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The recognition of human factors as a foundational aspect of firefighting operations is one of the most impactful advances in the evolution of fire management. Human factors research provides a way to learn from unwanted outcomes, to understand accidents,and  to imrpove performance through new informal and formal training. This page cites key resources (including publications, reports and webinars) that recognize human factors as prime ingredients of firefighter safety.

For more information, visit our Organizational Learning hot topic, or search our research and publications database under Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire.

Management Documents

Technical Reports/White Papers

Publications

2024

Visibility-informed mapping of potential firefighter lookout locations using maximum entropy modelling
Katherine A. Mistick et al.
Predicting daily firefighting personnel deployment trends in the western United States
Kevin Young et al.
Mental Health and Traumatic Occupational Exposure in Wildland Fire Dispatchers
Robin M. Verble et al.

2022

Firefighting: Challenges of Smart PPE
Gilda Santos et al.
Effectiveness of fitness training and psychosocial education intervention programs in wildland firefighting: a cluster randomised control trial
Caleb Leduc et al.
Health risks and mitigation strategies from occupational exposure to wildland fire: a scoping review
Erica Koopmans et al.
The impact of water on firefighter protective clothing thermal performance and steam burn occurrence in firefighters
André Fonseca Malaquias et al.
Health research priorities for wildland firefighters: a modified Delphi study with stakeholder interviews
Chelsea A. Pelletier et al.
Association Between Atrial Fibrillation and Occupational Exposure in Firefighters Based on Self‐Reported Survey Data
Catherine Vanchiere et al.
Deterioration of Lipid Metabolism Despite Fitness Improvements in Wildland Firefighters
Alejandro M. Rosales et al.

2021

Wildland firefighter exposure to smoke and COVID-19: A new risk on the fire line
Kathleen M. Navarro et al.
Wildland firefighters’ thermal exposure in relation to suppression tasks
Belén Carballo-Leyenda et al.
Effect of vented helmets on heat stress during wildland firefighter simulation
Katherine Christison et al.
The Wildland Firefighter Exposure and Health Effect (WFFEHE) study: rationale, design, and methods of a repeated-measures study
Kathleen M. Navarro et al.
Nutrient Intake of Wildland Firefighters During Arduous Wildfire Suppression
Samantha J. Brooks et al.
A digital twin framework for machine learning optimization of aerial fire fighting and pilot safety
T. I. Zohdi
The association between poor sleep and the incidence of sport and physical training-related injuries in adult athletic populations: a systematic review
Devon A. Dobrosielski et al.
Consequences of a future increase in fire: the human health perspective
Nancy H. F. French et al.
The association between heart rate variability, reaction time, and indicators of workplace fatigue in wildland firefighters
Andrew T. Jeklin et al.
Assessing the Safety of Training Firefighters with the Minimum Requirements for Firefighter Garments
Thomas B. B. Clarke et al.
Alterations in Metabolic and Cardiovascular Risk Factors During Critical Training in Wildland Firefighters
Shae Gurney et al.
Carbon monoxide exposures in wildland firefighters in the United States and targets for exposure reduction
Erin O. Semmens et al.
The development of an organizational safety culture in the United States Forest Service
David Flores
Adding to Fire Fighter Safety by Including Real-Time Radar Data in Short-Range Forecasts of Thunderstorm-Induced Wind Shifts
Gary Achtemeier et al.
Effect of uncompensable heat from the wildland firefighter helmet
Shae Gurney et al.
Exposure to Particulate Matter and Estimation of Volatile Organic Compounds across Wildland Firefighter Job Tasks
Kathleen M. Navarro et al.
Effects of Crew Size on Firefighter Health and Safety
Lori Moore-Merrell et al.

