Former Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell joins UL Research Institutes’ FSRI
Iain Hoey
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Fire Administrator joins FSRI leadership
Dr Lori Moore-Merrell has joined UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute as Principal Fire Safety Strategist after serving as US Fire Administrator from 2021 to 2025.
UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) announced the appointment in a LinkedIn post.
In the role, Moore-Merrell guides research strategy and international reach.
Her work includes global fire safety collaboration, risk assessment methodologies and emerging technology adoption.
FSRI said her role also includes leadership in the World Fire Congress Communities of Practice and support for the newly formed US Wildland Fire Service.
Background to the Fire Administrator appointment
According to FSRI’s published biography, Moore-Merrell oversaw the launch of NERIS during her time as US Fire Administrator.
She also co-chaired the Commission on Wildfire Mitigation and Management and founded the Inaugural World Fire Congress.
Before that post, she served as President and CEO of the International Public Safety Data Institute.
The biography states that she also spent 25 years at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) as Chief Executive of Research and Data Analytics.
Moore-Merrell holds a Doctorate in Public Health focused on Emergency Response System Quality Performance Metrics and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Lori Moore-Merrell sets out priorities
In a LinkedIn post, Moore-Merrell said she was joining a team focused on linking rigorous science with practical use in communities.
She said wildfire resilience needs policy that moves at the pace of the threat and that the global fire service needs research that translates into practice on the ground.
Moore-Merrell also said the global fire safety community is ready for deeper collaboration and shared leadership.