National Fire Academy Selects Outstanding Research Award Winners

Washington D.C. – The United States Fire Administration announced that five fire service executives have received the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy’s (NFA) Annual Outstanding Research Award. The USFA is a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The five were chosen from 534 Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP) applied research papers. The papers were presented at the 14th Executive Fire Officer Symposium on April 5-7, 2002, at the Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

“These applied projects represent innovation, creativity, and excellence in research design,” said U.S. Fire Administrator R. David Paulison. “Their recommendations undoubtedly will yield benefits to the public in the months and years to come.

“We also want to congratulate the other EFOP participants who have completed EFOP research projects which are enhancing the delivery of fire protection and emergency services delivery at state and local levels.”

The Outstanding Research Award recognizes excellent applied research projects completed by EFOP students. This year, five research efforts were judged to be outstanding. The 2001 Outstanding Research Award recipients are:

• Donald R. Adams, Sr., Fire Chief, of the Osceola County Emergency Services Department, Kissimmee, Florida for his paper: “Distress Alert Signals From Personal Alert Safety Systems Devices Do Not Trigger Physiological Responses” for the course: Executive Leadership.
• Joseph L. Lynch, III, Executive Assistant, of the Center Point Fire District, Birmingham, Alabama for his paper: “Arousals And/Or Wake Patterns Associated With Pheromones Administered In The Ambient Environment During Sleep” for the course: Executive Leadership.
• Francis J. McElroy, Fire Chief, of the St. Johns County Department of Emergency Services, St. Augustine, Florida for his paper: “Gender Issues and Fire Stations Facilities” for the course: Strategic Management of Change.
• Christian D. Tubbs, Battalion Chief, of the Mercer Island Fire Division, Mercer Island, Washington for his paper: “Public Safety Departments: A Second Evaluation Of The Consolidation Of The City of Mercer Island’s Department Of Public Safety” in the course: Fire Service Financial Management.
• Kenneth E. Wood, Fire Protection Engineer, of the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal, Chicago, Illinois for his paper: “A Quality Control Program For The Office Of The Illinois State Fire Marshal” for the course: Executive Leadership.

The NFA’s EFOP is designed to provide senior fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire administration. Over a 4-year period, the officers continue their professional development in four courses at the Academy, which are recommended for graduate-level 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.

To obtain a copy of the five projects (Executive Fire Officer Outstanding Applied Research Awards 2001), contact the National Fire Academy, Executive Programs Branch, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, Maryland, 21727; or call (800) 238-3358, extension 1639, and leave your request on voice mail. You can also obtain a copy of the individual outstanding research projects from the U.S. Fire Administration’s Web site at www.usfa.fema.gov.