Sponsored by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center/National Protection Center and conducted in coordination with the Ames Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the UCI report offers an unprecedented systems-level assessment of the gaps and deficiencies contained in the current firefighting standards and studies, as well as what Paulison described as "several astute recommendations."

U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who monitored the panel's progress, also commended the report's focus on what he noted were "the many medical issues" faced by firefighters.

Rita Gonzalez, director of the Army's National Protection Center in Natick, Mass., said that the study had already caused that facility to re- evaluate its technology transfer priorities and to make new recommendations to the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security.

Michael Hopmeier, president of the Mary Esther, FL-based UCI and principal investigator for the report, noted that the 30-page analysis went far beyond existing studies in the field.

"The first step in our effort involved reviewing approximately 50 other studies," Hopmeier said, with the vast majority of earlier works narrowly focused on protection from fires and applications of protective equipment in responding to terrorist incidents. "A systems-level assessment that included strategic and policy -- rather than just a tactical -- concerns had never been done, and the results were quite surprising," he added.

Gonzalez highlighted one of the study's key findings. "While much of the U.S. government's development efforts have focused on protecting firefighters from fire, only seven percent of fire responses involve fighting fires, currently with a significant investment on CB protections," she said. "Day-to- day challenges that will be exacerbated in an [unspecified] homeland security operation environment means we need to take into account the other 93 percent. It matters to the firefighter 'system,' and long-term support of that system."

The report includes recommendations made by an expert panel that examined the current literature on protective equipment relating to firefighters and sought to address gaps and deficiencies found in the standards and studies. Among its observations and recommendations: * While violence is an escalating threat to firefighters, no standards or studies reflected the threat or need for protection. * Fire service managers should encourage the development of standards that overcome a fire service culture and traditions that impede equipment development and usage. * More effective biological and chemical protection tailored to probable events are needed, as the largest number of fire service responses to biological threats -- 70 percent-deal with medical incidents rather than a statistically much smaller incidence of terrorism. * Reporting of near-miss incidents as accidents, so that statistics and information can be compiled for accident prevention. * Because the two main causes of death of firefighters are vehicle accidents and stress, the importance of physical fitness should be emphasized in the fire service, as well as the application of lessons on vehicle protection learned in the automobile racing industry.

The report may be obtained from the National Protection Center at http://www.natick.army.mil/soldier/npc .