What do Dawn Smith, J. Curtis Varone, Thomas French and Robert B. Laughlin have in common, and why should you care?

Answer: They're all winners. Laughlin received a Nobel Prize for Physics, French was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, and Smith and Varone received Outstanding Research Awards for their Applied Research Projects completed as part of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program.

You might not be interested in physics or journalism, but as a fire chief you should be reading papers titled "Correlation of a Physical Fitness Evaluation Test to a Selection of Firefighting Tasks" or "Fireground Radio Communications and Firefighter Safety," because either or both might affect you and/or your organization.

What's the impact of receiving an ora on these individuals and their departments? That's the question I tried to answer in my own arp, on which this article is based.

A history of excellence The National Fire Academy describes the purpose of the efop arp ora as follows: "The Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Olympic Gold Medal are recognized worldwide as symbols of human excellence. These awards are bestowed on individuals in recognition of achievements that have made significant contributions to society....

"A significant measure of the professionalism of any occupation is the quality and quantity of the research the discipline is based on. The Outstanding Research Award helps the nfa achieve its mission of increasing the fire service's professionalism."

Since 1989, over 4,000 efop arps have been written, all of which are archived in the National Emergency Training Center's Learning Resource Center, in Emmitsburg, Md. The research papers are graded on a 0 to 4 scale. A 4.0 equals a letter grade of "a." The evaluators are nfa adjunct faculty who have extensive fire service and academic backgrounds.

Over the past 10 years, 415 arps, from 42 states plus Australia and Canada, have been graded 4.0. These papers are listed in the efop arp Selected Bibliography, which is available on the usfa's Web site . The 10 states claiming the most 4.0 research papers are: California (52), Florida (41), Texas (36), Washington (21), Colorado (20), Ohio (20), Maryland (15), Virginia (15), Arizona (11) and Illinois (11).

The nfa faculty selects the ora winners from the "a" papers written in a given calendar year. In the past 10 years, only 42 arps have received the award. (See sidebars.) In other words, only about one in 10 arps receives a 4.0, and only about one in 10 of those is selected for the Outstanding Research Award. Thirty-two efop students from around the country have been honored for their contributions to fire service professionalism through their research. Six of these researchers have received the award twice or more.

Winning papers are published annually by the usfa; they're also available on the usfa Web site. A display honoring the award recipients was created in the academy's classroom building, with the winners' pictures, organizations and research titles. The winners are also invited to present their papers at the efop Graduate Symposium, held annually at the nfa, where they receive their award certificates. In addition, in 1990, the Society of Executive Fire Officers began presenting a cash prize to the award recipients.

The research approach To gather the information on the impact of receiving an nfa ora, I sent a letter to each of the 25 winners from 1989-95. In the letter I asked them to identify the personal, professional and organizational impact of receiving the award. Twenty-four winners wrote back.

The letters were considered the raw data, which I reviewed using a process called thematic analysis to identify themes or pattems in the data. Once the patterns in each letter were identified, all the letters were combined to identify the themes being reported for each impact type (personal, professional and organizational).

The next step was to classify each theme by one of three outcome classifications: material consequences, social reaction and self-reaction. Each theme was also classified as being positive or negative. The operational definitions used for these concepts were:

Material consequences: anything that can be associated with money, job, time, work, good will, a tangible item, written articles, award and reward.

Social reaction: principally associated with others' feelings, beliefs, values and judgments.

Self-reaction: principally associated with one's own feelings, beliefs, values and judgments.

The final step was to group the principal themes together and call the result the impacts. A major limitation to the study is the fact that I was the only one to review, identify and classify the data, themes and impacts. It must be kept in mind that the process is subjective, based on my knowledge, beliefs, values and judgment.

The results, please ... The results included 158 themes, the majority of which were classified as being positive, although 21 were negative. The majority of the negative themes came under the organizational impact type, such as: news reporting being hit and miss, research not used to benefit citizens, increased union/labor tension, and research never recognized. The overwhelming majority of the themes, however, were positive.

The type of impact most frequently reported by the efo laureates (eight instances) was personal. The top personal impact for self-reaction was self-confidence; for social reaction, pride; and for material consequence, professionalism.

Six impacts were identified under the professional impact type. The top impact for self-reaction was professionalism; for social reaction, recognition; and for material consequence, opportunity. Three impacts were identified under the organizational impact type. There was no self-reaction impact identified. Pride was the social reaction and reputation was the top material consequence. The outcome classification with the most impacts was material consequence (eight instances). Self-reaction was second with five, and social reaction was third with four. (See table below).

