Fire Safety Research Institute

What Fire Safety Research Institute does

Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) is the fire safety research division of UL Research Institutes (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.), a private, non-profit safety science organization administered from Evanston, Illinois. FSRI conducts full-scale fire dynamics research using instrumented test structures to measure gas temperatures, radiant heat exposure, and toxic gas concentrations, with active programs covering lithium-ion battery fires, wildland-urban interface fires, passenger railcar fire hazards, and firefighter PPE performance. The institute operates from Columbia, with 11-50 employees, and its research outputs feed technical reports, NFPA-correlated training, and tactical guidance.

FSRI translates its research into operational outputs through the Fire Safety Academy (FSA), a free online learning management system offering NFPA-correlated courses on fire dynamics, suppression tactics, search and rescue, ventilation, and emerging hazards. It also operates NERIS (National Emergency Response Information System), a mission-critical data platform equipping U.S. fire departments with incident reporting, analytics dashboards, and resource allocation tools. Public safety education is delivered through branded campaigns including Close Before You Doze, Smoke Alarms Save Lives, and Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of Battery Safety. Notable proprietary research assets include a full-scale railcar fire testing platform for e-mobility device thermal runaway studies and copper slug calorimeter instrumentation for PPE thermal protective performance measurement.

As a non-profit entity funded through its parent organization, FSRI provides all training, tools, and resources at no cost, eliminating pricing as an adoption barrier. The customer base comprises primarily U.S. fire service personnel, fire departments, public safety educators, and academic fire protection engineering institutions, with global research collaboration through the International Fire Safety Consortium (IFSC). Distribution is community-led via partnerships with the North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD), Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), and advisory committees, supplemented by event-driven outreach, webinars, and fire service media partnerships.

Name

Fire Safety Research Institute

Legal name

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

Website

https://fsri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) is the fire safety research arm of UL Research Institutes, conducting full-scale fire experiments and translating findings into free online training, public safety education campaigns, and the NERIS national incident reporting platform for U.S. fire departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Safety Research & Training

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Fire Protection (922160)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire Safety Compliance, Risk Assessments & Training (Code Consulting) (IMAIAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Firefighter & Fire Service Training (EDAOAMAB), Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB), Fire & Life Safety Systems (Alarms, Sprinklers, Extinguishers, Inspections) (EDAEACAF)

Keywords

• Fire safety research
• Firefighter training courses
• Fire dynamics research
• Emergency response data platform
• Public fire safety education

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Services: FSRI is part of UL Research Institutes (Underwriters Laboratories), a non-profit organization. As a research institute, FSRI conducts fire safety research funded by its parent organization and grants. All training content is provided free of charge to the fire service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fire Safety Research Institute conducts full-scale fire dynamics and safety research and translates findings into free online training courses, public safety education programs, and an incident reporting/analytics platform for fire departments. Its primary products are the Fire Safety Academy learning management system and the NERIS emergency response data platform, supported by public safety campaigns (Close Before You Doze, Take C.H.A.R.G.E.), hands-on training toolkits, and specialized research projects.

Product overview

The Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, operates as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected products and programs focused on fire safety research, education, and emergency response. The core products include the Fire Safety Academy (FSA) - a comprehensive online learning management system providing free training courses on fire dynamics, firefighting tactics, and firefighter safety - and NERIS (National Emergency Response Information System) - a data platform for fire service incident reporting and analysis. These are complemented by public safety education programs including Close Before You Doze, Smoke Alarms Save Lives, and Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of Battery Safety. The organization offers specialized training programs such as the Fire Dynamics Bootcamp, Instructor Development Program (in partnership with NAFTD), Spotlight Series on Research in Action, and Hands-On Training Toolkits. Talent development is supported through Fellowship and Internship Programs, while the International Fire Safety Consortium Partnership advances global fire safety research collaboration. Data Science Programs provide incident analysis tools, materials databases, and modeling capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NERIS (National Emergency Response Information System): A mission-critical platform that equips America's fire service with data and tools for effective emergency response, enhancing preparedness, improving resource allocation, and strengthening coordination for all-hazards incidents.
• Fire Safety Academy
• Close Before You Doze
• Take C.H.A.R.G.E.
• Xplorlabs

Products and services

• Fire Safety Academy (FSA) Research-based online fire training platform offering a comprehensive course library developed from over a decade of fire research. The platform provides free unlimited access to courses on fire dynamics, firefighting tactics, and firefighter health and safety, all designed for real-world application and correlated to NFPA standards.
• NERIS - National Emergency Response Information System Mission-critical platform that equips America's fire service with data and tools for effective emergency response. Supports first responders at every level with incident reporting, analytics dashboards, and department management tools, enhancing preparedness, improving resource allocation, and strengthening coordination for all-hazards incidents.
• Close Before You Doze

Quantifiable outcome

• Railcar smoke spread reaches opposite end within 30 seconds; full visibility lost in under 4 minutes after e-mobility device ignition
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and secondary.

