Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.)

What Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) does

Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in September 1990 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, operating virtually under an all-volunteer Board of Directors with two paid support staff. Its mission is to improve firefighter health and safety through education, applied research, and conferences. The organization is best known for hosting the Fire Station Design Symposium (the first and longest-running of its kind, launched in 2000 with 17 editions through 2018), the biennial Fire PPE Symposium (launched 2009), Regional Fire PPE Workshops (launched 2014), a Design Awards program, and a published article and emerging podcast library covering fire station architecture, PPE, decontamination, and facility operations.

FIERO also conducts and coordinates applied research, including physiological manikin testing with North Carolina State University that has directly informed NFPA 1971 task group recommendations on evaporative resistance, and contamination control studies with the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation. The organization does not build software products; its core technology is its research coordination capability and the institutional relationships that enable field-relevant studies to feed national standards.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: conference and symposium registrations, an annual membership program for fire service professionals, and corporate sponsorships from more than 14 mission-aligned partners including NFPA, IAFC, NVFC, NFFF, and the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. Distribution is event-driven (annual and biennial in-person gatherings), supported by website content marketing, published articles, and an inquiry-based email channel. FIERO serves fire departments, fire station architects and designers, procurement and logistics personnel, and standards/research organizations.

Name

Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.)

Legal name

Fire Industry Education Resource Organization

Website

https://fieroonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that improves firefighter health and safety through educational symposiums, applied research, and design awards, serving fire departments, fire station architects, and standards bodies across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Service Education & Research

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)

Keywords

• Fire service education
• Firefighter safety research
• Protective equipment workshops
• Fire station design
• PPE symposium conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conference and Symposium Registrations: FIERO generates revenue through attendee registrations for its Fire Station Design Symposium, Fire PPE Symposium, and regional workshops. The organization also offers sponsorship opportunities tied to these events.
2. Membership Program: FIERO offers membership for fire service professionals to join and connect with the fire industry community, likely with annual dues.
3. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors including Crackyl Magazine, Firefighter Cancer Support Network, Fire News, Fire Rescue TV, IAFC, Institution of Fire Engineers, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, NFPA, National Firefighter Registry, National Volunteer Fire Council, Science 2 Station, Wendells Mint, Women in Fire, and Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation sponsor FIERO events and programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

F.I.E.R.O. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that delivers education and applied research to the fire service community through annual and biennial conferences (Fire Station Design Symposium and Fire PPE Symposium), regional PPE workshops, a fire facility Design Awards program, and coordinated research studies with university and standards-body partners. The organization produces published articles and podcasts on fire station design, PPE performance, decontamination, and firefighter health and safety. Revenue is generated through conference registrations, membership dues, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

