Fairfax County Releases Findings from Live Fire Training Investigation
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFRD), in collaboration with UL Research Institutes’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), has released the final findings from an in-depth investigation into a live fire training incident that resulted in a firefighter burn injury on October 13, 2024. Following the incident, Fire Chief John S. Butler activated the Significant Incident Investigation Team (SIIT), a multidisciplinary group including FCFRD members and external experts, to determine the factors that contributed to the event and develop corrective actions to prevent similar occurrences.
The SIIT investigation was comprehensive, featuring more than 40 interviews and extensive reviews of training policies and documents. To gain a deeper understanding of fire behavior during the incident, FCFRD and FSRI conducted a series of controlled live fire experiments in May 2025 at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Training Academy. These experiments, the first of their kind in the department’s history, captured detailed temperature and heat flux data using advanced instrumentation placed throughout the burn structure. This allowed investigators to scientifically evaluate how fuel load, ventilation, and equipment capability influenced the fire’s behavior and the safety of personnel.
“This was a deeply important and humbling process,” said Fire Chief Butler. “Our mission is to protect life and property, and that includes the lives of our own members. The lessons learned here are grounded in science, transparency, and accountability and will make live fire training safer not only in Fairfax County but across the fire service.”
The findings underscore the importance of evidence-based fire science in firefighter training. FSRI’s collaboration brought additional expertise and rigor to the experiments, helping to quantify thermal conditions and identify safety improvements that can be applied both locally and nationwide. “Ensuring the safety and well-being of our firefighters is crucial,” the report notes, emphasizing that data-driven insights from the investigation will guide safer live fire operations and enhance firefighter preparedness.
The final report and accompanying video summary are publicly available here, providing a transparent account of the investigation and highlighting the department’s commitment to integrating research and best practices into training programs.