2020

Responding to simultaneous crises: communications and social norms of mask behavior during wildfires and COVID-19
Francisca N. Santana et al.
Sustained Effects on Lung Function in Community Members Following Exposure to Hazardous PM2.5 Levels from Wildfire Smoke
Ava Orr et al.
Working in Smoke:: Wildfire Impacts on the Health of Firefighters and Outdoor Workers and Mitigation Strategies
Kathleen M. Navarro
We can provide a universal Basic Fireline Life Support system – and we should
Eli Schned
A robust p-Center problem under pressure to locate shelters in wildfire context
Marc Demange et al.
Optimizing Firefighter Nutrition: Average Glycemic Index of Fireline Meals
Ben McLane
Engineering A Safer Crew Protection System
Andrew Webb et al.
Seasonal changes in wildland firefighter fitness and body composition
Steven E. Gaskill et al.
Improving firefighter tenability during entrapment and burnover: An analysis of vehicle protection systems
Greg Penney et al.
The Smoke That You Shouldn’t Have
Randall C. Thomas
Firefighter neural function and decision-making following rapid heat stress
Cory J. Coehoorn et al.
Measuring acute pulmonary responses to occupational wildland fire smoke exposure using exhaled breath condensate
Chieh-Ming Wu et al.
On the Protective Performance of Firefighters’ Garments: Air Gaps Between Fabric Layers
Ahmed Ghazy
Modeling Wildland Firefighter Travel Rates by Terrain Slope: Results from GPS-Tracking of Type 1 Crew Movement
Patrick R. Sullivan et al.

2019

The effects of hydration on cognitive performance during a simulated wildfire suppression shift in temperate and hot conditions
Michael A. Cvirn et al.
Comment on Collins, C.N.; et al. Body Composition Changes of United States Smokejumpers during the 2017 Fire Season. Fire 2018, 1, 48
Brent Ruby
A review of US wildland firefighter entrapments: trends, important environmental factors and research needs
Wesley G. Page et al.
A Classification of US Wildland Firefighter Entrapments Based on Coincident Fuels, Weather, and Topography
Wesley G. Page et al.
Understanding the leadership perspective in wildland firefighting: gaps and opportunities for growth
Alexis L. Waldron et al.
Predicting fire spread and behaviour on the fireline. Wildfire analyst pocket: a mobile app for wildland fire prediction
Santiago Monedero et al.
Reply to Ruby, B. Comment on Collins, C.N., et al. Body Composition Changes of United States Smokejumpers during the 2017 Fire Season. Fire. 2018, 1, 48. Fire 2019, 2, 15
Randall H. Brooks
Descriptive analysis of injuries and illnesses self-reported by wildland firefighters
Valerie J. Moody et al.
Severe Fire Danger Index: A Forecastable Metric to Inform Firefighter and Community Wildfire Risk Management
William Matt Jolly et al.
Noise exposures and perceptions of hearing conservation programs among wildland firefighters
George A. Broyles et al.
Shifting the safety rules paradigm: introducing doctrine to US wildland firefighting operations
Jody L. Jahn
Wildland firefighting: adverse influence on indices of metabolic and cardiovascular health
R.H. Coker et al.
Escape Route Index: A Spatially-Explicit Measure of Wildland Firefighter Egress Capacity
Michael J. Campbell et al.
Examining barriers, motivators and injury related to physical training in wildland firefighters
Annie Sondag et al.
A systematic review of the health impacts of occupational exposure to wildland fires
Emily Groot et al.

2018

Metabolic demand of hiking in wildland firefighting
Joseph A. Sol et al.
Sleep in wildland firefighters: what do we know and why does it matter?
Grace E. Vincent et al.
A report on a national meeting of wildland fire leaders meeting – united to reduce line-of-duty deaths and injuries of wildland firefighters
Tom Harbour
Assessment of urinary protein composition in response to consecutive days of wildland firefighting
N. Yasuda et al.
Examining dispatching practices for interagency hotshot crews to reduce seasonal travel distance and manage fatigue
Erin J. Belval et al.
Fuel and topographic influences on wildland firefighter burnover fatalities in Southern California
Wesley G. Page et al.
How do weather and terrain contribute to firefighter entrapments in Australia?
Sébastien Lahaye et al.
Taking Care of Us: The Art of Listening
Kathy Clay
Body Composition Changes of United States Smokejumpers during the 2017 Fire Season
Callie N. Collins et al.

