Have you identified a need in your community that you are currently unable to address? Do you see an opportunity for improvement in your department but are unsure on how to proceed? Did you read an interesting article but don’t know where find more information?

What if I told you that there is an online resource that features cutting edge research from some of the sharpest minds in the fire service?

If you have been through the National Fire Academy’s (NFA) Executive Fire Officer (EFO) or Managing Officer programs, you undoubtedly know that this exists, but in my interview with Eriks Gabliks, he discussed that many people are unaware of the resources that the NFA and United States Fire Administration provide. The National Emergency Training Center (NETC) Library is one that all fire service members would benefit from utilizing. While the physical campus is in Emmitsburg, MD, many of its most valuable assets are available online. These assets include many books, articles, and other publications covering the fire service and related fields. One of the most significant is its collection of EFO applied research projects (ARP) papers.

Over the past thirty years, some of the best and brightest minds in the fire service have participated in the EFO program. Officers from departments of all shapes and sizes have converged from around the country to take classes on executive development, leadership, community risk reduction (CRR), and emergency management. For most of the courses, students were required to complete an APR, a graduate-level research project culminating in an APA-formatted document. The APR papers that received a grade of 3.0 or higher were added to the digital library and remain available today. There is also a special collection of the projects that received a perfect 4.0 score.

There are EFO ARP papers on just about any topic one can imagine. A quick search will uncover hundreds of ready-to-roll CRR initiatives. Emergency preparedness programs and procedures are other well-covered topics. Some projects sought to answer tough questions like “Where is the line between busy and over-utilized?” and “Is privatization a viable solution regarding inspections?”

As the “A” in ARP stands for “applied,” the research in these papers is designed to be actionable. Departments looking to steal…err…looking for inspiration from other agencies will find processes and programs they can quickly institute. If there are questions, contacting the author or their department is typically possible.

The papers are formatted similarly to research journal articles. The problem at hand is defined, and background is provided. The author then shares the findings of their literature review and explains how they will tackle the issue. Next, the results are discussed and analyzed before they close with thoughts on research topics to be explored further. Authors even provide keywords and an abstract to make their work easier to find in the database.

Each section offers value. Regardless of your department’s type (career, volunteer, or combination) or size (rural, suburban, metro), you will likely find an example of a similar department wrestling with similar issues. Researchers can quickly surmise how pertinent a paper is to their situation by scanning the executive summary, problem statement, and background sections. Once a match has been found, there is a high probability that the methodology section will provide an implementable plan for addressing your issue. At worst, you can study the author’s results to see how the program could be tweaked to meet your department’s needs better.

The literature review and resources sections are the most valuable for the more industrious leaders. A well-written literature review collects information from a wide breadth of sources. It explores areas tangentially related to the core topic. As every author has a slightly unique focus and perspective, reading APRs from departments and situations that do not necessarily align with your own can be highly beneficial. This practice can lead to new perspectives and solutions that may not have been considered otherwise.

If you really want to take a deep dive, you can take your efforts to the next level by leveraging the resources section. Similar to a bibliography, this section provides the primary and secondary sources the author used to perform their literature review. Revisiting these earlier texts, considering the author’s perspective, and researching their sources can occasionally provide significant value.

The NETC library is the definitive source of information on the fire service in the United States. If you are looking for ways to improve your service delivery or quality of life for your firefighters, it only makes sense to start there. It is an invaluable tool for today’s progressive leaders and is available 24 hours a day.