Big City Fire Fact Sheet

The Big City Fire Working Group (BCF) brings together representatives from 12 of the largest fire departments in the United States, as measured by number of stations and operational personnel. BCF members are senior leaders who understand the highest priorities of their departments and collaborate to identify and discuss the needs and challenges of fighting fire in dense urban settings. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate's (S&T) National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) convenes and manages the BCF in support of the Directorate's first responder portfolio and is responsible for setting strategy, executing process and identifying potential research, development, test and evaluation opportunities associated with the group.

The geographically dispersed BCF is organized under the First Responder Resource Group (FRRG), a multi-disciplinary group of approximately 120 emergency responders who volunteer their time and expertise to help the DHS S&T prioritize the top unmet capability needs and operational requirements of responders in the field. FRRG members come from a broad range of disciplines, levels of government and regions across the country.