scholarly journals Why Do We Still Not Know How to Prevent Firefighter Entrapments?—Thoughts and Observations from a Few Perplexed Fire Practitioners

Fire ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Kelsy Gibos ◽  
Kyle Fitzpatrick ◽  
Scott Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Trend Analysis ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Near Miss ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Know How ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Tactical Decisions ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Selection Of

Wildland firefighters continue to die in the line of duty. Flammable landscapes intersect with bold but good-intentioned doers and trigger entrapment—a situation where personnel is unexpectedly caught in fire behaviour-related, life-threatening positions where planned escape routes or safety zones are absent, inadequate, or compromised. We often document, share and discuss these stories, but many are missed, especially when the situation is a near miss. Entrapment continues to be a significant cause of wildland firefighter deaths. Why do we still not know how to prevent them? We review a selection of entrapment reports courtesy of the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Centre (WFLLC) and focus on human factors involved in entrapment rather than the specifics of fire behaviour and the environment. We found that in order for operational supervisors to make more informed strategic and tactical decisions, a more holistic and complete trend analysis is necessary of the existing database of entrapment incidents. Analysis of the entrapment data would allow training to include a more fulsome understanding of when suppression resources are applying strategies and tactics that might expose them to a higher likelihood of entrapment. Operational supervisors would make more informed decisions as to where and when to deploy resources in critical situations in order to reduce the exposure to unnecessary risk of entrapment.

Towards improving wildland firefighter situational awareness through daily fire behaviour risk assessments in the US Northern Rockies and Northern Great Basin

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 574 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Matt Jolly ◽  
Patrick H. Freeborn
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Fire Spread ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Radiative Power ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Fire Danger Indices

Wildland firefighters must assess potential fire behaviour in order to develop appropriate strategies and tactics that will safely meet objectives. Fire danger indices integrate surface weather conditions to quantify potential variations in fire spread rates and intensities and therefore should closely relate to observed fire behaviour. These indices could better inform fire management decisions if they were linked directly to observed fire behaviour. Here, we present a simple framework for relating fire danger indices to observed categorical wildland fire behaviour. Ordinal logistic regressions are used to model the probabilities of five distinct fire behaviour categories that are then combined with a safety-based weight function to calculate a Fire Behaviour Risk rating that can plotted over time and spatially mapped. We demonstrate its development and use across three adjacent US National Forests. Finally, we compare predicted fire behaviour risk ratings with observed variations in satellite-measured fire radiative power and we link these models with spatial fire danger maps to demonstrate the utility of this approach for landscape-scale fire behaviour risk assessment. This approach transforms fire weather conditions into simple and actionable fire behaviour risk metrics that wildland firefighters can use to support decisions that meet required objectives and keep people safe.

Research and development supporting risk-based wildfire effects prediction for fuels and fire management: status and needs

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Hyde ◽  
Matthew B. Dickinson ◽  
Gil Bohrer ◽  
David Calkin ◽  
Louisa Evers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Risk Processes

Wildland fire management has moved beyond a singular focus on suppression, calling for wildfire management for ecological benefit where no critical human assets are at risk. Processes causing direct effects and indirect, long-term ecosystem changes are complex and multidimensional. Robust risk-assessment tools are required that account for highly variable effects on multiple values-at-risk and balance competing objectives, to support decision making. Providing wildland fire managers with risk-analysis tools requires a broad scientific foundation in fire behaviour and effects prediction as well as high quality computer-based tools and associated databases. We outline a wildfire risk-assessment approach, highlight recent developments in fire effects science and associated research needs, and recommend developing a comprehensive plan for integrated advances in wildfire occurrence, behaviour and effects research leading to improved decision support tools for wildland fire managers. We find that the current state of development in fire behaviour and effects science imposes severe limits on the development of risk-assessment technology. In turn, the development of technology has been largely disconnected from the research enterprise, resulting in a confusing array of ad hoc tools that only partially meet decision-support needs for fuel and fire management. We make the case for defining a common risk-based analytic framework for fire-effects assessment across the range of fire-management activities and developing a research function to support the framework.

