Application - Illinois Fire Service Institute - University of Illinois at ...

Application
Illinois State Library
FY 2007 Library Services and Technology Act
Goal 8
In Memory of Our Heroes: Developing a Digital Image
Collection of Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths
(IFLODD)
Submitted by
Lian Ruan
Director/Head Librarian
Illinois Fire Service Institute
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Email: lruan@fsi.uiuc.edu
Phone: 217 265-6107
Fax: 217 244-6790
May 2006

FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
Digital Imaging
Outline of Application
1. Preprinted Cover Sheet ………………...………………………………4
2. Project Description………………………………………………………5
3. Target Audience Needs and Outcomes…………………………….….15
4. Implementation Plan…………………………………………………...18
5. Management Plan………………………………………………………24
6. Communication/Promotion Plan………………………………………25
7. Project Sustainability…………………………………………………...26
8. LSTA Budget Chart………………………………………………….…26
9. LSTA Budget Explanations……………………………………..…..…27
10. Local Contribution Budget Chart……………………………..……..30
11. Local Contribution Budget Explanations………………..…………..31
12. Assurance & Certification Guarantee………………………….…….32
13. Supporting Documentation…………………..……………………….35
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
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Dedicated to the Illinois firefighters who served with courage, pride, and honor, and
heroically sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Through the lessons learned from
their passing, it is hoped that future lives will be saved.
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
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1. Preprinted Cover Sheet
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
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2. Project Description
Historical Background
With its fire training history dating back to 1925, the Illinois Fire Service Institute
(IFSI) was designated as the statutory State Fire Academy in 1980. The University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign operates IFSI as a continuing education and public
service activity. The central objective is to help Illinois firefighters and other
emergency services providers develop the core skills required to effectively meet the
emergency fire service needs of their communities. IFSI’s mission is to help firefighters
do their job with a goal of reaching every Illinois firefighter with the training,
education and information he/she requires each year. The state’s fire service
community consists of 1,293 fire departments and 42,675 firefighters with a 20%
annual turnover rate. Seventy percent of the firefighters are volunteers.
Since 1999, when the IFSI Library established an outreach program that provides no
cost library and information services and programs to every Illinois firefighter, we have
received eight (8) Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant awards from the
Illinois State Library. These LSTA grants, ranging from $1000 to $81,626, have helped
transform the IFSI Library from a small in-house library operated by a solo librarian to
a well-respected outreach library with a professional staff team that serves firefighters
statewide. In addition, the LSTA grants have also encouraged us to try out new ideas,
build innovative services, maintain a user-centered approach, and go beyond the
traditional library service model. As the only fire science-dedicated library in Illinois,
and as one of three top fire academy libraries in the nation (see Attachment 1), the IFSI
Library continues seeking new ways to meet firefighters’ dynamic and ever-changing
information needs.
Related Line of Duty Death(LODD) Statistics and Databases
Despite decades of training enhancements, research-based equipment developments,
and firefighter and fire officer training improvements, contemporary firefighters still face
a high risk of losing their life in the line of duty. Firefighter fatalities are regularly
featured in newspaper headlines, as danger cannot be removed from the fire service
profession. In 2005, thirty-three states experienced line-of-duty deaths (LODD, see
Attachment 2), including Illinois. On average, approximately 100 U.S. firefighters are
killed each year while on duty. Of these 100 annual deaths, research findings indicate that
approximately one-half die from cardiovascular disease-associated problems and roughly
one-quarter die as the result of vehicle accidents that occur en route to and from
emergency incidents. Other causes of death include burns, building collapses, being
struck by objects (vehicles, trees) at the incident scene, falls, air tanker and helicopter
crashes, electrocution, drowning, and assault. The incidence of firefighter LODD per
100,000 incidents increased between 1991 and 1999, with 1999 having the highest rate of
firefighter fatalities per 100,000 incidents since 1978, as shown in Figure 1. Research
findings also reveal that firefighters today are dying inside structure fires at a significant
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138 136
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rate that parallels the firefighter LODD of decades ago, regardless of the overall decline
in the number of structural fires.
National Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths, 1977-2003
180
172
160
157
140
120
100
80
125
131 136 128
119 120 118
113
107 108
104
96
91
112
103 105
102
97
60
1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
Figure 1. National Firefighter LODD (1977-2003)
Source: NFPA Journal 2004
Note: NFPA study excludes the 343 FDNY firefighters killed on September 11, 2001.
During the past 150 years (1857-present), 82 Illinois fire organizations have
experienced LODD tragedies. As of May 2006, at least 709 Illinois firefighters have
died in the line of duty, with roughly 85% of those deaths occurring in Chicago alone.
Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths, 1857-2006
80
60
40
20
0
1850s 11
1860s 12
1870s 13
1880s 22
1890s 57
1900s 35
1910s 64
1920s 73
1930s 47
1940s 62
1950s 61
1960s 76
1970s 48
1980s 72
1990s 37
2000s 19
Figure 2. Illinois Firefighter LODD (1857-2005)
Source: IFSI Deputy Director David F. Clark’s personal collection on “Illinois Firefighters Who Died In The Line Of Duty”
In the last decade, several high-profile incidents involving firefighter LODD have
brought national attention to the issue of firefighter mortality in the USA. The deaths of
firefighters have far-reaching effects, as they profoundly affect not only the families left
behind, but also the communities in which the firefighters lived, the firefighters with
whom they served, and the fire service as a whole.
Numerous national organizations collect statistics on firefighter LODD, but this
information is often incomplete or only includes national statistics. Some examples are:
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National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). As part of their overall mission of
reducing the burden of fire and related hazards on society, NFPA collects annual data on
U.S. firefighter fatalities resulting from injuries or illness that occurred while on duty. A
detailed account of the previous year’s death and injury statistics is then published in
NFPA Journal every year, but these annual reports only focus on statistical research
pertaining to national firefighter LODD and do not offer statistics and research on
individual states.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH conducts
investigations of firefighter LODD through their Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and
Prevention Program, with the goal of formulating recommendations for preventing
future deaths and injuries. The program of investigation of firefighter LODD provides a
database based on on-site data collection, but the database only includes fatality reports
on thirteen Illinois firefighter fatalities, covering just the period from February 1998 to
April 2004 (see Attachment 3).
United States Fire Administration (USFA). The USFA’s website features the National
Fallen Firefighters Memorial Database
(http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/ffmem/), but this database only contains
information on deaths since 1981. Records in this database contain a summary of the
incident and information about the fire department, along with various metadata fields,
including age, cause of death, rank, nature of death, type of fire department
(“classification”), incident date, duty type, and date of death. However, a close look at
the 129 records for Illinois firefighter LODD (1981-2004) in this database reveals that
not all firefighter fatalities are enumerated and the different records contain varying
levels of information. Fatalities from the early part of the 1990s are particularly sparse
and some records contain nothing more than a name and fire department.