2017

Using reverse geocoding to identify prominent wildfire evacuation trigger points
Dapeng Li et al.
Occupational Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon of Wildland Firefighters at Prescribed and Wildland Fires
Kathleen M. Navarro et al.
Cultivating a reluctance to simplify: exploring the radio communication context in wildland firefighting
Rebekah L. Fox et al.
Wildland Firefighters' Self-Reported Nutrition and Hydration Concerns that May Impact Health and Safety
Samantha Worden et al.
Bridging the divide between fire safety research and fighting fire safely: how do we convey research innovation to contribute more effectively to wildland firefighter safety?
Theodore Adams et al.
A LiDAR-based analysis of the effects of slope, vegetation density, and ground surface roughness on travel rates for wildland firefighter escape route mapping
Michael J. Campbell et al.

2016

Sleep quantity and quality is not compromised during planned burn shifts of less than 12 h
Grace E. Vincent et al.

2015

Voices from the field: wildland fire managers and high-reliability organizing mindfulness
David Thomas et al.
Fighting fire and fatigue: sleep quantity and quality during multi-day wildfire suppression
Grace E. Vincent et al.

2014

Seasonal heat acclimatization in wildland firefighters
Brianna Lui et al.
Work patterns dictate energy demands and thermal strain during wildland firefighting
John S. Cuddy et al.

2013

Safety climate in the US federal wildland fire management community: influences of organisational, environmental, group and individual characteristics
Anne E. Black et al.

2012

"Awake, smoky, and hot": providing an evidence-base for managing the risks associated with occupational stressors encountered by wildland firefighters
Brad Aisbett et al.

2011

High work output combined with high ambient temperatures caused heat exhaustion in a wildland firefighter despite high fluid intake
John S. Cuddy et al.
Glycogen levels in wildland firefighters during wildfire suppression
John S. Cuddy et al.

2008

Effects of an electrolyte additive on hydration and drinking behavior during wildfire suppression
John S. Cuddy et al.

2007

Supplemental feedings increase self-selected work output during wildfire suppression
John S. Cuddy et al.

2004

Deep survival: who lives, who dies and why
Laurence Gonzales

2003

Water turnover and changes in body composition during arduous wildfire suppression
Brent Ruby et al.
A "worldview" of disaster: organizational sensemaking in a wildland firefighting tragedy
Gregory Larson

2002

Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among wildland firefighters
Richard Mangan
Total energy expenditure during arduous wildfire suppression
Brent Ruby et al.
Human factors in fire behavior analysis: reconstructing the Dude Fire
Karl E. Weick

2001

Tool retention and fatalities in wildland fire settings: conceptualizing the naturalistic
Karl E. Weick

1996

Attitude of wisdom: the experience component in wildland firefighter decisions
George Atwood
Drop your tools: an allegory for organizational studies
Karl E. Weick

1995

Creating a passion for safety vs. management oversight & inspection
James M. Saveland
Analysis of escape efforts and personal equipment on the South Canyon Fire
Ted Putnam
The collapse of decision making and organizational structure on Storm King Mountain
Ted Putnam

1993

The collapse of sensemaking in organizations: the Mann Gulch disaster
Karl E. Weick

1937

Death in Blackwater Canyon
Erle Kauffman

Podcasts

Jun 10, 2024
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center Episode 36: 30 Years of Growth: The Wildland Fire Service After 1994

May 24, 2024
Lesson Learned Center Episode 35: Mental Health: The First Steps to Getting Help Breadcrumb Home

Mar 15, 2024
Lessons Learned Center Episode 33: Firefighter Cancer and Wellbeing

Feb 7, 2024
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center Episode 32: Chance, Pain, Healing, and Hope

Aug 26, 2022
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Episode 26: When Options Run Out: The Human Side of an Entrapment

Jun 17, 2021
Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Episode 22: An Entrapment Survival Story: Before, During and After

Mar 10, 2021
On the Line Season 3, Episode 9: Post Traumatic Stress/Growth

Feb 11, 2021
On the Line Season 3, Episode 8b (Bonus): Firefighters Are Burning Out

Oct 9, 2020
Fire Ecology Chats Episode 5: Empowering Strategic Decision-making for Wildfire Management

Apr 21, 2020
On the Line Season 3, Episode 10: Survey Says...