Powered by UL Research Institutes, the Communities of Practice offer a sustained mechanism to share knowledge, align on emerging risks, and rapidly translate research across borders

COLUMBIA, Md., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the biennial gathering of the world's fire leaders at the World Fire Congress, UL Research Institutes' Fire Safety Research Institute is powering the ongoing Communities of Practice (CoPs) to advance solutions for the most pressing global fire safety issues. The structured and sustained CoPs will accelerate progress through monthly thematic sessions, shared governance, robust information distribution and direct integration of frontline research.

"The inaugural World Fire Congress and Communities of Practice in 2024 established the foundation for sustained and collaborative knowledge exchange, and ULRI is honored to build on that foundation," said Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, World Fire Congress founder and chief fire safety strategist for the Fire Safety Research Institute. "Drawing on more than a century of fire research and leadership, ULRI is bringing its scientific rigor into the global conversation, ensuring the dialogue is grounded in evidence over anecdote."

The World Fire Congress CoPs offer the fire service a mechanism to share knowledge, align on emerging risks and translate research and training into practice across borders. Through ULRI, members gain access to a trusted international network, curated best practices and direct engagement with leading researchers and their work on areas including lithium-ion battery safety, EV fire risk, climate adaptation and evidence-based tactical decision-making. Each CoP will be equipped with the necessary infrastructure to collaborate across nations and will be grounded with an Anchor Organization to bring established expertise and leadership to each Community.

The 2026 - 2028 CoPs, along with their Anchor Organizations, include:

• Climate Driven Large Scale Events: As fire, storm and flood events exceed planned assumptions, resource capacities and tactical doctrine of even the most well-resourced emergency response services, the challenge is no longer suppression, but systemic resilience across every hazard. This Community will focus on cross-border, all-hazard mutual-aid structures; compound cascading risk from wildfire, storm and flood; and pre-positioning, early warning and evacuation strategies that work across contexts.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organizations: Global Fire Management Hub at United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire)

• Emerging Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Emerging technologies, including AI-powered detection, satellite monitoring, and autonomous apparatus or smart PPE, can synthesize vast data streams and give commanders unprecedented situational awareness when seconds matter, but caution is also needed as these powerful tools still require governance and human oversight. This Community will focus on identifying what's working; governance and human-oversight frameworks for responsible adoption; closing the equity gap; and sharing evidence-based research results.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organization: Dubai Civil Defence

• Data: The Foundation of Evidence Driven Fire Services: Fire service decisions are only as strong as the data behind them. Yet, fire data remains fragmented, inconsistent and rarely shared across jurisdictions or borders, with acute gaps in lower-resource settings. This Community will focus on data governance and interoperability; minimum viable data schema and standards for low-resource settings; and a global fire-intelligence ecosystem that serves every nation.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organizations: UL Research Institutes' Fire Safety Research Institute and Earth Fire Alliance

• Fire in Low- and Middle-Income Nations (LMICs): Fire is one of the world's most inequitable killers with 95% of deaths from fire and burn-related injuries happening in low- and middle-income countries. Dense informal settlements, combustible construction, open-flame cooking and under-resourced rescue services compound the toll. This Community will focus on capacity building and technology transfer; community-based fire risk reduction in informal settlements; and genuine partnership that centers LMIC voices and leadership.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organizations: Kindling Safety, Africa Fire Mission, and the World Bank

• Firefighting: Tactics and Training: The fire service is facing mounting complexity in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and from lithium-ion batteries, high-rise and informal-structure fires, industrial and chemical hazards, and large-scale disaster co-response. Firefighter training and response tactics that are standardized in one nation may be unknown to another, and many tactics may be transferable across borders or may need adaptation for the unique needs of a nation. The focus of this Community will be to compare doctrine and share incident lessons; close the training gap on lithium-ion batteries, WUI and industrial hazards; and advance simulation and technology enhanced training toward shared standards.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organization: UL Research Institutes' Fire Safety Research Institute

