The risks we face as firefighters are constantly evolving as we respond to fires that progress more rapidly and produce more toxic smoke than ever before. In addition to the hazards from rapid fire progression, building collapse and PPE limitations, there are other insidious threats that we face that may not be as evident while implementation tactics or even developing policies. Cancer is a primary chronic health concern associated with firefighting. Sudden cardiac events are the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the Fire Service and a primary acute health concern. In an on-going series of projects between IFSI Research, UL FSRI and NIOSH, we have developed a deeper understanding of the exposure risks associated with firefighting activities. This presentation will review the critical results from those efforts with a focus on the impact of fireground decisions on firefighters operating in different roles.

This class provides an opportunity for the UL Firefighting Safety Research Institute (FSRI), along with four of the technical panel members who served on both the suppression study and the coordinated fire attack study, to present the highlights and fireground applications of the research. This research, conducted over the past 10 years, was focused primarily on ventilation and suppression, independent from one another, at fires in single-family dwellings. With a solid understanding of horizontal, vertical, and positive-pressure ventilation alongside both interior and exterior water application, the time has come to put the pieces together: How do we define coordination on the fireground? What makes for an effective fire attack? The current UL FSRI study into coordinating ventilation and suppression on the fireground is nearing its completion. The science from the lab was taken to the streets as experiments were conducted in acquired single-family dwellings, garden-style apartments, and a commercial strip mall. This study, much like all of our other studies, is guided by a technical panel of firefighters from across the country.

This class focuses on the impact of the fuel type used during training evolutions. Discussion includes the differences in risks for students and fire instructors in the context of high-fidelity training that can appropriately prepare firefighters for today’s fireground; a description of these risks; and the scientific basis for recommendations to balance these risks through training, fuel selection, and postfire exposure reduction measures that can be implemented at relatively low cost and impact.

What are the effects of search and suppression tactics on occupant tenability? Discussion centers on the results of 12 experiments conducted using a full-size residential structure to assess the impacts on trapped occupants when using an interior attack (applying water from the interior while a search team looked for simulated trapped occupants) and applying water from the exterior before transitioning to the interior while a search team looked for simulated trapped occupants. Six groups of firefighters, recruited from fire departments throughout the country, participated in two experiments each. Gas concentration and temperature measurements were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of firefighter tactics in limiting the exposure to potentially trapped occupants. This class highlights the effect of water relative to reducing temperature, occupant removal time, and occupant location within the structure. Coordination of suppression and ventilation tactics is emphasized.