Media Advisory for the Spartanburg Burns -

Media Advisory – Press Conference National, State, and Local Officials Including Research Team from NIST to explain the scope of the Live Fire Research Being Conducted in Spartanburg, SC January 22-30, 2013 Visuals:

Photo-ops with all press conference participants, state fire marshal, local fire chiefs and fire service professionals from across the state
Actual burn will occur and will highlight the scope of the research (burn occurs at 2:00 p.m., press conference follows at 2:30 p.m.)
Press Conference Participants (All Available for Interviews):
South Carolina State Fire Marshal Shane Ray
NIST Scientific Research Team Leader Dan Madrzykowski
ISFSI Board President Doug Cline (also Horry County Assistant Fire Chief)
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Advocate Cathy Hedrick (lost ff son in residential house fire)
Spartanburg Mayor Junie White
Spartanburg Public Safety Director Tony Fisher
Joe Palmer, Executive Director South Carolina State Firefighters Association

What: In response to the on-going needs to conduct research that documents fire behavior so that appropriate firefighter training can be developed, this fire prevention grant funding provides for the test burns of eight (8) single family dwellings on Folsum Street in Spartanburg, SC. When: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.---Burn occurs at 2:00, followed by Press Conference @ 2:30 Where: Folsum Street Burn Site - GPS location for parking lot adjacent to Burn Site is 220 College Street Spartanburg, SC.

Background: The Spartanburg Fire Department will be the host for State and National organizations in January of 2013 with a 2-week period of live fire burns in Spartanburg. “We are honored to be a part of this research project and look forward to what is learned,” explains Marion Blackwell, Spartanburg Fire Chief. “Understanding what happens in residential structure fires is important to all of our firefighters and we need to train for the conditions we will face. These tests will give us valuable insight into fire conditions and make a difference to the nation’s fire service.” The International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) received an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program award of $618,696. This funding will allow ISFSI to partner with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the South Carolina Fire Academy for the research and creation of a training module that will improve firefighter safety. All live burns will occur in Spartanburg from January 22-30, 2013. “This is a unique opportunity for us to translate the great research work of UL and NIST to training focused on the National Fallen Firefighter Foundations Life Safety Initiative #1. This new information will produce training that allows firefighters to recognize conditions at residential fires and improve methods to safely extinguish them, “ says Shane Ray, South Carolina State Fire Marshal and former ISFSI Vice President. “This research will lead to training that changes behavior and improves decision making from the firefighter to the Incident Commander.” The grant is within the Fire Prevention and Safety Grant category of the Grants Programs Directorate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will provide funding to conduct eight (8) live fire burns with NIST gathering data at each one. The research will test firefighting tactics based on already developed research and science and develop a training program that will focus on firefighter safety in residential fires. This grant is a great example of how federal, state, local, and private partnerships conduct research and create training programs that improve service to the citizens and firefighter safety. Recent research from UL and NIST indicate the need to change our tactics based on conditions. Firefighters are vulnerable to increased risk of injury and even death due to changing conditions at residential fires. With a newer built environment as indicated in Structural Stability Study and the new contents in homes, as indicated in the Upholstered Furniture Study, we need training outreach that translates the information in these studies into tactics. Recent studies on the impact of ventilation on the fire needs to be expanding into firefighter tactics that are based on science, not stories. Contact: Vickie Pritchett – 615-533-0305 (cell), will be on-site You can follow them on Twitter @SpartanburgBurn