• International Fire Safety Consortium (IFSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2020FSRI is the first non-profit organization partner in IFSC, collaborating with fire safety researchers from institutions worldwide. The partnership advances fire safety engineering, scientific research, knowledge exchange, and global collaboration. Coordinated through University of Maryland, a founding member.
• University of Maryland (UMD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUMD is the coordinating institution for IFSC partnership. PI Stanislav Stoliarov leads Firebrand Ignition of Building Materials research. UMD graduate students participate in FSRI fellowship program.
• North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSRI partnered with NAFTD to deliver the Instructor Development Program, enhancing fire service instructors' understanding of fire dynamics. The three-part program includes online lessons, offline activities, and live webinars.
• Fire Department of the City of New YorkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDNY supported full-scale railcar experiments examining e-mobility device fire hazards. Provided expertise and resources for thermal runaway experiments on passenger railcars.
• Christiana Fire CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristiana Fire Company supported full-scale railcar experiments examining e-mobility device fire hazards on passenger railcars.
• University of MelbournesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on Firebrand Ignition of Building Materials research as part of IFSC partnership.
• University of California, BerkeleysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on Firebrand Ignition of Building Materials research as part of IFSC partnership.
• Home Fire Sprinkler CoalitionsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerFSRI collaborates with HFSC during National Fire Sprinkler Week to amplify the 'Fire is Fast, Sprinklers are Faster' message and share research on residential sprinkler effectiveness against lithium-ion battery fires.
• Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Hodges serves as Chair of SFPE's Research, Tools & Methods Committee. FSRI researchers contribute to SFPE standards including S.01 on Calculating Fire Exposures and Engineering Guide on Fire Model Substantiation.
• UL Research InstitutescoreOthersFSRI is the fire safety research division of UL Research Institutes (Underwriters Laboratories). Parent organization provides funding, infrastructure, and institutional credibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Arup Fire Engineering: Arup's fire engineering practice delivers performance-based fire design, risk assessment, and research-informed consulting for complex buildings and infrastructure globally. It is comparable to FSRI in fire science depth but addresses commercial built-environment projects.
• Jensen Hughes: Jensen Hughes is a leading fire protection engineering and consulting firm offering code consulting, performance-based design, and risk assessment. It overlaps with FSRI on the engineering/consulting and code-development side but operates as a commercial consultancy serving built-environment clients.
• Exponent: Exponent is a scientific and engineering consultancy with a dedicated fire investigation and failure analysis practice. It conducts fire dynamics research and expert testimony, overlapping with FSRI on the scientific/engineering side though primarily serving legal and insurance clients.

Direct peers

• Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE): SFPE is the global professional society for fire protection engineers and develops technical standards, certifications, and educational content. FSRI researchers contribute to SFPE committees and Hodges now chairs its RTM Committee, making SFPE both a partner and a direct peer in fire engineering education and standards.
• NFPA Research Foundation: The NFPA Research Foundation funds and publishes fire safety research that informs NFPA standards, directly competing with FSRI's mission to translate fire science into actionable guidance. It is the most direct research-mission peer to FSRI.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): NFPA is the dominant US standards body for fire safety and also develops training, research, and public education. FSRI's courses are explicitly NFPA-correlated, making NFPA the closest analog in mission and audience, and the most consequential strategic counterpart.

Broad incumbents

• International Code Council (ICC): ICC develops model building, fire, and safety codes adopted across most US jurisdictions. As a code developer that depends on underlying research, ICC is comparable to FSRI in standards influence but operates in policy rather than experimental research.
• FM Global Research: FM Global operates a large fire research campus conducting full-scale experiments to inform its commercial property insurance and engineering services. It is comparable in research capability and emerging-hazard focus but serves a commercial-insurance customer base rather than the public fire service.
• NIST Fire Research Division: The National Institute of Standards and Technology operates one of the most established government fire research labs in the world, conducting full-scale fire experiments and underpinning US fire codes. It is a direct comparator in research methodology and policy influence, though it is government-funded rather than a private nonprofit.

Regional players

• BRE Group (Building Research Establishment): BRE is a UK-based building science organization conducting fire research, testing, and certification (including the LPCB brand) with global influence. It is a strong functional analog to FSRI but operates primarily in the UK/European market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fsri_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fsri-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Fire Safety Research Institute