• Firefighter Health and Safety: Firefighters face some of the most serious occupational risks of any profession with occupational cancer being one of the leading causes of line-of-duty death. Globally, the nature of risks and the protections against them remain deeply uneven. This Community will focus on building shared knowledge of the cardiovascular, mental health, cancer and toxic exposure risks; advocate for a universal standard of firefighter health and safety; and share evidence-based results.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organizations: Science Alliance and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)

• Women in the Fire Service: Women remain dramatically underrepresented in fire and civil defense services worldwide. But the barriers are not about capacity as women perform 57% of all volunteer work. The focus of this Community will be on recruitment, retention and leadership pathways; PPE solutions that work for women firefighters; and culture change and policy.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organizations: Women in Fire and Women and Firefighting Australasia (WAFA)

• Fire and Civil Defense in Conflict and Hostile Environments: Fire and rescue personnel in many nations now operate in an environment marked by deliberate attacks, hybrid threats, and prolonged instability. These conditions demand new approaches to responder protection, service continuity, and legal safeguards that extend beyond conventional fire doctrine. This Community will connect agencies working in conflict-affected or hostile environments, strengthen understanding of civil defense protections under international humanitarian law, and support practical strategies for readiness, recovery, and resilience.
  
  
  
  Anchor Organization: International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF)

In addition to Moore-Merrell, CoPs leadership includes Mark Hardingham, CoPs Ambassador. With a career spanning four decades from UK firefighter to Chief Fire Officer to former chair of the UK National Fire Chiefs Council.

Diane Haithcock serves as CoPs Administrator. Haithcock is Director, Program Manager for UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) where she oversees ULSE Technical Committee chairs and project managers across the U.S. and Canada for standards related to life safety products, physical security, building materials, and wildland-urban interface. In collaboration with ULRI's Fire Safety Research Institute, ULSE supports monthly meetings, research analysis, and reports for CoPs members.

The World Fire Congress is a biennial global forum bringing together fire and emergency service leaders, government representatives, researchers and partners to strengthen international cooperation, share knowledge and support evidence-informed discussion on fire and life safety challenges facing communities worldwide. The inaugural World Fire Congress was held in Washington D.C. in 2024. The National Fire Chiefs Council hosted the second World Fire Congress in London, September 8-9, 2026, with representatives from more than 60 nations attending.

The World Fire Congress is led by an international steering committee, including the host nation, and supported by the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs) as its Secretariat. Metro Chiefs is a section of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). The Secretariat provides continuity between Congresses, supports host nations and helps sustain international collaboration between events.

The next World Fire Congress will be hosted by Dubai Civil Defence in the United Arab Emirates in February 2028.

For more information visit WFCCOP.fsri.org.

About Fire Safety Research Institute

UL Research Institutes' Fire Safety Research Institute advances fire science and fire safety knowledge to reduce risk, save lives, and protect property. We conduct rigorous research, outreach, and education in collaboration with the fire service, fire safety professionals, policymakers, communities, and an international network of partners. Together, we develop tools, resources, and strategies that improve fire safety outcomes worldwide. To learn more, visit fsri.org. Follow Fire Safety Research Institute on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About UL Standards & Engagement

UL Standards & Engagement is a nonprofit organization that translates safety science into action through standards development, partnerships, and advocacy. Since 1903, we have developed nearly 1,700 standards and guidance documents for products ranging from fire doors to autonomous vehicles. ULSE enables innovation and grows trust by convening experts and informing policymakers and regulators as we work toward a safer, more secure and sustainable future. Visit ULSE.org for more information.

About UL Research Institutes

UL Research Institutes is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to advancing public safety through scientific discovery. Since 1894, our research has advanced our mission toward a safer, more secure and sustainable future. Focused on global risks from fire mitigation and air quality to safe energy storage and digital privacy, we conduct rigorous independent research, analyze safety data and partner with experts to uncover and act on existing and emerging risks to human safety. Discover more at UL.org.

About the World Fire Congress

The World Fire Congress is a biennial global forum focused on strengthening international cooperation, knowledge sharing, and evidence-informed dialogue on fire and life safety challenges facing communities worldwide. Guided by its founding principles, the Congress brings together fire and emergency service leaders, researchers, and partners to advance collaboration on firefighter health and safety, wildfires, structural fires, emerging technologies, prevention, response, recovery, and resilience.

