NFPA Journal - Summer 2022 - 42

Perspectives
throughout the country by providing resources for
training and sponsoring research. The administration
also collects data on fires in the US and aids
fire departments in carrying out fire safety public
education and fire prevention programs.
Moore-Merrell, who started her career as a
paramedic with the Memphis Fire Department
in 1987, holds a master's degree in epidemiology
and a doctorate in public health policy and
law. She worked for 26 years at the International
Association of Fire Fighters and, most recently,
served as the president and CEO of the
International Public Safety Data Institute.
Moore-Merrell's science-based education and
FIRE SERVICE
'DOING IT
BETTER'
LORI MOORE-MERRELL, THE NEW US FIRE
ADMINISTRATOR, TALKS ABOUT THE AGENCY'S
PRIORITIES AND CHALLENGES, AND THE
COLLABORATIONS SHE VIEWS AS KEY TO A
SUCCESSFUL FUTURE FOR THE NATION'S
FIRE SERVICE
Interview conducted and edited by Angelo Verzoni
W
ith the world entering the third
year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with
wildfires burning more fiercely than
ever before, and with recruitment
and retention challenges plaguing
the fire service, Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell took
the helm at the United States Fire Administration
(USFA) with no shortage of tasks on her plate. " I
like to say I've been drinking straight from the
fire hydrant, not even the fire hose, since I've been
here, " the Tennessee native quips.
In October, the Biden Administration appointed
nfpa.org/
perspectives
Listen to an NFPA
Podcast featuring
Lori Moore-Merrell
discussing her
priorities at the US
Fire Administration.
Moore-Merrell, a 35-year veteran of the fire service,
as the nation's 11th US fire administrator, a position
created as part of the Federal Fire Prevention and
Control Act of 1974. Today, the Fire Administration
operates as a division of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), and its mission is
to support fire and emergency medical services
42 | NFPA JOURNAL * SUMMER 2022
work experience is evident in her outlook as fire
administrator. Doubling down on data collection
efforts within the US fire service, for example, is one
area she is particularly passionate about. " How do
we help local fire and EMS departments use their
own data for decision making and for evolving the
services they provide to their communities based on
need and based on risk? " she says. Instilling better
data collection practices in the fire service is far
from the only goal Moore-Merrell has for her administration-everything
from creating a more inclusive
fire service to readying any department to battle
wildfires is on the table for 2022 and beyond.
Moore-Merrell recently spoke with NFPA Journal
about her administration's priorities, the biggest
challenges facing America's fire service today,
and how organizations like NFPA can help USFA
achieve its goals.
You've been fire administrator for a few
months now. What are your initial thoughts?
It's been a learning experience. I was very familiar
with USFA from the outside, working with
them on many projects through the years. But the
inside is a whole different perspective. One of the
things that has struck me is that over time, USFA
has sort of been pushed to the side, and I want
to raise it up to its rightful place of respect and
relevance. I really want to make us a part of the
FEMA machine that is relevant.
I certainly agree that the general public may
not know USFA is a part of FEMA, or even
what USFA does.
That's right. We're part of FEMA, but we are also
different from FEMA in some ways. FEMA mostly
looks at response capability to disaster and how
to prepare communities to be resilient after disaster.
USFA is certainly a partner there, but our
perspective is different. We strive to make sure
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NFPA Journal - Summer 2022

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