Research Resources and Student Outcomes Assessment

Research Resources

Whether enrolled in a distance learning or traditional fire science course, many have assignments or projects requiring online research. Because of the many governmental and private entities offering potentially useful Websites, conducting fire-related research can be time-consuming and laborious. This page was created to facilitate this research.

Learning Resource Center

• The NETC Learning Resource Center (LRC) at the National Emergency Training Center provides current information and resources on fire, emergency management and other All-Hazards subjects. With its collection of more than 180,000 books, reports, periodicals, and audiovisual materials, the LRC facilitates and supports student and faculty research and supplements classroom lectures and course materials. Visitors to the LRC's Website can access the LRC's Online Public Access Catalog to perform their own literature searches.
• The LRC has a convenient means for the fire and emergency services community to search for rigorously researched, academic material in the form of PH.D dissertations and Masters theses. The First Responder Dissertations and Theses Search is the most comprehensive platform available anywhere online specializing in material from the fire and emergency services domain of knowledge.
• The LRC also maintains a guide to published literature relating to the Fire Service and Higher Education. The Fire Service and Higher Education Pathfinder contains a number of recent journal articles, dissertations and executive fire officer program papers that examine this topic and provides pointers on how to find more. If you have any suggestions on other suitable resources to include in this readers' guide, please share your comments or feedback with us at 301-447-1046.

FESHE 2001 Conference Group Recommendations

FESHE 2003 Conference Group Recommendations: Fire Service Research Issues

Research Links of Interest

• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Federal Emergency Management Agency Information Resource Library
• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
• National Institute of Standards and Technology / Building and Fire Research Laboratory
• Peopleandfire.com

Related Topics

• USFA Applied Research and Technology
• USFA National Fire Data Center Statistical Reports
• USFA Publications and Technical Reports

Student Outcomes Assessment

Colleges and universities are now expected to assess whether their students and graduates have achieved the institutions – stated educational outcomes. Fire science programs that have adopted the National Fire Academy’s FESHE model curriculum should now consider assessing these outcomes against the U. S. Fire Administration’s national goals, to which the courses are linked.

1. A strategic goal of the U. S. Fire Administration/National Fire Academy's Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education program, a part of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, is for the professional development community to produce a "well-trained and academically-educated fire and emergency services preparing the nation for all hazards." Explain how your degree will fulfill this critical goal.
2. The FESHE program mark was developed by the U. S. Fire Administration/National Fire Academy's, a part of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security. It represents the idea that within the ivory towers of higher education, firefighters and fire officers - armed with the knowledge and a college degree - can reduce the human and economic impact of fires in their communities. Explain how your degree will enable you to reduce the human and economic impact of fire in the community in which you eventually work.
3. Approximately 105 firefighters annually die in the line of duty. Statistically, 50% die from heart attacks, 25% die going to or from the incident, and the remaining 25% actually die fighting the fire (approximately 75% are residential fires). Explain how you will use the knowledge you gained in this degree program to: 1) minimize your risks from dying in the line of duty as a firefighter; and 2) when you become a fire officer, minimize the risks of your firefighters from doing the same.