From November 3^rd to 4^th, the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG) hosted the annual international meeting of the Forum of Fire Research Directors. The first day took place at ZAG’s Fire Laboratory in Logatec, while on the second day, guests were welcomed at ZAG’s headquarters in Ljubljana by Assoc. Prof Dr Aleš Žnidarič, ZAG’s Director.

The International Forum of Fire Research Directors Visiting Slovenia

At the Fire Laboratory, participants were welcomed by Prof Grunde Jomaas, Head of the Department for Fire-Safe Sustainable Built Environment. The current Chair of the Forum, Prof Naian Liu, greeted the newly admitted members:

• ZAG, Slovenia (Grunde Jomaas)
• ASNR, France (Hugues Pretrel)
• CSTB, France (Driss Samri)
• SwRI, USA (Karen Carpenter)
• BRI, Japan (Shuichi Takeya)

The meeting continued with general presentations by existing members (CSTB, Efectis, ASNR, FRIC, FM, UL FSRI, SwRI, SKLFS, NRIFD, NRC, and TFRI) and an update on cooperation with the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS). International guests were given a tour of the new Fire Laboratory, which sparked lively comparisons and plenty of questions. The day concluded with a cultural and culinary exploration of Ljubljana.

The second day featured workshops on fires related to photovoltaic systems, batteries, and façades, followed by reports on collaborations with the Fire Safety Journal, ISO TC92, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). The remainder of the meeting was reserved for Forum members only, who discussed finances, researcher recognition, scientific publications, potential collaborations, and future activities.

About the Forum of Fire Research Directors

The International Forum of Fire Research Directors is a global network of leaders of fire research organizations, active since 1991. The members meet annually to discuss emerging research topics related to fire, with the main goal of reducing the global burden of fires. The Forum focuses on fostering strategic partnerships to advance fire safety engineering (FSE) through scientifically based fire knowledge, validated computational tools, reliable supporting data, and a recognized professional standing for FSE as a discipline with appropriate education and training