FSRI study expands search and rescue guidance for residential firefighting operations

by Featured NewsResearchSearch and Rescue
Image Credit: FSRI

Search and rescue report adds three tactics

UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) has announced a new technical report in its Study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-up and Search & Rescue Operations project, adding three tactical considerations to previous findings.

FSRI said the report is based on new full-scale residential fire experiments examining how crews should coordinate search, suppression and ventilation.

The new material adds Tactical Considerations 10, 11 and 12 to the original nine tactical considerations from earlier reports.

The report states that, where resources are sufficient, crews arriving at a fully developed fire with extension to the exterior should consider simultaneous exterior and interior suppression operations.

It states that a well-applied exterior stream can produce rapid interior improvement and that coordination with interior suppression can improve conditions for occupants and firefighters.

The report also says compartments remote from the fire area should be locally ventilated as soon as possible, with pre-suppression isolation of the compartment before ventilation.

It adds that rooms farther from the fire are often where victims are found and that conditions in those spaces can keep deteriorating after the fire is controlled if they are left unattended.

Search and rescue experiments informed updated guidance

Keith Stakes, principal research engineer, said: “The release of this report is the result of our continued collaboration with the fire service to deliver real, actionable insights that the fire service can take back to the fireground.

“We take seriously our commitment to answering the urgent questions facing the fire service every shift, knowing that improved understanding and insights leads to safer operations and improved outcomes for victims.”

FSRI said the new tactical considerations came from 10 experiments in purpose-built, fully furnished, single-story, single-family structures designed to represent today’s residential environment.

The homes used in the experiments included four bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open kitchen and living area, as well as an HVAC system used to study smoke and heat movement.

Researchers collected measurements for gas temperatures and gas concentrations, along with gas velocities, pressure and heat fluxes in every room at multiple heights.

The structure, fuel loading and instrumentation remained consistent across burns, with tactical actions such as the timing and location of search, suppression and ventilation varied between experiments.

FSRI said the new tactical considerations will later this year be added to an updated version of the Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Story, Single-Family Residential Structures online course on the Fire Safety Academy.

US researchers seek firefighters to participate in alcohol use study

by Americas - Projects

Researchers from the Centre for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) are looking for firefighters and their spouses or partners to participate in a study about firefighters and alcohol use.

With funding from a FEMA Research and Development grant, the researchers seek to review the spectrum of alcohol and the culture around it in the fire service as a first step to understanding how to raise awareness about the importance of moderating drinking to healthy levels.

The researchers would like to interview participants about their alcohol intake and drinking habits, regardless of how much they consume.

“It is well documented in research that there are high rates of alcohol use in the fire service both compared to the general population and other occupational groups,” explained Dr. Sara Jahnke, director of the Centre for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research.

There are a number of reasons the rates are likely so high, she said, some due to things like the role alcohol has played traditionally in the fire service, the camaraderie that is built around meeting up for a drink, and pragmatic reasons like shift work and having the same off days as the people on your crew.

“There is also evidence that behavioural health and alcohol use are intertwined, with higher rates of alcohol use leading to behavioural health concerns and vice versa,” Jahnke said. “There is clear evidence that alcohol is being used as a coping mechanism for some as a way to manage repeated exposure to trauma.”

Jahnke explained that while moderate alcohol use isn’t necessarily a negative health behaviour, there are health implications from binge drinking and regular heavy drinking, including increased risk of some cancers, sleep disruption and cardiovascular impacts.

Further, the study is also designed, Jahnke said, to develop tools for those who believe they may have a problem with drinking and/or feel like they are dependent on alcohol to identify the issue and find ways to address it. However, “The goal of the study is not to start a crusade to stop alcohol use in the fire service, but to help create a shift in the way it is viewed and consumed so it doesn’t contribute to negative health effects,” she added.

The IAFF, the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) all support this project.