The New Zealand Fire Service Commission has a statutory duty to promote fire safety, better work practices and effective rural fire management. This requires that it supports research into better methods and practices of fire safety. The Commission has made available a contestable research fund of $550,000 for 2009-2010 for research into a variety of areas identified as being of immediate importance.

Expressions of Interest are invited from organisations in a position to carry out such research for projects to start in March/April of 2010. The New Zealand Fire Service Commission seeks to fund research that meets its mission of reducing the incidence and consequence of fire.

The research may be in any field. The Commission has determined the following priorities, but welcomes any submissions that address its mission.

• Targeting Vulnerable Groups
• Delivery mechanisms for hard to reach groups
• Application of conversion model to changing at-risk groups attitudes of fire and fire dange
• Built Environment
  • Development of a low cost sprinkler system suitable for marae, community halls, churches and other places of cultural or historical interest
  • Development of an evidence based building risk scoring matrix for use by operational crews
    
• Environment
  • What have the changes in New Zealand’s demographic profile, particularly urbanisation, had (if any) on fire outcome
• Measuring our effectiveness
  • Metadata (or gap) analysis of research undertaken to date to identify outstanding research work to be performed through the fund and identify where there would be the greatest cost-benefit in sponsoring work to satisfy the Commission’s objectives
• Incidence and control of vegetation fires in rural areas
  • projects in alignment with Rural Fire Research Strategy
  • research identifying weather patterns that are likely to impact on New Zealand up to three days in advance of occurrence
  • likely impacts on New Zealand from weather patterns across the southern parts of Australia

Applicants intending to submit expressions of interest on the Commission’s listed priorities are advised to read the relevant briefing documents.

Research must be novel, must address issues in the context of New Zealand legislation, culture, climate, environment, construction practice or lifestyle, or should show how work carried out overseas may be applied in New Zealand.

Particular consideration will be given to providing seeding grants for projects seeking funds from other sources.

Please submit expressions of interest no later than 5:00pm Monday 9 November 2009.

Instructions for preparation of expressions of interest, and briefing documents for topics are available are available to be downloaded from the downloads box on the right of this screen or by calling Fa’a Parsons on (04) 496 3636.

Submissions will be assessed by an independent committee, and suitable applicants will be invited to prepare detailed research proposals.