NFPA Honors Daniel Madrzykowski With Standards Medal

UL Research Institutes recognizes Daniel Madrzykowski, Ph.D., senior director of research at its Fire Safety Research Institute, for being named the 2026 recipient of the National Fire Protection Association Standards Medal. The NFPA Standards Council selected Madrzykowski in recognition of his outstanding contributions to NFPA’s standards development process.

The award was presented at the NFPA Stars at Night Awards Dinner, held Sunday, June 21, during the 2026 NFPA Conference and Expo in Las Vegas.

The NFPA Standards Medal recognizes individuals whose work has meaningfully advanced NFPA’s open, consensus-based process for developing codes and standards that protect lives and property from fire, electrical, and related hazards. NFPA maintains more than 300 codes and standards, each shaped by technical committees that balance perspectives from firefighters, researchers, manufacturers, enforcing authorities, and the public.

Madrzykowski’s award recognizes his technical excellence, decades of service to consensus-building, and volunteer leadership in the NFPA standards development process. He serves on its technical committees for fire service training, structural firefighting, and fire investigation, helping translate rigorous fire research into standards that guide how firefighters train and respond.

“Dan has dedicated his career to turning fire research into real-world protection for the fire service. The NFPA Standards Medal is a fitting tribute to that impact, and we’re proud to celebrate it with him,” said Steve Kerber, vice president and executive director of ULRI’s Fire Safety Research Institute.

A leader in fire science for more than 35 years, Madrzykowski has built a career dedicated to improving firefighter safety through research in fire dynamics, fire test methods, fire control, and fire investigation. Before joining the Fire Safety Research Institute, he spent three decades as a fire protection engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

He has co-authored more than 85 technical reports, handbook chapters, and book chapters, and his work has contributed to advancements in firefighting tactics and fire investigation.

Madrzykowski holds a doctorate in fire engineering from the University of Canterbury, a master’s degree in fire protection engineering, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland. He is a fellow of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and serves on the executive board of the International Fire Service Training Association.

The NFPA Standards Medal adds to a distinguished record of recognition: Madrzykowski has received the Mason Lankford Fire Service Leadership Award; the Harold E. Nelson Service Award from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers; the International Association of Fire Chiefs President’s Award; the International Society of Fire Service Instructors’ Instructor of the Year Award; and the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. He also holds the honorary rank of battalion chief with the Fire Department of New York.

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