Safety Science Meets Social Science: The Creation of a Global Firefighting Network

The Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) is joining forces with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to create a collaborative network of firefighters and researchers from more than 55 countries around the world.

The network took form last May when the USFA — part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency — hosted the inaugural World Fire Congress (WFC) in Washington, D.C. International fire service leaders who participated in the WFC set up working groups that will virtually meet each month to share best practices and strategies for responding to today’s evolving fire challenges.

“There are many concerns and issues that are shared across countries and continents,” said Gavin Horn, Ph.D., the Fire Safety Research Institute’s research director. “Several of the issues we are dealing with in the United States and the U.K. are being witnessed and felt [globally]. There was an understanding that there is no one way to solve problems. And solving these problems can benefit from input from around the world.”

Fighting fire with knowledge

The brainchild of U.S. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell, Ph.D., the WFC was founded on the principles of knowledge sharing and common benefit. Along with Moore-Merrell, Mark Hardingham, chair of the U.K.’s National Fire Chiefs Council, co-chaired the gathering, while the United Nations and the World Bank were also represented.

The collaborative event reflected a belief that as volunteer and career firefighters battle flames caused by an increasing number of threats — from wildfires to electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries — the time to ask questions and share best practices across the globe has arrived.

Indeed, the effectiveness of firefighting depends on a balanced integration of both technical knowledge and social science insights. While the nature of fire is universal, the human context in which fires occur is diverse and complex — a key theme at the WFC.

The idea for diplomatic action in the firefighting field is an essential element of the USFA’s 2024-2027 strategy, which established the international affairs function.

“2022 and 2023 highlighted for the entire world the urgency of supporting one another, building capacity, and working ‘stronger together,’” states the strategic plan. “With global disasters increasing in intensity and frequency and climate-driven impacts and energy transition on the rise, building an International Affairs arm of the USFA filled a gap.”

Given that fire stations are neighborhood entities, with a hyperlocal identity, the effort to imagine firefighting on a global scale might seem daunting.

But fire doesn’t care where the knowledge gaps are or if its victims live in New York City or Tokyo.

“The science of fire is the same,” said FSRI Executive Director Steve Kerber, Ph.D. “The reason these things are so hard is there is no quick answer to any of them. There’s nuance depending on where you are. If France is doing something different from Germany, which is doing something different from Japan, why? The part I love about this is that the science in Japan is no different than the science in France.”

Certainly, the tragic wildfire that occurred in August 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi, was on attendees’ minds.

“We all don’t have to suffer loss first-hand,” Kerber said. “We need to learn from each other’s experiences — we don’t want a Lahaina in Portugal. Chile had their own [wildfire], and we don’t want another one."

Learn How the 2023 Lahaina Fire in Hawaiʻi Unfolded

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne E. Lopez selected FSRI for subject matter expertise in fire dynamics and structure-to-structure fire spread.

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Maintaining momentum through communities of practice

Research is essential to addressing modern fire challenges, said Kerber, adding that the U.S. is fortunate to have the financial resources and political will to fund fire research.

“How do we make progress on the themes of climate change, lithium-ion batteries, firefighter health, or structure fires?” Kerber asked rhetorically. “Through research. And it’s important to highlight that a lot of the panelists at the congress were researchers. [FSRI] researchers were on most panels.”

As with most events, attendees returned home to their normal routines; the risk that momentum will die down is ever-present. That’s why frequent communication is considered key.

Enter the global communities of practice, or COPs — the monthly virtual forums created under the auspices of the USFA.

The sessions allow groups of firefighters, researchers, and other stakeholders to discuss common challenges and possible solutions, identify emerging challenges, set priorities, and monitor the progress of cooperative efforts to reduce fire losses. While members are asked to speak from a personal perspective — not on behalf of their respective government — the hope is that best practices will be shared with heads of state and other decision-makers to effect tangible change.

The COPs reflect the themes discussed at the WFC:

• Structure fire: While nations experience billions of dollars in direct and indirect economic loss from structure fires, many fire departments do not have adequate resources to respond safely, efficiently, and effectively.
• Climate change: The effects of climate change can be catastrophic for fire departments, altering their baseline risk environments and leading to socioeconomic devastation and tragic loss of life.
• Fire risks from emerging technology: Electric vehicles (EVs) and lithium-ion battery-powered bikes and scooters lessen society’s dependence on fossil fuels, but such innovations can lead to fires. Globally, firefighters need to share information on topics ranging from threat realization and public awareness to research and training.
• Firefighter health and safety: Firefighters struggle with a range of health conditions, from stress and anxiety to cardiovascular events to cancer, with a 9% higher risk of developing cancer compared to the general public. The struggle to recruit firefighters exacerbates health and safety challenges.
• Firefighter education and training: Firefighters have become universal around the world. However, training standards vary considerably. Many nations lack basic training resources.

The COPs will continue to meet regularly until the next WFC, scheduled to take place in the U.K. in 2026.

“Time is ticking,” Kerber said. “People are dying every day because of these challenges. Anything we can do to speed up the sharing, the learning, and the solutions is huge.”

“Fire is a risk that impacts the security, health, and prosperity of citizens and communities in every town, city, state, province, and nation,” Moore-Merrell stated. “It also represents a borderless threat to our environment.”

“As national leaders responsible for preventing and fighting fires,” Moore-Merrell said, “looking forward, in a spirit of friendship, and for the common benefit of each community represented within the World Fire Congress, we intend to share our collective knowledge with other partner nations.”