The U.S. Fire Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have started a research study to examine the enhancement of thermal performance of SCBA face pieces to increase the protection of firefighters. The initial phase of this study will examine documented on-duty injuries and fatalities of firefighters due to thermal exposure of SCBA face pieces. Also during this phase, USFA and NIST will work with the technical committee for NFPA 1981, Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, on identifying ways to enhance the operational effectiveness of SCBA face pieces. Finally, initial laboratory thermal testing of commercially available SCBA face pieces also will be conducted.