Retrofitting homes with lower cost sprinkler technologies
Posted: May 27, 2020 NEW
USFA is working with the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute on research to reduce home fire sprinkler retrofit complexities.
Doing the little things makes a difference in wildfire safety
Posted: May 11, 2020
Learn about simple and low-cost actions that homeowners can take to protect their homes from wildfire.
First responders: know your fire investigation role
Posted: May 1, 2020
This year's Arson Awareness Week (May 3-9) highlights the crucial role that first responders can play in a successful fire investigation.
Fire onboard: safety tips for boaters in your community
Posted: March 23, 2020
Resources you can use to make people in boating communities aware of onboard fire dangers and how to prevent boat and marina fires.
COVID-19 cost recovery for fire and EMS departments
Posted: March 18, 2020
Learn how your fire/EMS department can obtain fiscal support for COVID-19 response through the FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program.
WUI fire evacuations: how national address point data helps
Posted: Feb. 24, 2020
A national address point database can be of value to officials during wildfire evacuations by allowing for more precise mapping and improved information sharing.
Mitigating the risk and impact of assaults on EMS responders
Posted: Jan. 13, 2020
The SAVER checklist helps departments assess and implement training, policies and practices to mitigate assaults on EMS responders.
Helping assaulted first responders during legal prosecutions
Posted: Nov. 14, 2019
Recommendations to overcome common obstacles to the legal prosecution of people who assault first responders.
How organizational factors affect firefighter cancer screening
Posted: Sept. 26, 2019
Having two or more health and safety officers influences the availability of firefighter cancer screening.
Teach your community about the dangers of fire
Posted: Sept. 23, 2019
A recent survey shows that many in your community probably don't understand the life-threatening risks from heat and toxic smoke produced in a modern home fire.
Community paramedics helpful in treating home-bound patients
Posted: Aug. 13, 2019
A community paramedicine program, integrated with an advanced illness management program, can be effective in treating frail, older adults in their homes.
Mitigating wildfire vulnerability: one community's success story
Posted: July 16, 2019
Learn how the Montecito Fire Protection District used a socio-ecological mitigation approach to successfully fight the Thomas Fire.
Medal of Valor ceremony recognizes two Kansas firefighters
Posted: July 9, 2019
U.S. Fire Administrator Keith Bryant attended the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor ceremony at the White House on May 22, 2019.
Assessing cardiovascular disease risk with push-ups
Posted: June 13, 2019
Can a simple exercise like a push-up be an inexpensive way for fire departments to assess cardiovascular disease risk in firefighters?
Promote home fire sprinklers in your community May 19-25
Posted: May 2, 2019
These resources will help you to spread the word about the life-saving and financial benefits of fire sprinklers during Home Fire Sprinkler Week.
Using nanotechnology to minimize fire damage
Posted: April 10, 2019
Nanotechnology, manufactured at scale and low cost while posing minimal health risks, may potentially point to a future with fewer fires that are less lethal and less damaging.
A better DC hot stick technology is on the way
Posted: March 27, 2019
New tool will help prevent first responder electrical injury.
Takeaways from a hoarding intervention strategy
Posted: March 14, 2019
A recent study of the City of Vancouver’s Hoarding Action Response Team provides key takeaways for fire departments.
Firefighter decon challenges? Try a communication intervention.
Posted: Feb. 26, 2019
Learn about a communication intervention strategy designed by researchers to increase post-fire decontamination behaviors in firefighters.
Firefighter decon challenges: knowledge versus practice
Posted: Feb. 7, 2019
Understanding firefighter beliefs related to decontaminating bunker gear is an essential first step to reduce exposure risks.
Dual dispatch to cardiac arrest: can it save lives?
Posted: Dec. 20, 2018
Dual dispatch of EMT-trained firefighters shortens response time and increases survival chance for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.
Waking children with maternal voice smoke alarms
Posted: Dec. 13, 2018
A new study from Nationwide Children's Hospital shows that maternal voice smoke alarms are more effective in waking children than conventional tone alarms.
How one homeowner saved his house from the Carr Fire
Posted: Nov. 29, 2018
Learn about wildfire mitigation measures one California homeowner took during construction and maintained over the years to make his home fire-resilient.
EMS Mobile Integrated Health during disaster response
Posted: Nov. 15, 2018
How one community's MIH providers assisted with patient care during severe flooding.
Training helps EMS workers identify human trafficking signs
Posted: Nov. 8, 2018
Learn about the key components of a human trafficking training and awareness program for EMS workers.
Reducing airborne contaminant exposure with fireground tactics
Posted: Oct. 25, 2018
New study provides valuable insights into fireground exposure risks and ways to mitigate them.
Smoke alarm messaging: Facebook ads versus phone calls
Posted: Oct. 4, 2018
Study shows automated calls were more successful than Facebook ads in getting residents to request a free smoke alarm install.
Fire and life safety concerns in peer-to-peer lodging
Posted: Sept. 20, 2018
Fire departments and communities around the U.S. are starting to recognize and address the unique fire safety concerns that peer-to-peer lodgings, like Airbnb, present.
Circuit training impact on volunteer firefighters’ cardiovascular health
Posted: Sept. 6, 2018
About 20 percent of volunteer firefighters meet the VO2 max fitness level recommended by NFPA 1582. So how might volunteer firefighters best improve their cardiovascular fitness? A study published this year explored how circuit training may help.
Mitigating fireground injury risks: Suggested interventions
Posted: Aug. 30, 2018
Firefighting poses many hazards that come in a wide variety of work settings. A recent study focused on the scope and nature of fireground injuries to determine what steps fire departments can take to better mitigate hazards posed by certain risks.
