Community Partnerships
Building community connections by bringing the fire service into the classroom
Xplorlabs helps bring fire service personnel and educators together in the classroom — teaching students about real-world topics such as fire forensics, fire safety, and thermal runaway.
This allows the fire service to connect with students in a meaningful way at a time when students are beginning to consider their career options. Through the Xplorlabs Community Partnerships model, fire service careers are identified as STEM careers and fire service personnel as subject matter experts.
A proven model used nationwide
The Xplorlabs team has worked closely with fire departments and school districts across the country to facilitate community partnerships in traditional classroom settings as well as safety and STEM camps. In metro Atlanta, the Xplorlabs Community Partnerships model is implemented across four school districts and has been recognized for helping to meet the Center for Public Safety Excellence’s accreditation criteria for external agency partnerships, and was featured in the certification process for one county fire department in the Atlanta area.
Research-driven resources from industry experts
Xplorlabs partners with ULRI’s Fire Safety Research Institute and Electrochemical Safety Research Institute, as well as the National Fire Sprinkler Association to create research-based content for Xplorlabs.
Three Xplorlabs pathways are tied to fire and emergency services, making for a seamless community partnership opportunity
The Science of Fire Forensics
Exposes students to the role of fire investigators, allowing them to explore fire behavior, analyze burn patterns and evidence, and integrates core science concepts like energy transfer and chemical reactions.
The Science of Thermal Runaway
Allows students to investigate the risks of lithium-ion battery failures — learning how different battery chemistries work, what causes thermal runaway, and helps students apply their knowledge to create safer battery enclosures.
The Science of Fire Safety
Explores the engineering and design principles behind fire-safe spaces, with a focus on fire sprinkler systems. Students experiment with thermal energy and fluid behavior, gaining insight into fire protection technologies and careers in fire safety engineering.
Through the community partnerships model, fire service professionals can join the classroom when students are doing hands-on investigations related to each of these pathways.
Ready to get started?
Contact the Xplorlabs education team at ULRI.Xplorlabs@UL.org.
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UL Research Institutes is a leading independent safety science organization with global reach that is committed to building a safer, more sustainable world. ULRI’s Institute for Research Experiences & Education focuses on bringing current and future generations into the world of safety science through resources, platforms, and programs guided by educational research.