To get a sense of what the winners wrote, I identified quotes that captured the essence of the impacts. The laureates' own words explain the impact of receiving an nfa ora.

Personal impact Self-reaction The sense of self-confidence that efop laureates feel can be very specific, as with Richard Arwood, who said the award gave him a "new dose of self-confidence regarding my writing skills." Or the award can provide a whole new experience because it was the "first time in my life that I have been individually and publicly recognized for academic excellence" (Randy Reiswig). Finally, Tom Alexander, who keeps the certificates on his wall, said, "looking at them has a way of renewing my confidence."

Pride was reported by many laureates. An anonymous laureate said he felt "a great sense of professional pride." Tom Alexander explained his pride: "Twice in my life I did something that was judged to be better than anyone else who tried. Regardless of who else knows, or cares, I know. I will carry it with me forever."

David Harlow called the ora a "great honor," and "The greatest honor I have received during my 24 years in the fire service," is how Tom Wood described it. Dawn Smith was "honored to have my comments held in such esteem."

Making the phone call informing recipients they've received the award is one of my greatest pleasures and a total surprise to recipients. Dawn Smith said, "My heart jumped, I felt flushed, and a bit shaky ... the wow effect." When she received a second award, her response was "disbelief. You're kidding, right? Again!?"

Some recipients reported negative impacts. Keith Brown indicated he was "frightened that I would not be able to meet others' future expectations." Bill Sager said it was a "downer to realize that it wouldn't change the world." Dawn Smith reported insecurity, "was it [the research] really good enough for such recognition" and anxiety, "I had to present this thing?!?"

Social reaction Pride is the impact most reported by laureates. Family, friends and associates all share in the award. Mike Kuypers wrote, "My wife was also very proud of this accomplishment." David Harlow said, "My parents probably received the biggest impact from my receiving the award. They were so proud to be able to come up to the nfa to see the facility and go to the dinner."

The social group also gives laureates positive reinforcement by sharing the joy, happiness and recognition. Kerry Koen said the award was "recognition of team work at home." Bernard Dyer said, "My wife was very happy to hear that I had received the Outstanding Research Award. Besides being very supportive in my career she knew that I had put a lot of effort into developing a quality research report and she was pleased that I was recognized for that work."

John Hawkins also talks about family: "My family, two sons of which are also firefighters, were elated and constantly commended me for the recognition." Finally, Ed Hayman brings the impact back to the nfa: "It is the sense of respect from other efo participants that made receipt of the award even more gratifying."

Material consequence The themes related to the personal impact/material consequences of receiving an Outstanding Research Award are professionalism and symbolism.

Professionalism is hard to define. Tom Wood summed up one important aspect when he said, "I am also proud to record the awards on my resume." Bernard Dyer said it "helped enhance my professional reputation within my department." For Curt Grieve, it meant money in his pocket: "[I]t has assisted me numerous times in being selected over other fire service consultants in today's competitive world." The award "confirmed I am doing high caliber and worthwhile work" (Bernie Williams).

The anonymous winner's statement captures the value of outstanding research: "The thought that others may use the research to benefit the safety and welfare of the people they serve was very rewarding." Lastly, many laureates also receive additional awards from their departments, local and state governments, and professional organizations.

Symbols are important; they stand as constant reminders of what's important. The efop Outstanding Research Award photo display in J Building has come to symbolize fire service excellence. Richard Arwood sums it up, "The photo on the wall is one of the greatest rewards to me."

Professional impact Self-reaction Again, the laureates express professionalism in different ways. Bill Sager said that after reading his paper, people "would contact me and validate the conclusions that I had developed." Tom Alexander describes it this way: "I believe [the awards] actually made me more professional ... to be credible, I had to do my job in a manner befitting a national award winner." According to Mike Kuyper, there's "increased prestige both within and outside the organization that comes with the award." "A national award adds to one's professional credentials" (Kerry Koen).

Social reaction Outstanding Research Award laureates receive recognition from other groups in many forms. Curt Grieve wrote, "Receiving the award not only brought a very visible amount of pride to the Board of Directors that I worked for but had the seeming effect of them displaying a greater ... confidence in my ability."

The award brings attention to the research. Curt Varone: "[S]everal high-ranking city officials have read both of my papers and have complimented me on them. Had the papers not received the awards, I doubt anyone (whether from the department or the city administration) would have read them."

The recognition's value depends on how the laureate views the group. Ed Hayman: "... the recognition and sincere congratulation of my fire service friends throughout the country and state had the greatest impact. These are people I respect."