Illinois Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM). Since 1993, OSFM holds an annual Fire
fighting Medal of Honor Awards Ceremony and Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service
every May (http://www.state.il.us/osfm/Memorial/Overview.htm). While OSFM
maintains “Illinois Fire Death Statistics,” some of this information is inconsistent with
statistics elsewhere. For example, USFA has information about seven Illinois firefighter
LODD for 2004, while OSFM only lists one.
Other organizations. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the
International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), and the National Volunteer Fire
Council (NVFC) have begun to develop additional programs or new initiatives intended
to promote firefighter health, safety, and well-being. Similarly, efforts are underway to
develop training programs to teach firefighters how to rescue themselves and their fellow
firefighters in the event they become trapped or disoriented in a fire (see Attachment 4).
None of these projects, however, involve a systematic study of firefighter LODD. To
our knowledge, there is no definitive list of Illinois firefighters who died in the line of
duty. In fact, the resources maintained by various fire organizations contradict one
another. Furthermore, as these resources mainly focus on investigations into the
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
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incidents where firefighters died, none of these resources include digitized photos,
newspaper clippings, fire station logbooks, stories, interviews, or historical recollections
about fallen firefighters and their lives. There is no central searchable database for
firefighter LODD in Illinois and no deaths have been documented in an online digital
image collection.
Project Activities
Our proposed project, “In Memory of Our Heroes: Developing a Digital Image
Collection of Illinois Firefighter Line of Duty Deaths (IFLODD),” aims to collect,
organize, digitize, preserve, and provide access to historical and cultural materials that
document the ultimate sacrifice of more than 700 Illinois firefighters over the past 150
years.
The IFSI Library will partner with fire organizations, historical societies, fire
museums, and libraries to digitize photographs, newspapers, fire station logbooks, and
other resources that detail these tragedies for inclusion in an online database.
Providing access to this history will memorialize the firefighters, increase awareness of
their sacrifice, and supply contemporary firefighters with valuable “lessons learned” from
the various deaths. This new service will also enhance the educational endeavors of
firefighters and could help prevent future tragedies.
Furthermore, the project will strengthen partnerships the IFSI Library has already
established with fire departments, fire organizations, and public libraries throughout
Illinois. This project will also help build relationships with historical societies and fire
museums.
To achieve our goals, the proposed project will take these steps:
1) Conceptually design and develop “IFLODD: The Illinois Firefighter LODD
Digital Image Collection Database” (see Figure 3). It will contain Internet-ready
electronic versions of materials with searchable metadata (see Table 1) and be
available through the Project Web Page on the IFSI’s Website
(http://www.fsi.uiuc.edu). IFLODD will be linked to multimedia resources
available through the IFSI Library’s Online Public Access Catalog and other
important LODD Internet resources by using Coldfusion programming language,
and also be stored on our Microsoft SQL (MS-SQL) server;
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Figure 3: IFLODD Conceptual Design
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Facet
Metadata Field
Personal Data
Name
Date of Birth
Affiliation
Career; Volunteer; Paid on-call; Combination…
Type of Agency
Paid (full-time); Paid (part-time); Volunteer…
Rank
Firefighter; Company officer (captains, lieutenants,
and sergeants); Chief officers (fire chiefs, deputy
chiefs, assistant chiefs, and battalion/district
chiefs)…
Age Range 20 and under; 21 to 25…over 60
Gender
Male; Female
Place
Fire Department Name
Community Size (Population)
Under 1,000; 1,000-5,000; 5,000-10,000…
Fire Department Location (City/Zip)
Place of Incident (City)
Location of Incident
Time
Date of Incident
Date of Death
Time of Death
Vehicle (Used at the Incident)
Cause
Attributes of Fire Ground Deaths
Cause of Death
Nature of Death
Pre-existing Conditions
Contributing Factors
Residential structures; Nonresidential and
Industrial structures; Educational or Health-care
facilities; Public assembly; Institutional;
Correctional properties; Special structures;
Road/Highway; Railway; Water; Outdoors; Fire
Station; Training facility/area…
Engine/pumper; Tanker; Personally owned vehicle
(POV); Ladder truck/aerial tower; Heavy rescue;
Ambulance…
Incendiary and suspicious fires; Search and rescue
operations; Motor vehicle crashes; Emergency
Medical Service (EMS); False call…
Stress; Flashover; Structural collapses;
Fell/slipped...
Cardiac arrest/heart attack; Internal trauma…
Prior heart attack; heart bypass; cardiovascular
other; arteriosclerosis; hypertension; diabetes;
dehydration; fatigue; blood clots; virus/infection;
asthma; anemia; seizures; embolism; aneurysm;
stroke/CVA; pulmonary disease...
Human communication error; communication
equipment failure; insufficient resources; lack of
accountability system; lack of proper incident size;
lack of SOPs; lack of effective incident command
system…
Incidents Summary
Table 1. Content Object Description Facets and Metadata Fields for IFLODD
Source: NFPA Annual Firefighter Fatalities Reports; NFPA 901 (1981 edition); USFA Firefighter Fatalities Study in 2002.
Note: Every record in IFLODD will not necessarily contain each of these fields. In some cases our project will be limited by
information availability and privacy concerns. Source of materials will be indicated and credited. Controlled vocabularies will be
assigned.
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2) In parallel with Step 1, conduct extensive research at participating fire stations,
historical societies, fire museums, newspaper archives, and libraries statewide to
search, identify, collect, digitize, and organize pertinent information for inclusion
in IFLODD. We propose to travel to all fire departments with more than two
firefighter LODDs. For the rest of departments, we plan to work with onsite
partners to determine the necessity of a field visit (up to five site visits) or to
acquire information and images through alternative options and means, such as
certified mail and/or online delivery. As the fieldwork will include research about
the historical and cultural nature of firefighter LODD, we will compile footnotes
and bibliographies related to the material being digitized. Potential types of
materials for digitization may include, but are not limited to, archival records, fire
station logbooks, maps, photographs, drawings, newspaper clippings, and threedimensional
artifacts;
3) Arrange to link IFLODD to the “Digital Illinois Fire Departments Training
Network Database,” which was built through the successful FY2006 LSTA grant
entitled “Creative Use of Libraries (CUOL Grant!) - Deliver Right Information to
Illinois Firefighters at Right Time.” The Network Database contains training
calendars from various Illinois fire departments, indicates local training needs,
and is linked to the IFSI Library and other web-based resources so that
firefighters can find relevant information at their fingertips;
4) Build links within IFLODD to information about firefighter LODD procedures
and protocols, and resources for survivors (See Attachment 4). These resources
are available through federal, state, local and private sources, including labor
organizations;
5) Utilize FireTalk (http://www.fsi.uiuc.edu/content/library/FireTalk), the IFSI
Library’s controlled vocabulary, in assigning appropriate subject terms to the
materials in IFLODD. These same terms will help IFLODD users search relevant
materials (see Attachment 5) in the Library’s OPAC multimedia collection;
6) Inventory and update the IFSI Library’s OPAC multimedia collection on
firefighter LODD by identifying, selecting, and purchasing new or additional
copies of multimedia library materials in direct support of the new service. These
materials in the augmented collection will be available for loan to both firefighters
and the general public through their local library’s ILL services;
7) Design, develop and test virtual workshops for firefighters, staff at historical
societies and fire museums, public librarians, and the general public, on proper
use of IFLODD and how it can help them find information related to their work,
research, or personal interests;
8) Offer audio descriptions of selected digital images for people with print
disabilities and participate in the Illinois State Library’s training on how to write
audio descriptions;
9) Provide adequate reference and interlibrary loan (ILL) services to public libraries,
historical societies and fire museums, along with online services to firefighters
and citizens throughout the state;
10) Promote the new service and collection to fire emergency professionals, historical
societies, fire museums, and library communities;
11) Develop evaluation plans.
