What Academy Fire does

Academy Fire Life Safety, LLC is a U.S. fire protection and life safety services provider founded in 1933 and headquartered in Lynbrook, New York. The company serves multi-location enterprises with a national accounts model, delivering inspection, repair, design, installation, and retrofit services across thirteen core service categories — including fire alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, kitchen suppression, special hazard suppression, access control, central station monitoring, and emergency/exit lighting — to customers such as national restaurant chains, hospitality owners/management/franchises/REITs, healthcare facilities, retail, education, assisted living, government, industrial operators, multi-family property owners, and property management companies.

The delivery model combines four self-perform service centers (NY, CA, AZ, TX) with a network of 2,500+ vendor partners that extends nationwide reach, supplemented by its self-perform sister company Impact Fire (1,200+ field professionals across 45+ offices). Academy Fire's underlying platform consists of a customer web portal, mobile technician tools with photo and IVR data capture, and database integration with national facility management portals; the legal entity reports 101–250 employees and is a subsidiary of AI Fire, which is backed by Blackstone Private Equity.

Revenue is generated through recurring preventative maintenance contracts and project-based installation/retrofit work sold via direct enterprise field sales with dedicated account managers. Pricing is quote-based, with flat-rate options and volume-based preferred pricing for loyal enterprise customers under multi-year contracts. Academy Fire is privately held, with a dedicated EVP of Strategy and M&A and a recent acquisition (BCI Technologies, 2022) demonstrating a roll-up trajectory under Blackstone ownership.

Name

Academy Fire

Legal name

Academy Fire Life Safety, LLC

Website

https://academyfire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Academy Fire is a U.S. fire protection and life safety services provider founded in 1933, serving multi-location enterprise customers across ten verticals with 13 service categories delivered through four self-perform districts and 2,500+ vendor partners. The company is a subsidiary of Blackstone-backed AI Fire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire and Life Safety Services

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Life Safety Services (Inspection/Testing/Sprinklers/Alarms) (IMAIAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fire Alarm Systems (Inspection/Testing/Monitoring/Service) (IMAIAJAC)

Keywords

• Fire protection services
• Life safety services
• Fire sprinkler inspection
• Fire alarm monitoring
• Special hazard suppression

Headquarters

HQ city

Lynbrook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fire and Life Safety Services: Inspection, repair, design, installation, and retrofit services for fire protection systems. Services are provided to multi-location national accounts through a combination of self-perform operations and vendor partner network. Revenue is generated through service contracts, preventative maintenance programs, and project-based installation work.
2. Preventative Maintenance Programs: Recurring maintenance contracts for fire safety equipment including fire alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, kitchen suppression, and emergency lighting. These programs ensure code compliance and provide predictable revenue streams.
3. Special Hazard Suppression Systems: Design, installation, and maintenance of specialized fire suppression systems including clean agent, foam, dry chemical, CO2, and water mist systems for industrial applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Academy Fire provides nationwide inspection, maintenance, repair, design, installation, monitoring, and retrofit services for fire alarm, sprinkler, suppression, extinguisher, kitchen exhaust, security, access control, and life safety systems. Services are packaged into recurring preventative maintenance contracts and project-based installations, delivered to multi-location commercial customers through self-perform service centers and a vetted vendor partner network with dedicated account managers acting as a single point of contact.