On the downside, it's disappointing when others don't care about your work. Richard Jioras: "[T]he award and the subject of the report passed unnoticed in our department.... There was little departmental or community recognition or impact as no one knew nor seemed to care that I received the award." And the Outstanding Research Award doesn't escape the green-eyed monster. Richard Arwood reported that "[Some of my peers make] teasing remarks indicative of the fact that they are envious of my honor."

Material consequence For Greg Gentleman, there were two opportunities: "an immediate increase in visibility within the fire service ... and an increased recognition that a 'civilian' can actually have a positive impact...." For Bill Sager, the award "opened an opportunity to participate in course development at nfa and eventually to be an adjunct instructor."

Finally, Leslie Bunte credits the award with his admission to graduate school: "For three years prior to the award I sought admission to graduate level studies at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. Each year I was rejected for admission and was seriously on the verge of not re-submitting an application. However, on my next application after winning the [award], I was immediately selected for admission.... I probably would not ever have had the opportunity to obtain a Master of Public Affairs degree from this prestigious graduate school had I not received the Outstanding Research Award...."

Tangible recognition by others brings credibility to the efo Program and its laureates. Tom Wood, the Florida Fire Marshal's Association's Fire Marshal of 1996, said, "I am certain that my 'Outstanding Research Award' had some influence in being chosen." Steve Dalbey said, "During the two weeks prior to the [efo] Symposium and awards banquet, I was at the Academy for my third efo course. During that time I was 'summoned' to Senator Grassley's office to be congratulated...."

The research and the award can also spark recognition from the private sector. Julius Halas: "The city of Sarasota and our Public Safety False Alarm Task Force won subsequent recognition for the project, as presented by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and ... Operation Life Safety. Later, I was ... honored by the National Automatic Fire Alarm Association as the 1993 Man of the Year for my contributions to false alarm reduction research."

Finally, Kerry Koen sums up community recognition: "It is a fairly basic ... phenomenon: Almost every community likes to feel that its fire-rescue department is the 'best'.... National awards and other recognition give the community something tangible to point to to affirm these feelings."

Outstanding Research Award laureates receive professional status, which lasts over time. Seven years after receiving the award, Greg Gentleman still receives requests for his research. "It seemed to greatly increase my credibility, even on non-related issues. It gave me a host of additional contacts around the country and world from which to draw ideas and opinions in a wide variety of fire service issues."

Keith Brown believes the award helped secure his career position. "All three of my [job] interviewers were efop graduates and may have viewed my research award as being indicative of traits and capabilities equivalent to the educational qualification they were seeking...."

There is a connection between professionalism and publication. Craig Kampmier had his research published three times: in the nfpa newsletter, a biomedical newspaper and the juried Journal of Applied Fire Science.

Do the research and award help foster change? They did in Sarasota, Fla., said Julius Halas: "[M]y research project evolved into the adoption and implementation of a comprehensive false alarm ordinance within the city of Sarasota." Tom Wood said, "The accolades are wonderful; however, a deeper satisfaction comes from seeing ... my research accepted and implemented.... My department had sprinkler heads installed in all our fire station kitchens."

There can be a downside to successful research and high-profile recognition, as Curtis Varone learned: "One effect of receiving the award was to derail one of the City's options for downsizing the Fire Department. [M]y research [found] that staffing with four firefighters per apparatus significantly reduced the number and severity of injuries in Providence compared with three person staffing. As a result of the notoriety given to the research by virtue of the award, the City of Providence was not in a position to advocate reducing staffing back to the three members as a means to save money. In this regard, it is conceivable (and some have made a point of telling me) that my chances for promotion may have been damaged...."

Organizational impact Self-reaction There was no identified theme among the laureates related to their self-reaction to the organizational impact. Social reaction

Curtis Grieve believes that the community expressed "their pride in the department ... and department members were excited about the award...." Bernie Williams said, "My chief was very impressed by the fact I received the award, and he forwarded copies of my paper to the city manager and the mayor." John Koehler asked his chief what he thought the award meant. "His remarks were that it has set a standard for other participants from our agency to meet or exceed...."

The negative impacts are lack of recognition and jealousy (Kuyper, Harlow). For Curtis Varone, "the result of the research and subsequent awards has been to put me somewhat at odds with the firefighter union."

Material consequence Outstanding Research Awards enhance the reputation of the laureate's organization. Dawn Smith said, "Local officials are aware of the awards and have at times mentioned them in public meetings in reference to the quality and progressiveness of the department...." This is true also for Bernie Williams: "The award helped [the department] to publicly gain ... credibility, and had some influence over council members in persuading them that the department was in fact being professionally managed and that a full audit review was not needed."

