USFA Announces 2006 Outstanding Research Award Winners

News Release Date: March 28, 2007

EMMITSBURG, MD. - The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Fire Administration announced today the five fire service executives who will receive the National Fire Academy's (NFA) 2006 Annual Outstanding Research Awards. This award recognizes Executive Fire Officer Program students for their research projects. The award winning projects will be presented at the 19th Executive Fire Officer Symposium on April 13-15, 2007, at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

"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 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 Academy, 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: Allen S. Williams, Instructional Designer, University of Maryland - Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, College Park, Maryland.; Paper: Safety Culture Within the Anne Arundel County Fire Department
Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Course Awardee: J. Matthew Fratus, Division Chief, San Bernardino City Fire Department, San Bernardino, California.; Paper: High Reliability Organization Theory and the San Bernardino City CA Fire Department
Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Course Awardee: Deborah A. Prouty, Assistant Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles, California.; Paper: Incident Activity Information Reporting for Cost Recovery
Executive Analysis of Fire Service Operations in Emergency Management Course Awardee: A. Lynn Schofield, Captain, City of Provo Fire/Rescue Department, Provo, Utah.; Paper: After Dark: Assessing Hydration and Glucose Levels During Late Night Operations
Executive Leadership Course Awardee: Kevin Milan, Division Chief, City of Golden Fire Department, Golden, Colorado; Paper: Evaluating Instructional Efficiency in a National Response Plan Training Course

To obtain a copy of the five projects on CD-ROM, please contact the U.S. Fire Administration, Executive Fire Officer Program, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, Maryland, 21727; or call (800) 238-3358, extension 1639, and leave your request on voice mail. You may also obtain copies of the outstanding research projects by downloading them from the linked pages listed above.