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FP&S Research and Development Glossary
This page contains grant specific terms for the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants Program.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
C
Culture
Culture refers to the way of life of the group such as within a fire department. Culture refers to the material and non-material aspects of group life that are transmitted from generation to generation, or senior to junior firefighter. Aspects can include knowledge and beliefs, laws and customs, and other behaviors and habits that are acquired by being a member of the group and may be expressed implicitly or explicitly.
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D
Data Collection
Data collection is the process of systematically gathering information based on observation, reporting, or measurement from which an attempt is made to summarize and analyze information in order to develop generalizations or recommendations for next steps. Because data collection is purposeful, the development of data collection systems calls for theory-based design, expert review and revision, preliminary testing, pre-testing, and determinations of reliability and validity.
Demographic and Other Characteristics
Demographic and other characteristics refer to factors that may be used to describe aspects of a population, such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, employment, and causes of morbidity and mortality. For firefighters other characteristics may include, for instance, career/volunteer/combination status, urban/rural/suburban setting, years of service, and type of shift.
Dissemination and Implementation
Dissemination and implementation underscores that these are applied studies that, when successful, will be tied to deliberate efforts to distribute, adopt, adapt, and implement with fidelity in the fire services to improve firefighter safety. See Tailoring.
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E
Effectiveness
Effectiveness is the extent to which a specific intervention, procedure, or practice does what it is supposed to do when deployed in the field with the intended population. (In a research context, the intervention, procedure, or practice would have been developed and tested earlier under controlled conditions and with a relatively small sample of informed participants.)
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I
Impact
Impact occurs when positive study results are widely disseminated and implemented over time improving the safety and well-being of firefighters.
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M
Measurable Goals
Goal attainment will be determined by systematic, observable, and quantitative methods. For instance, the goal of improved firefighter motor vehicle safety will be observed by comparison of number and severity of crashes for departments with in-house vs. online vs. no training programs.
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N
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF)
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF)’s list of life safety initiatives is available at www.firehero.org; Sixteen firefighter life safety initiatives are listed and may serve as the basis for generation of research questions. For instance, item #4 –“all firefighters must be empowered to stop unsafe practices” – may generate the question, “How does use of a specific fitness routine impact cardiovascular health when carried out with active vs. passive departmental leadership?”
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O
Outcomes
Outcomes are those events that follow from and may be due to an activity or series of activities. Ideally, a study that aims to improve firefighter safety would record injury outcomes, i.e., near miss, nonfatal and fatal injuries; however, this may not be feasible. Many studies are too small or too short term, or both. Alternatively, studies can measure intermediate or surrogate outcomes. For instance, a study of physical activity strategies for improving firefighter fitness may measure participants’ blood pressure, cholesterol, and body mass index, all associated with possible changes in cardiovascular health, the latter being linked to firefighter fatal and nonfatal injuries. In addition, process outcomes may be measured, such as what strategies were used, how often, and with what duration and intensity. Process outcomes may be helpful in explaining injury outcomes.
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P
Protective Factor
An attribute associated with decreased probability of the occurrence of health-related condition(s). No causation is implied. For instance, education, training, and experience are generally associated with improved communications, situational awareness, and use of safety equipment and practices. (See Risk factor)
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R
Risk Factor
An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, an environmental exposure, or an inborn or inherited characteristic which, on the basis of epidemiologic evidence, is known to be associated with health-related condition(s) important to prevent. No causation is implied. For instance, poverty is generally accepted as an indicator for many increased risks, from childhood illnesses to residential fires. (See Protective factor)
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S
Sample
Sample refers to a subset of a population. A sample may be random or nonrandom, representative or nonrepresentative. With a random (or probability) sample all individuals have a known chance of selection and strategies such as random numbers assignment are used to avoid bias in selection. Alternatively, a systematic sample may be considered such as all firefighters who attend clinic on Tuesdays vs. Thursdays, where other days deliberately differ in the use of a specified intervention but do not differ in location, hours, staff, and so on. Other sampling designs address specific needs such as stratified sampling that involves multiple subsets and may be used to disproportionately select from certain subsets that otherwise would be inadequately represented.
Sampling
Sampling refers to the process of selecting a number of subjects (or participants) from all the subjects in a particular group or “universe.” Conclusions based on sample results may be attributed only to the population sampled. Any extrapolation to a larger or different population is a judgment or a guess and is not part of statistical inference.
Sociological Study
Sociological study refers to the scientific study of human social behavior, specifically understanding the processes and patterns of individual and group interactions. Study may focus on any social system, such as the fire service, fire department, or individual firefighters and their interactions within these systems. Such study aims to explain behavior that is related to firefighter health and safety.
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T
Tailoring
Tailoring is the process of adapting an effective intervention to improve the fit between the intervention and the particular setting and population, without altering the essential ingredients of the intervention that are believed to make it work. For instance, a new intervention (or procedure or practice) is often perceived as more acceptable when local logos, colors, and other symbols widely used in the setting are also used for marketing and promotion of the new intervention. Similarly, if the population has specific demographic or other characteristics that differ from the examples used in the new intervention, these can be revised to be more appropriate. Fundamental changes, however, such as dropping some components or resequencing a series of steps may be unacceptable alterations.
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