By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The World Fire Congress announced June 11, 2026, that the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs) — a joint section of the National Fire Protection Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs — has been named as the Congress’s permanent Secretariat, providing organizational continuity between biennial events.
- The Secretariat will be responsible for preserving institutional knowledge, supporting host-nation coordination, and maintaining ongoing international engagement on fire and life safety issues between Congress gatherings.
- UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) has been designated to lead research, learning, and knowledge-sharing efforts through the development of global Communities of Practice — structured collaboration networks intended to keep international dialogue active between Congresses.
- The 2026 World Fire Congress is scheduled for September 8-9 at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, London, hosted by the United Kingdom and organized by the National Fire Chiefs Council; more than 60 countries have already registered to attend.
- The Congress’s research agenda will address wildfire activity, flooding and natural disasters, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, firefighter health, and workforce development.
QUINCY, Mass. — The World Fire Congress announced Wednesday that the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association has been formally designated as its permanent Secretariat, establishing a dedicated coordinating body to maintain continuity and international engagement across the Congress’s biennial cycle, with UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute assigned to lead a new global research and knowledge-sharing framework in the intervals between events.
Metro Chiefs, which operates as a joint section of the National Fire Protection Association and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, will serve as the administrative and operational backbone of the Congress going forward. According to the Congress’s announcement, the Secretariat’s responsibilities will include preserving institutional knowledge accumulated across Congress gatherings, supporting coordination with nations that host future events, and sustaining ongoing engagement among international fire and emergency service organizations on fire prevention, response, and life safety policy.
Otto Drozd III, executive secretary of Metro Chiefs, described the appointment as establishing long-term infrastructure for sustained global collaboration. “What is being established through this partnership is far more than operational coordination for a single event,” Drozd said. “It is the long-term infrastructure designed to support continuity, global engagement, and sustained collaboration for future Congresses and the international fire and emergency services community.”
The UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute will support the Congress between biennial meetings by developing global Communities of Practice — structured networks designed to facilitate ongoing data sharing and collaborative problem-solving among international fire service organizations. Dr. Steve Kerber, vice president of fire safety at UL Research Institutes, said the initiative will address shared challenges including climate-related disasters, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, and firefighter health and workforce development. Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, former U.S. Fire Administrator and chief fire safety strategist at UL Research Institutes, noted the effort builds on knowledge-sharing begun at the inaugural World Fire Congress held in Washington, D.C., in 2024.
The 2026 World Fire Congress is scheduled for September 8-9 at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, London, hosted by the United Kingdom and organized by the National Fire Chiefs Council. Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said more than 60 countries have already registered to participate, citing growing international urgency around wildfire activity, flooding, complex disaster response, and evolving incident types. The World Fire Congress steering committee includes fire service leadership organizations from Australia, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, and the United States.