The First Responder Research Laboratory (FRRL) conducts laboratory and community-based research to enhance the health, safety, and readiness of firefighters and law enforcement officers. We collaborate with local, state, national and international agencies to inform policies, best practices, and standard operating procedures.
The First Responder Research Lab (FRRL)
Who We Are
Advancing Kentucky
Our lab is committed to strengthening Kentucky’s communities, economy, and future through evidence-based research and innovation. Learn more at Advancing Kentucky Together Network.
Our Team
The FRRL is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of faculty members, graduate, undergraduate, and high school students that promotes experiential learning opportunities through innovative research.
- Mark Abel (Director), PhD, FNSCA, CSCS*D, TSAC-F*D
- Ryan Mason, PhD, CSCS
- James Henley, MS, ACSM-EP, CF-L1
- Kaitlyn Buell, BS
- Joslyn Allen
- Nick Case
- Thomas Chandler
- Kamylla Dao
- Lucy Hagan
- Annaka Szczesniak
- Brooklyn Tapscott
Featured Projects
- Project FIRE: Firefighter Injury Risk Evaluation. Project FIRE reflects a collaboration with the Singapore Civil Defence Force to evaluate neuromuscular and cognitive recovery profiles among structural firefighters during a simulated high rise fireground operation.
- SHIFT Project: Safety, Health, and Injury Mitigation in Firefighter Training. The SHIFT Project was a federally funded study, comprised of a national sample of fire departments, that evaluated the injury rates and return on investment when directly embedding a health care practitioner within fire departments.
Presentations and Publications
- Miller, J., Whitehurst, L., Watkins, E., Weatherbie, J., Lanham, S.N., Thruston, J.L., Mason, M.R., Langford, E.L., & Abel, M.G. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003668 (2026). Effect of shift schedules on firefighter sleep outcomes. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 68(7), 561-568.
- Thruston, J.L., Best, S.A., Heebner, N.R., Bollinger, L.M. & Abel, M.G. doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13111278 (2025). Effect of on-duty resistance training fatigue on neuromuscular function in structural firefighters. Healthcare. 13, 1278.
- Langford, E.L., Bergstrom, H.C., Lanham, S., Eastman, A.Q., Best, S., Ma, X., & Abel, M.G. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003202 (2024). Evaluation of air consumption efficiency in structural firefighters. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66(11), 932-942.
- Gonzalez, D.E., Lanham, S.N., Martin, S.E., Cleveland, R.E., Wilson, T.E., Langford, E.L., & Abel, M.G. doi:10.3390/healthcare12040440 (2024). Firefighter health: A narrative review of occupational threats and countermeasures. Healthcare, 12(4):440.
- Mason, M.R., Heebner, N.R., Abt, J.P., Bergstrom, H.C., Shapiro, R., Langford, E.L., & Abel, M.G. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004417 (2023). The acute effect of high intensity resistance training on subsequent firefighter performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37(7), 1507-1514.
Contact Us
E-Mail mark.abel@uky.edu
Address: 1210 University Drive, Lexington, KY 40506-0219
Phone: 859-257-4091
