overtime or bring in temporary staff to cover their shift. That’s the backfill cost, and under this Act, FEMA must reimburse the department for it. This is a big deal for fire departments, especially smaller ones, where unexpected overtime costs can seriously strain a tight budget.
The 30-Day Clock and the 90-Day Promise
To get the money back, the fire chief has to move fast once the government reopens. The chief has 30 days after the shutdown ends to send FEMA an application detailing every covered expense (SEC. 2). Once FEMA receives that itemized list, the clock starts ticking for them: the Administrator must get the money back to the fire department within 90 days. This is a hard deadline, which provides local agencies with some much-needed certainty on when they can expect to be made whole.
When the Check Won’t Clear
It’s important to note that this isn’t a blank check for every cancellation. The reimbursement only kicks in if the course was canceled because of the shutdown. If the cancellation happens for what the bill calls “good cause,” FEMA doesn’t have to pay (SEC. 2). “Good cause” includes things like an instructor getting sick, a national emergency, or the facility closing for a reason other than a funding lapse. This prevents departments from trying to use the shutdown mechanism to cover costs related to routine cancellations.
For the average person, this bill might seem like just bureaucratic housekeeping, but it matters. When essential training is canceled, it impacts the readiness of the first responders protecting your community. By ensuring local departments aren’t penalized financially for federal dysfunction, the RESCUE Act helps keep training on track and local budgets focused on core services, rather than chasing unexpected bills caused by Washington’s gridlock. The cost is shifted to the federal budget (specifically FEMA’s), which is a new mandated expenditure, but the benefit is clear: stability for local emergency services.