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The proposed project will rely on various partnerships with fire departments, historical
societies, fire museums, and libraries. As a state leader in fire emergency training for the
past 81 years, IFSI has strong relationships with the Illinois fire service community as a
whole, including the departments that have lost firefighters in the line of duty. These
departments include Chicago, Quincy, Aurora, Naperville; Carthage, Springfield, Alton;
Aroma; Ashton; Canton; Countryside; Earlville; Litchfield; Monmouth; Mt. Carmel; Oak
Park; Waukegan, Ashkum Township; Atlanta; Belle Rive; Berwyn; Bourbonnais;
Brimfield; Cary; Champaign; Channahon; Chebanse; Cherry Valley; Cicero; Depue;
Downer’s Grove; Elk Grove Township; Evanston; Fairmont; Foosland; Galesburg;
Gladstone; Glenbrook; Godfrey; Great Lakes; Granville; Green Valley; Greenville;
Gulfport; Gurnee; Herrick; Herrin; Hinsdale; Holbrook; LaGrange Park; Libertyville;
Logan-Trivoli; Ludlow; Macomb; Mattoon; Morris; New Lenox; Northbrook; Orland;
Peoria; Pleasantview; Robbins; Rockford; Seneca; Seward; South Holland; South Pekin;
Steger; Stone Park; Vernon; Villa Grove; Warsaw; Washburn; Western Springs;
Westmont; Winthrop Harbor; Woodmere; and Wood River. Other organizations that have
experienced firefighter LODD include the U.S. Forest Service, the Reynolds Metal
Company, the Union Oil Company in Romeoville, and IFSI (which lost an instructor
from New York City on September 11, 2001).
Support letters from some of these organizations are included in Attachment 6, along
with a letter from Michael Kimmerling, Chairman of the IFSI Library Advisory
Committee Member. Fire department partners will share information retained in their
fire stations, such as logbooks, newspaper clippings, and photos (see samples in
Attachment 7), and also provide workspace for the project staff to organize, select, and
digitize relevant materials. Fire departments will also act as project liaisons by suggesting
additional resources, and by assisting and supporting the project activities as needed.
Several individual firefighters who have especially rich experience and knowledge about
their department history may be viewed as individual partners. Partners from the local
historical societies, fire museums, and public libraries will provide research assistance
and access to relevant materials within their collection, and grant us permission to
digitize those materials. The Fire Museum of Greater Chicago, the Aurora Public Library,
the Aurora Regional Fire Museum, the Champaign County Historical Archives, and the
Illinois Fire Museum were all contacted during the proposal development stage and each
of these partners responded with strong interest and enthusiastic support (see support
letters in Attachment 8). In addition, the IFSI Library has been a full member of the
Lincoln Trail Libraries System (LTLS) since November 1998. Our ILL services with
local public libraries statewide is part of our daily library operations and the IFSI Library
has maintained good relationships with local public libraries. In addition, we will rely on
IFSI in-house support in areas of information technology, fire fighting knowledge, and
networking with the fire service community.
Table 2 below lists fire departments that have lost firefighters in the line of duty along
with local partners for this project. As the project develops, we expect to add many
additional partners who were not contacted during the grant proposal stage.
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Fire Organization
Number of Potential Partner
LODD
Chicago 591 · Chicago Fire Department*
· Individual Firefighters
· Fire Museum of Greater
Chicago*
· Chicago Public Library
Union Oil Fire Brigade (Romeoville) 10 · Romeoville Public Library
· Romeoville Fire Department
Quincy 7 · Quincy Fire Department*
· Historical Society of Quincy
and Adams
· Quincy Public Library
Aurora 5 · Aurora Regional Fire
Museum*
· Aurora Historical Society
· Aurora Fire Department
· Aurora Public Library*
Naperville 4 · Naperville Fire Department*
· Naperville Public Library
Carthage; Springfield (2) 3 · Illinois Fire Museum*
· Springfield Fire Department
· Carthage Fire Department
· Carthage and Springfield
public libraries
Alton; Aroma; Ashton; Canton; Countryside;
Earlville; Litchfield; Monmouth; Mt. Carmel; Oak
Park; Waukegan (11)
2 · Oak Park Fire Department*
· Local public libraries or
historical societies
Ashkum Township; Atlanta; Belle Rive; Berwyn;
Bourbonnais; Brimfield; Cary; Champaign;
Channahon; Chebanse; Cherry Valley; Cicero;
Depue; Downer’s Grove; Elk Grove Township;
Evanston; Fairmont; Foosland; Galesburg;
Gladstone; Glenbrook; Godfrey; Great Lakes;
Granville; Green Valley; Greenville; Gulfport;
Gurnee; Herrick; Herrin; Hinsdale; Holbrook;
IFSI; LaGrange Park; Libertyville; Logan-Trivoli;
Ludlow; Macomb; Mattoon; Morris; New Lenox;
Northbrook; Orland; Peoria; Pleasantview;
Reynolds Metal Company; Robbins; Rockford;
Seneca; Seward; South Holland; South Pekin;
Steger; Stone Park; U.S. Forest Service; Vernon;
Villa Grove; Warsaw; Washburn; Western
Springs; Westmont; Winthrop Harbor;
Woodmere; Wood River (64)
1 · Champaign County
Historical Archives*
· Individual firefighters, fire
departments, local libraries,
and historical organizations
· History, Philosophy, and
Newspaper Library,
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Total 82 709
Table 2. Organizations with Firefighter LODD and Partners
Note: Asterisks indicate letters of support received.
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Project Goals Match ISL Long Range Plan
By targeting special types of historical materials, the proposed project addresses one of
the goals in the Illinois State Library’s Long Range Plan for the Use of LSTA Funds
FY2003-FY2007. The project meets the LSTA Goal 8, which is to: Continue to support
the preservation and digitization of historic Illinois information and materials” and “to
provide the opportunity for libraries to preserve and digitize materials of historical value
to Illinois, using the standards developed by the Illinois State Library. Goal 8’s benefit
will allow librarians to continue to preserve information, develop access to the
information, and to make residents aware of these documents. Its outcome is that more
materials of historical value to the residents of Illinois will be available using a variety of
methods.