Home fire safety canvassing: Achieving better results
Posted: Aug. 9, 2018
Planning a home canvassing event? These research-based tips can help you to win maximum neighborhood participation.
Firefighter burnout and workplace safety
Posted: July 26, 2018
Are firefighters who show symptoms of burnout less likely to follow safety procedures? A team of researchers recently set out to learn if burnout impacted a firefighter’s ability to follow required safe work practices.
New Firefighter Cancer Registry will help to monitor cancer incidents
Posted: July 19, 2018
The voluntary registry will include the number and type of fires each firefighter attended.
Study reveals successful smoke alarm installation partnership
Posted: July 12, 2018
Find out what happened when Maricopa County, Arizona firefighters partnered with nurses from a home visiting program to get smoke alarms into homes of the “hard-to-reach.”
Fire sprinkler tax incentives for small businesses
Posted: June 12, 2018
Fire service officials: Here’s some news that you can share with local small business owners to encourage them to install fire sprinklers.
EMS prehospital documentation accuracy: Can body-worn cameras help?
Posted: May 14, 2018
This article discusses the results of a pilot study where EMS providers used body-worn cameras to see if they could help to improve the accuracy of their prehospital documentation.
Wildland firefighting safe separation distances
Posted: May 10, 2018
A recent research study indicates that firefighters may want to consider slight increases in separation distances over and above what current models recommend.
Factors that contribute to preventable firefighter deaths
Posted: April 26, 2018
A recent study highlights the importance of SOPs in preventing firefighter fatalities.
Clear boarding creates a ”no ply“ zone
Posted: April 17, 2018
There’s a new alternative to plywood for boarding up vacant and abandoned buildings that can help prevent arson: clear board.
Clean gear is the new badge of honor
Posted: April 5, 2018
This article looks at firefighter perceptions of dirty gear and how Palm Beach County Fire Rescue promoted organizational resilience to combat the risk of firefighter cancer from dirty gear.
Clean your PPE and skin post-fire to reduce chemical exposure risk
Posted: March 22, 2018
Firefighting activities can lead to chemical contamination. This article presents research findings on cleaning personal protective equipment and skin to reduce chemical exposures.
Transforming cardiac emergency care with drone delivery of AEDs
Posted: Feb. 22, 2018
Preliminary studies suggest that medical drones may make a life-saving difference in providing emergency care to cardiac arrest patients, especially those in a rural setting.
Turnout times: How important is time of day?
Posted: Feb. 1, 2018
Research findings from a recent study into how station design of dormitory location and the time of day of the emergency affect turnout times.
The effect of repeated exposure trauma on firefighters
Posted: Jan. 17, 2018
This article details findings from a research project that studied the impact of repeated exposure trauma on firefighters.
Testing for metabolic syndrome in firefighters
Posted: Dec. 21, 2017
Results of a recent study to see whether resting heart rate and heart rate reserve could be reliable predictors of metabolic syndrome in firefighters when VO2 max testing is not available.
Identifying community fire risk using geographic mapping
Posted: Dec. 14, 2017
Researchers using GIS software evaluated a local fire safety intervention program to see if the residents selected for the program were actually living in areas with the highest fire risk. Here’s what they found.
Using a risk management approach to reduce firefighter injuries
Posted: Nov. 28, 2017
This article highlights a recent study on the implementation of a risk management approach to mitigate firefighter injury risk.
After action reviews: The good, the bad, and why we should care
Posted: Nov. 16, 2017
Study findings on what makes for a good or bad after action review, what makes a review satisfying to attendees, and its impact on group safety norms.
38 million Kidde fire extinguishers recalled
Posted: Nov. 6, 2017
Kidde has announced a recall of almost 38 million fire extinguishers. They may not work during a fire emergency if they become clogged and require a lot of force to use.
New report offers insights for emergency responders on chlorine releases
Posted: Oct. 19, 2017
Information gained from the “Jack Rabbit Project’s” chlorine test releases will help emergency responders to meet the planning, tactical and operational challenges of a catastrophic Toxic Inhalation Hazard release.
PPE use and unsafe actions by firefighters
Posted: Sept. 28, 2017
What causes firefighters to take unsafe actions related to personal protective equipment (PPE) use — even though they know they should be doing the opposite? A team of researchers led by Drexel University’s Center for Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends recently set out to understand why this occurs and what the fire service can do to fix it.
Engaging homeowners in wildfire risk mitigation: Which approaches work best?
Posted: Sept. 14, 2017
Fire agencies use many methods of information dissemination, as well as regulatory approaches, to promote mitigation in the wildland urban interface on private property. This article presents research findings on which work the best.
Violence against EMS responders
Posted: Aug. 31, 2017
Findings from a research project that investigated injuries to paramedics and emergency medical technicians from patient-initiated violence.
Firefighter judgment errors while wearing PPE
Posted: Aug. 24, 2017
New research shows that firefighters make errors when judging their abilities to navigate obstacles while wearing PPE.
Do firefighter shift schedules affect sleep quality?
Posted: Aug. 17, 2017
Shift schedules that disrupt circadian rhythms contribute to poor sleep quality; the greater the disruption, the poorer the sleep quality.
Leadership influences on firefighter safety culture
Posted: July 20, 2017
Do different leadership styles impact fire service safety culture? This article explores the differences between transformational and passive leadership styles.
The effect of alerting and tones on firefighters’ heart rates
Posted: July 13, 2017
New research findings on firefighter stress as it relates to station-specific alerting and ramp-up tones.