Tom Wood said, "... my award and the many other honors bestowed on Boca Raton Fire Rescue Service confirm for the citizens of the community that they are getting the highest quality public service." Kerry Koen noted, "[E]very achievement helps focus on the quality of life in a particular community, and these achievements may ... influence a corporation or individual to invest or reinvest in a community."

The award can serve as a good defense. Curtis Varone writes, "I doubt my research would have even been given any consideration whatsoever by politicians and the media (who had been merciless in their attacks upon the department). Since I received the second award, the public attacks on the department by politicians and the media have ceased."

Laureates report the direct implementation of their research. Bernard Dyer said, "[In] my target audience, the volunteer system in the counties surrounding Philadelphia, two communities decided to develop and implement written ics guidelines for the volunteer fire companies. They asked me to help them implement a workable model and I also provided some training sessions."

In Providence, R.I., the "results of my research make it unlikely that the city, or even an arbitrator, would agree to reduce staffing back to three members per apparatus" (Curtis Varone).

According to Julius Halas, the City of Sarasota (Fla.) Fire Department had a 30% reduction in false alarms the first year after the False Alarm Ordinance was implemented and 10-15% per year decreases thereafter. The ordinance is being extended to the entire county, an additional 300 square miles.

The two most negative material consequences to the research and the award are no use and misuse. Dave Harlow wrote, "[T]he organizational culture study was used by the union in their ongoing fight against the fire chief. Based upon information found in the study, and things taken out of context, they held a unanimous vote of no confidence against the chief. They had no regrets in naming the source of their information as being from my research report."

Discussion and suggestions "The Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Olympic Gold Medal are recognized worldwide as symbols of human excellence." The efop ora hasn't reached that level of recognition and presumably never will, but it is becoming recognized in the fire service as a symbol of outstanding contributions to our communities and our discipline.

efop students and their Applied Research Projects are contributing to the quality of life in their hometowns and organizations. You may not know a Nobel, Pulitzer or Olympic winner, but there's probably an efop student, graduate or laureate near you. Traditionally, the fire service has recognized heroic acts, fallen firefighters and the busiest companies. The nfa efop ora gives us an opportunity to spotlight accomplishments that we can all strive for and benefit from.

As fire chief, you probably don't need to keep up on the latest Nobel or Pulitzer winners, but you do need to review the work of nfa ora winners or, at the very least, the abstracts of their work. (The abstracts of all efop papers are available through the usfa Web site at .)

The study's most disappointing finding was the lack of impact at the organizational level. If we as a discipline don't support, encourage and recognize research and those who do it, we won't obtain the professional status we strive for. So, at your next county chiefs meeting, invite an efop student to present his or her research paper. At the state conference, recognize efop graduates and have an ora candidate or winner present his of her paper.

Finally, an important function of leadership is to inspire others to achieve new heights of excellence. What do you present to your community and department as examples of fire service excellence? I can't wait to see fire department t-shirts with the slogan "We're #1 in nfa Outstanding Research Awards." What an impact that would be!

1989 Thomas Alexander, Kettering (Ohio) Fire Department: "Development of an Objective Selection Process for Volunteer Company Officer"

Bernard Dyer, Philadelphia Fire Department: "The Incident Command System and the Volunteer Fire Service"

Greg Gentleman, Orlando (Fla.) Fire Department: "The Legal and Cultural Implications of Developing Fire Department Policy Involving Pregnant Firefighters"

John Hawkins, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Oroville, Calif.: "Using Volunteers in Prevention: A Unique Approach by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection"

Richard J. Jioras, Los Angeles City Fire Department: "Justification for Drug Standards for Entrance Level Firefighters"

Kerry B. Koen, Delray Beach (Fla.) Fire Department: "Planning a Successful Municipal Bond Issue for Fire Protection and Other Purposes: An Example of Community Leadership"

1990 Robert C. Andres, Refinery Terminal Fire Company, Corpus Christi, Texas: "A Study to Determine the Feasibility for Utilizing the Incident Command System as Adopted by the National Fire Academy for the Command and Control of Resources at Emergency Incidents at Refining and Petrochemical Facilities in Corpus Christi, Texas"

Charles A. Parks, Anne Arundel County (Md.) Fire Department: "Smoke Detector Compliance in Single Family Dwellings"

1991 Richard B. Arwood, M.P.A., Memphis (Tenn.) Fire Department: "Selection and Utilization of Diagnostic Leadership Instrumentation to Assist in Stimulating Positive Organizational Change"

Curt T. Grieve, Florin (Calif.) Fire Protection District: "Physical Fitness for the Fire Service: Do We Care About the Subject?"

