Research – MVD IAFC

Will Hazmat Teams be Affected by EPA ‘Forever Chemical’ Rule Changes?

Leave a Comment / Hazmat, Health & Safety, Research / By Ellis Ellis

In late August, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a preliminary document, which indicated the agency wants to classify “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances. These perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are part of EPA’s overall effort to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — known as PFAS. EPA says PFOAs and PFOSs are two of the …

Will Hazmat Teams be Affected by EPA ‘Forever Chemical’ Rule Changes? Read More »

The Benefits and Importance of Diversity in the Fire Service

Leave a Comment / CRR, EMS, Fire Prevention, Health & Safety, Leadership & Personnel, Research, Wildland / By Ellis Ellis

Demographically speaking, our nation’s fire departments are not diverse. Consider the following workforce statistics from 2019 reported by Data USA: 95.8% of firefighters were male. 79.9% of firefighters were white and non-Hispanic. Many communities have started improving their efforts to recruit a more diverse workforce. For these programs to succeed, it’s important to recognize two …

The Benefits and Importance of Diversity in the Fire Service Read More »

Worried about retention? Invest in the fire family

Leave a Comment / CRR, EMS, Health & Safety, Leadership & Personnel, Research / By Ellis Ellis

If there’s one thing Dr. Rachelle Zemlok wanted fire service leaders to take away from her keynote speech during FRI 2022, it was this: Firefighter mental health and retention starts at home. Dr. Zemlok, a clinical psychologist and director of wellness at Lexipol, works with firefighter spouses to provide mental health support for the issues …

Worried about retention? Invest in the fire family Read More »

Firefighters’ Gear May Increase Cancer Risk, New Studies Show

Leave a Comment / CRR, Health & Safety, Research / By Ellis Ellis

The turnout gear that every firefighter wears to protect themselves while operating at an incident may very well be loaded with carcinogens. Following results from a recent study, the IAFF and Metro Chiefs issued a joint statement this week warning firefighters about the dangers. All three layers of the protective clothing contain Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances …

Firefighters’ Gear May Increase Cancer Risk, New Studies Show Read More »

Podcast: The First Responder Group Doesn’t Just Do Widgets

Leave a Comment / Communications & Technology, Research / By Ellis Ellis

Paul relives his journey from leading fellow responders as assistant chief of the Seattle Police Department to his arrival at S&T, where he now guides research priorities like pinpointing firefighter location to within one centimeter and helping those battling wildfires breathe easier. In this episode, you’ll hear Paul address some of the current challenges those …

Podcast: The First Responder Group Doesn’t Just Do Widgets Read More »

FSRI Releases Near-Miss Report from GA Incident

Leave a Comment / CRR, Health & Safety, Leadership & Personnel, Research / By Ellis Ellis

UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) released a report detailing an incident where four career firefighters including two lieutenants from LaGrange, GA, suffered burn injuries while fighting a residential structure fire. FSRI identified six factors that contributed to the ultimate outcome of this incident.

Maday By the Numbers

Leave a Comment / CRR, Health & Safety, Leadership & Personnel, Research / By Ellis Ellis

Thanks to www.FirefighterCloseCalls.Com Contributor Fire Chief Rudy Horist for these 5 pages of information from ProjectMayDay.net that can be shared with your members! Great info for the fire service!

IAFC urges leaders to be ‘active advocates’ for diversity, equity, and inclusion

Leave a Comment / Leadership & Personnel, Research / By Ellis Ellis

The IAFC’s released a report on U.S. volunteer and combination departments’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts to help improve their recruitment and retention efforts, particularly as they relate to groups that traditionally have been underrepresented in the fire-rescue service.

Getting Better Patient Care Reports With Structured Questions

Leave a Comment / EMS, Research / By Ellis Ellis

Mnemonic devices, such as SOAP, CHART, DISPATCH, or CHARTD are commonly used to structure PCRs. Yet, recent research has shown the value of going beyond mnemonics when teaching report writing because mnemonics can oversimplify complex tasks and situations, especially writing. These results suggest a structured, question-based narrative prompt yields longer, richer narratives than narratives written without …

Getting Better Patient Care Reports With Structured Questions Read More »

Report released for the prescribed fire that led to the Hermits Peak Fire

Leave a Comment / Communications & Technology, CRR, Fire Prevention, Health & Safety, Research / By Ellis Ellis

An 80-page report concluded that the management of the prescribed fire that escaped and became the largest wildfire in the recorded history of New Mexico, generally followed the approved prescribed fire plan for most but not all of the parameters. The people on the ground felt they were close to or within the prescription limits but …

Report released for the prescribed fire that led to the Hermits Peak Fire Read More »