The American Forest & Paper Association, in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration, is offering a comprehensive Web-based educational program developed to enhance firefighter awareness of the performance of different forms of lightweight construction components during fires to create a safer operational environment for the fire service.

"Firefighter safety and building construction is an important issue for the fire service today," said Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson "Education is critical for firefighters operating at incidents to understand how modern building products perform in fires."

The components addressed by the program include trusses, glue laminated beams, I-joists, structural composite lumber and wood structural panels. Also included in the program is FireFrame, an interactive tool on building construction for the fire service. This Web-based program was developed with the assistance of several state- and local-level fire training systems.

"AF&PA was proud to work in partnership with USFA as well as several state and local fire training organizations to develop a program to educate the fire service on today's and tomorrow's building components," AF&PA President and CEO Juanita D. Duggan said. "Through this educational outreach and partnership, we are committed to supporting the operational safety of the firefighters that bravely protect us everyday."

The program is available at www.woodaware.info.