International Fire Chiefs Endorse Key Position Papers at NFPA Urban Fire Forum

September 24, 2024 – Fire chiefs from Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the U.S. participated in the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) Urban Fire Forum (UFF) last week at NFPA headquarters in Quincy, MA, endorsing four important documents that address some of the most complex challenges facing the modern fire service. The documents, considered official UFF-Metropolitan Fire Chiefs (Metro Chiefs) position papers, take account of a wide-range of topics including enhancing firefighting safety, improving operational effectiveness, and promoting ethical decision-making in the face of emerging technologies and environmental concerns.

Following are the four position papers:

Safe and Ethical use of Artificial Intelligence
Statement in Support of Considering Enhanced Decontamination Methodologies of PPE Following Exposure to Lithium-Ion Battery Fires
Statement in Support of Further Research on Non-PFAS-Based PPE and In-Service Training Considerations
Climate Change Position Statement

Download the 2024 Urban Fire Forum documents.

“NFPA is proud of its longstanding support of fire departments worldwide through our Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association and the Urban Fire Forum,” said NFPA president and CEO Jim Pauley. “By bringing these groups together we can help solve today’s fire and life safety challenges. We can provide essential guidance and resources to not only the large Metro fire departments but to those that may not otherwise have the capacity or capability to take such a comprehensive view of the challenges facing our global fire services.”

Special guests at the Forum included Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, United States Fire Administrator (USFA); Chief Rob Brown, CEO and Executive Director of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC); CFO Mark Hardingham, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council; Peter Holland, chief inspector, Crown Premises Fire Safety; CFO Milan Dubravac, President CTIF – International Fire and Rescue Services; Rob Webb CEO, AFAC National Council for Fire and Emergency Services; and CFO Stephan Wevers, President, Federation of EUropean fire officers.

"Given the complexities of today’s fire and emergency services environment, fire service leaders are confronted with numerous challenges that extend well beyond traditional emergency response,” said Otto Drozd III, Executive Secretary of the Metro Chiefs and event coordinator. “The position statements presented this year can significantly influence the direction of fire and emergency services in the future. Together, they address critical issues such as the ethical integration of emerging technologies, firefighter health, and operational resilience, particularly climate change and other evolving environmental threats.”

Drozd continued, “To address these complicated issues successfully, NFPA and the Metro Chiefs need to collaborate extensively with both governmental and non-governmental organizations. The position statements approved by the Urban Fire Forum chiefs offer essential insights and tools, enabling us to tackle the evolving challenges currently impacting fire and emergency services.”

The officers of the Metro Chiefs Executive Board make up the core group of the UFF. These chiefs are joined by a select group of at-large Metro Chiefs. This year’s participating chiefs are:

Chief Rob Brown – CEO and Executive Director, International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
Chief Keith Bryant – Metro Senior Member, Office of the State Fire Marshal, Oklahoma City, OK
Commissioner Paul Burke – Boston Fire Department, Boston, MA
Chief John Butler – Metro Vice President, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Fairfax, VA
Chief Mary Cameli – Mesa Fire/Medical Department, Mesa, AZ
Chief Kristin Crowley – Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles, CA
Chief Steve Dongworth – Metro Treasurer, Calgary Fire Department, Calgary, Canada
Chief John Donnelly, Sr. – DC Fire & EMS Services Department, Washington, DC
Chief Milan Dubravac, President, International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF) Ljubljana, Slovenia
Chief Mike Duran – Phoenix Fire Department, Phoenix, AZ
Chief Brian Fennessey, Orange County Fire Authority, Irvine, CA
Chief Mark Hardingham – Chair, National Fire Chiefs Council of the UK
Chief Peter Holland – Chief Inspector, Crown Premises Fire Safety, London, England
Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt – Chicago Fire Department, Chicago, IL
Chief Patrick Kennedy – Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, West Palm Beach, FL
Chief Ernest Malone – Metro President, Indianapolis Fire Department, Indianapolis, IN
Chief Anthony Marrone – Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles, CA
Chief Dan Munsey – San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, San Bernardino, CA
Chief Samuel Peña – Metro Board Member, Houston Fire Department (Ret.), Houston, TX
Chief Stephan Wevers, President, Federation of EUropean fire officers, Enschede, Netherlands
Chief Trisha Wolford – Metro Secretary, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, Millersville, MD

In addition to the chiefs listed above, event presentations were made by the following NFPA staff members and others:

Danielle Antonellis – Founder & Executive Director, Kindling
Ray Bizal – Director, NFPA Regional Operations
Butch Browning – Executive Director, National Association of State Fire Marshals
Robby Dawson – NFPA Southeast Regional Director
Chris Dubay – NFPA Vice President, Engineering and Research, and Chief Engineer
Bob Duval – NFPA Northeast Regional Director
Dr. Stephen Kerber – Vice President, Research Director, UL Fire Safety Research Institute
Amanda Kimball – Executive Director, Fire Protection Research Foundation
Birgitte Messerschmidt – NFPA Director, Research
Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell – Administrator of the United States Fire Administration (USFA)
John Oates – President and CEO, International Public Safety Data Institute
Dr. Bryan Ormond – NC State University
Jim Pauley – President & CEO, National Fire Protection Association
Michael Spaziani – Manager, Fire Service Programs, FM
Jeffery Stull – President, International Personnel Protection, Inc.
Rob Webb – AFAC National Council of Fire and Emergency Services, Australia
Dalan Zartman – COO, Energy Security Agency

The Urban Fire Forum brings together fire chiefs responsible for protecting some of the largest urban centers in the world, providing an opportunity for participants to learn from their peers and expert speakers, and helps NFPA stay abreast of current trends and needs in the fire service. As part of the overall mission of the UFF, chief officers share UFF deliverables and related information with fire officers from around the world.

The Metropolitan Fire Chiefs (Metro) Association convenes fire chiefs from large metropolitan fire departments of more than 350 career firefighters to share information and focus on major issues affecting policy changes in the U.S. and abroad. Its members belong to IAFC and NFPA and are the fire chiefs of jurisdictions with more than 150,000 firefighters that safeguard nearly 150 million residents in the U.S. and Canada.

About the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Founded in 1896, NFPA is a global, self-funded, nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. The association delivers information and knowledge through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, research, training, education, outreach, and advocacy; and by partnering with others who share an interest in furthering the NFPA mission. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org. All NFPA codes and standards can be viewed online for free at www.nfpa.org/freeaccess.