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EVENTS

Artificial Intelligence in the Fire Service

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Artificial Intelligence in the Fire Service - January 26-27, 2007 at NIST Gaithersburg Maryland
Credit: Shutterstock

An interactive workshop discussing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fire service will be hosted, on-site, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. 

The focus of the workshop is on 

  1. Problems AI can solve in the fire service; 
  2. Challenges with implementing AI in the fire service; 
  3. Solutions to overcome those challenges. 

Activities will include both large group presentations, as well as focused breakout sessions for in-depth discussions and input from workshop attendees.

Workshop Objective: Identify pathways to advance the application of artificial intelligence technologies to make every phase of fire service operations safer and more effective. 
 


 

Check back for updates

January 26, 2027 - 8:30am ET

January 27, 2027 - 5:00pm ET

NIST AI Fire Service Workshop (Preliminary Outline)

Workshop Dates: January 26-27, 2027

Workshop Objective: Identify pathways to advance the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to make every phase of fire service operations safer and more effective.

Agenda ItemDescription
Welcome/OverviewDay 1
Plenary 1

Leading the Fire Service into the Intelligence Age

Sharing a vision of AI in the fire service

Speaker:

Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, Former U.S. Fire Administrator; Fire Safety Research Institute Principal Fire Safety Strategist

Plenary 2

The art of the possible: What Good AI Looks Like

A walkthrough of all successful AI use cases being discussed in breakout sessions

Breakout 1

A walkthrough of successful AI use cases

An in-depth presentation to a small group detailing a specific successful AI use case. Open discussion

Lunch 
Plenary 3

The Data Behind the Decision: From Incident Reports to Real-Time Alerts

An open-panel discussion amongst major data scientists working with the fire service, aiming to answer:

  • Who actually owns a department's data once it flows into one of these systems — and what rights do chiefs have to see, use, or pull back their own data?
  • What's the single most important thing to understand about a department's data before they adopt an AI tool that uses it?
  • Are there data sources that don't exist yet but should? What are the blind spots in what AI can see right now?

Panelists:

  • Dr. Craig Weinschenk, Director of Research at Fire Safety Research Institute
  • Joanna Zibbell, Director of Technology Advancement for Western Fire Chiefs Association
Break 
Breakout 2

Your Data, Your Rules: What AI Needs to Work — and Who Controls It

An open discussion with small breakout groups on managing data. Major talking points include:

  • How is data collected?
  • Is your data AI-ready — and how would you know?
  • Who owns the data?
Break 
DiscussionOpen discussion to receive feedback
End of day 1 
Agenda ItemDescription
Welcome/OverviewDay 2
Plenary 4

Would You Trust It With Your Crew? A Panel on AI Reliability and Accountability

An open-panel discussion with leaders in the AI technology space, aiming to answer:

  • How can complex, mission-critical products with embedded AI be evaluated and certified for safe use?
  • What risk management practices should be considered when using AI in public safety?
  • Where does liability fall when using AI products within critical infrastructure?

Panelists:

  • Dr. Young Lee, Technical Leader and Principal Engineer for Artificial Intelligence for UL Solutions
  • Dr. Raymond Sheh, Lead Developer of AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) Profile for Trustworthy AI in Critical Infrastructure at NIST
  • Prof. David A. Simon, Associate Professor of Law at Northeastern University
Break 
Breakout 3

When AI Gets It Wrong: How to Identify, Manage, and Stay in Charge of AI Risk

An open discussion with small breakout groups on dealing with AI risk.

Major talking points include:

  • What should you look for before trusting an AI tool with your crew?
  • How is risk identified?
  • How is risk managed?
  • Who in your department should be watching AI performance — and how?
Lunch/Poster Session

Visions of the Future

Participants are given the opportunity to showcase examples of developing AI projects

Plenary 5

Who should know?: A pathway to establishing AI Personnel Professional Qualifications

An open-panel discussion on training pathways for AI technology in the fire service:

  • What does someone need to know when operating an AI product?
  • Who is responsible for AI product assessment within a department?

Speaker:

  • Jim Brown, AI Consultant and Contractor Instructor for the National Fire Academy
Break 
PrioritizationReview and prioritize (via voting) actionable items
End of day 2 

 

Lodging Information

Lodging information coming soon

Security Instructions

Visitor Access Requirement:

  • For Non-US Citizens: Please have your valid/non-expired passport for photo identification.*
  • For US Permanent Residents: Please have your valid/non-expired green card for photo identification.*
  • For US Citizens: Please have your valid/non-expired state-issued driver's license. NIST will only accept a REAL ID-compliant form of identification. Visitors with state-issued identification must now present a REAL ID or a different form of government-issued photo identification, such as: a valid/non-expired passport, passport card, DOD's Common Access Card (CAC), Veterans ID, Federal Agency HSPD-12 IDs, and Military Dependents ID.*

*Use of apps, physical photocopies, and/or digital screenshots of your ID, Passport or Green card will not be accepted. 

Failure to show proper valid and compliant/non-expired photo identification upon check-in will result in denied entry into the facility.

For more information please visit our Campus Access and Security page.

Fire, Fire detection, Fire dynamics and science, Fire fighting, Fire risk reduction, Wildland urban interface fire, Information technology, Cyber-physical systems, Smart cities, Public safety and First responder preparedness
Created July 30, 2026, Updated September 28, 2026
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