Your Feedback, New Featured Studies

We’re listening to your feedback! FSTAR is working with independent evaluators to look at how we translate research into practice for the fire service.

Please take a moment to complete this survey to help us understand what fire-behavior and firefighter-health research you’ve been exposed to recently and what you think about the programs and to share your ideas on how to improve programming and educational materials. Your answers will help to shape future work and will provide insights into program improvement.

Answers go directly to a third-party evaluation team for analysis. If you have any questions, email Carlos Poston.

Throughout March and April, you’ll see a new and improved FSTAResearch.org. We’re updating our homepage and improving our search to answer your requests.

Featured Studies

Featured Studies translate research studies into information and tools you can use. Available now:

• Study of Residential Attic Fire Mitigation Tactics and Exterior Fire Spread Hazards on Fire Fighter Safety
• Effect of Positive Pressure Ventilation on a Room Fire
• Health Concerns of the U.S. Fire Service: Perspectives from the Firehouse
• Sudden Cardiac Death Among Firefighters ≤45 Years of Age in the United States
• Core Strength: A New Model for Injury Prediction and Prevention

Visit our complete collection. Stay tuned for more!

FSTAR Health

FSTAR has kicked off the development of A Healthcare Provider’s Guide to Firefighter Physicals. Hosted by Safety, Health and Survival Section board member and division Chief Todd LeDuc, a team of fire service researchers, physicians and experts met to begin building the guide. The team brings together both practical experience in conducting firefighter physicals and in applying science-based research to firefighter health. The guide will raise awareness within the healthcare community of the unique health risks confronting firefighters. Stay tuned as we continue to focus FSTAR on health and wellness.

Research Agenda Symposium

In December, FSTAR was pleased to take part in the 3rd Fire Service Research Agenda Symposium, hosted by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation with the support of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Earlier this month, the report detailing the meeting outcomes was published (PDF).

As with previous symposiums, this research agenda is used by researchers to study the questions deemed most critical by the fire service. We highly encourage you to review the report in its entirety. A few takeaways from this report:

• Previous editions organized recommendations by topic while this report focuses on three project areas: data collection and data analysis, program analysis and evaluation, and research to practice. High, medium and low priorities are placed on each of the recommendations.
• The report clearly identifies the many research needs that cross multiple areas within the fire service.
• The research needs of wildland and wildland-urban interface communities have been added.

Upcoming Events

March 8-10: FSTAR booth (#209) at the Wildland-Urban Interface Conference