Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Fire Service: Concepts and Issues

The presentation will summarize current thinking on the application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) in the Fire Service. Potential use of UASs to save lives, provide safety and save property has generated preliminary research in three major areas of the fire service to include aviation, structure and wildland scenarios. Roadblocks to the effective use of this technology will also be discussed to include possible command and control issues and governmental actions to limit the use of UASs due to aviation safety concerns. The presenters will recommend areas of future research and steps to implement this technology in the fire service. Keywords: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), incident command systems, fire, emergency services, National Airspace System integration. Notes: Authors will submit a completed research paper for potential inclusion in the International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics and Aerospace (IJAAA)

A Meta-Analysis of Crew Resource Management/Incident Command Systems Implementation Studies in the Fire and Emergency Services

The presentation will summarize a meta-analysis of studies on Crew Resource Management/Incident Command System implementation in the fire and emergency services. The need for using participative leadership tools such as CRM evolved from an NTSB recommendation that followed United Airlines Flight 173 crash in 1978. NASA, civilian and military aviation communities implemented Crew Resource Management (CRM) training to improve decisionmaking during flight operations. Maintenance Resource Management (MRM) was a variant of CRM and first appeared in a Federal Aviation Administration circular in 2000. CRM was adopted by the medical community in the 1990s, specifically in the surgical and nursing areas, to prevent untoward outcomes (including infections). Since the mid-1990s, fire and emergency services organizations began using CRM and Incident Command Systems training to reduce human error in firefighting and prehospital care. This research focuses on fire and emergency services studies to determine if CRM/Incident Command Systems training impact attitude and performance in a meaningful way. Meta-analysis statistical procedures will identify differences and levels of heterogeneity between these studies, where possible, to support findings and recommendations for future research. Keywords: crew resource management, incident command systems, fire, emergency services, maintenance resource management, participative leadershi

Bullying at the Fire Station? Perceptions Based on Gender, Race and Sexual Orientation

Discrimination and strained co-worker relationships based on gender, race or sexual orientation are forms of bullying in the workplace. This research examined firefighter perceptions with regard to bullying. The web based survey was distributed through the National Fire Academy Training, Resources and Data Exchange Network, (TRADENET). Findings from 113 surveys indicated that most firefighters did not perceive bullying issues were pervasive in the fire service. However, there were large differences in perception between female and male firefighters. Significantly more female firefighters indicated they were treated differently due to gender, felt their supervisors did not address complaints concerning gender or sexual orientation, had ill-fitting uniforms or equipment, and believed promotions were not decided upon fairly. Recommendations included continuing to assess female and minority perceptions with regard to perceived discrimination. Additionally, fire service leadership should identify best practices in leadership and firefighter training to effectively address fair treatment for all firefighters

A Meta-Analysis of Crew Resource Management/Incident Command Systems Implementation Studies in the Fire and Emergency Services

The presentation will summarize a meta-analysis of studies on Crew Resource Management/Incident Command System implementation in the fire and emergency services. The need for using participative leadership tools such as CRM evolved from an NTSB recommendation that followed United Airlines Flight 173 crash in 1978. NASA, civilian and military aviation communities implemented Crew Resource Management (CRM) training to improve decisionmaking during flight operations. Maintenance Resource Management (MRM) was a variant of CRM and first appeared in a Federal Aviation Administration circular in 2000. CRM was adopted by the medical community in the 1990s, specifically in the surgical and nursing areas, to prevent untoward outcomes (including infections). Since the mid-1990s, fire and emergency services organizations began using CRM and Incident Command Systems training to reduce human error in firefighting and prehospital care. This research focuses on fire and emergency services studies to determine if CRM/Incident Command Systems training impact attitude and performance in a meaningful way. Meta-analysis statistical procedures will identify differences and levels of heterogeneity between these studies, where possible, to support findings and recommendations for future research. Keywords: crew resource management, incident command systems, fire, emergency services, maintenance resource management, participative leadershi

Effects of poisons and preservatives on the composition of organic matter in a sediment trap experiment

