Course FSMT 475
Three Credit Hours
Application of Fire Research
Eight Week Course Study
Prerequisites: None
Table of Contents
Instructor Information / Evaluation Procedures
Course Description / Grading Scale
Course Scope / Course Outline
Course Objectives / Policies
Course Delivery Method / Academic Services
Course Materials / Selected Bibliography
Instructor Information(Contents)
Instructor:William A. Salmon, M. Ed
Email: (IMPORTANT - please contact me through the message areas of our course, check the send email box and I will get your email. I will respond within the site and send you an email from there also. This keeps all communications within the Sakai site. )
Office Hours:By appointment, Sakai Message Area is the primary method of contact, and you can select email recipient inside of the Message area to notify me
Phone: I am also available via phone (970-633-0769); this is my Google Voice number, so if I don’t answer please leave a message and trust I will get this message. I will respond within a few hours, and certainly within 24 hours.
Course Description (Catalog) (Contents)/ This course examines tools and techniques of rational decision making in fire departments, including databases, statistics, probability, decision analysis, utility modeling, resource allocation, cost-benefit analysis, and linear programming. /
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Course Scope (Contents)
The scope of this eight week course the rationale for conducting fire research, various fire protection research activities, and research applications, including fire test standards and codes structural fire safety, automatic detection and suppression, life safety, and fire fighter health and safety.
Course Objectives (Contents)Revised 08/21/11
- Objectives compare the research methodologies of scientific method and systems analysis;
- Discuss the four steps of a research project
- List five components of a problem definition
- Identify three criteria for the validation of research results
- List three objectives of fire research
- Define fire research
- Identify the goals and programs of the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and list four sources from which information of fire research is available.
Revised 08/21/11
Course Delivery Method (Contents)This course delivered via distance learning will enable students to complete academic work in a flexible manner, completely online. Course materials and access to an online learning management system will be made available to eachstudent.Online assignments are due by the last day of each weekbut Discussion Forum questions initial postings (accomplished in groups through a threaded discussion Forum) are due no later than Thursday midnight, with replies due by Sunday of the week they are assigned. This requirement is so others will have time to reply within the assigned time frame.
Course Materials (Contents)Required Text Books for this Course: The following publications can be found on line. There is no textbook.
Recommended Text
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA)
Sixth Edition
ISBN: 978-1-4338-0561-5
United States Fire Administration Web Site
: Fire Service icon, Fire Prevention & Planning publications; Public Fire Education; Technical Report Series.
Evaluation Procedures (Contents)There are very specific requirements for the work submitted in my classrooms.
All work must meet APA style guidelines.
All work submitted, shall have a title page, be doublespaced,in-text referencing, and a References page. .
The work should be grammatically and syntactically correct and free of spelling and typographical errors.
In addition for any case study consider yourself a high paid consultant: there should be a cover sheet and then one and a half to three pages of narrative report style writing written in the third person. Therefore "I would, I think, I recommend" are all inappropriate. Avoid emotional subjective statements and avoid talking about the need for, or the desire to do, more or future studies, Actions alternatives recommendations must be made based upon the information given and on any assumptions you may need to make. Just be sure to list and justify any assumptions.
For discussion Forums the submissions do not need a cover sheet, can address questions separately and can be written in the first person. They can be single spaced, but adhere to APA style guidelines
1. DISCUSSION FORUMS
Post answers to the assignment questions in the discussion Forums and provide a substantive response to at least two other students answers. I expect a minimum of one full page for answers on the questions and a minimum of 180 words of substantive response to another student’s comments. While we do not need to agree we do need to be polite and professional. All the work posted in the Discussion Forums should be properly written in terms of punctuation spelling grammar vocabulary and syntax. Writing style should followAPA guidelines. The seven Discussion Forums are worth a total of 40 % of your final grade, with 80% of each grade based on your initial responses and 20% based on your replies to others
2. Case Studies
For four of your eight weeks in the course the graded assignments will be case studies. Please remember to attachyour APA MSWord file directly into the assignments. When cases are assigned, students should read them and use the case questions, if provided, or develop an analysis of one to one and a half pages in length. Remember that in most cases you will not have all the information you need to provide a definitive solution; just make whatever assumptions you need (be sure to indicate what they are!) and work the case. The three cases are worth 10 points each or 30% of your final grade. Students are encouraged to work in small teams or groups on the case studies but do need to notify the instructor of who is one the team prior to submitting
3. Midterm Research Paper & Final Research Paper Submission
There will be a midterm in week 5. The midterm paper will be worth 10% of your final grade. The final paper is worth 20% of your grade. Your paper will be graded according to APA style of writing and on the rubric system as well. It is imperative that your research deals with a thesis model. Your research must be clearly identifiable and must have a literature review content of at least 6-8 references. Your mid term paper becomes the foundational paper for your final paper and then your term paper. Research content must remain constant.