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Mit einem betont unterhaltsamen und zugleich programmatischen Auftritt hat der Kanton Schwyz seine Rolle als Gastkanton an der 83. Olma in St. Gallen übernommen. Bereits die offizielle Eröffnungsfeier im Theater St. Gallen zeigte, wie breit sich der Innerschweizer Kanton präsentieren will – kulturell, politisch und touristisch. Unter dem Motto «Schwyz liefert» rückt der Kanton während elf Tagen ein gutes Stück weiter nach Osten und nutzt die Publikumsmesse als Schaufenster für seine Produkte, sein Brauchtum und seine Eigenheiten.

Musikalisch setzte Schwyz zum Auftakt auf vertraute Namen mit regionalen Wurzeln: Unter der geistreichen, pointierten Moderation der Schwyzer Dirigentin Graziella Contratto spannten Jodlerin Nadja Räss, Schwyzerörgeler Markus Flückiger, Kontrabassist Pirmin Huber, Violinist Raphael Nussbaumer, das Ensemble Kulturschock mit Mezzosopranistin Lydia Opilik sowie Sängerin Linda Elys den Bogen von Volksmusik über Klassik bis Pop. Das Publikum im Stadttheater dankte den Schwyzer Klängen, die sonst eher zwischen Mythen und Rigi zuhause sind, mit tosendem Applaus.

Auch die Bundespolitik war prominent vertreten. Bundesrat Guy Parmelin eröffnete die Messe traditionsgemäss mit einem Ferkel – in diesem Jahr mit Säuli Vivienne, das sich beim Fototermin mit lautem Quieken gegen den Auftritt wehrte. Der Landwirtschaftsminister nutzte die Bühne, um die Olma als «herausragenden Begegnungsort» zwischen Konsumenten und Landwirtschaft zu würdigen und sprach von einer «Schweiz im Kleinformat», in der Fachleute, Familien, Politiker und Tiere zusammenkommen. Gleichzeitig verwies er auf die «Ernsthaftigkeit der Lage» für die Landwirtschaft, etwa mit Blick auf Trockenheit und grosse Hitze im vergangenen Sommer.

Der Schwyzer Landammann Sandro Patierno und Regierungsrätin Petra Steimen-Rickenbacher, Präsidentin des Organisationskomitees für den Gastkanton-Auftritt, stellten den Kanton ins Zentrum. Patierno zeigte sich besonders stolz auf den in Übergrösse ausgestellten Bundesbrief, das Hölloch und die legendären Wetterpropheten und spielte im Bühnengespräch mit Contratto mit dem Motto «Schwyz liefert». Humor bewies er auch, als er – gefragt nach seinen Lieblingstieren – Wildsäue, Wölfe und die Asiatische Hornisse nannte und festhielt, der Kanton Schwyz «liefere» auch in dieser Hinsicht. Verwaltungsratspräsident Markus Streckeisen erklärte die Olma schliesslich offiziell für eröffnet und erinnerte daran, dass die Messe aus dem Zusammenspiel vieler Menschen und Partnerschaften entstehe.

Während der elf Messetage, die in St. Gallen als «fünfte Jahreszeit» gelten, setzt der Gastkanton auf ein Konzept mit zahlreichen Boxen, in denen Besucher Produkte und Bräuche aus Schwyz entdecken können. Neben Klassikern wie der Degustationshalle bleibt auch das traditionelle Säulirennen um 16 Uhr ein Publikumsmagnet. Für Bundesrat Parmelin, der direkt von einem Staatsbesuch in Neu-Delhi an den «etwas kleineren Flughafen» Altenrhein reiste, ist der Gang durch die Olma mehr als Folklore: Er bezeichnete den offenen Dialog zwischen Produzenten, Verarbeitern, Händlern, Konsumenten und Regulierungsbehörden als zentral – eine Botschaft, die zum Selbstverständnis der Messe und zum Auftritt des Gastkantons gleichermassen passt.