More than 50 members of leading fire service organizations worked on a national research agenda for the fire service in early June.

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, in cooperation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Fire Administration, hosted the symposium in Emmitsburg, Md. with facilitators J. Gordon Routley and Dennis Compton.

The symposium was aimed at No. 7 of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives undertaken last year by the NFFF and the USFA to reduce firefighter fatalities by 50% in 10 years: “Create a national research agenda and data collection system that relate to the initiatives.”

Participants were from the National Institute of Science and Technology; the Department of Homeland Security's USFA Fire Research Center; Federal Lab Consortium; other federal agencies, universities and research organizations; fire service organizations; and fire departments.

Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson challenged the group to identify not just the right research applications, but ways that fire research can merge with other markets to make the transformation of technology faster and more efficient. Infrared technology and communications interoperability are two examples that have priorities in other markets, he said.

While a significant emphasis was placed on addressing safety and health concerns, the discussion ultimately encompassed a wide range of research programs, strategies and approaches involving operational effectiveness and efficiency, public safety and firefighter safety, and health and survival.

“A collective approach like this to develop a consensus research agenda that has goals and benchmarks has been needed for some time in the fire service,” said one symposium attendee. “It looks like progress is on the way.”

A report will be released soon that will detail national research agenda projects and potential ways to complete them.