91制片厂

Researchers at 91制片厂 will assess and train firefighters nationwide to improve on-the-job safety and prevent injuries. The project, called FOCUS 2.0, is funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

FOCUS 2.0 builds on an existing FEMA-funded project at Drexel: The Firefighter Organizational Culture of Safety (FOCUS) survey, developed by researchers at the university鈥檚 Center for Firefighter Injury Research and Safety Trends (FIRST).

The original FOCUS survey assessed over 10,000 firefighters to measure the 鈥渟afety climate鈥� within fire departments, which has been shown to be a strong predictor of injuries. Safety climate is a measurable aspect of an organization鈥檚 attitudes toward safety and behavior, and it has been used to gauge and improve safety performance in industries such as health care, construction and manufacturing. Until Drexel researchers developed the FOCUS survey in 2012, the fire service lacked a reliable and valid instrument to measure this climate. Since the survey鈥檚 validation, over 30,000 firefighters have been assessed.

Now, with new funding from FEMA in partnership with the Fire Department Safety Officers Association, the FIRST Center will survey firefighters at 1,000 additional departments, while also hosting two-day intensive safety trainings for 200 fire service members in 10 locations around the country.

鈥淚n public health, our responsibility is to build upon the science and to take the research to the streets,鈥� said Jennifer Taylor, PhD, an associate professor in Drexel鈥檚 Dornsife School of Public Health and director of the FIRST Center. 鈥淲e created an important tool, and now we鈥檒l be able to expand that. It is really exciting to be able to reach more fire departments and to give the fire service the data that it never had before.鈥�

In addition to educating firefighters about safety, the FIRST Center鈥檚 upcoming training sessions 鈥� 鈥淔OCUS Culture Camp鈥� 鈥� will use a FIRST-created curriculum to inform fire service members about safety climate theory and data use, according to Taylor.

鈥淭his is about keeping them whole and healthy,鈥� she said, 鈥渟o they can respond to us when we鈥檙e not.鈥�

Taylor added that evaluating and improving the fire service鈥檚 safety culture is beneficial to the entire public.

鈥淭he fire service is a safety industry, and it鈥檚 critical that we help them, because they come to us,鈥� she said. 鈥淐an you imagine if they鈥檙e so physically tired or so mentally exhausted that they can鈥檛 help you during a fire or a medical emergency? What if they just don鈥檛 have the resources, or their members aren鈥檛 in the best physical shape, and they can鈥檛 carry you out of your home? Our safety is about their safety.鈥