[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 250 (Thursday, December 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78413-78414]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-28609]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-05AU]


Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

    In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on 
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. 
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a 
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-371-5978 or 
send comments to Sandi Gambescia, CDC Assistant Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA 30333 or send an e-mail 
to [email protected].
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program 
(FFFIPP)--NEW--The National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    The Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program 
(FFFIPP) addresses an important public health need to protect the lives 
of America's front line emergency responders, those whose job is to 
save lives and protect property. The FFFIPP was established in fiscal 
year 1998 in order to investigate the deaths and severe injuries that 
occur to fire fighters for the purpose of identifying high risk 
situations and to

[[Page 78414]]

develop recommendations for prevention.
    The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of the Fire 
Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP), and the 
effects of the FFFIPP recommendations and information products which 
are periodically distributed to the nation's 30,000 fire departments. 
This study will examine career and volunteer; large and small size; and 
urban and rural fire departments to determine the extent to which 
firefighter reports, recommendations and other information products are 
being implemented by fire departments. This evaluation will also 
measure the effects of the FFFIPP on the knowledge, behavior, attitudes 
and safety practices of fire department management.
    This study will consist of a mail survey of 1,140 fire departments 
to obtain information from the officers (Captain, Safety Officer and 
Training Officer or Lieutenants) regarding use of the FFFIPP 
information products. There will also be a set of six focus groups for 
active, front-line firefighters; each focus group will have 
approximately 9 participants.
    The FFFIPP investigated approximately 114 injury fatalities and 101 
cardiovascular disease fatalities over the first 5 years of operations. 
Reports based on these investigations are mailed to select fire 
departments on a regular basis. An evaluation of the program at this 
time is appropriate because the FFFIPP has acquired sufficient data on 
firefighter fatalities to permit substantial improvements in knowledge, 
awareness and the practice of fire fighting. The FFFIPP information 
products have been published and disseminated with sufficient time to 
allow positive changes. An evaluation at this time could ultimately 
reduce risk for firefighters through elimination of barriers to better 
knowledge, behavior, attitudes and safety practices for fire department 
leadership/management and for front-line firefighters. Evaluation 
provides a means to strengthen the impact of the program through 
modification or re-direction of the FFFIPP strategy.
    CDC proposes to conduct an evaluation survey that will include 
1,140 fire departments. A fire department survey (Tier 1) and focus 
groups (Tier 2) will be used to collect data for this evaluation. The 
fire department survey will use a cross-sectional design with 
restricted random sampling. The sample will include each of the 215 
fire departments where an investigation has been done. For comparison, 
a random sample of 300 fire departments where there has not been any 
investigation will be selected and surveyed. The ten largest fire 
departments will be deliberately included in the sample because of 
their unique status. The random selection of additional fire 
departments will be restricted to balance various factors such as the 
number of volunteer vs. career, rural vs. urban and other 
considerations. To supplement findings from the Tier 1 Fire Department 
Survey, the evaluation team will conduct a series of six focus groups 
with firefighters from across the country. These Tier 2 focus group 
discussions will serve as avenues for exploring how and why the FFFIPP 
may have had an impact. Information collected in the focus groups will 
thus complement the Tier 1 Fire Department Survey by providing rich 
descriptions of the ways in which FFFIPP may have affected firefighter 
knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and safety practices. The focus groups 
(Tier 2) will take place either at a national conference of 
firefighters or at local venues convenient to the fire departments 
represented by the participants. Each focus group will take 1\1/2\ 
hours. Questions will address firefighter knowledge, attitudes, 
behavior, and safety practices. Data collection will take no more than 
5 to 12 months to complete after OMB approval. There are no costs to 
respondents except their time to participate in the survey.

                                             Annualized Burden Table
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                                                                                          Average       Total
                 Data collection instruments                   Number of    Number of    burden per     burden
                                                              respondents   responses     response      hours
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Fire Dept. Survey...........................................        1,140            1        25/60          475
Focus Group Guide--Fire Fighters............................           54            1          1.5           81
 
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    Dated: December 23, 2004.
Joseph E. Salter,
Acting Director, Management Analysis and Services Office, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-28609 Filed 12-29-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P