Fire Protection Research Foundation projects receive funding

by Featured News

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the research affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), has received grant funding for four projects. This includes two funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grants (FEMA AFG) and two funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

In addition, FPRF will serve in an advisory service capacity for five additional grants, including three with FEMA AFG, one with the US Department of Transportation (DOT), and one through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The projects

Firefighting Foams: Implementation of Fire Service Roadmap – (FEMA AFG grant)

This two-year grant will build on the firefighting foams fire service roadmap developed by a prior AFG FOA FY19 project to establish comprehensive best practices, firefighting tactics, and recommendations for the fire service when using fluorine free foams (FFF). FPRF, in partnership with Jensen Hughes, DFW Dynamics, LASTFIRE and DSRAE, LLC., will provide updated information addressing the evolution of FFF technology and implementation considerations by summarizing the learnings from FFF transitional case studies, evaluating various real-world Class-B fire scenarios, and providing guidance required for training and updating standards. A key component of the project will be the engagement with fire service stakeholders in a planned project workshop.

Assessment of Electric Vehicle Firefighting Techniques, Technologies, and the Impact of Stranded Energy – (FEMA AFG grant)

This two-year research and development (R&D) grant works to improve safety for firefighters when responding to electric vehicle (EV) fires and incidents, establishing the effectiveness of current EV firefighting techniques; evaluating new technologies and practices; and determining the impact of suppression activities and risks associated with stranded energy and re-ignition.

The FPRF is partnering with the Energy Safety Response Group (ESRG), Fire & Risk Alliance, LLC (FRA), the Energy Security Agency (ESA) and NFPA to provide a performance evaluation of suppression tactics for EVs. This work will develop qualitative and quantitative test data to inform best practices, develop testing methodologies, and video training modules, which will be included in future releases of NFPA’s Alternative Fuel Vehicles Safety Training and inform industry standards.

Current State of Cigarette Fires in the US: Data Analysis and Workshop – (NIST grant)

FPRF and NFPA will work on this one-year research grant to gather relevant information and data on cigarette fires. Between 2015 and 2019, smoking materials continued to serve as the leading cause of US home fire deaths. The deliverables from this effort will be used as the basis for initiatives that further reduce the number of cigarette fires and the toll they incur on people and property.

WUI-NITY 4: An industry-ready WUI fire evacuation model project  – (NIST grant)

WUI-NITY is an integrated software platform that works to enhance life safety in case of wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires by simulating WUI evacuation scenarios, linking three domains: fire spread, pedestrian decisions and movement, and traffic movement. The WUI-NITY tool has been developed over several previously NIST-funded projects facilitated by the FPRF in partnership with a research team from Lund University, Imperial College London, NRC Canada, Movement Strategies/GHD, and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

This fourth phase focuses on producing a tested, calibrated, and configurable model that can be used by stakeholders to assess wildfire evacuation performance in real-world situations. The overall goal of the project is to move this tool from research to practice, and to provide support for the use and integration of this (and equivalent) tools. 

Additional projects

A three-year FEMA AFG R&D grant led by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) titled, “Firefighting fire toxicity: improving safety and health via novel optical sensors.”

A three-year FEMA AFG R&D grant led by Rutgers University titled, “Engaging volunteer firefighters in cancer prevention.”

A two-year FEMA AFG FP&S grant led by Skidmore College titled, –“Firefighter Research and Education for Safety and Health (FRESH).”

A two-year DOT grant led by Texas A&M University titled, “Determination of potential impact radius of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines.”

A NASA funded grant led by ImageCat titled, “Community Wildfire Vulnerability Index for Risk Assessment and Response Planning using Earth Observation (EO) Data and Modeling.”

Cal Fire reveals Green Schoolyard grant guidelines

by Featured News

The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (Cal Fire) Urban and Community Forestry Program has announced US $117 million will be available for Green Schoolyard grants in 2023.

Parties eligible for the grant include local government or education agencies, special districts (including school and park districts), and non-profit organisations.

Up to $117 million will be available for Green Schoolyards projects including at least $30 million for grants to eligible childcare facilities receiving government funding.

There will be two grant available: Implementation Grants of between $1,000,000 and $30,000,000 per applicant including $2,000,000 max per school campus included in the project; and Planning Grants of between $75,000 and $1,500,000 per application including $100,000 max per school campus included in the project.

The Green Schoolyard grant guidelines are now open for public comment through until 13 January 2023. The public comment period is to solicit feedback and constructive comments that will help the Urban and Community Forestry Program improve its grant making efforts. The preliminary proposal deadline is February 17, 2023 at 3:00 PM PDT.

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District awarded $1.7 million for wildfire defence

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

 US Senator Cortez Masto announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District $1,771,818.18 in Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program funding to support its operations and combat wildfire risk.

This funding will enable the department to obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other necessary resources.

Senator Masto said: “I’ve always worked to protect the Lake Tahoe Basin and this grant funding will give the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District the resources it needs to reduce the risk of wildfires and keep our lake communities safe.”

Senator Masto has routinely worked to invest in wildfire prevention and support for those affected by fires. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, she helped secure over $3.4 billion for wildfire prevention, suppression, and restoration activities, and a provision she authored to provide $10 million for wildfire detection equipment, like Lake Tahoe’s successful ALERTWildfire camera network.

Last year, she introduced the Western Wildfire Support Act, which would allow communities across Nevada and the Western U.S. to invest in training, equipment, and funding to combat wild and rangeland fires.

Senator Masto has also hosted regular conversations to help coordinate wildfire response, including a first-of-its kind wildfire summit in 2019 to allow firefighters, ranchers, conservationists, scientists, power companies, and representatives of government agencies to find new ways to coordinate and collaborate.

Belmar Volunteer Fire Department to receive Assistance to Firefighters Grant

by Featured News

The Belmar Fire Department is to receive a federal grant totalling $223,571.42 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program.

The AFG grant program supports fire departments with funds to help purchase needed equipment that would improve an applicant’s ability to protect the health and safety of the public. The grant will be administered by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Belmar Fire Department is an all-volunteer department which delivers primary fire protection and rescue services to Belmar’s 7,600 permanent residents—a figure that can grow to over 50,000 seasonal residents over the summer.  It has approximately 40 members who make up the Union Fire Company, Goodwill Hose Company and Volunteer Hook and Ladder Fire Company.

Congressman Chris Smith announced the award and said: “The volunteer firefighters of the Belmar Fire Department put their lives on the line every day to protect people and property in the borough and  in neighbouring towns when fires and other emergencies arise.”

Smith continued: “The self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to be purchased with these funds is absolutely critical to enabling firefighters to enter burning buildings and still be able to breathe.  With the federal support, the town can properly protect its fire crews and continue providing quick and effective emergency response services to those in harm’s way.”

He concluded:  “A special thanks to Mayor Mark Walsifer and Fire Marshal Ryan Dullea for their great work on the application, including a risk assessment, to show the need to prioritize this life-sustaining SCBA.”