Fluxes and molecular compositions of a group of major biochemical classes (lipids, lignin, pigments, amino acids, and carbohydrates) were compared among sediment traps treated with different poisons and preservatives and deployed for 1–2 months in a coastal marine environment. Fluxes and compositions of biochemicals were significantly more variable than bulk particle fluxes and elemental compositions. This observation was attributed to a greater influence of dead zooplankton “swimmers” in treated traps rather than differences in microbial decomposition due to the various treatments. Molecular compositions, especially of lipids, confirm the influence of zooplankton swimmers on the biochemical composition of the particulate material in treated traps compared to untreated controls even when large swimmers had been removed. An inventory of the major biochemicals we measured accounted for 25–45% of the organic carbon in our samples, with amino acids and sugars making up the bulk (80–90%) of the identified carbon

Post-Exercise Arterial Stiffness Responses Are Similar After Acute Eccentric and Concentric Arm Cycling

Upper-body resistance exercise effectively increases muscular strength, but may concomitantly increase arterial stiffness. Eccentric exercise can lead to muscle soreness and arterial stiffness in untrained participants. However, it is unclear if upper-body eccentric exercise could reduce arterial stiffness in a single session for participants that have undergone progressive training. Our purpose was to compare acute responses to upper-body eccentric (novel, ECCarm) and concentric (traditional, CONarm) steady state arm cycling. We hypothesized that arm arterial stiffness would be reduced after both ECCarm and CONarm. Twenty-two young healthy individuals performed either ECCarm ( = 11) or CONarm ( = 11) at ~70% of peak heart rate for 20 min after a training period. Heart rate, central pulse wave velocity (cPWV), and peripheral pulse wave velocity (pPWV; i.e., arm arterial stiffness) were assessed before, 10 min, and 30 min after exercise. Heart rate was not elevated at 10 min post ECCarm, but was elevated at 10- and 30-min post CONarm ( \u3c 0.01). After exercise, pPWV was decreased at 10 min post for both ECCarm (7.1 ± 0.3 vs. 6.5 ± 0.2 m/s) and CONarm (7.0 ± 0.2 vs. 6.5 ± 0.2 m/s; \u3c 0.05), while both groups returned to baseline values 30 min post. cPWV did not change in either group. Our results indicate that acute ECCarm provides a high-force, low energy cost form of resistance exercise that acutely reduces arm arterial stiffness. The reduction in pPWV and rapid heart rate recovery suggests that ECCarm is a safe form of exercise for overall and cardiovascular health

Vertical flux of fatty acids in the North Atlantic Ocean

The quantitative and qualitative composition of fatty acids in particulate material collected in traps deployed during 98 days at 389, 988, 3755 and 5068 m depths in the equatorial North Atlantic was determined. The fatty acid composition indicates a predominantly marine source (14:0, 16:0, 16:1, 18:0, 18:1, 20:5, 20:4, 22:6, 22:5) with possibly a minor terrigenous component in the bathypelagic traps. The vertical fluxes of fatty acids and lipids decrease rapidly with depth. The rate of net loss of carboxylic acids increases with number of double bonds and decreases with number of carbon atoms. Iso- and anteiso- as well as some monoenoic fatty acids are more persistent, probably due to enhanced microbial synthesis during settling which counteracts degradation

Effects of poisons and preservatives on the fluxes and elemental compositions of sediment trap materials

Bulk particle fluxes and organic elemental compositions were compared among sediment traps treated with different poisons and preservatives. The traps (3:1 open cylinders) were deployed for 1–2 months at 30 and 60 m depths in a coastal marine environment. The tested treatments included mercuric chloride, mixed antibiotics, sodium azide, formalin, chloroform, and salt, along with untreated controls. Fluxes of bulk particulate material and weight percentages of organic carbon measured for differently treated traps deployed simultaneously at the same depth both varied by an average of ±8% of the mean value. Great numbers of large (\u3e850 μm) zooplankton swimmers were removed by sieving from bulk sediment trap samples treated with formalin and mercuric chloride, and to a lesser extent from those treated with azide and chloroform. The \u3c850 μm “sediment” fractions of the formalin- and mercuric chloride-treated samples were characterized by slightly elevated %OC concentrations and lowered (C/N) ratios, apparently resulting from smaller swimmers that were not separated by sieving. Overall, problems involved with sample and treatment washout, and swimmer artifacts in poisoned traps affected measured fluxes and elemental compositions more than differences that could be clearly attributed to microbial degradation