Budget Summary
An LSTA grant would support the IFSI Library with the much-needed one-time, startup
money for additional human resources, travel funds, and equipment that would allow
us to complete this project in a more timely and effective manner. The requested funds of
$20,000 in the proposed budget would support the project staff’s field research and visits
($4,196); the hiring of two graduate student assistants ($12,804) to help facilitate the
project by contributing on design, development, implementation, research, coordination,
and evaluation tasks; the purchase of equipment, including a portable scanner ($580),
digital camera ($300), and digital recorder ($207) to bring to the field for research and
digitization purposes, along with an SCSI drive for additional storage capacity on our
web server ($350); and the acquisition of multimedia library materials ($1,500) needed to
support the new service. IFSI will make a significant local contribution of $38,140 to the
project, including staff’s time contributions with fringe benefits ($32,690), public
relations ($350), supplies, postage and printing ($500), phones and telecommunications
($600), and additional indirect costs ($4,000). Since the IFSI Library is a special library
and no children use our library, CIPA does not apply to this project.
By focusing on preserving and digitizing materials of historical value, IFLODD will
reach the following desired outcomes: increase awareness of firefighter LODD among
the fire emergency service community and the general public; provide access to Illinoisrelated
historical and cultural materials in a digital format; help users recognize the value
of digitized local history materials, such as newspapers and other type of materials.
As a multifaceted reference tool, IFLODD will be an important component of the IFSI
Library’s Outreach Program. This database will be the first of its kind to focus on LODD
in an organized, digital form. It will help increase our users by including the general
public, and add a new, effective dimension of digital image service. To our knowledge,
this service and collection will be the first of its kind among inFIRE (international
network of Fire and Information Resources Exchange, an international fire library
consortium) member libraries worldwide.
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3. Target Audience Needs and Outcomes
Target audience needs were identified and desired project outcomes were delineated by
studying national firefighter LODD research, by investigating Illinois LODD resources,
by evaluating the IFSI Library’s reference services on this topic, and by IFSI Library’s
development of the Significant Fire and Emergencies in Illinois History poster exhibit.
Target Audience Needs
Most studies indicate that it should be possible to significantly reduce the number of
firefighter LODD through research, study, training, information, improved operations,
development of new technologies, the appropriate use of staffing, and other factors.
Generally, most firefighter LODD are the result of a chain of events, which, if detected
early, can be broken, preventing many, or even most, fatalities. Although many of the
components that make up the fire service have improved, the National Firefighter LODD
Study (1977-2003) reveals that, in many cases, firefighters are not being killed by new
dangers, but instead the same dangers that have been an issue for decades. These facts
drive IFSI’s Research Program, which focuses on reducing firefighter fatalities and
injuries by analyzing trends to identify the most common causes of firefighter LODD.
For example, recent failures of some escape rope systems that caused multiple firefighter
fatalities has lead IFSI to investigate the effects of high temperature on ropes. IFLODD
could be used to steer the research program by remembering what lessons have been
learned and pointing out those that remain.
In addition to impacting research, this awareness of the continued high number of
fatalities has changed the fabric of the fire service and prompted many organizations,
including those in Illinois, to initiate programs that protect firefighters. Fire departments
throughout the country are adjusting their tactics to promote firefighter safety and reduce
firefighter deaths and injuries. They continually strive to protect the communities they
serve AND their firefighters through training, innovative technologies and techniques,
and a constant desire to improve their skills. Many fire departments reinforce the need to
learn the lessons from these previous firefighter fatality incidents by addressing the issue
through training. As Chief Ronny Coleman states, “Training is the heart and soul of
competency.” Comprehensive prevention strategy efforts, such as changes in operational
strategies and tactics, the designation of rapid intervention teams/crews (RIT/RICs) and
incident safety officers, the development of personnel accountability and roadway safety
policies, more stringent adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the
expansion of physical fitness and dietary change efforts, are necessary if firefighters are
to safely and effectively respond to emergency incidents.
Providing firefighters with pertinent and innovative information services is essential
to training programs, and the efficient management and distribution of lessons learned
from firefighter LODD can further contribute to these efforts. IFLODD will help
inform and stimulate additional training endeavors.
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
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Target Audience #1: Firefighters on the Job
There are 6,000 to 8,000 entry-level firefighters that join the profession each year in
Illinois. Considering the fact that 70% of Illinois firefighters are volunteers, the fire
service experiences an annual turnover rate of 20%. In a 1998 IFSI Library survey, we
found that only 4.5% of all fire departments in Illinois have a library, only 3% have over
500 titles, and 49% have fewer than 50 items. Similarly, according to a 2003 survey of
the 28 County Firefighter Association libraries, no library has over 500 titles and 39%
have fewer than 50 items. Among all fire department libraries, none have a librarian and
90% have no personnel to manage the library. Generally, local information resources are
fragmented and unbalanced for use in training programs. This lack of onsite professional
support for collection development, organization, and access to fire emergency
information resources is supported by IFSI Library’s Outreach Program, including the
ILL and web reference contacts the Library currently maintains with this audience.
Target Audience #2: Firefighters as Students
Brian Brauer, a Fire Fighting instructor at IFSI, teaches an LODD class in which
students are required to complete a written report on a firefighter fatality. Students
conduct research on the fatality to determine who the firefighter was, the size and
structure of his or her department, and information about the family the firefighter left
behind. The student then dissects the events that led up to the fatal event and compares
this to a set of standard operating guidelines allowing the students to identify corrective
actions that could have made a difference. Brauer believes this report has a practical
application in the basic fire fighting courses at IFSI, as the lessons learned from these
deaths are written in blood and help new firefighters vicariously learn from the losses of
other departments and the sacrifices of other firefighters. This program began in 2003,
and has been well received by the students and staff. As of May 2006, 44 students have
completed the course and the required LODD written project, with another 27 expected to
complete the course in the fall of 2006. Because the IFSI Library does not have a LODD
database and instead the pertinent resources are scattered in other reference sources,
Reference and User Training Librarian Diane Richardson and her student team must
compile the information into a binder for the students to use. Each year they collect
sources and update a pathfinder for the students to use for their research.
To maintain a well-trained fire fighting force in Illinois, it is imperative and obligatory
for the IFSI Library as the State Fire Academy Library to develop and implement this
proposed IFLODD to help prepare all firefighters, career or volunteer, for the fire
fighting challenges they face on the job. With rich content and digital images, the IFSI
Library will meet their LODD information needs by making IFLODD available and
accessible to firefighters and the general public.
The proposed project is not intended to judge the actions of the firefighters included in
the database. It will document the fire, the strategy employed, and what options were
available to the members of the crew as they developed and implemented their incident
strategy. The database will help firefighters learn safety techniques and also contribute to
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the development of enhanced approaches to training involving LODD by developing
critical resources in support of these programs.
Target Audience #3: General Public
IFLODD will be made available to the general public and will help memorialize
Illinois firefighter LODD, increase public awareness of their ultimate sacrifice, and
contribute to their better understanding of Illinois firefighters and the fire service
profession.
Target Audience #4: Historians and Researchers
IFLODD will also be made available to historians of the state’s cultural heritage and
researchers of the fire service profession. It will help historians and researchers enhance
their studies of Illinois firefighter LODD, gain in-depth understanding about firefighter
LODD in Illinois, and preserve the history of the Illinois fire service as part of state’s
overall history.
