Browsing by Subject "Firefighters"
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Item Attitudes and Perceptions of Texas Public Safety Training Officers Regarding the Effectiveness of the National Incident Management System (NIMS).(2010-07-14) Wilson, JasonThis thesis sought to understand reasons for noncompliant respondents and ineffective leadership in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) by Texas public safety training officers. Research has been conducted on the policies and their implications for NIMS, organizational culture and its impact on NIMS, and the hierarchy network of the Incident Command System (ICS). However, research evaluating the attitudes and perceptions regarding the effectiveness of NIMS is scarce. Training officers from rural fire departments, emergency medical services, and law enforcement agencies were the population for this study (n=33). The results of this study have implications for combined fire department, emergency medical services, and law enforcement training (interoperability), simplification of the management structure, and a mentoring program. This study should be explored further in an urban setting, based on this model. This study showed that respondents agreed that rural emergency responders tend to be noncompliant with NIMS. Respondents mentioned that rural emergency responders disagree with the effectiveness of NIMS. This study showed that a correlation occurred between the effectiveness of NIMS and the number of times a respondent was involved in a formal NIMS incident command. The following recommendations were made based on the findings and conclusions of this study. Researchers should continue to look at what public safety training officers believe affects the adaptability of NIMS. Training officers should consider contributing to the future NIMS curriculum. Training officers should focus on interoperability issues through increased field exercises. Research should be conducted to determine what improvements to curriculum effect future NIMS compliance. Further research should be conducted on the effectiveness of individual compliance, and achievement.Item Effect of musculoskeletal training on risk of occupationally-related injuries in firefighters(2014-05) Laverone, Erin Nicole; Farrar, Roger P.In 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics documented injury rates of musculoskeletal injuries requiring days away from work in the full-time firefighter work force at approximately 185/10,000 employees. This represents a staggering cost to municipalities in overtime salaries as well as departmental readiness to meet community needs. We propose, in year one of the project, to observationally determine the prospective association between physical performance measures at baseline and risk of future musculoskeletal injury in a cohort of municipal firefighters of the Austin Fire Department (AFD). We will implement an injury registry surveillance system as well as utilize the AFD Wellness Center physical fitness evaluation of all firefighters within AFD. The prospective association between changes in physical performance measures and risk of musculoskeletal injury within a cohort of AFD firefighters will allow determination of risk of occupational injury incidence and injury severity. To study the effect of musculoskeletal training on lowering the risk of occupationally-related injury, we will conduct a randomized cluster cross-over trial. The critical intervention will be a strength training intervention of six months duration, implemented in Year 2. There are a total of 43 fire stations in the AFD. We will randomize 50% of the fire stations in a strength training intervention for six months with the remaining 50% of fire station participating for the second six months. Changes in fitness, strength, and incidence of injury will be monitored for the 12 months of this design. Results from this study will be disseminated to firefighting agencies with strategies for occupationally-related musculoskeletal injury prevention.