Following last year's successful edition hosted by ZAG-FRISSBE in Slovenia, the International Forum of Fire Research Directors Annual Meeting 2026 was organised by Dr Steve Kerber at the UL Research Institutes Fire Safety Research Institute (ULRI) in Maryland, USA, on 29^th and 30^th September.

FRISSBE is pleased to continue its membership of this global network of fire research leaders. Following recent changes in the department, Dr Andrea Lucherini has taken on the role of ZAG representative in the Forum, succeeding Prof Grunde Jomaas in that capacity.

Meeting Overview

The first day opened with a welcome from host Dr Steve Kerber, followed by announcements and agenda review by Forum Chair Birgitte Messerschmidt. The morning was dedicated to presentations from member organisations across the Americas, with updates from UL Research Institutes, NIST, NRCC, SwRI, NFPA, ATF, and FM. The afternoon featured shorter presentations from Asia-Pacific and European members, including NRIFD, TFRI, BRI, Efectis, FRIC, ZAG, CSTB, ASNR, and RISE. Dr Andrea Lucherini presented online an update on ZAG-FRISSBE's ongoing research and testing activities to the assembled group. The first day concluded with a workshop session on Wildland-Urban Interface and urban fires, exploring how the Forum's member organisations might collectively strengthen their shared infrastructure and community around this increasingly critical challenge.

The second day opened with a workshop session dedicated to fire research equipment and facilities, showcasing newly developed experimental tools, upgraded testing platforms, innovative measurement techniques, and state-of-the-art fire research infrastructures across member organisations. This was followed by liaison reports from Dr Robert McNamee on IAFSS, Birgitte Messerschmidt on FPRF, and Éric Guillaume on ISO TC92. The remainder of the day was reserved for a members-only session focused on strategies to enhance the Forum's effectiveness going forward.

About the Forum of Fire Research Directors

The International Forum of Fire Research Directors is a global network of leaders of fire research organisations, active since 1991. 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 through scientifically based fire knowledge, validated computational tools, reliable supporting data, and a recognised professional standing for fire safety engineering as a discipline with appropriate education and training.