Desired Outcomes
By achieving our proposed project goals, we anticipate four major desired outcomes.
We plan to measure the level of success of the proposed project, specifically focusing on
our success in supporting the preservation and digitization of historic Illinois information
and in providing firefighters and the general public with easy access to these materials.
Outcome #1: Illinois firefighters on the job and in training and the general public
will have access to IFLODD, a digital image collection database 24/7.
IFLODD will be available online halfway through the project calendar. Upon
completion of this stage, 100 or more firefighters and 50 or more staff members from
libraries, historical societies, and fire museums will receive a one-hour long virtual
training workshop on how to use the new service and how it relates to the IFSI Library’s
services. The virtual training workshop will also be open to the general public and can be
scheduled upon request. We plan to use an online training workshop survey to track
Google hits on our Website to measure user satisfaction with the new service and the
IFSI Library.
Outcome #2: Illinois firefighters and the general public will recognize the value of
digitized history materials in meeting their information needs.
IFLODD will help improve firefighters’ and Illinois citizens’ knowledge of LODD and
also influence firefighters’ training and emergency response. This service will especially
benefit firefighter end users who serve in fire departments that lack funding and
resources. The quality and efficiency of local fire department LODD training programs
and activities will be enhanced. Through IFLODD, firefighters will have high quality,
rich history, and up-to-date firefighter LODD training materials readily available from
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the IFSI Library to directly support their LODD training needs and activities. Local
training needs on LODD will be met in a timely fashion and use of the IFSI Library by
firefighters will be increased.
Illinois firefighters will make informed decisions about the effectiveness of their
training, emergency incident response techniques, and efforts to protect themselves.
Based on the survey questionnaire about decision-making used in our FY2006 LSTA
grant project and additional survey questionnaires used in various other user studies, we
will customize a questionnaire to analyze how a firefighter’s decision-making process
and behavior modification efforts are influenced by the new firefighter LODD database.
Furthermore, the Internet-capabilities of firefighters will be improved. With virtual
training tools and reference desk help, firefighters can access IFLODD on their own.
IFLODD will be the first time that systematic, centralized, and digitalized firefighter
LODD information is widely accessible in a searchable format. IFLODD will contribute
to resource sharing, information exchange, and collaboration among fire departments.
Outcome #3: Illinois’ cultural history will have enhanced resource access via
IFLODD.
IFLODD will bring together diverse collections from across the state to improve
access to these unique materials and to aid historians and researchers in their efforts to
preserve Illinois’ cultural history.
Outcome #4: Partnerships with multiple participating organizations will be
initiated, strengthened, and expanded to provide rich historical information in a
timely fashion to firefighters and the general public.
Partnerships developed in the course of this project will have a synergistic effect on
the collaboration and sharing efforts necessary for providing access to firefighter LODD
information resources. The IFSI Library will monitor the number of ILL requests
answered to measure the effectiveness of this new level of partnership. Community
impact during and beyond the project year can also be assessed and measured. The
proposed project’s success can be used as a tangible example of service in promoting
firefighter LODD library and information services in both the Illinois fire emergency
service community and among the general public. The project can be replicated in other
libraries across the nation for integrating digital image collection with training,
emergency incident response management, and public awareness.
4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Goals
Firefighters and the general public will have easy and effective access to IFLODD and
other IFSI Library resources. IFLODD will enhance awareness, understanding and
knowledge about firefighter LODD, provide lessons learned, and include information
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
Digital Imaging
about resources, contemporary firefighter training efforts, and the overall history of fire
service profession. The IFSI Library will ensure timely access to adequate information
resources and services that support training programs and emergency incident
management across all fire departments, and also the information needs of Illinois
citizens.
Three specific project goals of this proposed project are to:
a) Document and memorialize firefighters who died in the line of duty;
b) Supply contemporary firefighters with “lessons learned” from the deaths,
including information on where to turn for help following the death of a
firefighter;
c) Increase public awareness of their sacrifice and the profession’s history.
Research on each firefighter LODD will result in a succinct summary report in
IFLODD. This report will include information about the circumstances of each fatality,
along with details about related investigations and subsequent analysis of the incident.
IFLODD will provide insights for prevention and intervention activities as shown in
Figure 3.
Detailed Action Plans
We will take the following detailed actions to meet these goals:
1) Creation of IFLODD. By working with Nicholas Voss, IFSI Research Programmer
and project technical advisor (see Attachment 9), IFSI administrators and instructors, and
other subject advisors, Archivist Adam Groves and project staff will create IFLODD.
Voss plans to use a Microsoft SQL (MS-SQL) server and Coldfusion programming
language to build IFLODD and connect the digitized materials to the IFSI Library’s
Online Public Access Catalog, and the “Digital Illinois Fire Departments Training
Network Database (see Figure 3). A completely relational database structure links people
to events, and events to places. The public accessible Web site will be database driven,
always displaying content from the underlying data structure designed in the first stage of
the plan. The search and navigation processes will be faceted, with state-of-the-art
capability providing beyond A-Z searching.
Access to the database will be accomplished by modifying and adding to systems that
are already in existence at IFSI. Additional server space will be used to store the digital
images and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) will maintain IFLODD. Partners will help
us determine the final content made available in IFLODD and the IFSI Library staff will
carefully manage copyright permissions and privacy issues. Table 1 indicates the
metadata fields that will be included in IFLODD, mainly based on the 2004 NFPA
firefighter fatalities research and other studies. The metadata will be modified further
based on our fieldwork and research in an effort to match Illinois fire service needs.
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Updating IFLODD will be done on a continuous basis depending on continuing
research and digitization efforts. We will design statistical reports and customized search
reports based on the end users’ needs and also provide adequate online support and
tutorials. Firefighters with a three-shift working schedule and the general public, using a
wide range of computer operating systems and browsers, can access this web-based
information 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. The project’s web page will provide
instructions and online help for searching IFLODD in the form of a graphic tutorial with
explanatory captions and images from actual search screens. The web page will also
include links to the IFSI Library multimedia collection, online resources provided by
participating partners, and other online resources relevant to the project.
2) Extensive Research in the Field. At partner sites, IFSI Archivist Groves will work
with partners to search, identify, collect, digitize, and organize historical materials about
firefighter LODD. The project graduate students will assist him in coordinating research
visits, entering data, managing content, and determining any copyright issues. The IFSI
Library will encourage partners to share their knowledge, expertise, and resources in an
effort to preserve this history and increase awareness and usage of these materials by
firefighters and the general public.
3) Collection Development. In addition to the acquisition of digital image materials from
participating partners, we will update the IFSI Library’s multimedia collection ability to
support IFLODD by identifying, selecting, purchasing and processing library materials
dealing with LODD (see samples in Attachment 5). These materials may include books,
videotapes, DVDs, CD-ROMs, and other electronic resources (such as NFPA Online
National Fire Codes). The multimedia collection will be linked to IFLODD and available
to all firefighters and the general public for circulation or interlibrary loan during and
after the project term (see Figure 3). Through IFLODD, the IFSI Library will remain the
state’s clearinghouse for comprehensive fire emergency information resources.
