More than 50 representatives of two dozen public safety agencies across three states attended the National Honor Guard Academy (NHGA) hosted by the Henrico County Division of Fire. The training session, held Oct. 19-24, was dedicated to elevating the knowledge, skills and execution of public safety honor guard units.
NHGA came about because “there just wasn’t any training for public safety honor guards,” said Doug Swartz, the academy’s founder and commanding officer. “Traditions were being missed or misrepresented and our fallen just weren’t being honored the way we wanted them to, so we put a training program together.”
The 45-hour course offered a mix of classroom and hands-on learning. Materials covered basic drills, church and casket protocols, proper casket handling, precise movements and flag etiquette. It culminated with a full, mock line-of-duty funeral procession to give participants a chance to practice all they learned.
Instructors are retired or active public safety officers, with both civilian and military experience.
“What we are trying to drive home to the students in the class this week is all that discipline isn’t just for discipline’s sake,” instructor Jason McNamara said. “It’s that calming presence, all that discipline and precision [that] really provide to the family. We know it’s our one and only chance to get it right.”
The class included members of Henrico’s Fire and Police divisions as well as Sheriff’s Office. Representatives of other public safety departments also were invited to participate.
“Some of us have not experienced any of this, where there are folks that have been part of this for their entire life – maybe they are a third- or fourth-generation firefighter,” said Jordan Massie, a paramedic from western Virginia. “You want people to remember all the important things, and you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb and have any negative light be associated with the service or the remembrance of this fallen brother or sister.”
Participants said there’s an advantage to having everyone trained together.
“When we graduate, we receive a pin on our uniform,” said Capt. David Newell, of Henrico Fire. “When we see each other at different events, you know they are trained to the same level that I am.”
The National Honor Guard Academy was founded in 2006. Last week’s class was the third academy hosted by Henrico Fire.
