World Fire Congress has announced a new Secretariat structure and expanded research framework aimed at strengthening long-term international collaboration across the global fire and emergency services profession.
The organization has appointed the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association (Metro Chiefs), a section of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), to serve as its Secretariat. The move is intended to establish continuity between future Congresses, preserve institutional knowledge, support host nations, and maintain engagement on emerging fire and life safety challenges.
According to the World Fire Congress, the Secretariat framework will provide long-term coordination and support sustained international cooperation as fire and emergency services face increasingly complex risks worldwide.
“It is an honor for the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Association to serve as the Secretariat for the World Fire Congress,” said Otto Drozd III, Executive Secretary of Metro Chiefs. “What is being established through this partnership is far more than operational coordination for a single event. 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.
“With the support of NFPA and IAFC, combined with the research and learning efforts being advanced through UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute, the World Fire Congress is building a strong and enduring foundation capable of supporting global cooperation for generations to come.”
The World Fire Congress is a biennial forum that brings together fire and emergency service leaders from around the world to share knowledge, strengthen international partnerships, and address evolving fire and life safety challenges. Topics include firefighter health and safety, climate-driven disasters, structural fires, wildfires, prevention, response, recovery, resilience, and emerging technologies.
The 2026 World Fire Congress is scheduled to take place on September 8-9, 2026, at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster, London. The event will be hosted by the United Kingdom and organized by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).
Alongside the Secretariat announcement, the World Fire Congress confirmed that UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute (ULRI) will support the Congress’ learning, research, and insight initiatives. ULRI plans to develop global Communities of Practice intended to maintain collaboration and knowledge-sharing between Congress events.
“The science of fire is universal. What burns in London burns the same way in Lagos, São Paulo, or Seoul,” said Dr. Steve Kerber, Vice President of Fire Safety at ULRI. “What differs is access: access to data, to research, to technology, and to the resources that turn knowledge into safer outcomes for firefighters and communities. Whether the challenge is climate disasters, emerging technologies and AI, building fire response infrastructure, protecting firefighter health, or advancing women in the fire service, the path forward runs through research shared across borders. UL Research Institutes is committed to helping power this global network to impact the future of fire safety.”
Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, former U.S. Fire Administrator and Chief Fire Safety Strategist at ULRI, highlighted the value of ongoing international cooperation.
“Having had the privilege to Chair and convene the inaugural World Fire Congress in Washington D.C. in 2024 — and now returning to London as part of UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute — I am proud to carry that work forward through the WFC Communities of Practice,” said Moore-Merrell. “No single nation can solve the challenges the fire service faces alone; it requires us to come together around a global table to share knowledge and expertise to make a difference.”
Looking ahead, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is scheduled to host the 2028 World Fire Congress. Organizers said proposals are currently being accepted from prospective host nations interested in staging the event in 2030.
The World Fire Congress is overseen by a steering committee comprising fire service organizations from multiple regions, including North America, Europe, Australasia, and Latin America, with leadership support from NFPA and IAFC in the United States.
