Fire Protection Research Foundation receives grants to study PPE cleaning, responder training, WUI evacuation, and household alarms challenges

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the research affiliate of NFPA, released details on their newest direct grant efforts and advisory projects – thanks to funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grants (FEMA AFG), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Science Foundation (NSF). The new projects on the Foundation’s radar include:

• FEMA AFG – This three-year research and development (R&D) grant for Improved PPE Cleaning Best Practices/Exposure Assessment will allow the FPRF to build on two prior Department of Homeland Security (DHS projects AFG FOA FY14: “How Clean is Clean” and AFG FOA FY17: “Broadening PPE Cleaning Validation Applications”) so that best practices for personal protective equipment (PPE) cleaning and exposure assessment methods can be established and communicated.
• FEMA AFG – This two-year Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) grant for Application of Immersive Learning on Firefighter Skills, Health, and Safety during Training calls for the Foundation to work with the North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD) and  identify, assess, and summarize the available and emerging technological tools, techniques, and innovations that support the application of immersive learning for the fire service.
• NIST Fire Grant – This one-year grant for WUI-NITY 3: Multi-Method Traffic Movement Data Collection for WUI Fire Evacuation Modeling aims to enhance life safety in case of wildland-urban interface fires. The study will allow for enhanced evacuation planning by providing data for a comprehensive evacuation platform that addresses the safety needs of residents
• NIST Fire Grant – This one-year effort entails a Survey on Usage and Functionality of Smoke Alarms and CO Alarms in Households – Phase 2 (Note: This project is being led by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the FPRF is providing additional funding to conduct more surveys so that a statistically relevant sample can be achieved.

The FPRF will also serve in an advisory service capacity with principal investigators for several other confirmed grants:

• A three-year FEMA AFG R&D grant led by University of Massachusetts Lowell on Assessing Firefighters’ Exposures to Thermal Decomposition Products of AFFF Replacement Alternatives
• A three-year FEMA AFG R&D grant led by North Carolina State University on Development of Contamination Resistance as a Measure for Firefighter Protective Clothing and Its Impact on Other Performance Properties
• FEMA AFG grant led by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) on Fire as a Weapon Integrated Response: Research-Based Training for Fire and Law Enforcement Personnel
• FEMA AFG grant led by the University of Texas at Austin on Improving Firefighter Safety on Firegrounds Involving Li-Ion Batteries
• NSF grant led by University of California, Irvine on CareDEX: Enabling Disaster Resilience in Aging Communities via Secure Data Exchange.

Find out more about current Research Foundation projects, or to access recent research reports.