Urban Fire Forum

2026

Position Papers

Five documents were endorsed for today’s fire service:

• Advancing Fire Fighter Wellness and Fitness
• Turning PFAS Research into Action
• Support for Ethical and Effective Implementation of Drones in First Response
• Leading Under Pressure – The Health of Fire Chiefs
• National Fire Service Support: Elevate, “Unsilo,” Unify

Presentations

• Mexican Fire Chiefs Association Update
• International Association of Fire & Rescue Services Update
• Advancing Fire Fighter Wellness and Fitness (Position Paper)
  Dr. David Frost — University of Toronto / Performance Redefined
• Turning PFAS Research into Action: A Roadmap for the Fire Service (Position Paper)
  Dr. Jeff Burgess — Professor and Director, Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research, University of Arizona
• FM Update
  Michael Spaziani — Manager, Fire Service Programs, FM
• Redefining the First Responder: Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Emergency Communications
  Chief Jonathan Killings — Fire Chief, El Paso Fire Department
  Scott Calderwood — Executive Director, El Paso County 911 District
• Training Responders’ Awareness Using Immersive Next-Gen Technology – Research Foundation Update
  Sreenivasan Ranganathan — Director, NFPA Research Foundation
  Casey C. Grant, PE, FSFPE — Executive Director, DSRAE, LLC
• The Future Arrives on Scene: Lessons from Disaster Response and the Technologies Reshaping Emergency Operations
  Fairfax County Fire and Rescue presentation
  Chief John Butler — Fire Chief, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
  Los Angeles County Fire Department presentation
  Chief Anthony Marrone — Fire Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department
  Chief John Esposito — Chief of Department, FDNY
• Guidelines for Ethical and Effective Implementation of Drones in First Response (Position Paper)
  Preet Bassi — Chief Executive Officer, Center for Public Safety Excellence
• Leading Under Pressure – Fire Chief Strong: Understanding the Mental and Physical Health of Fire Chiefs (Position Paper)
  Dr. Sara Jahnke — Director and Senior Scientist, National Development & Research Institutes
• Fire Service Intelligence: AI, Data Analytics, and the Future of NERIS
  Chief Tom Jenkins (ret) — Fire Safety Research Institute
• UL Research Update
  Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell — Executive Director and Chief Fire Safety Strategist, ULRI/FSRI; Former U.S. Fire Administrator
• Potholes, Pitfalls, and Why the Human Still Matters in Fire Service AI Adoption
  Chief John H. Oates (ret), MS, EFO — President and Chief Executive Officer, International Public Safety Data Institute
• A Strategic Framework for the Future of the National Fire Service (Position Paper)
  Adam Thiel — Former Fire Commissioner and Managing Director, City of Philadelphia; Co-Founder, FACETS Consulting
• Beyond the Traditional Shift: Leadership Lessons from Implementing the 24/72 Work Schedule
  Plano Fire-Rescue presentation
  Chief Sam Greif — Retired Fire Chief, Plano Fire-Rescue
  Palm Beach County Fire Rescue presentation
  Chief Patrick Kennedy — Fire Chief, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue

2025

Five documents were endorsed for today’s fire service:

• An Urban Fire Forum Call to Action: Confronting the Risk of Wildfire-Initiated Urban Conflagrations
• Combating the Assault on Codes and Standards – Safeguarding Communities: A Fire Service Advocacy Toolkit
• 2025 Urban Fire Forum (UFF) Position Paper: Support for the establishment of a National Fire Apparatus Specification
• 2025 Urban Fire Forum Position Paper – Support for Advancing National Fire and Emergency Services Capabilities Through Strategic Leadership and Unified Advocacy
• 2025 Urban Fire Forum (UFF) Position Statement: Statement in Support of Reauthorization of FirstNet

Presentations

• Update from Europe (FEU)
• Mexican Fire Chiefs Association
• CTIF – International Association of Fire and rescue Services
• Under the Helmet: What We Know and Where We Are Going
• Wildland Urban Interface Fire and Urban Conflagration Health Risks: Exposure, emerging risks, and the fire service response
• Wildfire to Urban Conflagration: Structural Vulnerabilities, Community Impact and the Fire Service Path Forward
• Safeguarding Communities: A Fire Service Advocacy Toolkit
• FPRF Battery Research Updates
• National Fire Apparatus Specification Presentation
• UL Research Institutes Update
• Smarter Cities, Safer Communities: The CRAIG 100 Advantage
• Planning for Impact: Using Population and Demand Projections to Shape EMS Programs and Resources