4) Virtual Partner and User Training Program. We propose to continue the training
initiatives built in previous LSTA grant projects by designing, developing, and
conducting workshops, manuals, and online tutorials about how to access IFLODD and
other web-based resources.
5) Reference and ILL Services. The IFSI Library staff answers questions in-person, by
walk-in or toll-free telephone number and fax. We also take questions through mail,
electronic mail or online forms. Digital reference services will also be available through
chat reference, as the IFSI Library participates in AskAway Virtual Reference Service
(administered by the Illinois State Library). We will integrate IFLODD into the IFSI
Library routine reference and online services. It will also be linked to local fire training
programs through the already built Network Database. Partnerships with historical
institutions and libraries will help us reach citizens and meet their information needs.
6) Evaluation and Online Tracking System. This project will track both qualitative
(e.g. open-ended questions asked in the training evaluation form) and quantitative (e.g.
number of digital image records entered; number of reference questions answered;
number of ILL requests filled, etc.) evaluative data. Statistics generated from various
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mechanisms will help measure how the local needs are being met and also help to
determine the overall effectiveness of IFLODD and the IFSI Library.
7) Dissemination Plan. As we have done with previous LSTA projects, we will prepare
papers for publication, and presentations at conferences, such as the Illinois Fire Chiefs
Association Conference, inFIRE Conference, Midwest Archives Conference, etc. We will
also disseminate the results and findings on the IFSI Website and in the IFSI Newsletter.
Individual and Participant Responsibilities
The development and implementation of this proposed project requires partnerships
and community involvement in finding a feasible solution for preserving and sharing
firefighter LODD materials. Throughout the proposal writing stage, we have worked with
many individuals, including organizational partners to measure their input and support.
Many individuals and organizations have expressed a willingness to assist in the project’s
implementation and evaluation if it gets funded (see support letters in Attachment 6, 8).
The following are the respective responsibilities of project staff and partners:
Project Director – Lian Ruan, IFSI Director/Head Librarian. 10% time contribution (see
Attachment 10). Main duties: 1) Direct and oversee day-to-day project activities by
working closely with participating partners, the project team, IFSI Research Programmer,
IFSI administrators, program directors, and other stakeholders; 2) Keep project partners,
team, IFSI, and other stakeholders (e.g., key Illinois fire organizations) informed of all
events and activities; 3) Assemble, lead and supervise the project team; 4) Oversee and
monitor project design, development, budget planning and execution, marketing,
implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of project results and findings.
Project Staff – Adam Groves, IFSI Archivist/Metadata Librarian. 35% time contribution
(see Attachment 11). Main duties: 1) Work with Project Director, project team, IFSI
Research Programmer, and various partners to create and develop IFLODD; 2) Conduct
extensive field work and research at partner sites to identify, select, digitize, and organize
various types of materials; 3) Seek copyright permission as needed; 4) Assist IFSI
Library’s reference services on requests; and help the catalogers with mapping FireTalk
terms to IFLODD; 5) Assist Project Director in collection development, evaluation, and
dissemination of project results; 6) Perform other project related tasks as needed.
Project Staff - Graduate Student A - to be hired from Graduate School of Library and
Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). 10 hours per
week. Main responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 1) Work with IFSI Research
Programmer to handle technical aspects of the project and all web- and computer-related
issues; 2) Contribute to the design, development, implementation and maintenance of
IFLODD structure; 3) Develop, maintain and update the IFLODD Website; 4) Link all
participating partners’ websites to the IFLODD Website, and build other relevant links;
5) Provide technical support to the project team and online help to the end users and
partners; 6) Update and maintain online tracking system, online evaluations, and
dissemination activities; 7) Perform other project tasks as needed.
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Project Staff - Graduate Student B - to be hired from Graduate School of Library and
Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). 10 hours per
week. Main responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 1) Assist IFSI Archivist with
site visit schedules, appointments, and copyright issues; 2) Contribute to the design,
development, implementation and maintenance of IFLODD structure, focusing on data
entry and record management; 3) Help IFSI Archivist scan and digitize various types of
materials; 4) Assist IFSI Archivist with updating and maintaining links between IFLODD
and FireTalk; 5) Help IFSI Archivist conduct virtual training workshops via telephone
and Internet; 6) Provide reference assistance; 7) Assist with evaluations and
dissemination activities; 8) Perform other project related tasks as needed.
Partner. Technical Advisor – Nicholas Voss, IFSI Research Programmer. 10% time
contribution (see Attachment 9). Main responsibilities include: 1) Working with the
project team, in setting up an adequate IT environment for the creation of IFLODD; 2)
Administer and manage the Microsoft SQL (MS-SQL) server; 3) Provide technical
support, advice and consultation to project staff, in particular to Graduate Student A; 4)
help integrate the new service within the existing IFSI Library and IFSI websites.
Fire Department Partners (see Table 2). Time contribution and project activity
coordination will depend on the amount of firefighter LODD materials they have
available. The main responsibilities include: 1) Coordinate the field trip visit; 2) Provide
workspace during the site visit; 3) Grant us access to the department’s LODD files; work
with us in selecting, digitizing and sharing information through IFLODD; 4) Help
customize IFLODD to meet their local training needs; 5) Coordinate, support and
participate in the virtual training workshops; 6) Support and utilize the new service; 7)
Help collect feedback and data from surveys and evaluations; 8) Help promote the new
service and the IFSI Library; 9) Help disseminate training materials, project results and
findings. Individual firefighter partners will have similar responsibilities, but will
especially serve as information gatekeepers by helping us identify relevant resources.
Fire Museums, Historical Societies and Public Library Partners (see Table 2).
Contribution will depend on the amount of relevant information about firefighter LODD
they have available, and the degree of interest among their local firefighters and public.
Main responsibilities include: 1) Provide research assistance to IFSI Archivist during
field research and site visit; 2) Help select and grant permission to digital relevant
information about firefighter LODD; 3) Provide reference and ILL services as requested
by local firefighters and citizens (libraries only); 4) Participate in the IFSI Library’s
virtual training workshops; 5) Help promote the new service and IFSI Library; 5) Help
disseminate training materials, project results and findings through websites, newsletters
and etc.
Timeline with Major Project Tasks and Milestones
Our major project tasks and milestones with a proposed implementation schedule within
the contract time frame are listed as follows:
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Phase
Phase I (Month 1-3)
(October-December 2006)
Preparation, Planning and Development
Phase II (Month 4-7)
(January-May 2007)
Implementation and
Evaluation Data Collection
Phase III (Month 7-8)
(May-June 2007)
Review and Evaluation.
