Fairfax County Fire and Rescue partnered with the Fire Safety Research Institute to run controlled burn experiments and conduct interviews, revealing gaps in training plans, policies and PPE education

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, in partnership with UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute, has released a report and video summary on a 2024 live fire training incident at the Fairfax County Training Academy that left a firefighter injured.

After the incident, Fire Chief John S. Butler convened a multidisciplinary Significant Incident Investigation Team (SIIT) of department members and outside experts to identify causes and recommend fixes, the department said in a statement.

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The team conducted over 40 interviews, reviewed policies and records, and ran controlled live fire experiments in May 2025 at the training academy, a first for the department. Instrumentation throughout the burn structure captured temperature and heat-flux data, allowing investigators to analyze how fuel load, ventilation and equipment performance affected fire behavior and firefighter safety.

Summary report findings include:

• Training issues: Last-minute training plan changes without adequate review; fuel loads not matched to suppression tools (water cans).
• Policy gaps: No single authoritative live fire training policy, causing inconsistent safety practices.
• Cultural/Behavioral factors: Complacency due to a history of few injuries; poor compliance with rehab and injury reporting.
• Educational shortfalls: Lack of understanding of PPE burn dynamics, especially air gaps and compression; limited knowledge of fuel package impact on fire behavior.
• Leadership: Undefined roles led to unreviewed plan modifications and unsafe conditions such as searching a basement fire with only a water can and no hose line

“This was a deeply important and humbling process,” Butler said. “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.”

For more information on the findings, data and supporting materials from the investigation:

• FCFRD SIIT Report Burn Injury
• Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Live Fire Training Experiments
• SIIT Blue Sheet

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