You should choose a topic of interest and that could be researched. The Mid-Term Paper should be approximately 10 pages in length and include an introduction, problem statement, three research questions, literature review, and a summary of the literature review. Be sure to include a reference section for the mid-term paper. This will become the first half of your final submission.
Final Paper will include the procedures, results, discussion, recommendations, conclusion, and references. The final paper combine with mid term paper should be at approximately 20 pages. Your final research paper will count 20% of your final grade.
Grading Scale: From the FSMT 475 Gradebook (Contents)
Table of Contents
Course Outline (Contents)8 Week Course FSMT 475
Applications in Fire Research (Contents)
Week / Topic(s) / Learning Objective(s) / Reading(s) / Assignment(s)1 / Introduction to Fire Research /
- Objectives compare the research methodologies of scientific method and systems analysis;
- Discuss the four steps of a research project
- List five components of a problem definition
- Identify three criteria for the validation of research results;
- List three objectives of fire research
- Define fire research
- Identify the goals and programs of the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and list four sources from which information of fire research is available.
America’s Burning
America’s Burning Recommissioned / Discussion ForumPost
(upgraded)
Submit a brief Biography
Case Study #1.
Technical Report USFA Tr-120 LP Gas Tank Explosion Carthage,IL (1997) Response
Discussion Forum Question Post #1.
How does the Congress Fire Research Report differ from the America’s Burning Document.
2 / Fire Dynamics /
- Define Fire Dynamics
- List two major fields of study that contribute to fire dynamics
- Define ignition
- List five general areas of research in fire dynamics; and list applications of fire dynamics.
- List the three laws
- Of conversation. That are essential to fire dynamics.
/ Response to discussion Forums question.
How did fire dynamics play a role in the Sofa Super Store Fire?
.
3 / Fire Safety Properties and Flammability Test /
- Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic properties of materials
- List two methods used to determine ignitability;
- List two methods used to determine flame spread
/ Discussion Forum #2
Submit a one page explanation on the performance criteria used by the NIST to measure the research methods to determine ignitability & flame spread, or flammability.
4 / Fire Test Standards & Codes /
- Identify the performance indicators which can be use in clearly defining the effects of fire prevention programs.
- Show the connection with the community.
- Describe the Management System model of local government.
/ Case Study #2
All Structure Fires in 2000(PDF, 103 Kb, Volume 3, Issue 8 - June 2004)
5 / Fire Modeling /
- Define the term Fire Model
- Distinguish between physical and symbolic models
- Distinguish and list five topics considered in the validation of models.
application/publications / MID TERM Research Paper.
6 / Structural
Fire Safety / Understanding the advantages of the ASTM-E-119, standard method of Fire Testing of building construction.
Describe the three examples of how research on structural efficiency has resulted in decrease fire endurance; / Fire Doc
application/publications / #3 Discussion Forum Question Post.
What data is collected from the NFIRS reports?
7 / Life Safety / Identify the three
components
of Life Safety;
List three factors in
Evacuation and three
Types of models used in
Evacuation analysis. / Fire Doc
application/publications / Case Study # 3
Entrapment In Garage Kills One Firefighter
USFA-Tr-084 March 1995
Submit one page paper on review of case study. .
8 / Firefighter
Health & Safety / List the principals causes
Of firefighter injuries and
Fatalities;
Discuss the potential long term effects of apparatus warning devices on firefighters
Understanding the critical design features of protective clothing and breathing apparatus. / Fire Doc
application/publications / Forum #4
Final Research Paper which includes your mid term paper.
Policy
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING
The University System supports and promotes academic honesty and personal integrity. Cheating can take the following forms:
- Submitting another person's work
- Writing a paper for someone else
- Working in a group effort without faculty consent
- Buying a paper from a research service
- Getting outside help or giving outside help without a teacher's expressed permission
- Submitting the same work for credit without approval (e.g. submitting the same assignment twice for different courses)
The Web & Plagiarism Note: The Web has made it quite easy to copy and insert materials into a paper. Studentsmust be careful to properly attribute materials found on the Web. In a collegiate setting, attribution typically relies on a formal academic style manual for its citation models (See Citation and Reference Style). Such models describe how to append footnotes and endnotes, when:
- Quoting another’s exact words, you are obviously expected to name the author and place the words in quotation marks or in indented text blocks. The citation number is placed immediately at the end of the quotation.