Reporting and Dissemination
Major Tasks and Milestones
1) Confirm the participating partners;
2) Hire, assemble, and train the project team
members; Hold weekly team meetings;
3) Design, develop and test IFLODD in
connection with IFSI Library and other online
resources;
4) Design and test virtual training workshop
and evaluation form;
5) Coordinate visit schedules to start the
extensive fieldwork and research;
6) Search, identify, select, digitize various
types of materials (obtain copyright permission
as needed); Test choices for metadata fields;
7) Identify, purchase and process the new
multimedia materials in the Library OPAC and
OCLC;
8) Update FireTalk, IFSI Thesaurus based on
the index terms need for IFLODD resources;
9) Develop and test virtual training program,
online tutorial, and online evaluation form;
10) Enhance digital and ILL references;
11) Attend the LSTA Grants Reporting
Requirements Meeting.
1) Launch and promote the new service;
2) Continue to coordinate fieldwork schedules
to acquire and digitize various types of
materials (obtain copyright permission as
needed);
3) Continue to identify, purchase and process
the new firefighter LODD multimedia
materials in the Library OPAC and OCLC;
4) Continue to map subject terms in FireTalk,
IFSI Thesaurus and update the thesaurus as
needed;
5) Conduct training workshops via Internet,
telephone and face-to-face (at the field visits);
6) Provide reference and ILL services;
7) Collect qualitative and quantitative data on
the usage of the new service and evaluation;
8) Revise the contents of service and training
materials based on feedback.
1) Continue to improve the service;
2) Analyze data to measure and assess desired
outcomes and impact;
3) Disseminate results at conferences;
4) Continue to fine-tune and improve the new
service beyond the project year.
Table 3. Major Tasks and Milestones
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Considering the enthusiastic partnerships involved in this project, the strong support
from IFSI administration, the skills of the project staff, and the proven successes from
previous LSTA grants, we believe that we will complete all the proposed project
activities and reach all the proposed goals on time.
5. MANAGEMENT PLAN
Capacity of the IFSI Library
The IFSI Library is the largest fire science-dedicated library and information center in
Illinois. With strong administrative support from IFSI Director Richard Jaehne (see
Attachment 12), the Library has a proven track record of capacity and infrastructure to
serve as the project home and subsidize the LSTA type of reimbursable grant. IFSI has
financial and administrative staff to support the grant activities.
Qualification of Key Project Personnel and Description of Their Roles
As founding librarian, Lian Ruan has worked at IFSI as Director/Head Librarian since
1990 while serving as Library Consultant at Champaign Fire Department at the same
time (see Attachment 10). Ruan has been an active leader in promoting fire information
services in the library profession, fire service and library communities at local, university,
state, national and international levels. She has actively served on numerous library
committees, such as the Illinois State Library’s ILLINET Network Advisory Council
(INAC) (2003-2007) and the Illinois Library Association’s Cultural and Racial Diversity
Committee (2004-2005). She also served on the Downstate Board of Directors for the
Special Libraries Association Illinois Chapter (2002-2004), on the inFIRE Committee
(1996-2001) and has been the inFIRE Treasurer since 2001. Under her leadership, the
IFSI Library has made impressive progress toward its goal to be one of the best fire
emergency libraries in the world. Ruan served as Project Director for all grant awards
received from the Illinois State Library in the period of 1999 to 2006. She and her team
completed all funded projects successfully and on time. Through a variety of projects, she
acquired rich grant management experience and demonstrated her abilities to administer
project activities and staff. Because of her accomplishments, she has won both the
University Chancellor's Academic Professional Excellence (CAPE) Award and the
Special Libraries Association’s Diversity Leadership Development Award in 2003. She
was selected to participate in the Synergy: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative in
2004. The ALA Annual Conference Poster Committee accepted her poster on the
FY2006 LSTA grant project and she will present it in New Orleans on June 24, 2006.
Built upon previous LSTA grant experiences and accomplishments, Ruan and her team
for this proposed project are capable of delivering a high-quality performance. As Project
Director, Ruan will contribute 10% of her time to manage the project’s day-to-day
operation and oversee the whole project. IFSI Archivist/Metadata Librarian Adam
Groves (see Attachment 11), with his professional knowledge and experience in
organizing and managing archival collections and his prior work with digital image
libraries, will contribute 35% of his time to various key project activities, in particular the
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extensive fieldwork and research. The IFSI Library will also hire skilled graduate
students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s top-rated Graduate
School of Library and Information Science to assist Ruan and the project staff for the
entire period of the grant.
Potential Challenges
One of potential challenges we anticipate lies in scarce and/or scattered information
about firefighter LODD, particularly in the years prior to the 1970s. As there is no
definitive list containing the names of Illinois firefighter LODD, the IFSI Library must
reach out to the individuals who have compiled this information informally over the
years. For some historical periods, it may take extra time to uncover relevant information
about firefighter LODD, but partnerships with various organizations and individuals will
help with this challenge. We also anticipate that some desired information might be
unavailable or reported as “unknown” in the publications or reports associated with the
fatality. We will make necessary adjustments in such cases.
Copyright and privacy issues may also pose challenges. We will work with
organizational and individual partners, owners of private collections, publishers, and IFSI
staff, to solve such issues as they arise from the project. We also recognize that a
comprehensive digital image collection database on firefighter LODD, like ours, can
include chronic illnesses (such as cancer) that arise from occupational factors. At this
time, however, there is no good mechanism for identifying fatalities that are due to
illnesses that develop over long periods because of limitations in tracking the exposure of
firefighters to toxic environments and substances and the potential long-term effects of
such exposures. This may create an incomplete picture when comparing occupational
illnesses to other factors as causes of firefighter deaths.
6. COMMUNICATION/PROMOTION PLAN
The success of the proposed project’s preparation, planning, development, and
longevity will rely on direct support and sincere contributions from various partners,
IFSI, and project staff. It is critical to maintain effective and regular communication
about the project activities and outcomes with partners and the target audience.
Our communication and promotion plan is outlined as follows:
a) Build and strengthen the proposed project on the foundation already developed
through previous LSTA grants accomplishments and the IFSI Library’s continual
outreach efforts;
b) Design a brochure about IFLODD for online and print distribution;
c) Use various media outlets, such as websites and newsletters by IFSI and other
various partners, and publications and presentations to promote the new service
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
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and disseminate news on project-related activities, results and findings at various
conferences and meetings for fire, archives, and library professionals;
d) Take full advantage of field research opportunities to promote the new service and
demonstrate the new database functionality;
e) Integrate the communication and promotion into routine IFSI reference and ILL
services and User Training Program;
Fire department partners will be encouraged to provide testimonial statements before
state legislators if appropriate and as needed. These efforts would be designed to
encourage the state and federal governments to provide support (financial or otherwise)
to the expansion of the use of technology (e.g., digital images) in firefighter efforts to
safely and effectively protect the communities they serve.
7. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY
This proposed project will allow the IFSI Library to develop new dimensions of
collection and service by providing access to digital images that will benefit Illinois
firefighters, historians, researchers, and the general public. It will also help preserve this
aspect of fire service and Illinois history.
As the statutory State Fire Academy Library, the IFSI Library has played an important
role with great responsibilities in fire department training programs and emergency
incident response management. With the unique service of IFLODD, the IFSI Library
would be able to proactively add another integrated component to fire department
training and incident management, and further connect the Library to meet the needs of
fire departments.
