Five fire service executives will receive the National Fire Academy's 2006 Annual Outstanding Research Awards. This award recognizes Executive Fire Officer Program students for their research projects. The award-winning projects will be presented April 13–15 at the 19th Executive Fire Officer Symposium at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Md.

"These research projects are so important to our work as they help address issues that make a firefighter’s job safer and contribute to the quality of life for all communities," said U.S. Fire Administration Acting Administrator Charlie Dickinson. "Within our Executive Fire Officer Program, USFA remains committed to the belief that applied research is the basis for defining and ultimately resolving the complex problems that confront the fire service. The papers are examples of how research can save lives and make our organizations more efficient."

The Executive Fire Officer Program is designed to provide senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various and challenging facets of fire administration. Over a four-year period, the officers continue their professional development in four courses at the NFA, which are recommended for either graduate-level or upper-division baccalaureate credit equivalency by the American Council on Education. Participants in the program are required to complete an applied research project in their organization six months after the completion of each of the four course areas.

The 2006 Outstanding Research Award recipients are:

Leading Community Risk Reduction Course Awardee
"Safety Culture Within the Anne Arundel County Fire Department" by Allen S. Williams, Instructional Designer, University of Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, College Park, Md.

Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Course Awardee
"High Reliability Organization Theory and the San Bernardino City (Calif.) Fire Department" by Div. Chief. J. Matthew Fratus, San Bernardino City (Calif.) Fire Department

Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Course Awardee
"Incident Activity Information Reporting for Cost Recovery" by Asst. Chief Deborah A. Prouty, Los Angeles County (Calif.) Fire Department

Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Course Awardee
"After Dark: Assessing Hydration and Glucose Levels During Late Night Operations" by Capt. A. Lynn Schofield, City of Provo (Utah) Fire/Rescue Department

Executive Leadership Course Awardee
"Evaluating Instructional Efficiency in a National Response Plan Training Course" by Div. Chief Kevin Milan, City of Golden (Colo.) Fire Department

The five projects are available for download at the USFA Web site.