Describing wildland surface fuel loading for fire management: a review of approaches, methods and systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Keane
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Fuel Loading ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Prediction Systems ◽  
In Fire

Wildland fuelbeds are exceptionally complex, consisting of diverse particles of many sizes, types and shapes with abundances and properties that are highly variable in time and space. This complexity makes it difficult to accurately describe, classify, sample and map fuels for wildland fire research and management. As a result, many fire behaviour and effects software prediction systems use a generalised description of fuels to simplify data collection and entry into various computer programs. There are several major fuel description systems currently used in the United States, Canada and Australia, and this is a source of confusion for many in fire management. This paper (1) summarises the challenges of describing fuels, (2) contrasts approaches (association, classification and abstraction) for developing fuel description systems and (3) discusses possible future directions in wildland fuel description and science to transition to a universal fuel description system. Most discussion centres on surface fuel loadings as the primary descriptive characteristic. This synthesis paper is intended to provide background for understanding surface fuel classification and description systems and their use in simulating fire behaviour and effects, quantifying carbon inventories and evaluating site productivity.

Experience With Grant Writing: Where Do I Even Begin?

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-24
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Mancini
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Economic Situation ◽  
Grant Writing ◽  
Personal Journey ◽  
Know How ◽  
Daunting Task

Abstract At first, grant writing may look like a daunting task. You may ask yourself, “Is it really worth the time and effort?” With today's economic situation, teachers and therapists need ways to supplement their programs and grants provide such an opportunity. However, many of us do not know how to get started. After a few experiences and many lessons learned, I have come to enjoy researching and writing grants to supplement my students' learning. It is well worth the time and effort. This article provides information about a personal journey, lessons learned, and resources to get you started.

Color Trend Analysis using Machine Learning with Fashion Collection Images

2021 ◽  
pp. 0887302X2199594
Author(s):  
Ahyoung Han ◽  
Jihoon Kim ◽  
Jaehong Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Trend Analysis ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Color Palette ◽  
Web Scraping ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Sales Organizations ◽  
Fashion Designers ◽  
Selection Of

Fashion color trends are an essential marketing element that directly affect brand sales. Organizations such as Pantone have global authority over professional color standards by annually forecasting color palettes. However, the question remains whether fashion designers apply these colors in fashion shows that guide seasonal fashion trends. This study analyzed image data from fashion collections through machine learning to obtain measurable results by web-scraping catwalk images, separating body and clothing elements via machine learning, defining a selection of color chips using k-means algorithms, and analyzing the similarity between the Pantone color palette (16 colors) and the analysis color chips. The gap between the Pantone trends and the colors used in fashion collections were quantitatively analyzed and found to be significant. This study indicates the potential of machine learning within the fashion industry to guide production and suggests further research expand on other design variables.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Cellular Infection and Therapeutic Opportunities: Lessons Learned from Ebola Virus

Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Jordana Muñoz-Basagoiti ◽  
Daniel Perez-Zsolt ◽  
Jorge Carrillo ◽  
Julià Blanco ◽  
Bonaventura Clotet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Entry ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Productive Infection ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Emerging Viruses ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Pathogenic Viruses ◽  
Cellular Machinery

Viruses rely on the cellular machinery to replicate and propagate within newly infected individuals. Thus, viral entry into the host cell sets up the stage for productive infection and disease progression. Different viruses exploit distinct cellular receptors for viral entry; however, numerous viral internalization mechanisms are shared by very diverse viral families. Such is the case of Ebola virus (EBOV), which belongs to the filoviridae family, and the recently emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. These two highly pathogenic viruses can exploit very similar endocytic routes to productively infect target cells. This convergence has sped up the experimental assessment of clinical therapies against SARS-CoV-2 previously found to be effective for EBOV, and facilitated their expedited clinical testing. Here we review how the viral entry processes and subsequent replication and egress strategies of EBOV and SARS-CoV-2 can overlap, and how our previous knowledge on antivirals, antibodies, and vaccines against EBOV has boosted the search for effective countermeasures against the new coronavirus. As preparedness is key to contain forthcoming pandemics, lessons learned over the years by combating life-threatening viruses should help us to quickly deploy effective tools against novel emerging viruses.

Antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic bacteria: lessons learned from host-specific pathogens

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trudy M. Wassenaar ◽  
Peter Silley
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Animal Host ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Single Animal ◽  
Resistance Patterns ◽  
Animal Hosts ◽  
Zoonotic Bacteria ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThe relative contribution of veterinary and human clinical treatments to the selection of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic pathogens remains controversial. In this review, we consider bacterial pathogens that differ in host specificity and address their resistance profiles: pathogens that only occur in the human host, pathogens that are specific to particular food-producing animals and pathogens that occur in both host types. Compared with those pathogens restricted to a single animal host, pathogens found in both human and animal hosts appear to have higher incidences of resistance. However, the most urgent and severe resistance problems occur with pathogens exclusively infecting humans. Differences exist in the available genetic repertoire of a bacterial species and these are reflected in the observed resistance patterns; it is important to note that different bacterial species do not automatically result in similarly resistant populations when they undergo comparable selection in different host species. Thus, within a bacterial species, prevalence of resistance can differ between populations isolated from different hosts. For some species, fluctuations in dominant subpopulations, for instance particular serotypes, can be the most important factor determining resistance. The frequently expressed opinion that veterinary use of antimicrobials is at the heart of many resistance problems may be an oversimplification of the complex forces at play.

Structural Post-Fire Behaviour of the Steel I-Shape Beams-to-Cylindrical Columns

2012 ◽  
Vol 249-250 ◽  
pp. 1057-1062
Author(s):  
M. Zeinoddini ◽  
S.A. Hosseini ◽  
M. Daghigh ◽  
S. Arnavaz
Keyword(s):  
Structural Damage ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Fire Tests ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Fire Event ◽  
Rescue Workers ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Oil Platforms ◽  
In Fire

Previous researchers have tried to predict the response of different types of structures under elevated temperatures. The results are important in preventing the collapse of buildings in fire. Post-fire status of the structures is also of interest for ensuring the safety of rescue workers during the fire and in the post-fire situations. Determining the extent of the structural damage left behind a fire event is necessary to draw up adequate repair plans. Connections play an important role on the fire performance of different structures. Due to the high cost of fire tests, adequate experimental data about a broad range of connections is not available. A vulnerable type of such connections to fire is the weld connections between I-shape beams and cylindrical columns in oil platform topsides. Considering the high probability of fire in oil platforms, study of the behaviour of these connections at elevated temperatures and in the post-fire, is of great importance. In the current study, eight small scale experimental fire tests on welded connections between I-shape beams and cylindrical columns have been conducted. Four tests are aimed at investigating the structural performance of this connection at elevated temperature. In other tests, post-fire behaviour of these connections has been studied to investigate their residual structural strength.

Lessons Learned … About Curriculum: Five Years on and Half a World Away

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doune Macdonald ◽  
Lisa Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Primary Field ◽  
Health And Physical Education ◽  
Construction Of Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Construction Of Knowledge ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Selection Of

The knowledge, skills, and attitudes manifested in health and physical education school curricula are an arbitrary selection of that which is known and valued at a particular place and time. Bernstein’s (2000) theories of the social construction of knowledge offer a way to better understand the relationship between the production, selection, and reproduction of curricular knowledge. This article overviews contemporary knowledge in the primary field (production) upon which curriculum writers in the recontextualizing field may draw. It highlights tensions in the knowledge generated within the primary field and, using a case of the USA’s National Standards for Physical Education (NASPE), demonstrates how particular discourses become privileged when translated into curriculum documents in the recontextualizing field.

scholarly journals Measuring the performance of project risk management: a preliminary model

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1984-1991
Author(s):  
Alfredo Federico Serpell ◽  
Ximena Ferrada ◽  
Larissa Rubio
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Project Risk Management ◽  
Project Risk ◽  
Know How ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Important Concern ◽  
Preliminary Model

Abstract The function of project risk management (PRM) is to understand the uncertainty that surrounds a project and to identify the potential threats than can affect it as well as to know how to handle these risks in an appropriate way. Then, the measurement of the performance of PRM becomes an important concern, an issue that has not yet been addressed in the research literature. It is necessary to know how successful the application of the PRM process is and how capable is the process within the organization. Regarding construction projects, it is essential to know whether the selected responses to mitigate or eliminate identified risks were suitable and well implemented after the execution of the project. This paper presents a critical analysis of the relevance of measuring the performance of PRM and the benefits of doing so. Additionally, it presents a preliminary and pioneering methodology to measure the performance of PRM through the evaluation of the adequacy of responses applied to mitigate risks as well as to evaluate the resulting impacts as indicators of the effectiveness of these actions at the end of the project. This knowledge will allow construction companies to incorporate good practices, generate lessons learned, and thereby to promote a continuous improvement of the whole PRM process.

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