F.I.E.R.O. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering a portfolio of educational programs, conferences, and research services dedicated to improving firefighter health and safety. The core offerings include the Fire Station Design Symposium (the first and longest-running station design conference), the Fire PPE Symposium (biennial event on protective gear), Regional Fire PPE Workshops for hands-on education, and a Design Awards Program recognizing excellence in fire facility design. Supporting these are research programs coordinated with NC State University and NFPA, plus articles and podcasts providing practical guidance on fire station architecture, PPE, decontamination, and operational design. All programs work together to advance the fire service through education, applied research, and industry collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fire Station Design Symposium Annual symposium that provides education focused on building efficient, healthy, resilient fire stations, connecting fire departments with industry-leading architects and planners through architectural principles and real-world case studies. First and longest-running station design symposium in the industry.
• Fire PPE Symposium Biennial symposium dedicated to improving the safety, performance, and understanding of firefighter protective gear. Features scientists, manufacturers, standards experts, and fire service leaders discussing emerging research, contamination, PFAS, cleaning, testing, and the future of PPE.
• Regional Fire PPE Workshops Smaller workshops focused on the selection, care, and maintenance of PPE, broadening the educational reach beyond the main symposiums.
• FIERO Design Awards Program Awards program recognizing excellence in fire station design, open to design firms or fire departments that have brought a fire facility online within the past five years or have projects on the boards. Accepts submissions across career, combination, volunteer, industrial brigade, airport, military fire stations, EMS stations, rescue squads, training centers, 911 Call Centers, and EOC facilities.
• Firefighter PPE Research Independent research studies coordinated by FIERO that inform NFPA standards and firefighter protective clothing, including physiological manikin testing with North Carolina State University on core temperature, skin temperature, sweating rate, and evaporative resistance under various conditions. Data informed NFPA 1971 task group recommendations.
• Articles & Publications Practical guidance and field perspectives from architects, chiefs, and researchers covering fire station design, PPE, decontamination, security, humidity control, construction administration, and facility planning.
• Fire Station Design Day at FRI Day-long educational session at the Fire-Rescue International (FRI) conference covering key fire station design considerations; 2026 event held at Kansas City Convention Center.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 Fire Station Design Symposiums hosted through 2018 in Charlotte and Raleigh
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NFPA Fire Protection Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIERO has partnered with the NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation on contamination control studies. This collaboration positions FIERO's research to directly inform national fire service standards.
• North Carolina State University (N.C. State)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIERO coordinated physiological manikin testing with NCSU's facility capable of predicting core temperature, skin temperature, and sweating rate. Research provided data used as basis for NFPA 1971 task group recommendations on evaporative resistance standards.
• Crackyl MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFire industry media outlet listed as a FIERO partner, powering the mission of FIERO through content promotion and audience reach.
• Firefighter Cancer Support NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit organization supporting firefighters with cancer listed as a FIERO partner, aligning with FIERO's health and safety mission.
• Fire NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFire industry publication listed as a FIERO partner.
• Fire Rescue TVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFire service media outlet listed as a FIERO partner.
• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor fire service membership organization listed as a FIERO partner, providing distribution for FIERO programs to IAFC members.
• The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE-USA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional engineering institution focused on fire engineering listed as a FIERO partner.
• National Fallen Firefighters FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation supporting families of fallen firefighters listed as a FIERO partner, aligning with firefighter safety mission.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerStandards-setting organization for fire safety listed as a FIERO partner. FIERO has separately collaborated directly with NFPA Fire Protection Research Foundation on research projects.
• National Firefighter RegistryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCDC/NIOSH registry for firefighter health tracking listed as a FIERO partner.
• National Volunteer Fire CouncilminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganization representing volunteer firefighters listed as a FIERO partner.
• Science 2 StationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFire service research organization listed as a FIERO partner.
• Wendells MintminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFire service industry company listed as a FIERO partner.
• Women in FireminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganization supporting women in the fire service listed as a FIERO partner.
• Fire Fighter Cancer FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit focused on firefighter cancer prevention listed as a FIERO partner, aligning with FIERO's health and safety research focus.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Firefighter Cancer Support Network: A 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to firefighter occupational health, particularly cancer. Shares FIERO's mission to reduce firefighter exposure to carcinogens and is a listed FIERO partner, making it the most mission-aligned peer in the dataset.
• National Fallen Firefighters Foundation: A non-profit supporting families of fallen firefighters and driving firefighter safety initiatives, including the Everyone Goes Home program. Comparable as a fire-service-focused non-profit with educational programming and FIERO-listed partner.
• National Volunteer Fire Council: A membership organization representing volunteer firefighters with an educational and advocacy mission. Operates as a community-driven non-profit serving the same fire service audience FIERO addresses.
• International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC): A membership-driven association for chief fire officers that hosts conferences (including Fire-Rescue International) and produces educational content for fire service leaders, overlapping directly with FIERO's audience and event-driven GTM.
• International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC): An accreditation body for fire service training and certification programs. Comparable as a fire-service-focused non-profit that supports professional credentialing and continuing education for the same audience.
• Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE-USA): A professional engineering institution focused on fire engineering with continuing education and certification programs. Listed FIERO partner with overlapping interests in PPE performance, standards, and professional development.
• Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE): A professional society for fire protection engineers offering conferences, publications, and certification. Comparable as a peer-credentialing body that educates fire protection practitioners and shapes standards.

Others

• Fire Engineering Magazine: A long-running fire service publication and conference organizer covering firefighter tactics, PPE, and training. Competes for the fire service education audience through different formats (editorial and trade shows) rather than member-driven symposiums.
• UL Solutions: A global safety science organization that conducts fire testing, certification, and applied research, including PPE performance evaluation. Adjacent to FIERO through its testing/standards work but operates as a commercial entity rather than a member-driven educator.

Broad incumbents

• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): The dominant U.S. fire safety standards body with an active research foundation that co-publishes with FIERO. NFPA operates at much greater scale and broader scope (codes, standards, certification, training) but converges with FIERO on firefighter PPE research and fire service education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fire-industry-education-resource-organization-f-i-e-r-o

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.)