- Acknowledging background sources to your own descriptions--. The citation number is normally placed at the end of the paragraph.
Note: The University offers tools in its Online Library Research Center to help you analyze your papers for possible plagiarism violations and for instructors to uncover such activities.
WRITING EXPECTATIONS
All written submissions should be submitted in a font and page set-up that is readable and neat. It is recommended that students try to adhere to a consistent format, which is described below.
- Typewritten in double-spaced format with a readable style and font and submitted inside the electronic classroom (unless classroom access is not possible and other arrangements have been approved by the professor).
- Arial 11 or 12-point font or Times New Roman styles.
- Page margins Top, Bottom, Left Side and Right Side = 1 inch, with reasonable accommodation being made for special situations and online submission variances.
CITATION AND REFERENCE STYLE
I require assignments to be completed in APA style. Please refer to the APUS Online Library for further examples, or contact me with questions. See this reference for further assistance with APA:
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
This institution complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Universal Access Guidelines. Students with special needs should inform their individual instructors and the University’s student services staff.
NETIQUETTE
Online universities promote the advance of knowledge through positive and constructive debate--both inside and outside the classroom. Discussions on the Internet, however, can occasionally degenerate into needless insults and “flaming.” Such activity and the loss of good manners are not acceptable in a university setting--basic academic rules of good behavior and proper “Netiquette” must persist. Remember that you are in a place for the fun and excitement of learning that does not include descent to personal attacks, or student attempts to stifle the discussion of others.
- Technology Limitations: While you should feel free to explore the full-range of creative composition in your formal papers, keep e-mail layouts simple. The Educator classroom may not fully support MIME or HTML encoded messages, which means that bold face, italics, underlining, and a variety of color-coding or other visual effects will not translate in your e-mail messages.
- Humor Note: Despite the best of intentions, jokes and--especially--satire can easily get lost or taken seriously. If you feel the need for humor, you may wish to add “emoticons” to help alert your readers: ;-), : ),
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT
Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of this particular group.
Table of Contents
Academic ServicesONLINE LIBRARY RESEARCH CENTER & LEARNING RESOURCES
The Online Library Resource Center is available to enrolled students and faculty from inside the electronic campus. This is your starting point for access to online books, subscription periodicals, and Web resources that are designed to support your classes and generally not available through search engines on the open Web. In addition, the Center provides access to special learning resources, which the University has contracted to assist with your studies. Questions can be directed to .
- Charles Town Library and Inter Library Loan: The University maintains a special library with a limited number of supporting volumes, collection of our professors’ publication, and services to search and borrow research books and articles from other libraries.
- Electronic Books: You can use the online library to uncover and download over 50,000 titles, which have been scanned and made available in electronic format.
- Electronic Journals: The University provides access to over 12,000 journals, which are available in electronic form and only through limited subscription services.
- Turnitin.com: Turnitin.com is a tool to improve student research skills that also detect plagiarism. Turnitin.com provides resources on developing topics and assignments that encourage and guide students in producing papers that are intellectually honest, original in thought, and clearin expression. This tool helps ensure a culture of adherence to the University's standards for intellectual honesty. Turnitin.com also reviews students' papers for matches with Internet materials and with thousands of student papers in its database, and returns an Originality Report to instructors and/or students.
Table of Contents
Selected BibliographyApplied Research:
research.cfm
Research Report
research.cfm
Techincial Report
Topical Fire Research Series:
usfa.fema.gov/
National Institute for Standards and Technology
Fire Test/Data,software/Models,Publications, FireDOC
Society of Fire Protection Engineers
Current New Publications:
Howell,Scott,M. (1995) Entrapment in Garage Kills one Firefighter,USFA-TR-084
All Structure Fires in 2000(PDF, 103 Kb, Volume 3, Issue 8 - June 2004)
Miller,Thomas,H, Lackman,Michael,W, (1997) Two Volunteer Firefighters Killed
Gas Tank Explosion Carthage,IL, ResponseTechnical Report USFA Tr-120 LP
Revised 08/21/11