About FSTAR

The Firefighter Safety Through Advanced Research (FSTAR) project is creating pathways to an overall safer work environment through applied research. We are using fire/emergency service related research to develop tools that fire departments can use in implementing the results of cutting edge research.

Using the latest information will give fire departments the ability to positively impact firefighter safety, fire prevention efforts and training programs.

FSTAR is funded by a Fire Prevention and Safety grant award from FEMA’S Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.

About the IAFC

FSTAR is managed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide; our members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety policy. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for fire and emergency service leaders to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.

The IAFC provides leadership to current and future career, volunteer, fire-rescue and EMS chiefs, chief fire officers, company officers and managers of emergency service organizations throughout the international community through vision, information, education, services and representation to enhance their professionalism and capabilities.

History

In January 2012, leading experts in fire service research and operations gathered for a “Changing Severity of Home Fires” workshop to review the latest research that would impact the fire/emergency service. The group mapped out a path for how to best use the studies to inform and train firefighters in the report Residential Fire Environment.

As a result, the IAFC was awarded a Fire Prevention and Safety grant award to produce the FSTAR project. In this stage, FSTAR focused on translating emerging science and research on modern fire dynamics into simple, web-based toolkits. Visit fstartraining.org for more information.

The IAFC also worked with the International Fire Research Center and Policy Institute (Institute) to develop the Researchers Creating Usable Emergency Solutions (RESCUES) project fireresearchpolicy.org/RESCUES. Concentrating on health and wellness research, RESCUES built relationships with researchers and scientists working on a wide variety of fire/emergency service research. RESCUES also looked at how best to translate the science; an evaluation conducted by George Mason University found that fire/emergency service members preferred, and learned more, from focused, short research-based fact sheets than from full research documents.

These projects have worked to bring the information and knowledge that have been learned through research to the forefront of the fire/emergency service.

Contact Us

For questions or to request more information about FSTAR, please contact us at fstar@iafc.org or 703-273-0911 (9am-5:00pm Eastern Time).

FSTAR Stakeholders

FSTAR and the IAFC would like to thank our stakeholders for their dedication and support of this effort: