SIDNEY — Sidney Fire Lieutenant Jason Truesdale was recently selected to serve on the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) Technical Panel for the upcoming research project, “The Study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-Up and Search & Rescue Operations.”
According to a press release from the Sidney Department of Fire and Emergency Services, a record of over 500 highly qualified and passionate individuals applied, making the selection process very difficult. The 15 panel members were selected based on fire service experience, geography, department size, and department type. Over the course of the three-year Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency research grant project, the panel members will work alongside UL FSRI and their Advisory Board of global fire service leaders to plan and execute experiments.
“They have made a great selection in Lt. Truesdale for this UL technical panel. He will do a wonderful job representing not only Sidney Fire but the entire fire industry,” Chief Brad Jones said in the press release.
A proper size-up has been shown to result in favorable outcomes during structure fires. This study will build on the experience of the fire service by investigating common components of size-up, such as reading smoke (volume, velocity, density, and color) and examining the ventilation profile (what changes when openings are made or taken away). It is paramount to determine the scientific based elements of size-up that the fire service can use to best understand the fire dynamics to make critical tactical choices such as hose line placement and search locations.
Previous fire service tactics research on suppression and ventilation indicated several tactical considerations that could increase the effectiveness of search and rescue operations by better understanding the impacts of timing, door position, entry point, victim removal route, removal technique and suppression. These tactical considerations need to be further examined and developed with the features of the old and new residential construction in mind.
For more information and updates on this project, visit: https://ulfirefightersafety.org/research-projects/size-up-and-search-rescue.html