Product overview

Academy Fire is a national fire and life safety services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated services through a network of self-perform districts and vendor partners. The company provides single-point-of-contact solutions for inspection, repair, design, installation, and retrofit services across 13 core service categories: Access Control Systems, Backflow Devices, Business Security Systems, Central Station Monitoring, Emergency/Exit Lighting, Fire Alarms, Fire Extinguishers, Fire Sprinklers, Gas Station Suppression, Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning, Kitchen Suppression, Passive Fire Protection, and Special Hazards systems. The offering is built around a national accounts model with dedicated account managers and integrates with facility management portals for comprehensive reporting and compliance tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Access Control Systems Secure, scalable access management solutions for commercial facilities, including real-time monitoring, cloud-based remote access management, keycard/biometric/RFID credential support, and integration with fire alarm and building automation networks.
• Backflow Devices Backflow preventer installation, testing, and certification for sprinkler systems and domestic water lines to ensure unidirectional water flow and prevent contamination of potable water supplies.
• Business Security Systems Comprehensive commercial security solutions including access control, intrusion alarms, video surveillance, and central station monitoring for 24/7 protection against intrusion, theft, and security emergencies.
• Central Station Monitoring UL-listed 24/7 central station monitoring using POTS, IP, and cellular transmission for fire protection, business security, and communication systems, with rapid emergency response by trained operators.
• Emergency | Exit Lighting National life safety programs for emergency exit lighting and panic alarm devices compliant with NFPA Life Safety Code 101, including 90-minute testing, bulb/battery replacement, and code compliance documentation.
• Fire Alarms Full-service fire alarm installation, service, monitoring, and inspection including engineering, programming, non-proprietary equipment, preventative maintenance programs, and central station monitoring.
• Fire Extinguishers Inspection, service, and sales of fire extinguishers across dry chemical, water and foam, carbon dioxide, wet chemical, halogen/clean agent, dry powder, and water mist types, including recharge, hydrostatic testing, and training classes.
• Fire Sprinklers Fire sprinkler inspection, maintenance, and installation for wet, dry, backflow devices, fire pumps, stand pipe, anti-freeze, pre-action, and deluge systems plus fire hoses, with deficiency tracking and code consultation.
• Gas Station Suppression Specialized fire suppression for gas stations using the Pyro-Chem Attendant II Gas Station Canopy Fire Suppression System, providing 24/7 protection of fueling areas with flexible nozzle configurations.
• Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning performed to NFPA-96 standards using FDA-approved cleaning agents and high-pressure washers to remove grease and fire hazards from hoods, ducts, and fans.
• Kitchen Suppression Commercial kitchen fire suppression system inspection, maintenance, and certification supporting all major brands (Ansul, Amerex, Pyrochem, Kidde, RangeGuard) with semi-annual inspections and UL 300 upgrades.
• Passive Fire Protection Fire and smoke damper inspection and repair, fire door inspection, firestop survey and installation, and photoluminescent egress path marking compliant with NFPA and CMS standards.
• Special Hazards Specialized fire suppression for data centers, power plants, chemical facilities, and server farms including clean agent (Novec 1230, FM-200, Inergen), foam, dry chemical, CO2, aerosol (STAT-X), and industrial systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65,000+ customer site locations serviced
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• AI FireflagshipOthersParent company of Academy Fire. AI Fire is focused on fire and life safety with expert resources and personal service. Based in Long Beach, California. Academy Fire and Impact Fire are subsidiaries of AI Fire.
• Impact Fire ServicesflagshipOthersSelf-perform sister company of Academy Fire with 1,200+ field professionals across 45+ offices. Offers self-perform capabilities that benefit Academy Fire customers. Primary liaison managed by Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• APi Group: Public safety services platform (NYSE: APG) with a substantial fire protection and life safety segment serving national accounts across the US. Competes for the same multi-location enterprise RFPs as Academy Fire and offers bundled security and life-safety services, but operates at meaningfully greater scale and with a M&A-driven roll-up strategy.
• Cintas Fire Protection: Fire protection arm of Cintas Corporation (acquired DunWell Fire Protection in 2010), serving multi-location national accounts across restaurant, hospitality, and retail. Direct overlap with Academy's restaurant and national-account GTM, with the key distinction of being a division of a much larger facility services conglomerate that bundles fire protection with uniforms, mats, and first aid.
• Johnson Controls (Tyco SimplexGrinnell): Global building solutions conglomerate with a major US fire detection and suppression business built on the Tyco/SimplexGrinnell legacy. Competes for enterprise fire alarm and suppression service contracts but is differentiated by proprietary hardware platforms and a much broader HVAC/security portfolio, making it an incumbent broad peer rather than a direct one.

Direct peers

• Vanguard Fire Systems: National full-service fire protection contractor offering design, installation, inspection, and monitoring across sprinkler, alarm, and suppression systems. Comparable service portfolio and customer profile (multi-location commercial accounts), with similar self-perform plus partner network delivery model.
• Impact Fire Services: Sister company under AI Fire; 1,200+ field professionals across 45+ offices providing self-perform fire protection services to multi-location national accounts. Operates the same services portfolio (alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, suppression, special hazards) and shares customers via the Strategic Partnerships liaison role, making it the most direct operational peer to Academy Fire.
• Koorsen Fire & Security: Privately held regional fire protection and security services company serving commercial, industrial, and multi-location customers across the Midwest and South. Directly competitive in inspection, maintenance, and installation of alarms, sprinklers, and suppression systems, with similar GTM mix of self-perform work and customer base of national accounts.
• Wiginton Fire Systems: Private fire protection design, installation, inspection, and service company serving commercial and industrial customers across the Southeast US. Comparable on service portfolio (sprinklers, alarms, suppression, special hazards) and multi-vertical customer base, though more regionally focused than Academy.
• Pye-Barker Fire & Safety: PE-backed (Leonard Green) national fire and life safety services roll-up. Competes head-to-head with Academy in inspections, installations, monitoring, and compliance for multi-location accounts across restaurants, retail, healthcare, and industrial. Highly comparable on service mix and GTM (national accounts, dedicated account management, active acquirer).
• Summit Fire Protection: PE-backed national fire protection services provider focused on inspection, testing, and maintenance for commercial customers. Directly comparable on recurring ITM service model, customer mix, and PE-backed roll-up strategy targeting the same fragmented regional competitor base.
• HEP Services: Fire and life safety services provider serving national and regional multi-location accounts. Overlaps directly with Academy on fire alarm, sprinkler, suppression, and emergency lighting inspection/maintenance services for retail, restaurant, and hospitality customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academy-fire-life-safety

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Academy Fire