David DeJoy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

David DeJoy, professor emeritus of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health, was awarded $580,619 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to conduct research on firefighter safety and health. DeJoy will collaborate with researchers at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to model and assess the relationship of firefighters’ individual and group perceptions, assumptions and the work role expectations concerning their responsibilities to line-of-duty injury and illness. The results will be disseminated to the national firefighter community. The model is intended to help first-responder agencies reduce the death rates of firefighters, which remain high and have not improved in the past 25 years.