First responder preparedness

News and Updates

The graphic depicts a firefighter wearing protective turnout gear with a diagram of the three layers of the gear, which are the outer shell, the moisture barrier and thermal barrier.

Wear and Tear May Cause Firefighter Gear to Release More ‘Forever Chemicals’

January 16, 2024

Are firefighters at risk of increased exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in their protective clothing?

A firefighter climbs a ladder into a shipping container, while a person to their left tracks their location.

Saving Seconds, Saving Lives: NIST-Funded Challenge Crowns Winners in 3D Tracking Technology

January 9, 2024

The ability to pinpoint a first responder’s precise location inside a building can be a matter of life and death.

NIST Develops Yeast Material for Training First Responders on Biothreats

January 4, 2023

Researchers based the material on baker’s yeast because it is harmless and a living biological material.

Events

5x5: The Public Safety Innovation Summit

Tue, Jun 3 - Thu, Jun 5 2025

REGISTER NOW 5x5 ― the confirmation of a strong and clear signal ― and the place to make your voice heard and drive

Projects and Programs

Indoor Localization and Tracking

Completed

Please see the page that describes NIST work in this area.

Surrogate Materials to Support Training in Biological Sampling and Detection in the Field

Ongoing

Nationwide, first responders regularly encounter suspicious materials that might be biological threat agents. Routine training and process evaluations help ensure workflows, operators, and technologies are working together properly within the concept of operations. Biological test materials have the

Open Port Liquid Interface Mass Spectrometry

Ongoing

Rapid screening for chemical traces of explosives and narcotics is widely used to support homeland security and law enforcement. These target compounds span a range of physicochemical properties from organic to inorganic, with preferential ionization pathways in both negative and positive mode

Sensing and Imaging of concealed objects

Ongoing

Threats to personal and collective safety abound in our society. The Security Technologies Group (STG) performs research to advance the technology and measurement science of security imaging and sensing. This work includes the establishment of test and evaluation tools, reference test beds, test

Publications

Examining the Effects of Deep Learning Model Structure on Model Interpretability for Time-Series Classifications in Fire Research

September 13, 2024

Author(s)

Wai Cheong Tam, Fan Linhao, Qi Tong, Fang Hongqiang

This present work utilizes an interpretability model to understand and explain the decisions of deep learning models. The use of DeepLIFT is proposed and

The Effect of Mandatory Fitness Requirements on Cardiovascular Events: A State-by-State Analysis Using a National Database

March 1, 2024

Author(s)

Dillon Dzikowicz, Sankalp Saoji, Wai Cheong Tam, Wendy Brunner, Mary Carey

Background: Cardiovascular events are known to be the leading cause of death among on-duty firefighters. Implementing fitness standards may help reduce the

Building Fire Hazard Predictions Using Machine Learning

January 26, 2024

Author(s)

Eugene Yujun Fu, Wai Cheong Tam, Tianhang Zhang, Xinyan Huang

The lack of information on the fire ground has always been the leading factor in making wrong decisions . Wrong decisions can be made by individual firefighters

Cooperative Localization Using Received Signal Strength and Least Squares Estimation Methods

December 6, 2023

Author(s)

Nader Moayeri

In this paper we use two Recursive Least Squares (RLS) estimation methods to solve the cooperative localization problem based on Wi-Fi received signal strength

Tools and Instruments

Large Aperture Scanner

The Large Aperture Scanner (LAS) scans a radar transceiver over a 5 meter by 20 meter aperture. Image reconstruction techniques enable a three-dimensional