The University of Maryland, nationally recognized for advanced technology research, has formed the Center for Firefighter Safety Research and Development. This Center has extensive resources and expertise making it uniquely qualified to carry out the mission of improving firefighter safety through the research and development of effective solutions in response to the need for vast improvements.

As first responders to all types of emergencies and homeland security threats, the fire service must stop attempting to do a highly demanding job with out-dated tools. Numerous technological advancements are currently available that could improve firefighter safety. The fire service must obtain and focus resources on adapted these technologies in ways that will improve firefighter safety, threat assessment, on scene communications, and accountability.

Center for Firefighter Safety Research and Development research directly addresses operational issues identified in 9/11 events. Long-term outcomes of this research will not only benefit the fire service, but also the entire first responder community. Specific steps will be followed in order to assure successful research outcomes:

Identification of firefighter safety needs
Research, development and prototyping
Interactive prototype assessment
Product refinement and manufacturing
Product performance assessment by end-users

Our mission is to focus the specialized talents at the University of Maryland to develop and support research using advanced technologies to improve firefighter safety and reduce deaths and injuries.

Vision

The Center for Firefighter Safety Research and Development envisions a much different future for the fire service in terms of making use of technological advancements.

High bandwidth communication systems with an Internet connection and the capability to download building maps, meteorological information, a map of the adjacent buildings with a description of their associated fire hazards.


Communication capabilities between firefighters and incident commanders using microphones and speakers, along with physiological, temperature, gas velocity, smoke and chemicals concentration sensors, and the precise location of on-scene emergency personnel.


Ultrasound equipment that maps building boundaries and areas surrounding each firefighter that can validate the building map and generate a virtual view of the emergency environment.


Gas flow temperature and composition feedback from the building structure to anticipate possible local or generalized collapse of the structure.


Fast-running fire modeling analyzes the continuous stream of data from the sensors to identify the fire location, its magnitude and growth rate.


Integrated access to available resources which can receive instructions and access to data instantaneously.


Archived computer data of incident details of operations for incident critiques, the development of virtual reality training, and fire investigations.


This is not a futuristic vision but rather a near-future possibility through adaptations of existing technologies. Research and development through the University of Maryland will provide firefighters with highly needed and useful technology at a reasonable cost.

http://www.mfri.org/fireresearch/index.html