IAFC Launches FSTAR Toolkit to Bring Together Science and Firefighting Strategies

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) today launched the Firefighter Safety Through Advanced Research (FSTAR) online toolkit. The toolkit is designed to provide firefighters and fire service leaders with critical information about new, appropriate and safe operations on firefighting tactics that are built on scientific research.

Being offered by the IAFC in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), FDNY and the U.S. Fire Administration, FSTAR translates scientific research into easily understood takeaways and tools with the goal of improving the fire service’s approach to firefighting.

Scientific research has shown that building construction and contents are driving the hazards that firefighters face today, requiring both firefighters and leaders to better understand how some elements of fire-scene operations have changed. When science reveals new information, the fire service must apply this knowledge and reevaluate and educate its members about operational changes at the fire scene.

FSTAR reviews available scientific research to provide the most recent and relevant findings associated with fire dynamics, ventilation, fuel load and collapse times, including changing residential fire dynamics, one- and two-story single family home fire dynamics, firefighting tactics under wind-driven conditions, and single story wood frame structures, and improving fire safety.

"Fires today are different than they were 50 years ago," said Bill Metcalf, IAFC President and chairman of the board. "Too often, the research on state-of-the-art firefighting tactics lies dormant in pages of scientific journals and never reaches the firefighting community. This free, online toolkit brings the latest scientific data and firefighting strategies to doorstep of firehouses all over the world."

Mark Light, IAFC CEO/Executive Director, said the FSTAR toolkit is a one-stop shop where firefighters at any level within a department can access the latest, most useful and relevant information about the most current fire research.

"The toolkit has something for everyone: fact sheets summarizing the key scientific findings from UL and NIST, access to nationally recognized training opportunities, case studies that highlight fire departments that have used science to adapt their tactics, and an implementation guide."

Visit www.fstartraining.org to access the FSTAR toolkit and view video on IAFCtv's YouTube channel. For more information about FSTAR, visit www.iafc.org.

###