Florida State University study of firefighter burn and heat injury

You are being invited to take part in a research study to collect information regarding firefighter station wear including both National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1975 certified and non-certified garments in relation to firefighter burn and heat injury while worn under a certified NFPA 1971 garment. You are invited to take part in this research study because you are an active-duty structural or wildland firefighter in the United States. If you volunteer to take part in this study, you will be one of hundreds to do so nationally. 

This study is being conducted by Dr. Meredith McQuerry (Principal Investigator, PI) of the Retail, Merchandising and Product Development department in the College of Human Sciences at Florida State University. The purpose of this study is to determine current firefighter use of both certified NFPA 1975 and non-certified station wear garments in relation to firefighter burn and heat injury while worn under a certified NFPA 1971 garment. Results will be used to better understand the potential risk of wearing non-certified garments and to develop a material testing program for station wear in combination with structural turnout ensembles. 

If you are not currently an active-duty firefighter in the United States, we ask that you do not complete this survey. 

If you agree to be in this study, we ask you to do the following things: Complete an online survey gathering demographic (gender, age, years in fire service industry, etc.) and station wear selection information for base layer garment and material feedback. It is estimated that the survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. 

To the best of our knowledge, there are no possible risks associated with completing this study. Benefits of this study include participant contribution regarding the understanding of burn protection, thermal stability of station wear, and risks of wearing non-certified station wear. The study is anonymous, meaning no one, not even members of the research team, will know the information you gave came from you. Your information will be combined with information from other participants taking part in the survey.  Publication of the feedback will only include the combined information written up together. It is a possibility that research information may be shared with the FSU Institutional Review Board (IRB) and others who are responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations related to research, including people on behalf of the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). 

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You will not lose any benefits or rights you would normally have if you choose not to volunteer. You can stop at any point during the study and still keep the benefits and rights you had before volunteering. If you do not want to be in the study, you do not need to take part in the survey.

There are no costs associated with taking part in the study. You will not receive any rewards or payment for taking part in the study. Before you decide whether to accept this invitation to take part in the study, please ask any questions that may come to mind now. Later, if you have questions, suggestions, concerns, or complaints about this study, you may contact the investigator, Dr. Meredith McQuerry via email: mmcquerry@fsu.edu; or telephone: (850) 644-6838. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this study and would like to talk to someone other than the researcher(s), you are encouraged to contact the FSU IRB at 2010 Levy Street, Research Building B, Suite 276, Tallahassee, FL  32306-2742, or 850-644-8633, or by email at humansubjects@fsu.edu.  

You can provide consent by choosing the “Yes, I consent to the term... and proceeding forward with the survey.