The article ‘Quantification of Elevated Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) Concentration Typical in a Residential Fire Environment Using Mid-IR Tunable Diode Laser’ was published in the April 2023 issue of...

Firefighter search and rescueTraining

Twenty-one experiments were conducted in two purpose-built single-story, single-family dwellings to analyze search and rescue tactics. Eleven of the experiments examined bedroom fires, eight examined kitchen fires, and two examined living room fires. Search operations originated through a window, door, or both and occurred pre-suppression, during suppression, or post-suppression. Temperature, velocity, and pressure were measured throughout each structure to assess the fire dynamics. Heat flux and gas concentrations were employed to assess the impact of tactics on occupant tenability and the firefighting operating environment. The relatively small number of experiments and a single structure type limit the ability to make universal, definitive assessments of tactical performance; however, several trends were identified that could influence tactical decisions for search and rescue operations on the residential fireground:

This three-year FEMA Research and Development Project examines fireground size-up measures and search and rescue operations as part of a coordinated fire attack on a residential structure.

Firefighter search and rescuetraining ideas

This report, Analysis of Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Story Single-Family Homes Part I: Bedroom Fires, examines the eleven bedroom fire experiments. In six of the bedroom fires, search...

This report, Analysis of Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Story Single-Family Homes Part II: Kitchen and Living Room Fires, examines the experiments conducted across eight kitchen and two...

The focus of the Analysis of Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Story Single-Family Homes Part III: Tactical Considerations report is to provide evidence-based concepts in the form of tactical...

Search and Rescue Firefightersalary

Use FSRI's Continuing the Conversation Worksheets to explore the main findings from the Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Family Single-Story Residential Structures study. After reviewing the...

Firefighter Search and RescuePowerPoint

This study builds on the experience of the fire service by investigating common components of size-up such as reading smoke and fire conditions upon arrival, search tactics such as window and/or door-initiated search, isolation measures, and rescue tactics such as removal elevation, removal timing relative to suppression, and removal pathways. It is paramount to determine the scientific based elements of size-up, search, and rescue that the fire service can use to best understand the fire dynamics to make critical tactical choices such as initial hoseline placement, search pathways, and occupant removal considerations.

Firefighter search and rescuelesson plan

We would like to thank the record 500+ firefighters that submitted an application to serve on the technical panel for the Study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-up and Search & Rescue...

Previous fire service tactics research on suppression and ventilation indicate 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 housing stock in mind.

This project studies and answers the following questions through conducting experiments in a residential test structure using carefully designed and placed instrumentation:

Firefighter search and rescuetechniques

To improve continuity between research projects, three members of the Study of Coordinated Fire Attack utilizing Acquired Structures technical panel were voted by members of their panel to serve on this project as well.

The ‘Study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-up and Search & Rescue Operations,’ was funded through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management...

The new "Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Family Single-Story Residential Structures" online course, developed with support from the Study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-up and Search...

Explore evidence-based insights in the form of tactical considerations derived from the Residential Search & Size-up experiments.

These themes have been disseminated throughout the fire service and have resulted in increased knowledge of firefighters around the world. During this research and dissemination, gaps and opportunities became apparent and were highlighted by our fire service partners.