Through this project, the IFSI Library will fill current gaps in digital image
information service for Illinois firefighters and the general public. It will demonstrate its
true value as the State Fire Academy Library to the Illinois fire service and the general
public, and also to public libraries, museums, and historical societies. The partnerships
established, expanded and strengthened through this project will be in place to serve this
project and many more beyond the project year. Director Jaehne explicitly expresses his
endorsement in his support letter (see Attachment 12) and is committed, as firmly as the
IFSI Library, to enhancing the library services and programs. With competent IFSI
Archivist Groves in place as a full-time staff member, we are confident that we will
sustain the new service in every way as it is being created and will continually enhance it
even after the project ends.
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13. Supporting Documentation
Attachment 1: The IFSI Library
The IFSI Library’s mission is to provide fire emergency library and information
assistance and services to IFSI’s instructional staff and students, Illinois fire departments,
and firefighters, and other fire/emergency-related users to assist in the successful and
effective performance of their jobs. Making appropriate library resources and services
available for local firefighters is one of the most important components of the IFSI
Library Outreach Program as the Library’s resources and services are an essential part of
many local training programs. To better serve its constituencies, a multi-million-dollar
new library building has been approved by the University Chancellor’s Capital Review
Committee and is under preparation. The new library will significantly increase the
library space from 700 sq. ft. to 10,000 sq. ft.
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Attachment 2
Definition of Firefighter:
For the purpose of this proposed project, we follow the definition from the USFA
Firefighter Fatality Retrospective Study (2002). The term firefighter covers all members
of organized fire departments in Illinois. Included are career and volunteer firefighters;
full-time public safety officers acting as firefighters; privately employed firefighters,
including employees of contract fire departments; and trained members of industrial fire
brigades, whether full time or part time. It also includes contract personnel working as
firefighters or assigned to work in direct support of fire service organizations.
According to NFPA Journal in 2005, the term “volunteer” refers to any firefighter who
isn’t a full-time paid member of a local or municipal fire department. The term “career”
refers to full-time paid members of a local or municipal fire department or employees of
career organizations whose assigned duties include fire fighting.
Firefighter training activities often include live fire scenarios, physical fitness
exercises, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) instruction, apparatus drills,
driver training, equipment drills, underwater/dive, water rescue, en route/returning from
incident drills, competitions, disaster drills, classes/seminars/meetings, and other
activities.
What Constitutes Line of Duty Deaths (LODD)
According to NFPA Journal in 2005, the term on-duty refers to being at the scene of
an alarm; responding to or returning from an alarm; and performing other assigned duties
including training, maintenance, public education, inspection, investigation, or fund
raising. On-duty fatalities include injuries that prove fatal and any fatal illness that was
incurred because of actions while on duty. Illnesses (including heart attacks) are included
when the exposure or onset of symptoms are tied to a specific incident or on-duty
activity. Fatal injuries and illnesses may be included even in cases where death is
considerably delayed.
According to the 2002 USFA study, the term line of duty or on duty refers to
involvement in activities at the scene of an emergency (whether it is a fire or non-fire
incident); en route to or returning from an incident; performing other officially assigned
duties such as training, maintenance, public education, inspection, investigations, court
testimony, and fundraising; or while on call, under orders, or on standby duty, except at
the individual’s home or place of business. Line of duty deaths include any injuries or
illnesses sustained while on duty that prove fatal. These fatalities may occur on the fire
ground, in training, while responding to or returning from alarms, or while performing
other duties that support fire service operations. A fatality may be caused directly by
accident or injury, or it may be attributed to an occupational-related fatal illness. A
common example of a fatal illness incurred on duty is a heart attack.
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Attachment 3
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Attachment 4: Selected Key LODD Resources
Organization URL Brief Description
Order through
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/applications/publications/
Taking care of our own: a
resource guide
The National
Fallen Firefighter
Foundation
(NFFF)
National
Interagency Fire
Center
The National
Institute for
Occupational
Safety and Health
(NOISH)
United States Fire
Administration
(USFA)
International
Association of Fire
Chiefs (IAFC)
The Firefighters
Safety Association
http://ww.firehero.org
http://www.nifc.gov/reports
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/.
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publicatio
ns/fa-156-press.pdf
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publicatio
ns/fa-299.pdf
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fatalities/memorial/
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publicatio
ns/fa-220.pdf
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/fatalities/
http://www.usfa.fema.gov
http://www.iafc.org/associations/4685/files/06Invest
igations.PDF
http://www.firefightersafety.net/benefits.html
Standard operating procedures
(SOPs) and guidelines
developed by fire departments.
Historical Wildland Firefighter
Fatalities
The Firefighter Fatality
Investigation and Prevention
Program
Firefighter Autopsy Protocol
Firefighter Fatalities in the
United States
National Fallen Firefighters
Memorial
Firefighter Fatality
Retrospective Study 1990 – 2000
USFA Firefighter Fatalities Web
Page
The Aftermath of Firefighter
Fatality Incidents: Preparing for
the Worst. United States Fire
Administration, Technical
Report Series, Report 089.
Guide for Investigation of a Line
of Duty Death
Provides a benefit to the families
member firefighters who are
killed in the line of duty.
VFIS http://www.vfis.com/ An insurance company that
specializes in providing
insurance services to volunteer
firefighters as well as other
emergency service
organizations.
National Fire
Protection
Association
(NFPA)
The Public Safety
Officer’s Benefit
(PSOB) Program
http://www.nfpa.org/
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/psob/psob_mai
n.html
Provides consensus codes and
standards intended to minimize
the possibility and effects of fire
and other risks.
Provides a significant source of
information on firefighter
fatalities.
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FY 2007 LSTA Grant Application
Digital Imaging
Attachment 5: A Sample List of LODD Topics Matching FireTalk, IFSI Thesaurus
with Nonprint Materials
LODD Topics FireTalk Match Nonprint Format Cost
Title
Firefighter fatalities Firefighter fatalities Fire fighter fatalities, Video $186.25
NFPA special report
Structural fire fighting Structural fire fighting Methods of structure fire Video $39.99
operations
attack
Wildland fire Wildland fires Wildland fires Video $207.00
Heat Stress Heat Stress Heat! : Working in hot Video $395.00
environments
Flashover Flashovers Your office fire Video $105.00
Physical fitness Physical fitness Firefighter Physical Video $49.00
Fitness Video: Stamina
Structural collapses Structural collapses Action Training Systems Video $140.00
Fire Service Rescue
Series 4: Structural
Collapse
Heart Attack Heart Attacks Heat, Heart, and Health Video $199.00
Heat Stroke Heat Stroke Heat Stroke Prevention Video $95.00
video
Residential Structures Residential Buildings NFPA Special Report: Video $229.00
Multiple Fatality
Residential Fires Video
Health-care facilities Health care facilities Evacuation of Health
Care Facilities
Video $429.50
Note: FireTalk is a search aid that displays the terms we use to describe all the Fire Science subjects in IFSI Library catalog and
related databases, such as National Fire Academy Library.
32