Standing Behind Firefighters
NC State works to equip and protect firefighters who are on the front lines.
As wildfires scorch more than 40,000 acres in the North Carolina foothills and western mountains, thousands of firefighters fan out across the Southeast. Decades of NC State research stands behind them.
Scientists with the Textile Protection and Comfort Center develop gear to protect firefighters from burns and extreme heat. Their latest mission: improving fire shelters, the last line of defense for wildfire crews.
NC State research could be life-saving for the 200 firefighters who become surrounded by wildfires each year and huddle beneath the tent-like shelters that protect them from flames and spiking heat. In 2017 textile scientists will move their research from the lab to the forest, working with natural resources experts during a controlled burn.
As partner in the national Joint Fire Science Program supporting research on wildland fires, NC State forestry research has a national impact, reaching firefighters, forest managers, landowners and policymakers. As leader of a regional fire science program, NC State conducts controlled burns to reduce fuel loads and prevent devastating wildfires in the Southeast and across the nation. Graduate students doing work on fire’s effects on water quality and quantity, nutrient recycling in soil, and forest regeneration, will contribute to fire recovery efforts and forest management.
NC State continuously trains students in firefighting under realistic conditions. After studying fire science, ecology, suppression and safety, natural resources students earn level II certification as firefighters following field experiences each summer.
