Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The purpose of this meeting was to further refine the multi-state research proposal draft. Those present further clarified the goals and objectives of the project. It was again reiterated that although there appears to be specific issues facing female wildland firefighters that male firefighters could potentially be faced with similar issues. The study will not focus on issues related to one gender except where specific factors are identified by the population involved with the study. The ultimate goal for the project has been identified as creating and testing a prototype of protective clothing and gear for wildland firefighters. However the committee also recognizes that in order to develop and test a prototype an in-depth needs assessment needs to be conducted to identify specific concerns and issues with the current gear designs. The feasibility of both focus group and independent face to face interviews vs. mail out surveys for the needs assessment generated much discussion. The group felt that focus group and/or face to face interviews would be the better initial choice followed by a mail or electronic survey. The bulk of the meeting time was then spent drafting a set of interview questions that could be used for the needs assessment phase of the study. The committee also reviewed feedback on the proposal draft received from members unable to attend the meeting. A list of research equipment and possible consultant/collaborators available at each institution in attendance at the meeting were also identified for inclusion in the proposal. Further communication with the entire committee will take place through electronic communication in order to complete the proposal before the January 15th deadline. The meeting was adjourned at the end of 2 hours. Respectfully submitted, Sonya Meyer