Research Mentor
Research Mentor
Tony McAleavy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Office: 549 Engineering North
Phone: 405-744-2673
Email: tony.mcaleavy@okstate.edu
Research problem and objectives
Research problem and objectives
Wildfires are increasingly frequent, more devastating, and challenging than ever before. The comfort and functionality of the personal protective equipment used by wildland firefighters is linked to individual performance which impacts the overall efficacy of response operations. Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) are, however, traditionally designed for firefighting in urban settings and can weigh upwards of 30 pounds meaning that the comfort and functionality may not reflect the operational needs of firefighting in wildland environments. This project, led by Dr. Tony McAleavy from the OSU Fire and Emergency Management Program (FEMP), will address this gap in knowledge by determining factors that influence the comfort and functionality of SCBA usage during wildland firefighting operations.
Student Research Projects and Activities
Student Research Projects and Activities
Project: wildland firefighter perceptions of SCBA
Project: wildland firefighter perceptions of SCBA
The Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) students will be involved in:
This project will evaluate wildland firefighter perceptions of SCBA comfort and functionality to address the research question “what factors influence SCBA comfort and functionality during wildland firefighting operations?”.
In this project, the undergraduate student will:
1) Prepare a brief literature review addressing the research question.
2) Develop a short qualitative survey tool (online questionnaire).
3) Disseminate the survey tool.
4) Analyze the resultant corpus of data using computer-assisted content analysis.
5) Draw out and present findings, conclusions, and recommendations to inform wildland firefighting-specific SCBA design.
Required qualifications and skills
Required qualifications and skills
Undergraduate standing (at least left with one semester for graduation)
Any scocial science major (Engineering students may be considered)
Baisc knowledge of qualitative methods
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