Julius E. Halas, Sarasota (Fla.) Department of Fire-Rescue: "A Comprehensive Approach to Solving the False Alarm Problem"

John T. Koehler, Florida Division of Forestry, Orlando, Fla.: "The Use of Prescribed Burning as a Wildfire Prevention Tool"

William Sager, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Oroville, Calif.: "Examining a Commitment to Fire Prevention: A Study of the Correlation Between Fire Prevention Attitudes and Training and Orientation in Prevention"

Dawn M. Smith, Pike Township (Ind.) Fire Department: "Support of Disaster Operations Through a Dependent Care Program"

1992 Thomas Alexander, Kettering (Ohio) Fire Department: "Leaders as Role Models - The Influence of Leader Role Models on Personnel Behavior and Development"

Ed Hayman, San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District, Spring Valley, Calif.: "Wood Shake Shingles: The 800-Year-Old Problem"

Thomas R. Wood, Boca Raton (Fla.) Fire Department: "A Study of Structure Fires and Fire Sprinkler Systems in U.S. Fire Stations"

1993 A. Keith Brown, Silverthorne (Colo.) Fire Department: "Service Quality Evaluation of the Silverthorne, Colorado, Fire Protection District"

Leslie W. Bunte Jr., Georgetown (Texas) Fire Department: "Contamination and Cleanliness Levels of Personal Protective Clothing Used for Structural Fire Fighting"

Randy J. Reiswig, Kern County (Calif.) Fire Department: "Tejon Ranch Wildland Pre-Fire Plan"

Dawn M. Smith, Pike Township (Ind.) Fire Department: "Correlation of a Physical Fitness Evaluation Test to a Selection of Firefighting Tasks"

Thomas R. Wood, Boca Raton (Fla.) Fire Department: "A Study of Backflow Prevention and Fire Sprinkler Systems"

1994 A. Keith Brown, Lake Dillon Fire Authority, Silverthorne, Colo.: "Structure Triage During Wildland/Urban Interface/Intermix Fires"

Steven Dalbey, Muscatine (Iowa) Fire Department: "Cognitive Development Considerations in Preschool Fire Safety Education"

T. David Harlow, Fairborn (Ohio) Fire Department: "Defining the Organizational Culture of the Fairborn Fire Department"

Curtis Varone, J.D., Providence (R.I.) Fire Department: "Providence Fire Department Staffing Study"

1995 Craig H. Kampmier, Swansea (Mass.) Fire Department: "Evaluation of a Mitigation Procedure for Small Liquid Oxygen (LOX) Spills"

Mike Kuypers, Florida Division of Forestry: "A Marketing Strategy for Wildland Fuel Reduction in Palm Coast, Florida"

Curtis Varone, J.D., Providence (R.I.) Fire Department: "Providence Fire Department Staffing Study Revisited"

Bernard E. Williams, Ph.D., Edmonton (Alberta) Emergency Response Department: "Development of a Strategy for Conflict Management During Fire/ems Department Amalgamation"

Thomas R. Wood, Boca Raton (Fla.) Fire Department: "A Study of Standby Water Fees/User Fees for Fire Sprinkler System Connections to Water Mains"

1996 Gerald M. Bates, Tucson (Ariz.) Fire Department: "Problems and Success Factors Inherent in Fire Service Retirement"

Curtis Varone, J.D., Providence (R.I.) Fire Department: "Fireground Radio Communications and Firefighter Safety"

1997 Theodore Lee Jarboe, Montgomery County (Md.) Fire and Rescue Department: "Fire Service Planning in Montgomery County to Manage the Consequences of Terrorism Involving Chemical Warfare Agents"

J.L. Lynch, Irondale (Ala.) Fire and Rescue Service: "Nocturnal Olfactory Response to Smoke Odor"

Andrew D. Marsh, Frederick County (Md.) Department of Fire/Rescue Services: "New Medical/Physical Standards for Frederick County Firefighters"

Edward L. Senter Jr., Norfolk (Va.) Fire and Paramedical Services: "Initiating a Marketing Planning Process in the Norfolk Department of Fire and Paramedical Services"

J. Curtis Varone, J.D., Providence (R.I.) Fire Department: "Aides for Command Level Officers"

1998 (The 1998 ora winners were just announced; see Washington Report, page 20.)

*Not included in this study

Founded in 1989, the Society of Executive Fire Officers now has about 450 active members. Membership is open to both current efo students and efo graduates; associate membership is also available.

The society's annual symposium is scheduled for Oct. 2-5 in Bellevue, Wash., near Seattle. The 2000 symposium will be held in the Boston area.

For more information about sefo, contact Yanecia Green at the iafc 703-273-9815x304, fax: 703-273-9363, .