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Engineering Laboratory

Fire Research Division

News and Updates

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NIST’s Alex Maranghides Receives Service to America Medal

July 17, 2025

The award recognizes Maranghides for 25 years of work investigating devastating wildfires in the United States and creating actionable guidelines on how to save...

A two-lane highway lined with the burnt remains of vehicles that were destroyed by fire while in traffic.

NIST Updates Critical Wildfire Evacuation and Sheltering Guidance

April 24, 2025

The ESCAPE report redefines how to save lives in the face of fast-moving wildfires.

Left side is a photo of a firefighter dressed in full equipment, including heavy clothing, a helmet and a breathing mask. Right side is a diagram showing the three layers typically found in firefighter gear: outer shell, moisture barrier and thermal barrier.

PFAS Found in Firefighter Gloves, Hoods and Wildland Gear

December 17, 2024

The amount of PFAS in each sample varied greatly, so it may be possible to design gear that reduces exposure.

AI Can ‘Hear’ When a Lithium Battery Is About to Catch Fire

November 14, 2024

NIST researchers have trained AI to detect the telltale sound even in noisy environments.

New Smoke Alarms Are Better at Detecting Fires but Still Beep for Bacon

September 18, 2024

NIST research in a kitchen fire laboratory shows that updated smoke detectors still produce nuisance alarms during cooking.

Staff Spotlight - Dr. Ankit Sharma

March 21, 2024

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Ankit Sharma has joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an Associate (PREP) in the...

The graphic depicts a firefighter wearing protective turnout gear with a diagram of the three layers of the gear, which are the outer shell, the moisture barrier and thermal barrier.

Wear and Tear May Cause Firefighter Gear to Release More ‘Forever Chemicals’

January 16, 2024

Are firefighters at risk of increased exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in their protective clothing?

Groups of people sit or lie in a parking lot surrounded by low buildings as fires burn in the forest beyond.

NIST Issues New Guidance for Emergency Response During Wildfires

August 23, 2023

Lessons learned from the 2018 Camp Fire in California include strategies for protecting lives when there is not enough time to safely evacuate all residents.

AI Can Accurately Predict Potentially Fatal Cardiac Events in Firefighters

July 11, 2023

Training a machine-learning model with real-life data from firefighters was key.

Photo shows a NIST firefighter on standby watching a shed burn next to a target structure representing a wall of a residence during an experiment.

For Sheds in Wildfire Zones, NIST Researchers Determine How Close Is Too Close to Home

June 1, 2023

How far away do sheds need to be located to significantly limit fire spread to homes? New research led by NIST has begun to provide important answers.

Researchers Pin Down PFAS Prevalence in Firefighter Gear

May 1, 2023

The findings hint at potential solutions for safer equipment.

A fireball rushes out of the opening of a small metal compartment in a concrete room.

A Machine Learning-Based Solution Could Help Firefighters Circumvent Deadly Backdrafts

October 17, 2022

The NIST team got data from hundreds of backdrafts in the lab to use as a basis for a model that can predict them.

Flames rising from a burning fence are spreading to a tree above and a shed nearby.

NIST Study Finds Wildfire Hazards in Residential Fences and Mulch Beds

August 11, 2022

When building fences and landscaping their properties, homeowners should keep fire safety on the top of their minds.

AI May Come to the Rescue of Future Firefighters

August 10, 2022

New research suggests that AI could provide first responders with a much-needed heads-up about a dangerous condition called flashover.

Happy Retirement, Cone Calorimeter!

March 31, 2022

After 40 years in service as a groundbreaking NIST-invented device for measuring the flammability of materials at the lab bench scale, the NIST cone calorimeter...

Illustration shows two houses from above with distances marked between house, woodpile and shed for fire safety.

NIST Offers First-of-a-Kind Guidance for Holistic Home and Community Wildfire Protection

March 1, 2022

Once they have a foothold, severe wildfires can quickly overwhelm a community, particularly one that is densely packed. To shield houses against such a fierce...

Scripps National News

February 22, 2022

Draft California Fire Code Includes NIST Tool to Evaluate Wildfire Hazard

September 13, 2021

Severe wildfire disasters are often the product of numerous factors — vegetation, drought, a lack of firefighting resources, and many others — coalescing...

Illustration of a burning tree generating embers next to a device composed of four cameras fixed to the ends of metal arms.

NIST’s Emberometer Could Gauge Threat of Wildfire-Spreading Embers

August 18, 2021

As wildfire fronts advance through landscapes or communities on the ground, they also attack from above, launching volleys of glowing embers into the air. Also...

Firefighters spray water into a burning concrete building with a sign saying "NIST Fire Research."

How AI Could Alert Firefighters of Imminent Danger

June 1, 2021

Firefighting is a race against time. Exactly how much time? For firefighters, that part is often unclear. Building fires can turn from bad to deadly in an...

Flammability Reduction Group provides virtual seminar on Reducing the Fire Risk of Residential Upholstered Furniture Fires as part of SFPE Member Series

May 24, 2021

The “Low Heat Release Upholstered Furniture” project at the Fire Research Division (FRD) of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducts...

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